Nehemiah Bible Study Lesson Snippet
What does Satan have the power to do given opportunity?
Neh 4:7-11 Now it came about when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the repair of the walls of Jerusalem went on, and that the breaches began to be closed, they were very angry. And all of them conspired together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause a disturbance in it. But we prayed to our God, and because of them we set up a guard against them day and night. Thus in Judah it was said, 'The strength of the burden bearers is failing, yet there is much rubbish; and we ourselves are unable to rebuild the wall.' And our enemies said, 'They will not know or see until we come among them, kill them, and put a stop to the work.'
In the last verse of the previous section, we read that the wall was now built to half its height and the old saying "sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me", was coming true for the first time ever. Nehemiah and his builders had survived the initial attack and having a mind to work had completed half the job! The enemy may had been resisted but He's not above changing tactics. Phase two was now quickly being devised and it involved the sticks and stones! We read in vs 7-8 "Now it came about when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repair of the walls went on, and that the breaches began to be closed, they were very angry. All of them conspired to come together and fight against Jerusalem and to cause a disturbance in it." Now this disturbance wasn't just calling Nehemiah names for they said "they will not know or see until we come among them, kill them and put a stop to the work." (vs 11) They really, really, didn't like this wall did they? Who knows what they would have done given the opportunity.
Before reading this list, please note that the redeemed have been bought and paid for by Jesus' blood. God owns them. In the instances used below where Satan persecutes Gods people, GOD HAS ALLOWED THIS TO HAPPEN. God, not Satan, is omniscient, omnipresent, & omnipotent. While we can't fully understand how the relationship between God and Satan operates, we do know that the Lord is sovereign and in control. The best insight into the power of Satan is in Job 1:12-2:7 where God said "Behold, all that he has is IN YOUR POWER."
- The Sabeans & Chaldeans: power over people to do his bidding. (vs 15,17)
- Fire/Lightning: power to cause storms and lightning (vs 15)
- Tornadoes/Hurricane: power to use tornadoes and nature to cause havoc. (vs 19)
- Sores & Sickness: power to cause sickness in & upon our bodies (ch 2:7)
Other examples are found of course backing up these examples and providing new ones:
- Animals: He can cause animals to act under his influence (Luke 8:32-33)
- Thoughts: What we think are our own thoughts can be from him! (Matt16:21-23)
- Physical Deformity: His power can cause deformity in our appearance (Luke 13:11)
Again, keep in mind that God is sovereign. "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.'
from Nehemiah 4:7-15 Sanballat's Second Attack: Physical Persecution