"Begin Again" Bible Study - Pt 10 (Nehemiah 4:13-23)

13 So I placed armed guards behind the lowest parts of the wall in the exposed areas. I stationed the people to stand guard by families, armed with swords, spears, and bows. 14 Then as I looked over the situation, I called together the leaders and the people and said to them, "Don't be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and fight for your friends, your families, and your homes!" 15 When our enemies heard that we knew of their plans and that God had frustrated them, we all returned to our work on the wall. 16 But from then on, only half my men worked while the other half stood guard with spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. The officers stationed themselves behind the people of Judah 17 who were building the wall. The common laborers carried on their work with one hand supporting their load and one hand holding a weapon. 18 All the builders had a sword belted to their side. The trumpeter stayed with me to sound the alarm. 19 Then I explained to the nobles and officials and all the people, "The work is very spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. 20 When you hear the blast of the trumpet, rush to wherever it is sounding. Then our God will fight for us!" 21 We worked early and late, from sunrise to sunset. And half the men were always on guard. 22 I also told everyone living outside the walls to move into Jerusalem. That way they and their servants could go on guard duty at night as well as work during the day. 23 During this time, none of us -- not I, nor my relatives, nor my servants, nor the guards who were with me -- ever took off our clothes. We carried our weapons with us at all times, even when we went for water.- Nehemiah 4:13-23 (NLT)


OBSERVATION QUESTIONS:

1)   What two things did Nehemiah do after his enemies threatened to kill his people? (v.13)
2)   What did Nehemiah tell the leaders and his people? (v.14)
3)   After what two occurrences did the people return to their work on the wall? (v.15)
4)   What defensive strategies did Nehemiah employ as they continued their work? (v.16-18)
5)   According to Nehemiah, when would the Lord fight for His people? (v.19-20)
6)   When did the people work on the wall? (v.21)
7)   What did Nehemiah tell the people living outside the walls to do? Why? (v.22)
8)   What two things did Nehemiah, his family, his servants and guards never do? (v.23)


APPLICATION QUESTIONS:

1)   What do you do when you realize you're under spiritual attack?
2)   Why do you think that spiritual attacks intensify when you're attempting to rebuild your life?
3)   What is the believer's spiritual armor according to Ephesians 6:10-15?



LIFE LESSONS:
1)   When we are attempting to rebuild our lives, we can expect opposition.

2)   Our best offensive weapon when under attack is the word of God
3)   Our best defensive weapon when under attack is to live righteously.
3)   When under attack, we must have our weapons with us, at all times.

To read today's devotional, go to Writer Roxanne Rogiers' blog.