Nehemiah chapter 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
NEHEMIAH 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.
Evil people oppose the work of God. Sanballat was an unbeliever. Nehemiah's work displeased him . Sanballat was full of anger and ridicule. Sanballat's kind of talk stirred up group hatred . He mocked the Jews to justify his intended violence.
(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?
Ridicule is one method the enemy will use to discourage The people of God. The feeble Jews will do what ? By their human strength, they can do nothing. But with the Lord, all things are possible. They can revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish which were 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.
Tobiah made a sarcastic remark. The fox was a very light footed animal. He was saying a fox’s gentle trotting could knock down the Jewish wall.
(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.
Nehemiah turned to God in prayer. Should we hate the sick people ? No. We hate the disease. The real enemy is not people. The real enemy is the devil who uses people to accomplish his wicked purposes, For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. We hate not people. We hate evil. We let the God fight for us. Nehemiah ignored the ridicule and sarcasm of the enemy. Nehemiah prayed to the Lord, and continued to build the wall. The people overcome the ridicule .
(6-8) 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.
The heathen assembled a big army to fight against Jerusalem. The enemy wanted to hinder Nehemiah from doing the work of God.
(9) Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.
Nehemiah put himself and his cause under the protection of the Lord. It was the way of this righteous man. We should put our trust in the Lord when we find ourselves overwhelmed by our enemies. All his cares and all his grief, Nehemiah spread before to the Lord. Nehemiah trusted in the Lord to take away all his fears. The Lord tells us, Fear not. Fear is sin. Fear is not trusting in the Lord. We shall not be afraid because we trust in the Lord to protect us. Before he take action , Nehemiah first made his prayer to God Having prayed , Nehemiah and his people set a watch against the enemy day and night. God's care of our safety should encourage in our duty to do the good works of God.
(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.
Nehemiah knew the enemy was plotting him. So Nehemiah set watch for trouble. Nehemiah had to be careful because there was trouble from within the Jewish people. Discouragement was the enemy’s weapon against God’s people. The enemy planted spies in the midst among the Jews. The enemy planned a surprise attack to slay them and to cause the work to cease.The enemy took advantage of the Jews’ discouragement.
(13-14) 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.
What was Nehemiah’s defence against the surprise ? Nehemiah placed every man in position to defend his own family while he helped to build the wall. Nehemiah told the people not to be afraid. Look to the Lord who is great. The Lord is their strength.
(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.
God had brought the counsel of the enemies to nought. Their evil plan failed. Nehemiah and his people returned to work rebuilding the wall.
(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.
As more help was needed, he sent his servants to assist. (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.
A single group of people with a free hand for the sword. They were ready to work and to fight for the Lord.
(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.
Nehemiah would watch for the enemy. When they hear the trumpet, they would come with their swords to that spot.
(19-21) 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.
Our Lord shall fight for us. They laboured joyfully in the work of the Lord , giving all their heart, and soul and strength to the Lord.
(22-23] 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.
Let everyone with his servant lodge within Jerusalem because in the night they would be a guard to the people and a wall builder during the day .
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