Lessons in Spiritual Warfare from Nehemiah
Nehemiah Rebuilding the Walls of Jerusalem Painting by Jan Luyken National Museum
God Can Use Anyone To Fulfill His Purposes
In the Book of Nehemiah we see God using King Artaxerxes of Persia to allow Nehemiah to organize the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem after the Jews had been in exile for seventy years. But we also see the enemy's agents are furious when they see God blessing his people and engage in a series of attempts to thwart God's plans.
Lessons in Spiritual Warfare
The Book of Nehemiah shows us both the enemy's tactics and Nehemiah's response, which are an object lesson for us today.
Before he begins, Nehemiah conducts a secret survey at night of the situation in Jerusalem on his own, not even revealing his plans to the Jews who had already returned with Ezra. When he has surveyed the situation, he calls the Jewish officiais and priests together to discuss his plans, which meet with their unanimous approval and demonstrate the importance of unity in the situation.
Lesson #1: Every work of God attracts enemy opposition with mockery & false accusations
Nehemiah 2:10 When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were very much disturbed that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites.
Nehemiah 2:19 When Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. “What is this you are doing?” they asked. “Are you rebelling against the king?”
Nehemiah's Response: Trusts God to give success (v20)
Lesson #2: The enemy is furious at Nehemiah's refusal to give up & ridicules the work
Nehemiah 4:1-3 When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, “What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble—burned as they are?” Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, “What they are building—even a fox climbing up on it would break down their wall of stones!”
Nehemiah's Response (vv4-6):
(1) Prayed to God to deal with the enemy
(2) Continued rebuilding the walls
Lesson #3: The enemy threatens to attack the city to intimidate
Nehemiah 4:7-9 The enemy's forces threaten to attack the city and stir up trouble
Nehemiah's Response:
(1) Prays to God
(2) Posted guards day and night
Lesson #4: Nehemiah encourages the people: remember the LORD & your families (vv10-14)
(1) Don't be afraid: remember the LORD
(2) Remember you are fighting for your families
Lesson #5: Continuing the Work & Placing Guards day and night (vv16-18)
(1) Half the men did the work; the other half kept guard
(2)The trumpeter to sound the alarm stayed with Nehemiah
Lesson #6: God provides the Resources when we give him our Tithes (Nehemiah 5:1-13)
Lesson #7: Enemy anger, attacks & attempts to intimidate (Nehemiah 6:1-7)
(1) Invitation to a meeting designed to distract and a plot to kill Nehemiah
(2) Dysinformation and false reports that Nehemiah was plotting a rebellion against the king
(3) Nehemiah refuses to be distracted or intimidated
Lesson #8: Final attempt to intimidate & Nehemiah's refusal to be intimidated (Nehemiah 6:10)
(1) Come into the Temple for sanctuary against a plot to kill you
(2) Nehemiah's response (vv11-15)
(a) Refused to be intimidated
(b) Realised it was false prophecy to intimidate him to commit sin by his failure to trust God
(c) Prayed and asked God to take note of what his enemies were doing to intimidate him
God's Covenant With David
King David in his palace kneeling before the Prophet Nathan Painting oil on copper by Tobias van Nijmegen (c.1670-1699) National Trust Collection
David Seeks God's Will
After David had been settled in the palace he had built, he sought God's will through the prophet Nathan, saying:
"Here I am living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent."
At first Nathan tells him to go ahead and do with whatever plans he has. But the same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan:
"Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling. Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’
“Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men on earth. And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies.
The Davidic Covenant: The Promise of An Everlasting Kingdom
“‘The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands. But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’”
Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation. (2 Samuel 7:8-17)
The Significance of The Davidic Covenant
Nathan promises David that one will come after him from his own lineage and God will establish his throne forever (vv. 12–16). In verse 13 he says that rather than David building a “house” for God, God will make a “house” out of David through his seed, his descendants.
In Psalm 89:3-4 the psalmist Ethan in praising God says: "You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant, ‘I will establish your line forever and make your throne firm through all generations.’" And in verses 26-29 he continues:
"He will call out to me, ‘You are my Father, my God, the Rock my Saviour.’ And I will appoint him to be my firstborn, the most exalted of the kings of the earth.
I will maintain my love to him forever, and my covenant with him will never fail. I will establish his line forever, his throne as long as the heavens endure."
It is a clear reference, in the words of the hymn 'Hail to The Lord's Anointed,' to the coming of "One who is great David's greater Son" - a Saviour who is Christ the LORD.
A Godly King Ends In Disaster
The death of King Josiah at the Battle of Megiddo Painting by Francesco Conti Wikimedia Commons
Josiah's Godly Reign
Josiah became king at the age of eight and ruled in Jerusalem for thirty-one years.
In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David. In his twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of high places, Asherah poles and idols. Under his direction the altars of the Baals were torn down; he cut to pieces the incense altars that were above them, and smashed the Asherah poles and the idols. These he broke to pieces and scattered over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. He burned the bones of the priests on their altars, and so he purged Judah and Jerusalem. In the towns of Manasseh, Ephraim and Simeon, as far as Naphtali, and in the ruins around them, he tore down the altars and the Asherah poles and crushed the idols to powder and cut to pieces all the incense altars throughout Israel. Then he went back to Jerusalem. (2 Chronicles 34:3-7)
When he was twenty-six Josiah sent some men to Hilkiah the High Priest to arrange for the repair of the Temple. While they were doing so, Hilkiah discovered The Book of the Law of the LORD that had been given to Moses. Shaphan the secretaray took the book to the king and read from it, Josiah tore his robes as a sign of repentance and gave orders to Hilkiah to inquire of the LORD.
"Go and inquire of the Lord for me and for the remnant in Israel and Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the Lord's anger that is poured out on us because those who have gone before us have not kept the word of the Lord; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written in this book.”
Hilkiah and those the king had sent with him went to speak to the prophet Huldah. She said to them,
“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Tell the man who sent you to me, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am going to bring disaster on this place and its people—all the curses written in the book that has been read in the presence of the king of Judah. Because they have forsaken me and burned incense to other gods and aroused my anger by all that their hands have made, my anger will be poured out on this place and will not be quenched.’ Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says concerning the words you heard: Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before God when you heard what he spoke against this place and its people, and because you humbled yourself before me and tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you, declares the Lord. Now I will gather you to your ancestors, and you will be buried in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place and on those who live here.’ " (2 Chronicles 34:23-28)
Josiah's reaction was to call all the people together and to go up to the Temple and read the Book of the Law to the assembled crowd.
He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the Lord. The king stood by his pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the Lord—to follow the Lord and keep his commands, statutes and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, and to obey the words of the covenant written in this book. Then he had everyone in Jerusalem and Benjamin pledge themselves to it; the people of Jerusalem did this in accordance with the covenant of God, the God of their ancestors.
Josiah also removed all the detestable idols from all the territory belonging to the Israelites, and he had all who were present in Israel serve the Lord their God. As long as he lived, they did not fail to follow the Lord, the God of their ancestors. (2 Chronicles 34:23-30)
Then Josiah celebrated the Passover with the sacrifice of thirty-thousand lambs and goats and three thousand head of cattle out of his own possessions. The Levites and priests contributed more and musicians led the worship at the extravagant celebrations.
Josiah's Fatal Mistake
But Josiah made a fatal mistake when King Neco of Egypt went up to Carchemish on the Euphrates to fight. Josiah went out with his army to meet him in battle.
But Necho sent messengers to him, saying, “What quarrel is there, king of Judah, between you and me? It is not you I am attacking at this time, but the house with which I am at war. God has told me to hurry; so stop opposing God, who is with me, or he will destroy you.”
Josiah, however, would not turn away from him, but disguised himself to engage him in battle. He would not listen to what Neco had said at God's command, but went to fight him on the plain of Megiddo.
Archers shot King Josiah, and he told his officers, “Take me away; I am badly wounded.” So they took him out of his chariot, put him in his other chariot and brought him to Jerusalem, where he died. He was buried in the tombs of his ancestors, and all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for him. (2 Chronicles 35:21-24)
It was a sad end to an otheriwse godly reign.
Good News Bad News
Newspaper Front Pages for One Morning
The front page headlines of four Scottish newspapers on Monday, 3rd November, 2025 show the reality of the spiritual warfare in terms of both Good News and Bad News.
At first glance, it appears Scottish newspapers, that are not especially known for their support of Judaeo-Christian beliefs, are telling the truth that we read in the Bible in Isaiah 52:7 -"Your God reigns!" - not Satan.
In Revelation 12:10-11 we read: "Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.”
On closer inspection, however, the statement that "The devil doesn't win" was actually uttered by a man who was in the process of stabbing as many passengers on a train as he could, before he was stopped by a railway worker, who bravely put himself in the way of the would-be assassin's knife and received life-threatening injuries, thereby saving the lives of other passengers.
One newspaper took the opposite line with the headline "The Devil On The 18:25," which accurately described the spiritual force behind the actions of the assailant.
The Warfare Is Real
The purpose of this website is to show that the Bad News is that a spiritual war has been been going on since the dawn of time and is real at every level of our lives on this planet. If that is the end of the story, we are left with hell on earth.
The Good News is that God has already shown us he has given the victory through the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ, his promised Messiah, or Anointed One, to all who put their trust in Jesus and experience the reality through being born anothen by the Holy Spirit.
Why Bad Things Happen To Good People
Paramedics at the scene of a road accident Photo: Adobe Stock
The Bible views human suffering and evil as the result ultimately of sin, or rebellion, against God's design of a perfect creation. It falls into three main categories -
A. Natural Evil: The Results of Living In A Fallen World
Examples include
• genetically inherited diseases
eg infant cancers and other genetic disorders;
• natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, famine and floods caused by exceptional rainfall patterns
B. Moral Evil: The Result of Human Sin
a. Committed by me; b. against me
• Famine resulting from civil wars
• Death and destruction through wars
• Murder, rape and crimes of violence
• Accidents and deaths caused by carelessness, drunkenness, or drugs
• HIV/Aids resulting from breaking God's laws re sex
• Divorce/family breakup due to abuse or neglect
• Fraud, internet scams, etc
C. Satanic Evil: Suffering Resulting from Supernatural Forces
• Satanic ritual abuse committed in witchcraft and Satanic worship
• False religions involving the deliberate invitation to demonic spirits eg Reiki; Yoga; Freemasonry
• The New Age movement
• Abuse, Addictions, Murder, Prostitution, Rape and Violence of all kinds
• Religious violence and persecution