14 And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.” – Nehemiah 4:14
Position
Nehemiah was a man in an important position in the Persian Court. Specifically, he was cupbearer to the king. At this time, the King of Persia, Artaxerxes, was a very powerful man on the world scene. Yet the life of this mighty monarch was daily in the hands of his cupbearer. In an age when the threat of being poisoned was very real, no wine could touch the lips of Artaxerxes without first going through the hands of Nehemiah.
The position of cupbearer was a position of great risk and great stress. Oftentimes, the cupbearer would need to taste the wine before serving it to the king. Obviously, if the wine was poisoned, his life was in danger. But death also awaited him if poisoned wine made it past him to the lips of the king. There was no margin for error.
In order to rise to his position in the Persian Court, Nehemiah had to prove himself as being trustworthy. To fulfill the position, he must have been a man of great selflessness and courage. Certainly, his position brought him great honor and influence in Persia. But although Nehemiah had such an important position in Persia, being a Jew, his heart was tied to Judah and by extension, Jerusalem.
Patriot
In contrast to Nehemiah’s important position, stood Jerusalem in it’s precarious position. Word came to Nehemiah that a remnant of his fellow Jews, who had been in exile, had returned to their homeland. And, although Ezra had led them in the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem, the walls around it were still in ruins. So although the Jews now had a place to worship, they could not do so in peace. As long as the walls were in ruins, the residents and their Temple were in danger. In the day and age in which Nehemiah lived, a city without walls was a city without defense. In the words of F. Charles Fensham, “For Nehemiah such a state of affairs was unacceptable and a shame for his people.”
Therefore, upon hearing about the condition of Jerusalem and the shame of it’s defenseless position, Nehemiah was reduced to tears. Out of his great love for his people and their Holy City, Nehemiah knew what he had to do. He must take leave of his important position as cupbearer to the king, and make the 765 mile journey to Jerusalem and repair the wall. For the safety of his people, it was imperative that the breaches were repaired and the wall restored.
Nehemiah was faithful and loyal to the king he served, but ultimately he was in the service of the King of Kings. His respect for one would have to give way for his reverence for the Other. So, after praying and fasting before the face of God, Nehemiah resolved to begin his arduous journey. Because Nehemiah’s life was devoted to protection, he couldn’t bear the thought of his people being so vulnerable. His people desperately needed him. He knew he had to leave the safety and comfort of the king’s palace in Susa for the dangers of Judah. Hence, he was now going to make the transition from cupbearer to wall builder. A job with it’s own set of risks and rewards.
Persecution
When Nehemiah eventually made his way to Jerusalem, it did not take long for his enemies to make themselves known. When it became public knowledge that Nehemiah was to lead in the restoration of the wall, those that opposed it’s reconstruction began to attack him. At first their weapon was scorn and ridicule. But they would soon upgrade. After all, a man like Nehemiah would not be intimidated by jeers and taunts.
As the wall around Jerusalem continued to take shape, the taunts would soon become death threats. If hostile words could not dishearten Nehemiah and the Jews, perhaps hostile actions would. In an evil world, there are no rules of engagement. But despite the threats, Nehemiah was still unbending.
Nehemiah wasn’t going to panic. Nor was he going to run. The walls had to be restored. The city had to be protected. Rather than allowing the threats to rule the day, Nehemiah encouraged his fellow Jews. They needed fresh courage to “strengthen their hands”. Nehemiah did not downplay the threats, rather he wisely put them into perspective; God is in control, but we have a responsibility. Trust AND action were both necessary. So, “Remember” and “fight” were his battle cry!
Protection
Nehemiah may be long gone, but unfortunately the evils he faced are not. In fact, they appear to be multiplying exponentially. As we look around us it seems that chaos and anarchy are ruling the day. Rioters are taking over our streets. Anarchists are “stealing” our cities. Stores are being looted and innocent citizens are being beaten in broad daylight. While the barbarians are burning Rome, our politicians are throwing on more gas and the media is fanning the flames.
Like the days of Nehemiah, the walls have been breached and the gates have been burned down. Our homes and our families are being threatened perhaps like never before. Because the threats are so imminent, we are becoming more desperate for protection. There is only so much we can do as individuals to protect ourselves and our loved ones.
Just like Jerusalem of old, we need a secure wall of defense. In an age of abundant poison, we need our protection. More specifically, we need our Thin Blue Line.
Police
Many trustworthy men and women serving as police comprise the “Thin Blue Line” that stands between order and chaos. Like Nehemiah, they make great personal sacrifices to protect us and our loved ones. As they battle the evil that threatens society, many of them put their lives on the line every day. Instead of getting the positive support that they deserve, more often than not they face the same treatment that Nehemiah did.
Despite their commitment to stand as a barrier between order and chaos, too often our police are subjected to persecution. Like Nehemiah, they have heard the taunts and jeers. They have certainly heard the name callings. But as we have seen, that weapon is soon upgraded. Words give way to actions. Taunts give way to threats, then threats are carried out.
According to Officer Down Memorial Page (odmp.org), there have been 110 line of duty deaths to date in 2020. Twenty six of these deaths the result of gunfire. For the most part, the death of these police officers won’t make the nightly news, but you can open the link and go to the 2020 Honor Roll of Heroes and view their bios.
Perspective
When I scroll down the Honor Roll of Heroes, I see men and women of different races and varying ages. Seeing them, I am reminded that heroism is not limited to any sex, race, or age group, but rather is defined by selfless sacrifice. These 110 Heroes left the comfort of their homes to protect us by acting as a barrier between order and chaos. Like Nehemiah, they devoted their lives to protecting others. But unlike Nehemiah who returned to Susa after twelve years in Jerusalem, these 110 Heroes are never returning home.
Like heroism, death is not restricted to any sex, race, or age group. Death is definitely no “respecter” of men. But our Heroes in blue are willing to face death on a daily basis to protect ALL of us, regardless of sex, race, or age. When they committed to being a part of the Thin Blue Line, they knew the risks and rewards of the job. Unfortunately, in today’s environment the risks have increased and the rewards have diminished.
During Nehemiah’s time, in warfare it would take prolonged efforts with siege weapons to breach a city wall. As you are well aware, some things never change. This is exactly what we are witnessing today. The Thin Blue Line is being subjected to repetitive blows by an enemy with evil intentions. The enemy is going to relentlessly attack with the hope of breaking the line. As our Blue wall is absorbing the frontal attack, it is imperative that they know we have their backs.
Plea
Many of our men and women in Blue are becoming disheartened. As in the days of Nehemiah, morale is waning. Therefore, now is the time to rebuild the wall. Now is the time to “strengthen the hands” of the Thin Blue Line with fresh courage. As Nehemiah would remind us, it is not a time for fear, but rather trust and action.
We owe it to our families, and just as importantly, we owe it to theirs.
We owe it to the three year old son of Officer Breann Leath who will never again be hugged by his mother who was shot and killed while responding to a domestic disturbance call. We owe it to the young daughter of Officer Christopher Ryan Walsh who will not have her father at her side to escort her down the aisle some day because he was shot and killed responding to an armed robbery call.
Certainly, we owe it to the grandsons of Deputy Sheriff James Blair who will never again garner the wisdom of their grandfather. Raising his grandsons on behalf of his deceased daughter, Deputy Sheriff James Blair was fatally shot on duty. Likewise we owe our support to Deputy Sheriff James Blair’s surviving wife, and to all the surviving women and men who entered the ranks of widow and widower because of the sacrifice of their spouses in Blue.
Despite the rhetoric, we must always remember that the Thin Blue Line is no inanimate cold stone wall surrounding a city, but a living vibrant part of the communities they serve. Like us, they have homes to keep up and bills to pay. They have children (and grandchildren) they love and nurture and elderly parents they love and care for. They are our neighbors, and they are our friends. And perhaps now more than ever, they need our support.
Proposition
I realize that we don’t have the authority to do the jobs that our police have been trained to do, but I do believe we have an obligation to support them as they protect us. As I’ve witnessed the animosity being directed toward those in Blue, my heart has been broken. I believe many of us, like Nehemiah when hearing about the wall, have been emotionally touched by troubling stories we are hearing about the treatment of our police. Today, as then, I believe our state of affairs is unacceptable and a shame to our society.
Accordingly, we need to let them know that we do not agree with the jeers they are subjected to. Nor do we agree with the threats and the violent actions taken against them. Further, we are disheartened by the blatant stereotyping against our police and the acts of discrimination against them. We may not be able to stop the relentless blows of the enemy, but we can counter them.
I would like to propose that we inundate our Thin Blue Line with positive support. Personally, I am hoping to saturate our neighborhoods with yard signs displaying Old Glory sporting the Thin Blue Line. If interested, I would encourage you to go to websites such as thinbluelineusa.com and purchase apparel supporting our police and proudly wear it. I am sure there are many ways we can let them know they are not alone in their battle against evil but these are just a couple of suggestions.
The least we can do is to turn to our “great and awesome” Lord and pray for them and then when possible, thank them for their service.
“Do not be afraid…Remember the Lord…Fight for your brothers…”