Nehemiah 4
In this world there is no work of God, earthly or heavenly, which does not rouse the rancorous opposition of the enemy. So it was at this time. Satan was ready by suited instruments to thwart; and faith is needed to discern God's will and do it fearlessly. It may be a lowly work, but this only the more tests the heart, which would be naturally attached to a brilliant effort. Only a single eye values and proves the good and acceptable and perfect will of God; and only in Christ do we see it sought uniformly and accomplished in perfection.
“And it came to pass that, when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, and had great indignation, and mocked the Jews. 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 rubbish, seeing they are burned? Now Tobijah the Ammonite [was] by him, and he said, Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall break down their stone wall. Hear, O our God, for we are despised; and turn back their reproach upon their own head, and give them up to spoiling in a land of captivity. And cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee; for they have provoked to anger before the builders. But we built the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto half thereof: for the people had a heart to work” (vers. 1-6).
It is well to note that, while hatred of God and His will is at the bottom, mockery is a common means. Nor is any means more open to the shallow or more effective with the vulgar. And we can see in scripture as in experience that what is high and holy lies peculiarly open to burlesque or raillery, where some have such absence of conscience as to indulge in it, and others too little to resent the impropriety. Those who here sit in the seat of the scornful had already shown their hostility in chap. 2:10-19, and were as persevering in evil as Nehemiah in good. They were really afraid now, but sought to veil fear under ridicule and insolence, and Tobijah “the slave” exceeded Sanballat. But despise the “feeble” Jews or the work as they may, Nehemiah turns to God, with that call for present earthly judgment which was according to the law, though it would seem that the translations which supply “Thee” go beyond the inspired record. It was rather to provoke the builders. The work in fact was but stimulated.
“And it came to pass that, when Sanballat, and Tobijah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem went forward, [and] that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth; and they conspired all of them together to come [and] fight against Jerusalem, and to cause confusion therein. But we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch over against them day and night, because of them. 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 into the midst of 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 so unto us ten times from all places whence they returned to us, I set in the lower parts of the space behind the wall, in the open 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, [who 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 naught, that we returned all of us to the wall, every one unto his work. And it came to pass from that time forth, half of my servants wrought in the work, and half of them held the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the coats of mail; and the captains [were] behind all the house of Judah. They that builded the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that loaded, [every one] with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other held his weapon; and 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 soever ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither unto us; our God shall fight for us. So we wrought 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 may labor in 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, every one went with his weapon to the water” [or, “had his weapon on his right side,” as another reading gives] (vers. 7-23).
The zeal with which the building went on spite of mockery drew out the rage of those and other adversaries, who differing among themselves conspired to hinder all of them coming together by force. They were “very wroth” and hoped to land the Jews in confusion by the threat of fighting. But the faithful Jews prayed and set watch day and night.
Nor was this the only trial. “Judah said, The strength of the burden-bearers faileth, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build at the wall.” How humiliating! What! Judah, “as a lion's whelp” and “as a lioness,” in the prophetic eye of Jacob. Even so was the sad fact seen now. No flesh shall glory. Timid counsels may seem prudent; but faith abhors distrust of God, once His will is known. The adversaries profit by any heed to them. Alas! Jews were not ashamed to be in their secrets and to report their designs to the faithful persistently, diligent only to discourage if they could with their tales and fears. But quiet looking to God raises above all fear of man. Nevertheless Nehemiah made a disposition of the people to meet any hostile essays, with the charge not to fear the foe, but to remember the Lord, and to fight for their brethren and families.
The measures taken quite disconcerted their adversaries; and as God had defeated their counsel, so did the people return all to the wall, each to his work. Only they shared: one half wrought, the other guarded under arms; but the builders, each of them had his sword on, and so pursued his task, so that all might fight in case of need, besides the work. The trumpeter was by Nehemiah's side, and would give due warning.
We too in the evil day have to “stand” and to “withstand.” And as we have a better Captain to look to, so have we One able to make the trumpet give no uncertain sound. But we need courage as well as dependence. Our sufficiency is of God; and He never fails.