Portion For Reading Neh 4-6Israel's return to the promised land after their exile in the Babylonian-Persian empire had little similarity to the triumph and joy of the first entry under Joshua. But one thing was the same - they still had opposition. Ezra wrote that some current area residents hired counselors to work against the returning Jews. (Ezra 4:4-5) Perhaps these included Sanballat the Horonite (some say he was a Moabite), Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab who were very opposed to anyone promoting the welfare of the Israelites (2:10) in the area. They were all under the same Trans-Euphrates government of the Persian empire, and Persian kings had ordered the return to Israel. So to discourage and indefinitely postpone the restoration of the wall of Jerusalem, Sanballat and associates first tried using insults, spreading assumptions, lies, and rumors. When this didn't slow down the Jerusalem wall repair project, they resorted to annoying Nehemiah with requests for meetings and even hiring Jews to scare him with prophesies of life threats.
1. (4-5) Nehemiah comes against the discouraging attack with prayer.
a. Hear, O our God: Nehemiah’s response was a great example. He didn’t debate, he didn’t form a committee, he didn’t even deal with the two enemies directly. Instead, he took it to God in prayer.
i. For Nehemiah, prayer was a first resource, not a last resort. When times of opposition come, God wants us to rely on Him - and the purest way of expressing our reliance on God is through prayer.
b. Hear, O our God, for we are despised: In his prayer, Nehemiah first asked for God’s attention and mercy. God did care about Nehemiah and the work of rebuilding, but Nehemiah needed God to display it and he also needed to sense God’s presence and care.
c. Turn their reproach on their own heads . . . give them as plunder . . . do not cover their iniquity: Nehemiah then asked God to battle their enemies for them. He depended on God to fight the battle. God gave him a work to do, and he would not be distracted from it.
i. This prayer seems pretty tough, but prayers in the Psalms are even tougher: Breath their teeth in their mouth, O God! (Psalm 58:6) Let their dwelling place be desolate; let no one live in their tents (Psalm 69:25). It is proper for a child of God to pray such a prayer, because they are giving their violent inclinations over to God, and letting Him deal with them.
ii. If we are angry and someone or have a real enemy, then we can go at them in prayer. Never in the sense of praying evil upon them, but in turning them over to a good and just God, because He knows exactly what to do with them.
d. They have provoked You to anger: Finally, Nehemiah’s prayer gave God a reason to show mercy and to come against his enemies. Nehemiah recognized that this was God’s cause, not his own.
i. For Nehemiah, prayer was a first resource, not a last resort. When times of opposition come, God wants us to rely on Him - and the purest way of expressing our reliance on God is through prayer.
b. Hear, O our God, for we are despised: In his prayer, Nehemiah first asked for God’s attention and mercy. God did care about Nehemiah and the work of rebuilding, but Nehemiah needed God to display it and he also needed to sense God’s presence and care.
c. Turn their reproach on their own heads . . . give them as plunder . . . do not cover their iniquity: Nehemiah then asked God to battle their enemies for them. He depended on God to fight the battle. God gave him a work to do, and he would not be distracted from it.
i. This prayer seems pretty tough, but prayers in the Psalms are even tougher: Breath their teeth in their mouth, O God! (Psalm 58:6) Let their dwelling place be desolate; let no one live in their tents (Psalm 69:25). It is proper for a child of God to pray such a prayer, because they are giving their violent inclinations over to God, and letting Him deal with them.
ii. If we are angry and someone or have a real enemy, then we can go at them in prayer. Never in the sense of praying evil upon them, but in turning them over to a good and just God, because He knows exactly what to do with them.
d. They have provoked You to anger: Finally, Nehemiah’s prayer gave God a reason to show mercy and to come against his enemies. Nehemiah recognized that this was God’s cause, not his own.
2. (6) The result after the attack and Nehemiah’s defense in prayer: the work continues on with greater and greater strength.
So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.
So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.
B. Sanballat and Tobiah plan to lead a violent attack against the work.
1. (7-8) The conspiracy to attack the work.
Now it happened, when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were being restored and the gaps were beginning to be closed, that they became very angry, and all of them conspired together to come and attack Jerusalem and create confusion.
a. The gaps were beginning to be closed: The wall was only half as high as it should be, but it was almost continuous now. Therefore, the enemies of the work became very angry.
i. It must be that the work of God often makes the enemy of our soul angry. He must often rage against the progress being made by God’s people in touching a lost world for Jesus Christ. It’s not bad to make the devil angry.
b. All of them conspired together to come and attack: As the work progressed the enemies became more serious. Now they didn’t simply complain or mock, they threatened and planned for violence.
i. On the one hand, this was serious: the wall was built to protect against the attacks of violence, and now it seemed that the very building of the wall may prompt an attack to come. It would have been easy for the people to fear and to think perhaps all their work would be made useless.
ii. On the other hand, this wasn’t serious at all. We notice that they didn’t attack - they just talked about it. Sanballat and Tobiah were hoping that the threat of attack would be enough. Satan uses the same strategy of fear against us, and if we are paralyzed by a threat the threat has worked - even when nothing actually happens against us.
c. And create confusion: This is an important strategy of Satan - to create confusion among the people of God. A confused people will never move forward and fulfill God’s work. They are usually confused because they are distracted by the enemies tricks instead of focusing on God and His promises.
1. (7-8) The conspiracy to attack the work.
Now it happened, when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were being restored and the gaps were beginning to be closed, that they became very angry, and all of them conspired together to come and attack Jerusalem and create confusion.
a. The gaps were beginning to be closed: The wall was only half as high as it should be, but it was almost continuous now. Therefore, the enemies of the work became very angry.
i. It must be that the work of God often makes the enemy of our soul angry. He must often rage against the progress being made by God’s people in touching a lost world for Jesus Christ. It’s not bad to make the devil angry.
b. All of them conspired together to come and attack: As the work progressed the enemies became more serious. Now they didn’t simply complain or mock, they threatened and planned for violence.
i. On the one hand, this was serious: the wall was built to protect against the attacks of violence, and now it seemed that the very building of the wall may prompt an attack to come. It would have been easy for the people to fear and to think perhaps all their work would be made useless.
ii. On the other hand, this wasn’t serious at all. We notice that they didn’t attack - they just talked about it. Sanballat and Tobiah were hoping that the threat of attack would be enough. Satan uses the same strategy of fear against us, and if we are paralyzed by a threat the threat has worked - even when nothing actually happens against us.
c. And create confusion: This is an important strategy of Satan - to create confusion among the people of God. A confused people will never move forward and fulfill God’s work. They are usually confused because they are distracted by the enemies tricks instead of focusing on God and His promises.
2. (9) The attack defended by prayer and watching.
Nevertheless we made our prayer to our God, and because of them we set a watch against them day and night.
a. Nevertheless we made our prayer to God: Nothing would make them stop depending on God through prayer. They might have given up, believing the continued attack was a failure on God’s part to answer prayer before - but they had more trust in God than that.
i. God allowed the attack to go on, even though He could have instantly swept it away. Yet He allowed it to continue because He was delighted that His people drew closer to Him with a deeper trust than ever before. God did His perfect work both in building the walls and His people.
b. We set a watch: They also knew that prayer didn’t mean they were to do nothing. They used sanctified common sense to do what they should have, protecting against attack, using willing servants of God to be the wall until the wall was built.
i. It isn’t hard to imagine some super-spiritual among them saying, “Now Nehemiah, we don’t need to set a watch. We have prayed, and God will protect us.” Nehemiah would likely respond, “Yes, God will protect us, and He will as He finds us doing our duty before Him. Set the guard.”
ii. When we see an area of our Christian life that needs particular attention, it isn’t enough to pray. You need to set a watch as well - give special attention and accountability to that area of your life until you are walking in consistent victory.
iii. Our prayers do not replace our actions; they make our actions effective for God’s work.
c. Day and night: This shows that Nehemiah was determined. He wouldn’t let the security of daylight or the sleepiness of night keep him from the work. This sent a powerful message.
i. It sent a message to the people of God saying, “We are committed. This is going to succeed, because God is with us, and will enable us to overcome every obstacle.”
ii. It sent a message to the enemies saying, “You will not succeed. God’s work is going on, and will not be stopped. We will make whatever sacrifices necessary to see it done - weary days, sleepless nights, it doesn’t matter.”
iii. It sent a message to God: “We trust in You, and our faith is a living faith - a faith of actions, not just words. We love and trust You, Lord.”
Nevertheless we made our prayer to our God, and because of them we set a watch against them day and night.
a. Nevertheless we made our prayer to God: Nothing would make them stop depending on God through prayer. They might have given up, believing the continued attack was a failure on God’s part to answer prayer before - but they had more trust in God than that.
i. God allowed the attack to go on, even though He could have instantly swept it away. Yet He allowed it to continue because He was delighted that His people drew closer to Him with a deeper trust than ever before. God did His perfect work both in building the walls and His people.
b. We set a watch: They also knew that prayer didn’t mean they were to do nothing. They used sanctified common sense to do what they should have, protecting against attack, using willing servants of God to be the wall until the wall was built.
i. It isn’t hard to imagine some super-spiritual among them saying, “Now Nehemiah, we don’t need to set a watch. We have prayed, and God will protect us.” Nehemiah would likely respond, “Yes, God will protect us, and He will as He finds us doing our duty before Him. Set the guard.”
ii. When we see an area of our Christian life that needs particular attention, it isn’t enough to pray. You need to set a watch as well - give special attention and accountability to that area of your life until you are walking in consistent victory.
iii. Our prayers do not replace our actions; they make our actions effective for God’s work.
c. Day and night: This shows that Nehemiah was determined. He wouldn’t let the security of daylight or the sleepiness of night keep him from the work. This sent a powerful message.
i. It sent a message to the people of God saying, “We are committed. This is going to succeed, because God is with us, and will enable us to overcome every obstacle.”
ii. It sent a message to the enemies saying, “You will not succeed. God’s work is going on, and will not be stopped. We will make whatever sacrifices necessary to see it done - weary days, sleepless nights, it doesn’t matter.”
iii. It sent a message to God: “We trust in You, and our faith is a living faith - a faith of actions, not just words. We love and trust You, Lord.”
3. (15) The enemies shrink back.
And it happened, when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that God had brought their plot to nothing, that all of us returned to the wall, everyone to his work.
a. When our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that God had brought their plot to nothing: Once they saw the defenses of the people of God, the enemies shrunk back. They didn’t want a battle because they knew they would lose. What the enemies wanted was for the people of God to hand them the victory on a silver platter through failing to watch and be ready.
b. All of us returned to the wall, everyone to his work: This was the victory. Defending against the attack was not the victory; the people of God would not be at peace and security until the wall was rebuilt. Getting on with the work was the victory.
i. When we are under spiritual attack it is easy to feel that just enduring the storm is the victory. It isn’t. The attack often comes to prevent your progress and work for the Lord. Victory is enduring the attack and continuing the progress and work for the Lord.
And it happened, when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that God had brought their plot to nothing, that all of us returned to the wall, everyone to his work.
a. When our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that God had brought their plot to nothing: Once they saw the defenses of the people of God, the enemies shrunk back. They didn’t want a battle because they knew they would lose. What the enemies wanted was for the people of God to hand them the victory on a silver platter through failing to watch and be ready.
b. All of us returned to the wall, everyone to his work: This was the victory. Defending against the attack was not the victory; the people of God would not be at peace and security until the wall was rebuilt. Getting on with the work was the victory.
i. When we are under spiritual attack it is easy to feel that just enduring the storm is the victory. It isn’t. The attack often comes to prevent your progress and work for the Lord. Victory is enduring the attack and continuing the progress and work for the Lord.
The Completion of the Wall
Neh 6:15-16 So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days. When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.
Source:David Guzik