And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.”
Nehemiah 4:14
This speech encouraging men to keep building the wall in Jerusalem is how Nehemiah handled opposition. He confronted it with wise action, trust in God, and personal motivation to do what is right.
Nehemiah devised wise actions. With each group of wall-builders he stationed armed soldiers. These citizen warriors then worked as teams day and night to complete the wall so that the enemies of the Jews could gain no advantage. Each group had a ram's horn ready to sound an alarm if under attack so that the entire force could quickly muster for defensive fighting. Nehemiah had a strategy in place to keep the work going despite the opposition and to protect even a worst case scenario from becoming a disaster. It required more from the men so he knew motivation and faith had to be part of his communication, engaging their heads, hearts, and hands.
Faith was vital to what the leader communicated. The whole project to rebuild Jerusalem's walls was initiated by a call of God upon Nehemiah. And God had done so much with the wall-builders already. He would lead them to complete the tasks. God is great and awesome. He does not change, even if life gets harder or opposition emerges. Remembering God's grace and provision strengthens hearts and hands to continue serving Him at what He asks.
The motivation Nehemiah appealed to was family. The wall ultimately protected each man's own home. They would stand side by side to build as brothers in order to protect sons, daughters, and wives. Faith, family, and fortitude would help them to fight for what was right and finish what God had called them to start.
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