The Good WorkSample

Facing Inside Opposition

Facing outside opposition is one thing. But how do you respond when opposition comes from within? Many worthy causes have been brought down by internal disagreements and fallouts. How should we respond to these obstacles?

As we see in chapters five and six of Nehemiah, the right response depends on the situation.

At times, inside opposition looks a lot like outside opposition. Nehemiah experienced this kind of inside opposition when a Jew named Shemaiah, hired by Sanballat and Tobiah, tried to convince him to shut himself inside the temple, out of harm’s way. But Nehemiah saw through Shemaiah’s scheme and continued on with the work God had given him to do.

When inside opposition is baseless, we shouldn’t let it distract us. We should keep moving forward.

But opposition isn’t always baseless. Wealthy Jews were forcing the poor to borrow money at high interest and mortgage their fields, vineyards, and homes to feed their families. Even worse, in some cases, the poor had no choice but to subject their children to slavery in order to stay alive. 

When the poor came forward to Nehemiah with their situation, he didn’t ignore this obstacle. He understood this conflict threatened the unity of those rebuilding the wall and was contrary to God’s love for the poor. Which meant Nehemiah needed to act. After thinking it over, he went to the wealthy Jews and confronted them about what they had done. His case was so godly that the Jews could find nothing to say in defense of their actions, and they agreed to return all they had taken from their fellow Jews.

When inside opposition is valid, we should deal with it head-on.

So, how can we tell the difference between baseless and valid opposition? Pray. Seek God’s Word. Ask God for the wisdom you need to tell the difference and for direction in dealing with whatever obstacles come your way. He’ll help you find your next step forward.

Pray: Ask God for unity for you and your fellow workers.