Listen up, little ones
Listen for the words wall and pray.
Reading
Nehemiah 4:7-14—And we prayed to our God
Keys for kids
- The enemies got angry when God’s people worked hard.
- Israel prayed and set a guard.
- Remember that the Lord helps us!
Questions
- How did the workers feel in v10?
- What was the threat from their enemy?
- How did they respond to this threat?
Notes
The work continued, but the workers were painfully aware of their weakness and the enormity of the task at hand. It would have been easy to give up. They were tempted to give up (v10b). The enemy kept coming – threatening to attack from every side. What would God’s people do?
They would remember God is on their side. And they would help each other. Smith notes that Nehemiah stationed guards in high spots where they could easily be seen over the low walls. This was counter intimidation. He armed all the workers and placed them with their family groups where they would have the greatest incentive to fight manfully. When he saw their fear, Nehemiah reminded the builders that God “is great and awesome”.
Wiersbe comments that after looking the situation over, Nehemiah then encouraged the people not to be afraid but to look to the Lord for help. If we fear the Lord, we need not fear the enemy. Nehemiah’s heart was captivated by the “great and terrible” God of Israel (4:14; see 1:5), and he knew that God was strong enough to meet the challenge. He also reminded the people that they were fighting for their nation, their city, and their families.
When we remember God is for us, when we fight for (not with) each other, we increase our strength and the strength of each other.
Swedish Method questions
Praise
Psalm 4b, 133a
Prayer
- Ask God to help you remember that he will help you when you are doing God’s work and enemies oppose.
- Pray for the hearing of God’s word preached this Sunday.
- Pray for a member of our church, for your family, and for a non-Christian friend/family member.