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Nehemiah 4, Building with a Trowel and a Sword
Show: Reading the Bible Daily with Dave
Date: Wednesday, December 10, 2025
Passage: Nehemiah 4:1–23 (ESV)
Show Summary
Yesterday in Nehemiah 3 we saw the people of Jerusalem working together in unity to rebuild the wall. Today in Nehemiah 4 we see a different side of that work, opposition. As the wall begins to take shape, enemies rise and try to stop the progress. Nehemiah and the people respond with faith, diligence, and courage. This chapter teaches us that when God calls us to build, we should expect opposition, but we are called to stand firm, working with one hand to build and with the other to defend. Nehemiah 4 helps us see how to build God’s Kingdom faithfully even in the face of resistance.
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Conclusion
Thank you for joining me today on Reading the Bible Daily with Dave. As we see in Nehemiah 4, God’s work often meets opposition, but He calls His people to build and defend with faith in His strength.
For more devotionals and resources, visit our page at Servants of Grace or at our YouTube.
Until next time, keep building, keep defending, and remember that God fights for His people.
Dave Jenkins is happily married to his wife, Sarah. He is a writer, editor, and speaker living in beautiful Southern Oregon. Dave is a lover of Christ, His people, the Church, and sound theology. He serves as the Executive Director of Servants of Grace Ministries, the Executive Editor of Theology for Life Magazine, the Host and Producer of Equipping You in Grace Podcast, and is a contributor to and producer of Contending for the Word. He is the author of The Word Explored: The Problem of Biblical Illiteracy and What To Do About It (House to House, 2021), The Word Matters: Defending Biblical Authority Against the Spirit of the Age (G3 Press, 2022), and Contentment: The Journey of a Lifetime (Theology for Life, 2024). You can find him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, or read his newsletter. Dave loves to spend time with his wife, going to movies, eating at a nice restaurant, or going out for a round of golf with a good friend. He is also a voracious reader, in particular of Reformed theology, and the Puritans. You will often find him when he’s not busy with ministry reading a pile of the latest books from a wide variety of Christian publishers. Dave received his M.A.R. and M.Div through Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.
