16 From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah 17 who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other,18 and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me.
19 Then I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. 20 Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!” (Nehemiah 4:16-20)
Thoughts: The work was slowed by the threats, but Nehemiah made sure the work did not stop. Half of the soldiers he brought with him worked on the wall. Half of the soldiers he brought were ready for war, and the officers posted themselves to make sure that the people could be organized for battle quickly. The motto: "Be Prepared" would work here. They were prepared for battle, but they continued to do the work.
What an image- to have a sword in one hand and a trowel in the other. Years ago C.H. Spurgeon wrote a weekly magazine called "Sword and Trowel" that encouraged fighting against sin and laboring for the Lord. We do not need to just fight sin so that we quit the work of God to build up the kingdom. Nor do we need to just seek to build and not care about sin and its poison at all. However, in this passage both were defensive weapons. The sword was not used to go out fight offensively against the enemies. But the sword was ready when the people were attacked. The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God (Eph. 6:17). The trowel was used to build up a defensive wall so that hell itself could not stand win against the gates of God. So we are called to build up the kingdom but also defend it against those who would tear it down. In our day there is a tendency to think we can just do one or the other- but both are necessary.
What an image- to have a sword in one hand and a trowel in the other. Years ago C.H. Spurgeon wrote a weekly magazine called "Sword and Trowel" that encouraged fighting against sin and laboring for the Lord. We do not need to just fight sin so that we quit the work of God to build up the kingdom. Nor do we need to just seek to build and not care about sin and its poison at all. However, in this passage both were defensive weapons. The sword was not used to go out fight offensively against the enemies. But the sword was ready when the people were attacked. The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God (Eph. 6:17). The trowel was used to build up a defensive wall so that hell itself could not stand win against the gates of God. So we are called to build up the kingdom but also defend it against those who would tear it down. In our day there is a tendency to think we can just do one or the other- but both are necessary.
Prayer: Lord, let me labor for you and also combat the sin that would deter me from doing your work.
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