Nehemiah 4: 1 – 23
No Middle Ground
4 But it so happened, when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, that he was furious and very indignant, and mocked the Jews. 2 And he spoke before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they complete it in a day? Will they revive the stones from the heaps of rubbish—stones that are burned?” 3 Now Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “Whatever they build, if even a fox goes up on it, he will break down their stone wall.” 4 Hear, O our God, for we are despised; turn their reproach on their own heads, and give them as plunder to a land of captivity! 5 Do not cover their iniquity, and do not let their sin be blotted out from before You; for they have provoked You to anger before the builders. 6 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. 7 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, 8 and all of them conspired together to come and attack Jerusalem and create confusion. 9 Nevertheless we made our prayer to our God, and because of them we set a watch against them day and night. 10 Then Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is failing, and there is so much rubbish that we are not able to build the wall.” 11 And our adversaries said, “They will neither know nor see anything, till we come into their midst and kill them and cause the work to cease.” 12 So it was, when the Jews who dwelt near them came, that they told us ten times, “From whatever place you turn, they will be upon us.” 13 Therefore I positioned men behind the lower parts of the wall, at the openings; and I set the people according to their families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. 14 And I looked, and arose and said to the nobles, to the leaders, and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.” 15 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. 16 So it was, from that time on, that half of my servants worked at construction, while the other half held the spears, the shields, the bows, and wore armor; and the leaders were behind all the house of Judah. 17 Those who built on the wall, and those who carried burdens, loaded themselves so that with one hand they worked at construction, and with the other held a weapon. 18 Every one of the builders had his sword girded at his side as he built. And the one who sounded the trumpet was beside me. 19 Then I said to the nobles, the rulers, and the rest of the people, “The work is great and extensive, and we are separated far from one another on the wall. 20 Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.” 21 So we labored in the work, and half of the men held the spears from daybreak until the stars appeared. 22 At the same time I also said to the people, “Let each man and his servant stay at night in Jerusalem, that they may be our guard by night and a working party by day.” 23 So neither I, my brethren, my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me took off our clothes, except that everyone took them off for washing.
Have you ever heard someone say something like, “Jesus may not be the way for everybody?” There are a couple of reasons why people would make these and other similar statements. They are either not familiar with what the Bible says, or they don’t believe what the Bible says. It is not likely that people have misunderstood what the Bible says on “who” Jesus Is and “what” His message is since the Bible is quite specific on both topics. The message of the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is quite clear. It is our choice simply to believe it or not.
Who does the Bible say that Jesus really is? Is He just a “good man”? Jesus answers this question Himself. “I and the Father are one.” John 10:30. This is the clearest statement of the divinity of Jesus that He ever made. Jesus Is not merely a “good man”. He Is God! When Jesus taught at the Temple, He stated that He was eternal. “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I Am!” John 8:58. When Jesus proclaimed that He existed before Abraham was born He undeniably proclaimed His divinity. Abraham lived more than 2000 years before Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Not only did Jesus say that He existed before Abraham; He also applied the Holy Name of God, “I AM”, to Himself. “God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.’” Exodus 3:14.
The fact is - the Bible proclaims that Jesus Is God!
“For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.” Colossians 2:9-10.
“He Is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:15-17.
“In the beginning the Word already existed. He was with God, and he was God. He was in the beginning with God. He created everything there is. Nothing exists that he didn’t make. Life itself was in him, and this life gives light to everyone. The light shines through the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.” John 1:1-5.
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14.
“No one has ever seen God. But his only Son, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart; he told us about him.” John 1:18.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” Revelation 22:13.
“Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show me the Father?’ Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me?” John 14:9-10.
Our Lord Jesus asks the question Himself. Do you believe Him when He says specifically that He and the Father are one? Do you believe Him when He says that He Is in the Father and the Father Is in Him? Do you believe the Bible when it states that Jesus Is the image of the invisible God? Do you believe the Bible when it states He Is the creator of all things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible? Do you believe Jesus when He says that He Is the Beginning and the End? These are only a few of the verses which proclaim the divinity of Jesus Christ. The Word of God leaves absolutely no room to believe anything else about the Holy Son of God. You see there is no middle ground. Either you believe all that scripture testifies about the Son of God or you don’t. It is that simple.
Is Jesus the only way to God? Is He the right way for some people and not for others? Again, Jesus answers these questions Himself, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6. Jesus makes it clear. He is the only way to God the Father! This is the truth for everyone! The narrow road to God is the only road to God, Jesus Christ! The narrow road to God, however, is also wide enough for the entire world! “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” John 3:16-18.
As Jesus proclaimed, He Is the one and only truth for all mankind. He Is the source of all truth, “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” John 1:17. “You are truly my disciples if you keep obeying my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32. He said, “I am THE way, and THE truth and THE life.” He did not say “a way”, “a truth” or “a life”. He Is the way and the truth and the life! The Bible says, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12.
The fact is - the Bible proclaims repeatedly that there is only one way to God, and that way is Jesus Christ!
“Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.” 1 John 5:10-12.
“For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men” 1 Timothy 2:5-6.
“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look! There is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’” John 1:29.
“He is the one all the prophets testified about, saying that everyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven through his name.” Acts 10:43.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth.” Romans 1:16
“He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord” 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9.
“He who hates me hates my Father as well.” John 15:23.
“He who rejects me rejects him who sent me.” Luke 10:16.
The Bible teaches with absolutely no ambiguity that faith in Jesus Christ is the only way for anyone to find salvation. For any Christian to make a statement like, “Well, I know Jesus is the way for me, but he may not be the way for everybody” is to completely deny the words of the Bible and Jesus Christ Himself. It is simply impossible to be a believer in Christ and not believe the words of Christ! To believe in Christ without believing the words of Christ makes you a “fan” not a “follower.” “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” Matthew 7:24. “But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.” Matthew 7:26.
Jesus said He was God. Jesus said He was the only way to the Father. There is no middle ground in either of these statements. This is true of the entire Word of God which proclaims Him to be Our Lord, Our God and Our Savior!! You either believe it or you don’t. It is impossible to regard Him simply as a “good man” with a “good message”. This “good man” said He was God. His message was that only through faith in Him will anyone find salvation. He’s either right or wrong. He’s either telling the truth or not. If He isn’t exactly who He said He was then He would have to be the biggest liar or the craziest person to have ever lived. Either one would disqualify Him as being a “good man with a good message.”
So, the question now before you is, ‘what do you believe?’
Do you believe that Jesus was crucified and died on the cross as the scripture verifies? “Finally, they came to a place called The Skull. All three were crucified there – Jesus on the center cross, and the two criminals on either side. Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive these people, because they don’t know what they are doing.” Luke 23:33-34.
Do you believe that Jesus rose from the dead? “Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to see the tomb. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, because an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and rolled aside the stone and sat on it. His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint. Then the angel spoke to the women, ‘Don’t be afraid!’ he said. ‘I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He has been raised from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come see where his body was lying.” Matthew 28:1-6.
We are not called to be “cafeteria Christians”, which is a person who picks and chooses the parts of the Gospel they want to believe. It is either all true or it’s not. As Christians, by definition, we believe all the words of Jesus. We believe all the words He spoke, and all the accounts of His life given to us in God’s Holy Inspired Word by the people who followed Him, suffered for Him and died for Him. In doing so, it becomes clear, by His own proclamation, He is divine, that He is in fact, God! When He said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6, Jesus declares, with absolutely no uncertainty, all other beliefs, philosophies and religions which disagree with Him, are false and that there is only one truth and only one way to God the Father. This is the foundation of our belief as Christians!
As true followers of Jesus Christ, we should never compromise the truth of the Gospel as stated by Christ Himself and His disciples. When it comes to the salvation of humans, all the political correctness and relativism in the world will not allow one person to enter Heaven with God!! The only thing that will is faith in the one and only Son of God, Jesus Christ! As Jesus said,” He who hates Me hates my Father as well.” John 15:23. “He who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.” Luke 10:16.
This is the truth we hold to as we approach those who do not believe. Our efforts to share the Gospel with the world should spring from the joy we have in proclaiming the “Good News” of salvation which is available to everyone who believes! We should share the Gospel with the genuine compassion and love each of us should have for all who are lost, not with arrogance or pride. This is the example Jesus has set for us to follow and the instruction we receive from the Word of God. “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” 1 Peter 3:15.
Each of us will personally stand before the judgment seat of God one day. On that day there will be no discussion, no excuses. The truth about Jesus will be proclaimed by everyone who has ever lived! “Therefore, God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:9-11. The choice of life and death is before each of us. It’s either one or the other. There is no middle ground!
Now before we get into today’s scripture I want you to consider all of what I said, ‘Do you want Jesus to come into your life? For you who teach the bible or are just seekers of God’s truth then I encourage all of you to put forth this same question to others and if they agree that they want Jesus then you can say this prayer with them. The importance of this prayer is their belief and desire to want Jesus as a personal friend and God.
‘Dear Father God Yahweh. I know that Jesus Christ Is Your Holy Son who came to earth and took on flesh and died for me. I ask you Lord to forgive me my sins which I have done against you and against my fellow human beings. I ask You please to fill me with Your Precious Holy Spirit. Thank You Lord God for forgiveness and for eternal life. I pray in You Name Lord Jesus now and forever. Amen'
Today we are going to witness a man who will not give ground to evil men. For him there is no middle ground. He has his thoughts and eyes on the goal of walking and obeying Adoni Yahweh God.
Meanwhile the work did not go on unopposed. Powerful men were involved in seeking to ensure that the walls were not rebuilt, and that Jerusalem was not re-established. We have already had three of these described to us in 2.19. They were formidable opponents. We now learn about their activity in more detail.
Initially they operated by using ridicule and threats (2.19; 4.1-3). They had grave doubts about whether the objective would be achieved. It was after all a massive operation, and there was no one with the authority to enforce the rebuilding by using slave gangs and taskmasters. That was not within Nehemiah’s authority. It depended on voluntary cooperation and popular enthusiasm. They could not believe that the initial enthusiasm would be maintained. But as things progressed they began to fear that they might be wrong.
Thus, when that failed they turned to the idea of using extreme violence (4.7-11). But that too failed because of the vigilance of Nehemiah, and the stout-heartedness of God’s people, who worked with their swords in their hands.
Then they five times (6.4-5) sought to entice Nehemiah to a place where they would be able to do him harm (6.2). But he was no fool and once again they found themselves thwarted.
Since these tactics did not work they resorted to suggestions to Nehemiah that in their view treason was involved in the building of the walls which they intended to report to the king of Persia himself along with a report of the activities of treasonable prophets (6.6-7). To these suggestions Nehemiah gave short deflection. He was confident that his royal master would rely on his trustworthiness.
This was followed by an invidious attempt through someone who pretended to be friendly to persuade him to act in a cowardly way to protect his own life by taking refuge in the Temple along with him (6.10). But Nehemiah was no coward and roundly dismissed such an idea.
Combined with these activities was the problem of the extreme poverty that resulted for many due to their dedication to the building of the walls. Many had been living on the breadline for decades, scratching an existence from their limited resources, but now the concentration on the building of the walls had tipped them over the edge. They found themselves hungry, and even enslaved by debt, and that by their fellow Jews (5.1-6). This too was something that Nehemiah had to remedy (5.7-13).
Meanwhile the work on the wall progressed until it was finally accomplished. Jerusalem was once more a walled city, with its gates secure.
We note here the deepening of the already revealed opposition to the Jews and to the building of the walls. Notice the growth in the antagonistic attitude of those who were opposed to them, each time expressed in accordance with a pattern:
2.10 ‘And when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them greatly, in that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.’
2.19 ‘But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, “What is this thing that you do? Will you rebel against the king?”
In today’s chapter we see this animosity greatly increasing.
4 But it so happened, when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, that he was furious and very indignant, and mocked the Jews.
In his attempts to defeat the work an angry Sanballat, who was probably already governor of the district of Samaria, turned to insults, mocking the attempts of ‘the Jews’ (the returnees and those who had involved themselves with them in the pure worship of YHWH). The significance of the building of the walls is brought out by his fury. It was no light matter. It represented a new political force arising in the area, and one which was separatist based on its exclusive Temple worship (see Ezra 4.1-6). It thus represented the weakening of his authority and was an affront to his own views. For he saw himself as a Yahwist and was angry that the Jews would not accept him as such.
There is in fact no more potent weapon than ridicule when used against those who want to be well thought of. It can turn half-hearted people from their purposes and prevent others from joining them. Many a Christian’s progress has been halted by such methods. But in this case it failed because ‘the people had a mind to work’. They were confident that they were doing the work of God. And it consequently only left the alternative of violence (4.7). The mockery was indirect (verse 2), although it certainly reached Nehemiah’s ears. The aim was to build up a huge feeling of contempt concerning the activities of the Jews. It was also aimed at bolstering his own self-esteem.
2 And he spoke before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they complete it in a day? Will they revive the stones from the heaps of rubbish—stones that are burned?”
The word ‘brothers’ almost certainly means ‘allies’ (Amos 1.9), those in brotherly union with him as adversaries of the Jews. The army of Samaria would be a local military contingent such as a governor would necessarily require as a kind of police force. The mention of the latter is significant as preparing for the intended violence that will follow. Sanballat thus makes his views widely known among those who have some authority, and those who will enforce his decisions. He is bolstering them up as well as himself.
His questions are clearly derogatory, based on his contemptuous view of their weakness and feebleness. What did such feeble people really think that they could achieve? As we know they had been constantly struggling against hard times and had been finding life difficult (1.3), something partly due to Sanballat and his cronies. The question brings home how necessary the powerful leadership of Nehemiah, combined with the strength of his escort, was to the ailing Jews.
The first two questions refer to their attempts to make themselves secure, ‘will they fortify themselves?’ or ‘depend on themselves?’ (ensuring their own protection)), ‘will they sacrifice?’ (thus ensuring God’s protection). The second set of questions then demonstrates that he saw that as a vain hope based on inadequate foundations.
In this case ‘fortifying themselves’ or ‘leaving it to themselves’ is paralleled by ‘making the burned stones live’, in other words relying on themselves and hoping for a miracle as they use inadequate materials for their fortifications. Sacrificing is paralleled with anticipating instantaneous results as a response. In this last there may be an echo of Zechariah 3.9, ‘I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day’. Did they really think that offering sacrifices could remove their sin in one day?
His claim is that they are relying on themselves and on an inadequate God and are anticipating the achievement of a quick fix while relying on inadequate materials. Among other things he has in mind how long the building of such walls could be expected to take, especially given their lack of expertise, and the uselessness of using burned limestone, which would easily crumble, for building purposes. He considers that they are just not aware of the problems.
3 Now Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “Whatever they build, if even a fox goes up on it, he will break down their stone wall.”
Tobiah, who was standing by him, joined in the derision claiming that if even a fox were to climb on the walls it would cause them to break down. He too has in mind the inadequacy of the materials, the shortage of time and the lack of expertise of the builders. He considers that they are incapable of achieving their purpose.
4 Hear, O our God, for we are despised; turn their reproach on their own heads, and give them as plunder to a land of captivity! 5 Do not cover their iniquity, and do not let their sin be blotted out from before You; for they have provoked You to anger before the builders.
Nehemiah’s response emphasizes the fact that Sanballat’s questions were intended to be an insult against the God of the Jews, as well as a reproach on His people. He calls on God to hear what has been said. They have despised His people, and have provoked Him to anger in front of His people. Thus he prays that what had previously happened to God’s own people because they had despised God, should now be done to these equally sinful people. Let their sin not be overlooked. Let them too be taken into exile.
But while recognizing that Nehemiah falls short of the ideal of Christ’s teaching (‘love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you’), we should note in his defense that Nehemiah was not praying that they would never find true forgiveness. He was praying rather that they would receive what their sins deserved while they remained in their present condition. For by their very attitude they were revealing that they had no true knowledge of YHWH (a knowledge that they claimed) and therefore had no rights to the benefits that they claimed through their own sacrificial system. These words are the negative side of ‘turn back their reproach on their own head, and give them up for a spoil in a land of captivity’. He was not seeking to remove their right to forgiveness if they approached God on God’s terms (by renouncing idolatry and truly submitting to YHWH and His covenant), only praying that they would not find ‘easy forgiveness’ through their own ritual. Let them, in their unrepentant state, receive the due reward for their sins (we can compare the cry of the martyred saints in Revelation 6.10).
His grounds for his prayer were that they had by their behaviour provoked God to anger. Their sin had not been against man, but against God. This need not mean that Sanballat and his cronies had openly spoken in front of the builders. Only that what they had been propagating had reached the ears of the builders. The builders had been made aware of the general mockery that accompanied their work, shaming them and thus provoking YHWH to anger because it was His work that they were doing.
6 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.’ In the face of the opposition, and with confidence in the One to Whom Nehemiah had prayed, the work on the walls continued apace until within a comparatively short time Jerusalem was encircled by a wall which was overall half the height of that finally intended. This would provide some defence. No longer could people creep in anywhere at will. (The full height would be revealed by those parts of the wall which had survived the catastrophe). And this was the result of the exertions of men who were determined to get the job done and had labored accordingly.
Their derision having failed in its purpose, and their anger still being aroused, Sanballat and his allies now determined to bring the work to a stop by using violence. To the already formidable opponents were added the Ammonites to the east of Judah (although Tobias was an Ammonite) and the Ashdodites to the west. Ashdod was the name of the overall province that included former Philistine territory. These plotted an incursion into Jerusalem with the hope of causing confusion. Nehemiah responded by praying to God and setting a watch, with half his builders ready at arms, and all his builders armed in case they were needed.
7 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,
The frequency with which Jerusalem must have suffered unofficial raids is suggested by the number of adversaries who were angry at the repairing of the breaches in the walls. They realized that any future plans that they might have for unofficial raids were now being thwarted. Furthermore, it indicated that Jerusalem was once again becoming a power in the land.
8 and all of them conspired together to come and attack Jerusalem and create confusion.
The different groups described conspired together to send bands of armed men against Jerusalem to cause confusion among the builders (verse 8), and kill some of them (verse 11), thus hoping to disillusion them and bring about a cessation of their labors. These were apparently to be lightning strikes, totally unexpected by the builders, and taking them by surprise. What was planned was thus not an invasion or war against Judah in the normal sense (something which the Persian overall authorities would not have permitted) but a series of incursions only against Jerusalem, causing destruction and death, something which was intended to prevent the walls being built. That this was so comes out in the fact that Nehemiah’s response in defending Jerusalem succeeded. Judah could hardly have resisted an all out war conducted and coordinated by their neighbors on all sides. The whole emphasis of both sides was on Jerusalem alone.
Even so Sanballat would know that he could be called to account by the Satrap over Beyond the River for his actions. Thus, he must have reasoned;
1) that he could suggest that much of it was the work of bandits who were difficult to control, and/or
2) that as regards his own activities he could point to the previous instruction from Artaxerxes calling on him to enforce the cessation of the building of the walls (Ezra 4.22-23), no further decree to allow the building of the walls having been received by him, and that he was thus acting in accordance with instructions.
3) that he could count on the matter not being treated too seriously, being dismissed as simply resulting from local feuds, or indeed a combination of all three. These arguments would depend on the attacks not seeming to be too coordinated or too severe.
Indeed, had Nehemiah not been there, with his supreme confidence in his own position, their adversaries might well have succeeded. But Nehemiah knew that there were limits on how far their adversaries would dare to go, and was clearly confident therefore that his defensive measures would, with the help of God, succeed.
9 Nevertheless we made our prayer to our God, and because of them we set a watch against them day and night.
Nehemiah’s response was to pray to God and set a twenty-four-hour watch. There is the important lesson here that faith and practicality must go hand in hand. In Jesus’ words, we must ‘not put to test the Lord our God’ (Matthew 4.7). Without God’s help the watch may well not have succeeded. But to have relied on God without setting a watch would have been to wrongly put God to the test.
Nehemiah’s firm response is now set against the background of three problems which were in danger of halting the work. The first was the growth of discouragement among the builders as they considered the task in hand (and Judah said’ -verse 10); the second was the intention of their adversaries to make a number of surprise murderous attacks on the builders, which no doubt became known to them (‘and our adversaries said’ - verse 11); and the third was the feeding of the discouragement by their fellow-Jews who had not been willing to involve themselves in the work (‘the Jews who dwelt by them came, they said’ - verse 12). They were beset with doubts from all sides.
10 Then Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is failing, and there is so much rubbish that we are not able to build the wall.”
That the activities of Sanballat and his allies, together with the difficulties being faced, were undoubtedly beginning to have an effect on the morale of many of the men of Judah comes out in a song that began to be spread among the builders and their families which expressed their feelings. It was a song of hopelessness. Things were getting too much for them. Their strength was failing because of the enormity of the tasks. They were finding things too much for them. The obstacles were enormous. So much rubble still had to be removed. Therefore, they were beginning themselves to doubt their ability to complete the building of the wall.
11 And our adversaries said, “They will neither know nor see anything, till we come into their midst and kill them and cause the work to cease.”
Meanwhile their adversaries were planning to increase their discouragement by surprise, unexpected attacks, with murderous bands arriving suddenly among them causing havoc and death. Their whole aim was to make the work to cease in the light of what they had learned concerning the morale of the builders (the song would have become common knowledge).
12 So it was, when the Jews who dwelt near them came, that they told us ten times, “From whatever place you turn, they will be upon us.”
Meanwhile their fellow-Jews, presumably some who had not been willing to involve themselves in the work, repeatedly (‘ten times’) said to them on all sides, ‘give up and come back to your normal lives among us’. The temptation must have been enormous. There was a clear recognition that any violence would only be carried out against the builders in Jerusalem. Any who disentangled themselves from them would be safe.
It is apparent therefore that there was a great danger that the work would grind to halt with the walls still unfinished, and Jerusalem still a prey to marauders. It was then that Nehemiah stepped into the breach and persuaded them to carry on in the face of all the obstacles because God was with them, bolstering his arguments by organizing their defenses against incursions so that they could see that there was hope even if they remained in Jerusalem in order to complete the work.
It should be noted that verse 12 in the Hebrew is clearly connected with verse 13. Thus, Nehemiah’s response is linked with, and contrasted with, the attitude of their fellow-Jews (something which our division of the verses hides). On the one hand their fellow-Jews said, ‘you may as well give up and join us in a place of safety’, and on the other Nehemiah acted vigorously to ensure that they were encouraged and did not.
Nehemiah’s response demonstrated his leadership abilities, and his firm practicality. He called on the builders to bring with them their weapons and demonstrated how they could set up a solid means of defense against surprise attacks. It was only then that he called them together and reminded them of the greatness of God, and of their responsibilities towards their families. His method clearly worked. The consequence was that when their adversaries realized that their plans were known, and learned that defenses had been set up, they backed down from their intentions. It was one thing to carry out spasmodic surprise raids on groups of defenseless builders in Jerusalem which could be explained away. It was quite another to take on Jews who were fully armed, organised and ready to defend themselves, thus turning their raids into direct and deliberate warfare. Furthermore, while no mention is made of them, it is doubtful whether all Nehemiah’s escort had returned to Persia. The king would have expected him to retain a bodyguard. These would now be involved in any fighting, thus making any attack an attack on Persia itself.
13 Therefore I positioned men behind the lower parts of the wall, at the openings; and I set the people according to their families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows.
Here we have Nehemiah’s response to the suggestion that they should give up building the walls and seek safety outside Jerusalem. His wisdom is demonstrated by the fact that before he called the people in order to exhort them, he organized a solid means of defense which would give them something to have confidence in. It was only then that he exhorted them to resist.
His method was simply to demonstrate the possibility of resisting any attack, and to underline the fact that the half-constructed walls already provided a level of defense (‘he set them -- behind the wall’). It need not mean that he organized defense right round the walls. That was not his purpose. His purpose was to demonstrate that if they came together as a unit they were strong enough to resist ‘surprise attacks’, which would no longer be a surprise because they were expected. He would know that messengers would arrive with the news when such attacks were imminent
The transitive verb ‘I stationed’ requires an object to be read in. This is quite a regular feature in the Old Testament. All would know that those whom he stationed were ‘men’, as he then goes on to demonstrate. These were fully armed with swords, spears and bows and stationed in the open spaces where there were no buildings, which would be the parts where the walls were lowest. The very gathering of men fully armed would act as a stimulant to the defenders. It reminded them that they were able to defend themselves, and they would gain courage from each other. They would no longer see themselves as a prey but as an army. Note how he gathered them ‘in their families’. The whole host were divided up into several fighting units based on family and tribal connection. It was a ‘gathering of the tribes’ as of old. This idea of ordinary people gathering with weapons in their tribes and sub-tribes to fulfil God’s purposes, in other words in preparation for a holy war, is rooted in Israel’s history. It would therefore uniquely arouse their religious zeal and patriotism and make them one with the glories of their past history.
‘Swords and spears and bows.’ These were the kind of weapons all men would have available to them. In those days all men wore a sword for self-defense when they ventured out, and spears and bows would be used for hunting.
14 And I looked, and arose and said to the nobles, to the leaders, and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.”
‘And I saw.’ He reviewed the troops which he had arrayed before the people, and in consequence rose up and spoke to the nobles, rulers and people giving them reassuring words. They were not to be afraid of anything that the enemy would try to do. Rather they were to remember Who and What God was, and that He was on their side.
As a consequence, they were to be ready to defend themselves, fighting to establish the future for their loved ones and their possessions. For if Judah was to have any independent future Jerusalem had to be re-established. It was recognition of this fact that made their adversaries so fierce in their opposition. And it was recognition of this fact that should make them strong.
15 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.
The news of his preparations for the defense of Jerusalem reached the ears of his enemies, and seemingly nipped in the bud their own preparations with the result that no attack happened. As Nehemiah piously put it, and firmly believed, they were forced to recognize that God had brought their counsel to naught. God had heard the prayers of His people. An the people with him apparently saw it in the same way, for they returned to their working positions on the wall. The work went on unhindered.
Nehemiah now called on his own specialist troops, fully armed with mail and shields, to act as a protective force for Jerusalem. These were probably his escort which he would have retained in Jerusalem for the journey back and may well have included Persians in their number. They would be fully trained troops. Note that he speaks of them as ‘my servants’. Meanwhile the other workers were to carry arms with them as they continued the work, ready to defend themselves, and to respond to any call for assistance.
16 So it was, from that time on, that half of my servants worked at construction, while the other half held the spears, the shields, the bows, and wore armor; and the leaders were behind all the house of Judah.
It seems clear that most of Nehemiah’s ‘men’, apart from those who acted as his bodyguard, had previously been helping with the building work, presumably in a supervisory capacity. Now half of them were withdrawn and called on to stand fully armed ready for any emergency. They would bear the initial brunt of any surprise attack. Notice their superior armour which distinguishes them from the Jews. The other half were to continue to help in the work, but with their own armour held ready by the former in case they were called on. Together with his own permanent bodyguard they formed a permanent ‘standing army’. Meanwhile the rulers of the Jews, also presumably acting as supervisors, were supporting ‘the whole house of Judah’, that is, those who were working on the walls. They encouraged them in the work, kept in communication with Nehemiah, and stood ready to act as militia leaders. These formed a secondary force (armed but with no armor) which could be called up if required.
17 Those who built on the wall, and those who carried burdens, loaded themselves so that with one hand they worked at construction, and with the other held a weapon. 18 Every one of the builders had his sword girded at his side as he built. And the one who sounded the trumpet was beside me. 19 Then I said to the nobles, the rulers, and the rest of the people, “The work is great and extensive, and we are separated far from one another on the wall. 20 Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.”
Meanwhile, while his men performed their guard duties, and helped with supervision, the remainder were divided into two groups, those who ‘bore burdens’ (the fetchers and carriers) and those who built. The former bore their burdens with one hand and carried their weapons in the other. The word for weapons indicates some form of missiles, possibly therefore spears, which was why they could not carry them in their belts. The latter continued building and wore their swords in their belts. All were at the ready in case the alarm sounded, indicating an impending attack.
The responsibility for sounding the alarm lay in Nehemiah’s hands. Attending him always was a trumpeter. And the instructions that he gave to the nobles, and the rulers appointed over the militia, and the people themselves, who were necessarily spread out right round the walls, was that whenever they heard the trumpet sound, there they were to gather, weapons in hand, to assist in driving back the enemy. Nor were they to be afraid, for they were to recognise that ‘our God will fight for us’. In all his preparations Nehemiah in the end totally depended on God. His final confidence was in Him, but we should note that it did not hinder him from detailed planning.
21 So we labored in the work, and half of the men held the spears from daybreak until the stars appeared.
The ‘we’ here is probably Nehemiah and his servants as per verse 16, half of whom held spears, shields, bows and coats of mail. He and his servants played their full part in the work, whilst half of them stood at the ready for any surprise attack. And they did this from break of day until dusk.
22 At the same time I also said to the people, “Let each man and his servant stay at night in Jerusalem, that they may be our guard by night and a working party by day.”
In the same way he called on the people to play their full part, lodging with their servants in the city at night, so that they might act as guards during the night (taking their turn on watch), and laboring during the day.
23 So neither I, my brethren, my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me took off our clothes, except that everyone took them off for washing.
Thus all were to be constantly at the ready, he, his brothers (fellow-Jews), his own special fully armed servants, and his own bodyguard. And this they did. None got undressed, but rather slept in readiness for instant action, and even bore their weapons when they went for water.
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