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VOW
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A BRICK AND A SWORD A VOW Editorial by Sylvia Dooling How long has it been since you've read Nehemiah? It's a jewel! It's the story of a man chosen by God to go back to Jerusalem at the end of Judah's exile in Babylon and organize the rebuilding of the wall of the city. He was an extraordinary organizer! Creative and energetic! Clearing the rubble and building the wall was a challenge in itself. But as the people worked they were also in danger of being attacked by their surrounding neighbors who did not want to see Jerusalem's walls rebuilt. At first, their enemies made fun of them. "That stone wall they are building--any fox going up on it would break it down!" Keep in mind, these were not stonemasons. These were priests, goldsmiths, perfumers, and anyone else who was willing to work. The people kept building. Soon the wall was about waist high and the taunts turned to threats. The people grew fearful. Nehemiah told them not to be afraid. "Remember the LORD, who is great and awesome." Nehemiah declared God's Word and then devised a plan instructing the builders to strap a sword to their side while they built. "A brick in one hand, and a sword in the other." Sound instruction for us today as we are engaged in the work of the church. Balance is crucial. We are to be about building up the church of Jesus Christ. This is our mission. We are to spread the good news of the gospel, make disciples of all nations, and work for justice and the transformation of the culture. At the same time, we must keep in mind that we are always engaged in spiritual warfare. For there are those whose intention it is to break down the historic faith of the church. It is the intention of a few to build a different church free from the essentials as revealed in Scripture and contained in the creeds and confessions of our church. In Ephesians 6:17, Paul describes the Christian's weapon as the "sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." This sword "is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." (Heb. 4:12) Not just the other guy's heart, but also our own. Nehemiah's direction to the people of his time, also keeps us from imbalance. To engage only in the battle causes us to develop sharp edges and soon we show signs of battle fatigue and the building up of the church falls by the wayside. But to ignore or to forget that we are engaged in a battle fools us into believing we can blithely proceed with building while others are dismantling behind us. So with a brick in one hand and a sword in the other we carry on.
The new wall of Jerusalem apparently looked a little rickety, but
nevertheless it was a wall that reinstated the boundaries of Jerusalem,
protecting the people from their enemies. The church may look laughable
at times--at other times frighteningly fragile--like it cannot withstand
the pressures and stresses it must take. But remember the words of
Nehemiah, and "remember the LORD, who is great and awesome."
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