Nehemiah 4:1-11

  ¹Now it came about that when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became furious and very angry and mocked the Jews. ²He spoke in the presence of his brothers and the wealthy men of Samaria and said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Are they going to restore it for themselves? Can they offer sacrifices? Can they finish in a day? Can they revive the stones from the dusty rubble even the burned ones?” ³Now Tobiah the Ammonite was near him and he said, “Even what they are building—if a fox should jump on it, he would break their stone wall down!”

⁴Hear, O our God, how we are despised! Return their reproach on their own heads and give them up for plunder in a land of captivity. ⁵Do not forgive their iniquity and let not their sin be blotted out before You, for they have demoralized the builders.

 ⁶So we built the wall and the whole wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.

⁷Now when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repair of the walls of Jerusalem went on, and that the breaches began to be closed, they were very angry. ⁸All of them conspired together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause a disturbance in it.

⁹But we prayed to our God, and because of them we set up a guard against them day and night.

¹⁰Thus in Judah it was said,  “The strength of the burden bearers is failing, Yet there is much rubbish;

And we ourselves are unable To rebuild the wall.”

¹¹Our enemies said, “They will not know or see until we come among them, kill them and put a stop to the work.”

A. The Enemy’s Consternation             vs.  1-3

1. Sanballat’s Anger

¹Now it came about that when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall,

& He became furious and very angry and mocked the Jews. 

The bitter hatred of the Jews by the Samaritans boils over as Sanballat vents his fury over Nehemiah’s plans to rebuild.  Progress in the Lord’s work will always be met by some form of opposition.  Here he mocks the noble efforts of the Jewish remnant and stirs the fire by taking it to his family and others of influence.

²He spoke in the presence of his brothers and the wealthy men of Samaria and said,

“What are these feeble Jews doing?

& Are they going to restore it for themselves?

& Can they offer sacrifices?

& Can they finish in a day?

& Can they revive the stones from the dusty rubble even the burned ones?” 

Jamieson-Faussett & Brown, Commentary on the Bible observes;  “The weakness of the Jews in respect of wealth and numbers, the absurdity of their purpose apparently to reconstruct the walls and celebrate the feast of dedication in one day, the idea of raising the walls on their old foundations, as well as using the charred and moldering debris of the ruins as the materials for the restored buildings, and the hope of such a parapet as they could raise being capable of serving as a fortress of defense—these all afforded fertile subjects of hostile ridicule.”

2. Tobiah’s Mockery

³Now Tobiah the Ammonite was near him and he said,

“Even what they are building—if a fox should jump on it, he would break their stone wall down!”

All of this antagonism was designed to intimidate and desecrate the ranks of the faithful.  Should they succeed in their torments, the city would be left in ruins and the people without hope.  Add to that the threat of invasion and the situation becomes bleak.

B. The Enemy’s Conspiracy                   vs.  7,8 & 11

⁷Now when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repair of the walls of Jerusalem went on, and that the breaches began to be closed, they were very angry. ⁸All of them conspired together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause a disturbance in it.

God’s people persevere and the enemy  revs it up to a higher level of anger. These threats to invade the city only add to the frustration of the people. What can this little band of  divergent worker