Israel s Bitter Enemies Oppose Rebuilding the Wall. Nehemiah 4:1-23

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1 1 Commentary by Ron Thomas Questions by John C. Sewell Israel s Bitter Enemies Oppose Rebuilding the Wall Nehemiah 4:1-23

2 2 Text: Israel s Bitter Enemies Oppose Rebuilding the Wall Nehemiah 4:1-23, 1. But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews. 2. And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jew? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned? 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. 4. Hear, O our God; for we are despised: and turn their reproach upon their own head, and give them for a prey in the land of captivity: 5. And cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee: for they have provoked thee to anger before the builders. 6. So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof for the people had a mind to work. 7. But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth, 8. And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it. 9. Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them. 10. And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall.

3 And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come in the midst among them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease. 12. And it came to pass, that when the Jews which dwelt by them came, they said unto us ten times, From all places whence ye shall return unto us they will be upon you. 13. Therefore set I in the lower places behind the wall, and on the higher places, I even set the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows. 14. And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses. 15. And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known unto us, and God had brought their counsel to nought, that we returned all of us to the wall, every one unto his work. 16. And it came to pass from that time forth, that the half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the habergeons; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah. 17. They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work and with the other hand held a weapon. 18. For the builders, every one had his sword girded by His side, and so builded. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me. 19. And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work is great and large, and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another. 20. In what place therefore ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither unto us: our God shall fight for us. 21. So we laboured in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared.

4 Likewise at the same time said I unto the people, Let every one with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and labour on the day. 23. So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard which followed me, none of us put off our clothes, saving that every one put them off for washing. Commentary: Nehemiah 4:1-9, Hear, O our God; for we are despised: and turn their reproach upon their own head, and give them for a prey in the land of captivity: And cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee: for they have provoked thee to anger before the builders. So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof for the people had a mind to work. But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth, And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it. Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them. I. The Voice of Opposition. A. Sanballat and Tobiah. Nehemiah 4:1-3, But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews. And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jew? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned? 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.

5 Indignation and mockery. Those who do not understand the importance of purpose in life often ridicule those who have purpose in life. This appears to be the problem at hand. Those who offered the derision knew well what was occurring, but they did not desire to understand the motivation. 2. The army of Samaria. Evidently, this verse has posed difficulties in translation. The LXX reads this way: So this is Samaria s strength, that the Judeans build a city! In any case, a series of questions has been asked all of them designed to mock those in the building program. 3. The mockery is capped with a remark of derision in which it is said that even a solitary fox can walk upon the construction of the Jews and send it falling to the ground. B. Nehemiah s prayer. Nehemiah, 4:4-5, Hear, O our God; for we are despised: and turn their reproach upon their own head, and give them for a prey in the land of captivity: And cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee: for they have provoked thee to anger before the builders. 1. Imprecatory nature of the prayer. The word imprecatory means that one prays for or invokes a curse upon another (Webster s New Twentieth, unabridged). This is not unusual in Scripture (cf. Psalm 79:12; And render unto our neighbours sevenfold into their bosom their reproach, wherewith they have reproached thee, O Lord., Psalm 59:5-13, Thou therefore, O Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel, awake to help me, and behold. Thou therefore, O Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel, awake to visit all the heathen: be not merciful to any wicked transgressors. Selah. They return at evening: they make a noise like a dog, and go round about the city. Behold, they belch out with their mouth: swords are

6 6 in their lips: for who, say they, doth hear? But thou, O Lord, shalt laugh at them; thou shalt have all the heathen in derision. Because of his strength will I wait upon thee: for God is my defence. The God of my mercy shall prevent me: God shall let me see my desire upon mine enemies. Slay them not, lest my people forget: scatter them by thy power; and bring them down, O Lord our shields. For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips let them even be taken in their pride: and for cursing and lying which they speak. Consume them in wrath, consume them, that they may not be: and let them know that God ruleth in Jacob unto the ends of the earth. Selah. a. Turn their reproach upon them. b. Give them as plunder to a land of captivity. c. Do not forgive them their sin. 2. They have provoked you. Because God was the one offended, it will be God who will either bring His wrath upon the mockers or not. C. The people had a mind to work. Nehemiah 4:6-9, So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof for the people had a mind to work. But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth, And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it. Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.

7 The wall was joined together; the ranks were closing. Though the people had a mind to work that is not to say they were not discouraged by the constant haranguing they were experiencing (cf. Nehemiah 4:10-12, And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall. And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come in the midst among them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease. And it came to pass, that when the Jews which dwelt by them came, they said unto us ten times, From all places whence ye shall return unto us they will be upon you.). When we set our minds on righteous purposes we are in a much greater position to look past others who try to do us an injustice. 2, Conspiracy and confusion. 3. A watch was set. Here is an interesting point. Nehemiah prayed for God s justice, the people set their minds on the noble work, AND preparations were made to handle potential sabotage. II. Nehemiah s Encouragement. Nehemiah 4:10-23, And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall. And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come in the midst among them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease. And it came to pass, that when the Jews which dwelt by them came, they said unto us ten times, From all places whence ye shall return unto us they will be upon you. Therefore set I in the lower places behind the wall, and on the higher places, I even set the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows. And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your

8 8 sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your house. And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known unto us, and God had brought their counsel to nought, that we returned all of us to the wall, every one unto his work. And it came to pass from that time forth, that the half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the habergeons; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah. They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work and with the other hand held a weapon. For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me. And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work is great and large, and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another. In what place therefore ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither unto us: our God shall fight for us. So we laboured in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared. Likewise at the same time said I unto the people, Let every one with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and labour on the day. So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard which followed me, none of us put off our clothes, saving that every one put them off for washing. A. The people of Jerusalem were discouraged. Nehemiah 4:10-12, And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall. And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come in the midst among them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease. And it came to pass, that when the Jews which dwelt by them came, they said unto us ten times, From all places whence ye shall return unto us they will be upon you. 1. The shear volume of work was disheartening as also was the continued derision.

9 9 a. Not everyone will be as strong as the others. b. Wisdom tells us that each is different in various locations in life and, when we recognize that, we will adjust our approach to them accordingly. c. Not everyone is so strong that he/she can stand under the burden that is, to them, exceedingly heavy. 2. They feared the continuous threat of those who opposed the work. B. Nehemiah s leaders. Nehemiah 4:13-18, Therefore set I in the lower places behind the wall, and on the higher places, I even set the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows. And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses. And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known unto us, and God had brought their counsel to nought, that we returned all of us to the wall, every one unto his work. And it came to pass from that time forth, that the half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the habergeons; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah. They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work and with the other hand held a weapon. For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me. 1. As you look at these verses, note the following: Prayer, Plan, Prepare, and Prosecute.

10 Nehemiah set people in the proper positions, not only locations, but families together. One will fight for all he is worth to defend his family. 3. He spoke encouraging words to them. Remember two things: God is on your side (the essence of what Nehemiah said) and fight for your family (a man can become mighty ferocious in such occasions). 4. The plan was known and the opposition was stayed. a. God brought the conspiracy to a halt because, when Nehemiah heard of it, he put all those who worked on the wall in battle array. b. They were prepared to defend the city. C. Nehemiah s encouragement. Nehemiah 4:19-23, And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work is great and large, and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another. In what place therefore ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither unto us: our God shall fight for us. So we laboured in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared. Likewise at the same time said I unto the people, Let every one with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and labour on the day. So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard which followed me, none of us put off our clothes, saving that every one put them off for washing. 1. The sound of the trumpet.

11 11 a. When those who oppose God attack those who believe, live, and support all things righteous, the battle becomes a holy war. b. The phrase holy war is not one we like to use, but it is nevertheless true. c. Of course, all battles the Lord is involved in will be victorious for those fighting on His side. d. Nehemiah was God s leader in Jerusalem. e. Psalm 127:1, Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. 2. A ready force available. Verse 23 is literally, "a man, his weapon, the waters" (NET, footnote). a. The NKJV says the armed men did not take off their clothes except for washing. b. The NET gives a different sense altogether. The men did not take off their clothes (change them); their weapon was always at the ready, even when they went to drink water. c. The ESV gives even a different sense than the NET. The word water is not even mentioned. Clothes were not taken off at all. Weapons were always at the ready. d. No matter the difficulty, the sense of the passage is that those in Jerusalem were prepared for all attacks.

12 12 Questions Nehemiah 4: When Sanballet heard that Nehemiah and his co-workers were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. What good did this do? 2. He the in the presence of his and the of. What good did this do? 3. If Nehemiah had been fearful, would Sanballat s anger and ridicule have been more effective? How does our reaction to psychological warfare affect outcome in relationships and endeavors? 4. the joined in the ridicule by saying,

13 These same techniques had been used before by Sanballat and Tobiah (See Nehemiah 2:10, 19.) without success. Why did they think these approaches would work this time? 6. Nehemiah prayed, Hear us, O our God, for we are despised. Do you ever feel despised? If so, why? How did you handle the situation?_ 7. Nehemiah prayed that God would turn Sanballat s and Tobiah s insults back on their own heads, that they would be plundered and taken captive and that God would not forgive them for their actions. Was this a suitable prayer for God s people then? Is it a suitable prayer for God s people now? Explain your answer. 8. So we the till all of it reached its, for the with all their.

14 What can working with all our heart accomplish for the Lord s cause? Do many of us work half-heartedly for Christ and otherwise? 10. List and give as much information as possible about Nehemiah s enemies. (See verse 7.) Why were they so angry that Jerusalem s walls were being rebuilt. 11. When ridicule and anger did not slow the rebuilding of Jerusalem s walls, what did Nehemiah s enemies then decide to do? 12. What was Nehemiah s response to this new threat? 13. What concerns did the people of Judah have? (See verse 10.)

15 What response did Nehemiah make to the concerns of the people of Judah? In addition, what did Nehemiah urge them to do? 15. How did the people of Judah co-ordinate work and defense? 16. The construction covered a considerable distance. How were the various workers in different places to know quickly the location of an attack? 17. When will Our God fight for us? When will our God not fight for us?

16 How was Jerusalem defended both by night and day? What did they do on the Sabbath Day? 19. What is an imprecatory prayer? Give several examples of imprecatory prayers. Is it right for Christians to offer imprecatory prayers? Does God answer imprecatory prayers? 20. Nehemiah s plans were really wise! Cite several things which show the wisdom of Nehemiah s plans.