Wilberforce Bible Study #4 “Conflict”

Ice breaker : Have you ever been in a situation where you felt everyone was against you? Do you tend to respond to opposition with aggression or do you retreat?

Introduction : At some point, everyone who is doing God's work will meet with opposition. Jesus told us that as his followers, we can expect persecution. Paul tells us that we are engaged in a spiritual battle and we can expect spiritual opposition. Wilberforce had a great deal of opposition as he pursued the great task of changing the law on slavery. Today we will look at how a great biblical leader, Nehemiah, dealt with opposition as he pursued the great task God gave him, to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

Nehemiah was cupbearer to King Artaxerxes, king of Persia , who saw the Jews as a rebellious people. Nehemiah heard news from his brother that the Jews were living in poor conditions in Jerusalem . After much prayer and fasting, he approached the king who gave him a leave of absence and all the materials he needed to rebuild the walls. Nehemiah travelled to Jerusalem and began the task of mobilizing the Jews to rebuild the walls. Nehemiah quickly encounters opposition from Sanballat, the Hornite, Tobiah, the Ammonite, and Geshem, the Arab.

Read Nehemiah 4:1-23.

1. What is the first “attack” Nehemiah and his people face? Why would it be effective?
2. What is Nehemiah's first line of defence? And his second line of defence?
3. When the first “attack” of ridicule does not work, what do Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem resort to?
4. What impact do the rubble and weariness have in re-building the wall?
5. What impact does opposition have on the Jews?
6. What impact does opposition have on Nehemiah?
7. Given that we know from v. 10 that the people's strength is failing, how would it affect them to have to spend half their time standing guard? How much more difficult will building be if those who are building must be armed?
8. What is the role of the horn? How important are means of mass communication in dealing with opposition?
9. How effective are Nehemiah's approaches to dealing with the conflict?
10. What is the role of prayer in accomplishing God's purposes?

Application : Nehemiah and the Jews faced constant ridicule as they set out to accomplish God's audacious task of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem . When the walls were half completed, those who were opposing them started to threaten them with violence. Nehemiah prayed, set watchmen and eventually required all the workers to be armed and half to stop working on the walls in order to act as guards. This made the second half of the rebuilding much more physically challenging than the first half. But Nehemiah rallied his people and encouraged them.

1. Are there similar principles behind the methods that Nehemiah used to deal with opposition and the methods Wilberforce used?
2. Do you see yourself as a wall-builder, a defensive soldier, a watchman or the one who blows the horn in dealing with opposition?
3. Another very important role, both for Nehemiah and for Wilberforce, is that of keeping up morale. What practical steps could you take to encourage those who are in the front-lines of fulfilling God's purposes?
4. For you personally, what is the toughest opposition to deal with: opposition from outside yourself (taunts, threats of violence) or that from within yourself (rubble, weariness)?