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Nehemiah Menu
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Nehemiah Chapter 4
Memory verses for this week:
Psa 12:7 Thou shalt
keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for
ever.
Introduction: We continue our study
this week on the book of Nehemiah.
In last weeks lesson, we covered the rebuilding of the wall and
the names of all the people who took part in the restoration of the
wall. A large number of people came out and put their hands to the
work to allow the wall to totally be rebuilt.
Overview of Nehemiah 4 :
There immediately
arose opposition from without. The enemies of God’s people
threatened them to such a degree that the work was done with weapons
at their side to defend themselves. Moreover, there comes trouble
from within. The work is extremely difficult and there soon came
weariness and discouragement. Subdivisions of the chapter are: (1)
the opposition of Sanballat and others in verses 1-6; (2) the
conspiracy of the adversaries in verses 7-15; and (3) Nehemiah’s
precautions in verses 16-23.
I. Opposition by Sanballat and the Others
Neh 4:1 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.
Neh 4:2 And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria,
and said, What do these feeble Jews? 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?
Neh 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.
As is often so typical of Satan, opposition quickly arose to
God’s work. It began from without. Though not expressly noted,
Sanballat evidently was a Samaritan official or a man of great
influence. As he heard of the commencement of the reconstruction of
the wall of Jerusalem, “he was wroth, and took great indignation,
and mocked the Jews.” He not only was angry that Jerusalem (the
historic rival of Samaria) was being fortified, he retaliated
immediately with mockery of the project.
A comparable modern example might be a politician publicly
ridiculing a project he opposes. Moreover, he conferred not only
with his cohorts (his brethren), but also of the army of Samaria.
Evidently, the Persian government had allowed Samaria a small
standing army for local defense. He sarcastically and derisively
spoke publicly against the wall project. He mocked the Jews calling
them feeble.
By his rhetorical questions, he implied, they would never get the
job done. They would never be able to rebuild the wall from the
accumulated decades of rubbish and burned debris. He no doubt sought
to dishearten his Jewish adversaries by publicly predicting they
would fail. In verse 3, Tobiah the Ammonite (from neighboring Ammon—
modern Jordan), evidently an ally of Sanballat and the Samaritans,
joined in condemning the project.
He too ridiculed it publicly. The implication was the workmanship
of the Jews was so inferior that even the weight of a small animal
would knock it over.
Neh 4:4 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:
Neh 4:5 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.
The public ridicule and opposition from established local
governmental officials was not unnoticed by Nehemiah. Though they
evidently had not actually physically intervened, their public
ridicule and opposition had an effect. It certainly brought
discouragement and anxiety. To that degree, the verbal attack of the
adversaries was successful. Nehemiah likely had not anticipated such
opposition in planning and embarking on his mission. Therefore, he
turned to the only resource he had— the Lord. He prayed and asked
God to take note of their peril. Moreover, he asked God to deal with
them, that is, make them captive even as we have been a captive
people.
The simple lesson is to take our problems to the Lord and ask Him
to deal with them.
Mark 14:38 Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into
temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is
weak.
1 Th 5:17 Pray without ceasing.
1 Th 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the
will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Neh 4:6 So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined
together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work.
Despite the opposition and negative words, the work went ahead
nevertheless.
In the face of much opposition, they did what God had called them
to do. “So we built the wall!” Nehemiah gives the simple reason:
“for the people had a mind to work.” They had, almost to a man,
joined the work with great enthusiasm, notwithstanding the
prevailing opposition.
II. The Conspiracy of the Adversaries
Neh 4:7 But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and
the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Shoddiness, heard that the
walls of Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to be
stopped, then they were very wroth,
Neh 4:8 And conspired all of them together to come and to fight
against Jerusalem, and to hinder it.
Neh 4:9 Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a
watch against them day and night, because of them.
As the various traditional enemies of God’s people in the region
(the Samaritans, the Ammonites, the Arabians, and Philistines {Ashdodites})
received word that the wall of Jerusalem was underway and its
breaches being rebuilt, there was great anger. These historic
enemies of Israel therefore “conspired all of them together to come
and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it.”
In verse 9, the bible records that Nehemiah did the two things he
could do.
(1) He prayed and asked for God’s providential protection. God
quite evidently answered his prayer. For though their enemies did
huff and puff, threatening the work, they did not in fact attack.
(2) At the time, not knowing exactly what would happen, Nehemiah
therefore “set a watch day and night, because of them.”
Neh 4:10 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.
Neh 4:11 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.
Neh 4:12 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.
In addition to the opposition from without came trouble from
within the ranks. As the project continued, the workers became worn
out. The undertaking was immense. Just clearing the accumulated
debris from the destruction of the Babylonians years earlier, plus
all the assorted other rubble of the years became more than they
anticipated. The workmen were therefore tired and discouraged.
In verse 11, the external adversaries continued their
“psychological operations” against the Jews. They schemed how they
would slip in undetected, attack the workmen, and force the project
to a halt. Apparently even some Jews living in outlying areas were
used (whether wittingly or not is unclear) to influence the work in
Jerusalem. On ten separate occasions, Jews who lived near the enemy
came with propaganda.
The translation of the end of verse 12 may be a subtle invitation
to join in alliance with the allied adversaries and they would leave
them alone. Or, it may have been continued threats.
Matthew Henry had some excellent comments about verse 12.
There were Jews that dwelt by them, in the
country, who, though they had not zeal enough to bring them
to Jerusalem to help their brethren in building the wall,
yet, having by their situation opportunity to discover the
enemies’ motions, had so much honesty and affection to the
cause as to give intelligence of them; nay, that their
intelligence might be the more credited, they came
themselves to give it, and they said it ten times, repeating
it as men in earnest, and under a concern, and the report
was confirmed by many witnesses. The intelligence they gave
is expressed abruptly, and finds work for the critics to
make out the sense of it, which perhaps is designed to
intimate that they gave this intelligence as men out of
breath and in confusion, whose very looks would make up the
deficiencies of their words. I think it may be read, without
supplying any thing: "Whatever place you turn to, they
are against us, so that you have need to be upon your
guard on all sides,’’ Note, God has many ways of bringing to
light, and so bringing to nought, the devices and designs of
his and his church’s enemies. Even the cold and feeble Jews
that contentedly dwell by them shall be made to serve as
spies upon them; nay, rather than fail, a bird of the air
shall carry their voice.
Neh 4:13 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.
Neh 4:14 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.
Neh 4:15 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.
When Nehemiah heard of the plans of the enemy, he took further
precautions. He assigned added forces behind the lower, unfinished
portions of the wall which were most vulnerable. It was a citizen’s
militia. Families were assigned to guard duty with their weapons.
Moreover, he sought to encourage the leadership of the people
reminding them how the Lord is “great and terrible.” The word
translated as terrible ( ary yawray) has the sense of ‘awesome.’ In
other words, he reminded them that God was on their side and He is
awesome. He urged them to fight, if need be, for their heritage.
In verse 15, we find as word leaked back to the enemies that the
Jews would fight to protect themselves, they backed off. The work
therefore continued. If we are going to accomplish anything for God,
we must not waiver but continue on having faith that God will fight
our battles.
III. Nehemiah’s Precautions
Neh 4:16 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.
Neh 4:17 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.
Neh 4:18 For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his
side, and so builded. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me.
The Jews were forewarned and thus forearmed. The work continued.
However, now the workmen did so with their weapons at their sides
ready to pick them up at a moments notice. Others (up to half) were
on guard duty while the rest worked on the wall. Threats did not
keep the Jews from accomplishing the work that they had set out to
do.
Neh 4:19 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.
Neh 4:20 In what place therefore ye hear the sound of the
trumpet, resort ye thither unto us: our God shall fight for us.
As the work progressed and the wall rose, it became evident from
a military perspective that the defenders were thinly spread.
Nehemiah implemented a signal system.
If trouble should appear at one side of the city, trumpets would
sound signals. Forces could then rush to that side of the wall.
Moreover, he encouraged his people with the truth, “Our God shall
fight for us.” To this day, as God’s people do God’s work, though
the opposition be fierce, God will protect and help His people.
God promised He would go to battle for His people back in the
book of Deuteronomy.
Deu 20:2 And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the
battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the
people,
Deu 20:3 And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye
approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not
your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be
ye terrified because of them;
Deu 20:4 For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you,
to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.
J. Vernon McGee related to having the trowel in one hand and the
sword in the other in his commentary.
I love this. Each builder had a trowel in one hand with
which to build, and in the other hand he carried a sword
with which to defend himself. These two weapons or
instruments should be in the hands of believers today. The
trowel represents the fact that believers should build
themselves up in the most holy faith. That is for the
inside.
New converts need to be trained to be effective in
a ministry. They first
need to learn from experience that Jesus saves and keeps and
satisfies. It is wonderful to hear that So-and-So was saved
yesterday, or last week; but let us hear from him in a year
or two years from today to see if he has been built up in
the faith. You see, we need to be built up. The trowel needs
to be in our hand. Also we need to hold the sword of the
Spirit. That is also important. The sword of the Spirit is
the Word of God with which we defend ourselves. We need the
trowel in one hand and the sword in the other.
Spurgeon put out a magazine years ago called
The Sword and the Trowel—I think it is still in
existence. I was in Spurgeon’s church some time ago
and stood in his pulpit. What a great man of God he
was, and an example of one who believed that you
ought to hold the trowel in one hand and the sword
in the other.
Neh 4:21 So we laboured in the work: and half of them held the
spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared.
Neh 4:22 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.
Neh 4:23 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.
The intensity of the activity is noted in how they worked from
dawn to dark. All workers and their servants were ordered not to
leave the city for their homes at night. Nehemiah and his associates
did not even take their clothes off to sleep.
He notes that they in fact did not change clothes during the
project except for occasional laundering. The atmosphere was so
tense, their only goal was to finish the wall.
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Parham at 940-613-3494.
Prov 4:18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that
shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
e-mail at: davidparham@internetbible.net
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