“Should such a man as I flee?”
–Nehemiah 6: 11
Nehemiah had it rough. His passion was to rebuild; the distractions and opposition along the way were relentless. First, since Israel’s enemies hated the idea of the Hebrews regaining their city’s fortification, they tried every trick in the book – mocking, threats, slander – to keep Jerusalem’s walls from going up. Second, in the midst of rebuilding he discovered that some wealthy Israelites were exploiting their own brethren through high interest mortgages; some had also intermarried and actually aligned themselves with their own adversaries. Then in chapter six, we see a secret informer posing as an ally, trying to lure Nehemiah into a secret meeting, allegedly for his own safety since enemies were plotting against him, in the inner temple. This was, of course, forbidden for any but the priests to enter, so if Nehemiah succumbed, he would have lost credibility with the people, and integrity before God.
But by then he might well have said, “Who the devil cares? Enough’s enough!” I know I would have been ready to throw in the towel, but his response is beautifully encouraging: “Should such a man as I flee?”
Hmm. Great question. I can see him musing, “Should a guy like me, who was graciously given favor with the king I work for to come rebuild, then given provisions and funds for the rebuilding, then given authority with these people to commence rebuilding – should a guy who’s been given so much compromise by ducking and running when it gets rough?”
Paul said it’s the goodness of God which leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4) and, if I may, I’d add that it’s also the goodness of God, and the remembrance of that goodness, which keeps me repentant. I was graciously given favor by my King when He first decided to redeem my miserable soul, then condescended to rebuild it as well. Provisions for the rebuilding, like treasured friends, godly counselors, and mind-blowing opportunities for service, have been showered on me. I was given authority to commence rebuilding, so now when it gets rough, could a guy who’s been given so much compromise by ducking and running when it
gets rough?
And it does get rough, for all of us guys in progress. Temptations are relentless; blatant debauchery surrounds us like heathen revelries surrounded Israel in the Old Testament and Corinthian pleasures beckoned the early church in the New. And yes, fellow believers, like some of the Hebrews Nehemiah dealt with, let us down, hurt us, even (at times) exploit us. So the enticement of compromise today will be strong, both because of lust’s power and life’s struggles. The flesh or the devil or both will whisper a friendly suggestion to glance at the porn, return the co-worker’s flirtatious look, give the strip club one last shot. Because, after all, life’s hard, you’re a guy, and occasionally waving a white flag is more sensible than it
is cowardly.
Which is why I hope we all think long and hard, daily, about God’s grace, goodness, past provisions, present blessings, awesome mercies. Remembrance of all He’s been and done fortify us against the call to compromise, yanking us out of the temptation riptide as we ask ourselves, “Should such a man as I flee?”
Anyone can say “I Love God.” But loving Him when it’s uncomfortable, ah, there’s the love. And for those of us wrestling with sexual temptations today, Francis Schaeffer makes a great observation:
“Here, in the midst of life, there is to be a strong negative, by choice and by the grace of God. It is not for example, a matter of waiting until we no longer have strong sexual desires, but rather that in the midst of the moving of life, surrounded by a world that grabs everything, we are to understand what Jesus means when He talks about denying ourselves that which is not rightfully ours.”
Yes, a guy like you with a multitude of temptations has it rough. No, a guy like you with a multitude of blessings shouldn’t run. So don’t.
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