Boxing legend Muhammad Ali used several ring tactics to defeat his opponents; one tactic was taunting. In his fight with George Foreman in 1974, Ali taunted Foreman, "Hit harder! Show me something, George. That don't hurt. I thought you were supposed to be bad". Fuming, Foreman punched away furiously, wasting his energy and weakening his confidence.
It's an old tactic. By referring to Nehemiah's efforts at building the broken wall of Jerusalem as nothing more than a fox's playground (Neh. 4:3), Tobiah intended to weaken the workers with poisonous words of discouragement. Goliath tried it on David by despising the boy's simple weapons of a sling and stones (1 Sam 17:41-44). A discouraging remark can be a deadly weapon. Nehemiah refused to surrender to Tobiah's discouragements, just as David rejected Goliath's diabolical teasing. Focusing on God and His help rather than on their discouraging situations, David and Nehemiah both achieved victory.
Taunting can come from anybody, including those who are close to us. Responding to them negatively only saps our energy. But God encourages us through His promises: He will never forsake us (Ps. 9:10; Heb. 13:5), and He invites us to rely on His help (Heb. 4:16). If you're in a tunnel of discouragement, keep walking toward the Light.
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