Sanballat and his friends, in O their attempts to hinder the building of the wall, had ridiculed and sought to intimidate the builders. But now, when they heard that the wall was being built, they were very-angry and showed great indignation. If one weapon doesn’t work, the enemy will try another. This time they tried mockery. Sanballat 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 the rubbish which are burned?” Also Tobiah remarked: “Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall even break down their stone wall.”
These men knew that there were not many of the Jews, and to attempt to build that wall was a great undertaking. Certainly the little remnant were a feeble company in themselves, and they could never have accomplished what they set out to do had not the Lord been with them and made the hearts of the people willing. It is lovely to see how that Nehemiah spread the matter before the Lord, saying, “Hear, O our God; for we are despised.” Instead of being provoked to anger, and meeting flesh with flesh, he quietly took the revilings of the enemy to God and left them there. And in him we see something of the spirit of our blessed Lord, Who suffered for us, leaving us an example that we should follow in His steps; “Who, when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously.” 1 Peter 2:23, 2423Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: 24Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. (1 Peter 2:23‑24). Nehemiah knew that that little remnant of the Jews were precious in God’s sight, and to despise them was to despise Him.
So he encouraged the people to claim the promises made to their fathers, telling them that they were doing a great, work, for it was of the Lord. They kept on building the wall, for it is said, the people had a mind to work. When we read of their labors, it should encourage us in such trying times like these, knowing that the Lord is always for His people. He exhorts us therefore to be “steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 Co 15:58.
Now when the enemy saw that the work was rapidly progressing, and that the openings in the wall were being closed up, they were very angry. Now they were ready to fight. The closing of the breaches in the wall meant the shutting out of evil, and this fully arouses the opposition of Satan who would ever seek to break down the distinction between the people of God and the world. At first we heard of just a few enemies, now there are numbers—Arabians, Ammonites and Ashdodites — determined to use force, if necessary, to cause the building to cease. In the face of this new threat Nehemiah tells us that they did two things— “we prayed unto our God, and we set a watch against them day and night.” The Lord helped. His people and brought the enemies’ efforts to naught. To meet the power of Satan the Lord Jesus would teach us to “Watch and pray,” (Matt. 26:4141Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. (Matthew 26:41)); again in Eph. 6:1818Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; (Ephesians 6:18), it says: “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance.”
ML 07/19/1959