Work Is Ridiculed
4 [a]Now it came about that when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became furious and very angry and mocked the Jews. 2 He spoke in the presence of his brothers and the [b]wealthy men of Samaria and said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Are they going to restore it for themselves? Can they offer sacrifices? Can they finish in a day? Can they revive the stones from the [c]dusty rubble even the burned ones?” 3 Now Tobiah the Ammonite was near him and he said, “Even what they are building—if a fox should [d]jump on it, he would break their stone wall down!”
4 Hear, O our God, how we are despised! Return their reproach on their own heads and give them up for plunder in a land of captivity. 5 Do not [e]forgive their iniquity and let not their sin be blotted out before You, for they have [f]demoralized the builders.
6 So we built the wall and the whole wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a [g]mind to work.
7 [h]Now when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the [i]repair of the walls of Jerusalem went on, and that the breaches began to be closed, they were very angry. 8 All of them conspired together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause a disturbance in it.
It is nearly inevitable, that when you attempt to do some good thing, you will find resistance. Perhaps it is simply part of living in this fallen world, for villains cannot abide to see their vile works undone by the good of others.
Whatever the case, Jesus himself warned (all) his followers that there would be trouble while they were in this world. We should not shrink from that trouble, or retreat from doing His will just because someone else has a bad attitude about it. Even if the conflict goes beyond words, we have God on our side, and nothing can stand against Him.
So whatever God asks you to do, do not expect smooth sailing, but prepare to persevere. Trust God with the results as you follow His leading, and lean not on your own understanding.