Voices of Tobiah
Nehemiah 4:3 Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall even break down their stone wall.
Nehemiah 4:3(NLT) Tobiah the Ammonite, who was standing beside him, remarked, “That stone wall would collapse if even a fox walked along the top of it!”
Introduction: Blessed be the name of the Lord who has kept us to see another week of Speaking Scriptures.
May we continue to receive and have understanding of His words in Jesus name.
This week, we want to look at the voice of Tobiah in our Christian journey.
🛑 Voice of Tobiah is a voice of contempt that renders walking and relationship with God useless and unimportant. It is voice of discouragement that can make true child of God to abandon his/her calling.
Tobiah commented on the wall of Jerusalem that Nehemiah and others were labouring day and night to rebuild and said; “That stone wall would collapse if even a fox walked along the top of it!”
We bought one beautiful canvas shoe for my 1st daughter when she was in nursery school. She loved it and we dare not remove it from her legs while sleeping, she would protest. One day, she came back from school and declared she didn’t want that canvas shoe again. We eventually learnt from her that one of her school mates called the canvas “Àgbàlù shoe” making jest of her though borne out of envy. That voice of Tobiah from 2-3 years old child discouraged my daughter from wearing what she loved.
🙏 The Almighty God will silence every voice of Tobiah in your life in Jesus name.
Nehemiah was told about the destruction of Jerusalem while in captivity. He knew disobedience of God’s covenant children caused it and with this burden, he prayed to God by His word.
Nehemiah 1:4-9(NLT) When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven. Then I said,“O lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands, listen to my prayer! Look down and see me praying night and day for your people Israel. I confess that we have sinned against you. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned! We have sinned terribly by not obeying the commands, decrees, and regulations that you gave us through your servant Moses. “Please remember what you told your servant Moses: ‘If you are unfaithful to me, I will scatter you among the nations. But if you return to me and obey my commands and live by them, then even if you are exiled to the ends of the earth, I will bring you back to the place I have chosen for my name to be honored.’
The Lord heard his prayers and favoured him before the king in his quest to rebuild captured and ruined city of Jerusalem. Immediately enemy knew about his plans, there was hatred from oppositions.
Nehemiah 2:10(NLT) But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard of my arrival, they were very displeased that someone had come to help the people of Israel.
🛑 Anytime that we receive God’s word that reveals our inadequacies vis-a-vis relationship with God, there will be opposition against rebuilding our relationship with God in order to keep us in captivity.
Nehemiah was in the Palace though in captivity outside God’s plan and purpose. He denied himself of comfort in the Palace to pursue God’s purpose.
❓Are you comfortable in worldly Palace than pursuing the way of salvation? It is for individual to answer depending on level of knowledge about salvation.
Nehemiah and others started rebuilding ruined Jerusalem and contemptuous voice of opposition became louder.
Nehemiah 2:19(NLT ) But when Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem the Arab heard of our plan, they scoffed contemptuously. “What are you doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” they asked.
🛑 Once a Christian makes up his/her mind to pursue God’s mandate of righteousness, there will surely be voice of Tobiah.
How Christians deal with voice of Tobiah will determine success of Christian life. Remember, Christian can still be in worldly Palace outside God’s Will and still erroneously believe he/she is on course or on the way to Heaven.
Hear Nehemiah’s response to contemptuous voice of Tobiah:
Nehemiah 2:20(NLT) I replied, “The God of heaven will help us succeed. We, his servants, will start rebuilding this wall. But you have no share, legal right, or historic claim in Jerusalem.”
🛑 The voice of Tobiah has no right to God’s inheritance therefore paying attention or not having words of God to reply voices of Tobiah is dangerous and detrimental to Christian life. Paying attention and not having right words of the Scriptures to counter voices of Tobiah on social media or any other sources other than God’s words cuts short the plans of God for His children.
Jesus recognized voice of the enemy that came through Peter and countered it, though Peter spoke in good faith from human nature. Voice of Tobiah can come from your spouse in good faith. We can only recognize voice of Tobiah from our loved one if we know God’s plans for our lives as Christians.
Matthew 16:21-23 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
🛑 Knowledge of God’s commandments is key to dismissing voices of Tobiah in our lives, otherwise that voice will bring discouragement and makes us to go back in fulfilling works of the flesh.
Lamentations 3:37 Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not?
❓ Do you know what God commands in your life as Christian? It is revealed in the Scriptures.
When the Spirit of God moved David to fight Goliath, voice of Tobiah spoke through his eldest brother to discourage David from fulfilling God’s mandate towards his destiny.
1 Samuel 17:28 And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and Eliab’s anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why camest thou down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle.
Hear David’s reply and action taken against voice of Tobiah from his brother:
1 Samuel 17:29,32 And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause? And David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.
Again, voice of Tobiah came to David through Saul the king of Israel as at that time.
1 Samuel 17:33 And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.
Hear what David said against this voice of Tobiah from Saul
1 Samuel 17:34-36 And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.
There was voice of Tobiah from Goliath the Giant as David determined to faced another battle in his life ;
1Samuel 17:44 And the Philistine said to David, Come to me and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field.
Hear what David confessed against voice of Tobiah from Goliath
1 Samuel 17:45-46 Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcasses of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.
Voices of Tobiah can come to you from any source including thoughts coming to your heart. Knowledge of the counsel of the Lord through the Scriptures is the antidote in overcoming voices of Tobiah.
Proverbs 19:21 There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand.
Finally brethren, What can quench negative effects of the voices of Tobiah in our lives? FAITH is the answer
Hebrews 11:33-34 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.
🛑 Note that Faith that subdues kingdoms, brings righteousness, obtains promises, stops mouths of human lions, quenches fire, and puts enemies to flight comes by the word of God.
Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Is God’s word or searching the Scriptures a priority to you in this end times where people’s opinions on social media are from voice of Tobiah?
I heard a former RCCG pastor’s wife turned Blogger and now a free thinker after the death of her husband, saying the White men brought Christianity to us to deceive us. This is one of voices of Tobiah on social media that our children and half-baked Christians listen to.
Do you have enough of God’s word to quench every fiery darts of the wicked in your life and children?
Voices of Tobiah emanate from man’s heart or Human nature, only a circumcised heart filled constantly with the word of God can decipher voices of Tobiah coming from Sinful or Adamic nature.
Anyone that is more concerned about what people say rather than what God says will easily become victim of voices of Tobiah.
Keeping God’s word and Testimonies will remove voices of Tobiah meant to bring reproach and contempt along our journey towards eternity with God.
Psalm 119:22 Remove from me reproach and contempt; for I have kept thy testimonies.
✋ Maranatha
Great piece, thank you Sir.
When one simply ignores the words of Tobias without giving any reply using the words of God, does that mean that one has yielded to Tobias’s words? For instance, if the words came from a superior whom giving of reply to will be taken as disrespect, what could be done? Is it important to reply?
Thank you very much my sister. There MUST be a reply to any negative words from anyone using the word of God. The word of God is different from the word of man that comes from the Flesh. For example if any man of God irrespective of age or anointing speaks to you what God has not said, such as it is not well with you, you can reply that Bible says; say unto the righteous, it shall be well with him. This is saying what God has said which is not insulting. It is when you are insulted by the elderly that you can keep quiet because you know Isaiah 7:7 says; It shall not stand neither shall it come to pass. Knowing that a curse causeless shall not come also gives you confidence to ignore any curse from the elderly.
Thank you sir.