Verses from Nehemiah

亚扪人多比雅在参巴拉旁边说：“这些人建造的，只要一只狐狸走上去，石墙就崩塌。”“我们的神啊，求你垂听，我们被藐视，求你使他们的毁谤归到他们头上，使他们在被掳之地成为掠物。(尼希米记 4:3-4)

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!” Hear us, our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity. (Nehemiah 4:3-4)

Boxing legend Muhammad Ali used several ring tactics to defeat his opponents; one tactic was taunting. 

In his fight with George Foreman in 1974, Ali taunted Foreman, “Hit harder! Show me something, George. That don’t hurt. I thought you were supposed to be bad.” 

Fuming, Foreman punched away furiously, wasting his energy and weakening his confidence. It’s an old tactic. 

By referring to Nehemiah’s efforts at rebuilding the broken wall of Jerusalem as nothing more than a fox’s playground (Neh. 4:3), Tobiah intended to weaken the workers with poisonous words of discouragement. Goliath tried it on David by despising the boy’s simple weapons of a sling and stones (1 Sam. 17:41-44). 

A discouraging remark can be a deadly weapon. Nehemiah refused to surrender to Tobiah’s discouragements, just as David rejected Goliath’s diabolical teasing. 

Focusing on God and His help rather than on their discouraging situations, David and Nehemiah both achieved victory. 

Taunting can come from anybody, including those who are close to us. Responding to them negatively only saps our energy. 

But God encourages us through His promises: He will never forsake us (Ps. 9:10; Heb. 13:5), and He invites us to rely on His help (Heb. 4:16).

Despite the taunting that the Israelites faced from multiple sources when rebuilding the walls and city of Jerusalem, they had courage and confidence in God. They had returned to Jerusalem just as God had promised through the prophet Jeremiah (Jer. 29:10).

If you’re in a tunnel of discouragement, keep walking toward the Light.