Scripture Reading: Nehemiah 4 Background Reading: 2 Kings 17:24–34

This chapter should not surprise us. As soon as plans are laid for the reconstruction of the walls, that soon the enemies of the Lord make their appearance. Nehemiah apparently anticipated this happening, for he had demonstrated caution and secrecy when he did his initial survey. He probably knew, too, what had happened earlier in the construction of the temple. These same enemies, living in nearby Samaria, had caused Jeshua and Zerubbabel great difficulty and delayed construction of the temple for ten years. Warfare between God and Satan had already been declared in the Garden of Eden, when the Lord declared, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring” (Gen. 3:15).

The history of mankind is replete with hostility between the kingdom of God and the minions of Satan. That hostility takes on a variety of forms, some of it saber rattling, some of it open warfare, some jeering and ridicule. In this instance, Sanballat and Tobiah resort to mocking and derision. They know that these walls have been broken and untended for more than a century. They know that the inhabitants of Jerusalem have done nothing to repair them. The Jews had become an object of scorn. Now, instead of encouragement, the neighbors attempt to heap even more scorn on their heads. If that had been deemed effective, their objective would have been achieved at minimal cost. Humiliate your enemy, and he will run away and hide. Maybe he will even wave the white flag and surrender.

The Samaritans’ strategy does not work on Nehemiah. In verse 4, we get his response. He calls upon God to take note of their desperate situation and asks God to “turn back their taunt on their own heads and give them up to be plundered in a land where they are captives” (4:4). This fearless leader goes on to plead with God, “Do not cover their guilt, and let not their sin be blotted out from your sight, for they have provoked you to anger in the presence of the builders” (4:5). This is a prayer for their destruction. This is a prayer for their guilt to be compounded. This is an imprecatory prayer.

How should you and I respond? Should we condemn Nehemiah for such a prayer? Should he have asked God for forgiveness, for not showing love to his enemies? There are some commentaries that find this prayer offensive. Adam Clark concludes: “A prayer of this kind, understood literally, is not lawful for any Christian. Jesus, our great master, has said, ‘Love your enemies; do good to them that hate you; and pray for them that despitefully use you.’” Such sayings as the above, he concludes, are only “excusable in the mouth of a Jew, under severe irritation.”

In contrast to Clark, Matthew Henry offers a more acceptable comment: “Doubtless Nehemiah had reason to think the hearts of those sinners were desperately hardened, so that they would never repent of it, else he would not have prayed that it might never be blotted out. The reason he gives is not, They have abused us, but, They have provoked thee, and that before the builders, to whom, it is likely, they sent a spiteful message. Note, We should be angry at the malice of persecutors, not because it is abusive to us, but because it is offensive to God.”

We should not be embarrassed or ashamed by Nehemiah’s prayer, for such prayers occur numerous times in the book of Psalms. They are called imprecatory prayers. Such prayers are reflections of Christ teaching us to pray: “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10). In explaining that petition, the Heidelberg Catechism reminds us that it is a prayer to “destroy the works of the devil, every power that exalts itself against Thee, and all wicked counsels conceived against Thy Holy Word” (Lord’s Day XLVIII, Q. 123). Asking God to deal justly with his enemies is not offensive to God. Nehemiah continues this pattern of total reliance on God when he declares: “And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night” (4:9).

When it becomes apparent that the inhabitants of Jerusalem are not going to be cowed by derision and mockery, but immediately begin working, their enemies band together and prepare for open warfare. The Samaritans, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites form an alliance and plan an attack. Why they should be so angered by the construction of the wall is a mystery to us, but it was justification for war to them. To the Jews it was a defense against invasion. To King Artaxerxes and to Nehemiah, it was a protective enclosure for the city of God.

For a brief time, the Jews lose hope and express fear. They recognize that, by themselves, they will not be able to repair the wall. In response, Nehemiah advises them, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes” (4:14). Trust God, but also grab your sword, sharpen your arrows, and be ready to fight. This is not a time to turn the other cheek. This is not the time to love your enemies. This is a time to fight for the honor and glory of God. This is a time to protect your family.

The response of the Jews who lived in and around Jerusalem is positive. The text tells us, “At that time the Jews who lived near them came from all directions and said to us ten times, ‘You must return to us’” (4:12). Some commentaries construe this as a plea from family members for their loved ones to forget the wall and to come back to their homes in the villages. From a different perspective, what this demonstrates is a spirit of unity which had often been lacking in earlier times. When “everyone did what was right in his own eyes,” chaos often resulted. After God punished them for their multiple sins by sending them into captivity, they became much more unified and much more willing to obey their Lord. In response to Nehemiah’s orders, they all gathered as one man, each to his assigned section and each to his specific job. “From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction, and half held the spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail” (4:16). As the reader attempts to get a clear mental image of this construction/ defensive project, one has to marvel at the images being portrayed. Gate builders with a saw in one hand and a spear in the other. Masons carrying stones and bricks at the same time they are wielding a sword in its sheath. The construction crews and their military defenders were widely scattered along the two-and-a-half-mile perimeter of the wall. With the threat of attack possible at multiple points, the commander placed trumpeters at various points, ready to blast the trumpet and call to arms. Again, Nehemiah was not relying on the military might of his people but on the protection of their God. He reminded all of them, “Our God will fight for us.”

                 

The threat of invasion was constant and pervasive. The enemies of God had expressed their anger and had marshaled an army ready to fight. They had expressed plans for sneak attacks (v. 11), but God’s people had gotten wind of that. Ready for warfare, the builders and their protectors were on assignment “from the break of dawn until the stars came out” (4:21). Expecting the worst, Nehemiah also posted guards during the nighttime hours and mandated that the workers sleep in their clothes, dirty and sweaty as they might be. He concludes this chapter by confessing, “So neither I nor my brothers nor my servants nor the men of the guard . . . took off our clothes; each kept his weapon at his right hand” (4:23).

As we reflect on this chapter of the Bible, we have to wonder once again: Why were the neighbors so hostile to the Jews and their plans to rebuild the walls of the city? Had the Jews done something to offend them? Had the Jews been a military threat to the Samaritans? These are the same people, from Samaria, who had forced a ten-year delay in the construction of the temple. Now, eighty years later, their ancestors are attempting to prevent the repair of the broken down walls. Why? How does one explain such behavior?

day, the ones who wanted to assist in the construction of the temple claimed to be worshipping the God of the Hebrews. So did Ahab and Jezebel. In both instances, they tried to blend sacred and pagan practices. They claimed to be worshipping God while also worshipping idols. That is also true for these enemies who tried to prevent the walls of Jerusalem from being built. They hated God while coming in the garb of self-righteousness. In today’s world, that is also true of Mormons and of Muslims, both of whom claim to be worshipping the God of the Bible, even when they grossly distort the messages of Holy Writ. As Jesus said, “Beware!”

Matthew Henry raises the same issue: “Why, what quarrel had they with the Jews? Had they done them any wrong? Or did they design them any? No, they lived peaceably by them; but it was merely out of envy and malice; they hated the Jews’ piety, and were therefore vexed at their prosperity and sought their ruin. Observe, How unanimous they were: They conspired all of them together, though of different interests among themselves, yet one in their opposition to the work of God.” Jesus offers us the best explanation. When he sent out the twelve apostles, he warned them, “Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake” (Matt. 10:17). Christ goes on to inform them, “You will be hated by all for my name’s sake” (v. 22). In reflecting on Jesus’ words, it is significant to note that they will do this “in their synagogues.” The enemies of Christ are not irreligious persons; they are misguided and worshipping false gods. Jesus connects the enmity of these neighbors with the way he was treated. In another of his speeches to the apostles, he informs them: “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own” (John 15:18–19). Like the Samaritans of Nehemiah’s day, the ones who wanted to assist in the construction of the temple claimed to be worshipping the God of the Hebrews. So did Ahab and Jezebel. In both instances, they tried to blend sacred and pagan practices. They claimed to be worshipping God while also worshipping idols. That is also true for these enemies who tried to prevent the walls of Jerusalem from being built. They hated God while coming in the garb of self-righteousness. In today’s world, that is also true of Mormons and of Muslims, both of whom claim to be worshipping the God of the Bible, even when they grossly distort the messages of Holy Writ. As Jesus said, “Beware!”

Discussion Starters

How does Sanballat react to reports that the Jews are rebuilding the wall? (4:1)

To whom does he express his anger and frustrations? What is his grievance? (4:2)

How does Tobiah respond to Sanballat’s angry complaint? Where are they? (4:3)

Who is speaking in verse 4? How do you know? What is the import of this imprecatory prayer? (4:4–5)

What is its effect? (4:6) What are imprecatory prayers? May you and I pray them? (see Pss. 11:5–6; 74:18, 22; 79:12; 94:1–3; 139:19–22)

What is the reaction of the Samaritans and other neighboring tribes to the fact that the Jews went about the rebuilding process? (4:7–8)

How do Nehemiah and the people of Judah respond to these threats? (4:9–10)

Were the Jews completely surprised by the plans of the Samaritans to attack them? (4:11–12)

How did Nehemiah respond to this threat of attack? What did he do? (4:13–14)

Who gets the credit for frustrating the plans of the Samaritans? How did God do that? (4:12, 15)

How did Nehemiah organize his construction crews for the rebuilding of the wall? (4:16–17)

What ongoing threats caused Nehemiah to worry? What did he do about them? (4:19–23)

Who was the strongest ally that the Jews had? (4:20)