There were men of other nations, who lived not far from Jerusalem, who were sorry when they heard that Nehemiah had come to help, the Jewish people.
These men did not want to honor the Lord, so they did not want His people helped. At first they laughed to see the work of repairing the walls begun, and said, “What do these feeble Jews?” “Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall even break down their stone wall!” You see they spoke as though it would be a very poor weak wall.
But later when half of the wall was finished, and those men saw that the wall would be so secure that they could not go in as before, they did not laugh, but got others to come with them ready to fight to stop the work on the walls.
Nehemiah and the other Jews learned they were to come, and some were much afraid, but Nehemiah prayed to God, and set men to watch, to keep the enemy away while the rest of the men kept on building. He also told the men who. built to bring their swords to use if need be. And there was a man to blow the trumpet to give the alarm if the men on one part of the wall needed help from those farther away. Yet they did not stop the work, for this trouble made them know how much they needed a strong wall, When the enemies heard that the Jews were armed and watching, they went away.
Afterward they sent to invite Nehemiah to come talk with them at an outside village. But it was not for kindness, but to do him harm, so there would be no one to direct the setting up of the big gates, for Nehemiah seems to have directed all the work.
Four times they sent to ask him, but each time he answered that he was doing a great work and could not come. At last one of those men hired a man in the city to try to bring harm to Nehemiah in the temple. But God gave him wisdom to know the man was not true.
There was trouble also inside the city, because some of the richer men had taken the fields and houses of the poor for debts, and had even made slaves of their children, which was a great sin, and which God had warned them not to do (Deut. 15:7, 87If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother: 8But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth. (Deuteronomy 15:7‑8)). When Nehemiah spoke to them, they were ashamed and returned all they had taken, and afterward thee praised God. It was the Lord who helped Nehemiah know what was right to do in all the troubles.
So the great work was well finished and the enemies were very disappointed.
“They perceived that this work was, wrought of our God.”
How long did the men work each day? (See Chapter. 4:21).
In how many days was the work of the wall finished? Ans. Chapter. 6:15.
ML 12/31/1939