“Cannot Come Down”
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efforts of His faithful servants, and the work steadily advances. We
shall meet with opposition of every description, as did the builders of
the walls of Jerusalem; but if we watch and pray and work, as they did,
God will fight our battles for us and give us precious victories.
Nehemiah “clave to the Lord, and departed not from following
Him, but kept His commandments, which the Lord commanded Moses.
And the Lord was with him.” Messengers were sent repeatedly, so-
liciting a conference with Nehemiah; but he refused to meet them.
Bold threats were made of what they proposed to do, and messengers
were sent to harangue the people engaged in the work of building.
These presented flattering inducements and promised the builders free-
dom from restraint, and wonderful privileges, if they would unite their
interest with them and cease their work of building.
But the people were commanded not to engage in controversy with
their enemies and to answer them not a word, that no advantage of
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words might be given them. Threatenings and ridicule were resorted
to. They said: “Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall
even break down their stone wall.” Sanballat “was wroth, and took
great indignation, and mocked the Jews.” Nehemiah prayed: “Hear, O
our God; for we are despised: and turn their reproach upon their own
head.”
“And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work,
so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave
it, and come down to you? Yet they sent unto me four times after this
sort; and I answered them after the same manner. Then sent Sanballat
his servant unto me in like manner the fifth time with an open letter in
his hand.”
We shall receive the most fierce opposition from the Adventists
who oppose the law of God. But, like the builders of the walls of
Jerusalem, we should not be diverted and hindered from our work
by reports, by messengers desiring discussion or controversy, or by
intimidating threats, the publication of falsehoods, or any of the devices
that Satan may instigate. Our answer should be: We are engaged in
a great work, and we cannot come down. We shall sometimes be
perplexed to know what course we should pursue to preserve the honor
of the cause of God and to vindicate His truth.
The course of Nehemiah should have a strong bearing upon our
minds as to the manner of meeting this kind of opponents. We should