Let Us Rise Up

And they said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work. But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they jeered at us and despised us and said, “What is this thing that you are doing…?” -Nehemiah 2:18-19

The context of this verse is of course when Nehemiah has shared his vision to rebuild a city and he has gained some much needed affirmation from his listeners by them saying in agreement “Le us rise up and build”.
Have you ever had your heart break for something, shared it with someone else, and watch their face light up and hear them say “well let’s do something about it together!”, ever experienced that? What an awesome feeling right?
Well if you’ve experienced that, then you very likely seen some of what Nehemiah experienced from Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem, and that of course is CRITICISM. The Bible says that they “jeered” and “despised” Nehemiah and his team.
Criticism of the people doing the work was common in Nehemiah’s day and it’s still common today. It seems the only way to avoid criticism is to not do anything at all! But that’s not an option for us as Christians. We have been called, commissioned, and commanded to do the work of our Lord to the best of our ability, and we can’t let any amount criticism hinder us from doing that. Remember what Peter said to his critics when he was criticized to the point they were threatening to beat him? “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”-Acts 4:19-20
Peter did not quit preaching, Nehemiah did not quit working, and neither can we. Ben Franklin was right on when he said “Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do.” So let’s keep eyes on the GOD OF THE CITY and give our ears a rest from the THE CRITICS OF THIS WORLD and press on with the work that our King has called us to.
One last thought, is it possible that you have a critical spirit? Are you many times the one pointing out the negative side of things? If so take some extra time to look up and meditate on Philippians 4: 8. Living by the words that Paul writes here can change your life and the life of those around you.