Again,
the combination of prayer and work is seen in Nehemiah - "I devoted
myself to the work on this wall" (Nehemiah 5:16), "I prayed, 'Now,
strengthen my hands.'" (Nehemiah 6:9). "So the wall was completed ...
this work had been done with the help of our God" (Nehemiah 6:15-16). We
may contrast the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem and the fall of
Babylon - "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!" (Revelation 18:2). The
contrast between Jerusalem and Babylon - the 'tale of two cities' - is
the contrast between God and the devil, between holiness and sin,
godliness and ungodliness, righteousness and unrighteousness, good and
evil. the triumph is the Lord's. The word of judgment concerning Babylon
has been spoken (Revelation 18:10,16-17). Proverbs 31:10 tells us that
"noble character ... is worth far more than rubies." Again, what a
contrast there is between the rich blessing of noble character and the
empty futility of worldly riches: "Woe! Woe, a great city, dressed in
fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering stones and pearls! In one
hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!" (Revelation
18:16-17).
What God did for His people, Israel, was very great. There is a striking contrast between their slavery in Egypt and their abundance in the promised land. God had multiplied His blessing upon them, just as Jesus did when He turned water into wine (John 2:1-11). If the blessing is to be maintained and increased, we must honour the Lord. We must cry to Him for blessing: "Hear my prayer, O God, listen to the words of my mouth." We must call upon Him with faith: "Surely God is my help; the Lord is the One who sustains me" (Psalm 54:2,4).
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