The Walls that Bind
Walls
What are walls for? Often times we think of them as things we build to keep things out. To separate us from each other. Things that emphasize that we are here and they are there. But that is not all walls are for. Maybe not even the most important thing they are for.
Nehemiah's mission was to build walls. Now the truth is that Nehemiah may not have fully understood all the good things that walls can do for us, or for that matter, all the hazards they can create when we misuse them. But even in that there is good news, for God does not make us wait until our understanding is fully developed before He invites us to join Him in the building project. Sometimes, we learn as we go. Sometimes it is not until later, maybe even much later, that the full significance of what we are involved in becomes clearer.
At their best, walls help us to understand who we are. They unite us. Give us a sense of safety and identity. They help provide a place for communities to gather and to know they are safe. The walls are not intended to be exclusive in the sense of being better than others, or more entitled than others, or as a way to make a value judgement about those who are "in" and those who are "out." That is to completely subvert and destroy the purpose of walls. Rather, they are for the purpose of providing a place of community and safety. They are a way of valuing and protecting those who are most vulnerable. It is a way of preserving what we value the most. People. Relationships. Community. Our sense of being there for each other, and together loving others in ways we never could on our own as individuals. These kinds of walls are worth fighting for and protecting and building.
That's what Pastor Isaac shares with us this morning at the culmination of our Vacation Bible School week. (Ok, so Nehemiah is not technically one of the minor prophets, but VBS came in the middle of the series anyway). The theme for the week is "With God All Things Are Possible." Even the building of walls. The right kind of walls. This is possible for us.
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Nehemiah 4:6-23
So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.
7 But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the people of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. 8 They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. 9 But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.
10 Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.”
11 Also our enemies said, “Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.”
12 Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.”
13 Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows. 14 After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraidof them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”
15 When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to our own work.
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 Judah17 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!”
21 So we continued the work with half the men holding spears, from the first light of dawn till the stars came out. 22 At that time I also said to the people, “Have every man and his helper stay inside Jerusalem at night, so they can serve us as guards by night and as workers by day.”23 Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water.