NEHEMIAH LESSON 4

     We will begin this lesson in Nehemiah 4:1 "But it came to pass,
that when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, and
took great indignation, and mocked the Jews."

     This was the troublemaker, we read about earlier. He did not want
Jerusalem with this wall of protection. He had even accused Nehemiah
of wanting to revolt against the king. They were actually mocking the
Jews for taking on so large a task by so few people.

     Nehemiah 4:2 "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 the rubbish which are
burned?"

     The Samaritans had been enemies of Judah. Most of it came from
jealousy. They felt the Jews were fortifying themselves against them.
He could not believe that so large a task could be accomplished by
this fragment of Jews, that came back from Babylonian captivity. He
did not believe they would sacrifice their time and energy enough to
get this job done. He was not even aware that the king had given
authority to Nehemiah to cut down trees in the forest for their
building materials. There is always someone saying the task the LORD
has given you is an impossibility. Sanballat had underestimated the
power of God working through Nehemiah.

     Nehemiah 4:3 "Now Tobiah the Ammonite [was] by him, and he said,
Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall even break down
their stone wall."

     The Ammonites had, also, always been enemies of the people of
Judah. They were saying, that the wall was built so weakly that just
anything at all could tear it down. It was pretty obvious that Tobiah
was listening to Sanballat. He was just agreeing with him, and trying
to add something to show how weak the Jews were.

     Nehemiah 4:4 "Hear, O our God; for we are despised: and turn
their reproach upon their own head, and give them for a prey in the
land of captivity:"

     Nehemiah called out to God. He brought it to the attention of God
that these Ammonites and Samaritans were opposed to the work on the
wall.  The thing that Nehemiah asked God for was for the hate to be
turned again to them. Actually, Nehemiah would be pleased, if these
people, who are trying to stop the work, would be taken captive
themselves, so the work could continue without harassment.

     Nehemiah 4:5 "And cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin
be blotted out from before thee: for they have provoked [thee] to
anger before the builders."

     Nehemiah was telling God that these enemies were not just the
enemies of Judah, but they were God's enemies, as well. They were
trying to stop God's work on the wall, but they were actually
insulting the name of God in the process. They were trying to cause
the builders to lose confidence in the finishing of the wall.

     Nehemiah 4:6 "So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined
together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work."

     All of the insults and troublemaking these two evil men did,
could not stop the work on the wall. The entire wall was completed to
half the height they had planned. The people had it in their hearts to
do this, and no insults could stop them.

     Nehemiah 4:7  "But it came to pass, [that] when Sanballat, and
Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard
that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, [and] that the breaches
began to be stopped, then they were very wroth,"

     All of these were the enemies of Jerusalem and Judah. They knew
that with the wall it would be much harder to overthrow Jerusalem.
Jealousy burned in their hearts that God had allowed the wall to be
re-built. Their anger was great against Jerusalem, and Nehemiah in
particular.

     Nehemiah 4:8 "And conspired all of them together to come [and] to
fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it."

     The Arabians, Ammonites, and Samaritans had decided they must
stop these men of Judah now, before they built the other half of the
wall. They would even attack Jerusalem, if necessary to stop this
wall.

     Nehemiah 4:9 "Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and
set a watch against them day and night, because of them."

     The work was temporarily stopped to fight off their enemies, if
they came. Nehemiah prayed and asked God to help. He, also, put men up
and down the wall to warn of any attack.

     Nehemiah 4:10 "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."

     The bearers of burdens had been reduced to a small number. Most
of them were set as guards on the wall, and they could not continue
the work. In this sense, the enemies had won for a time. The work on
the wall stopped.

     Nehemiah 4:11 "And our adversaries said, They shall not know,
neither see, till we come in the midst among them, and slay them, and
cause the work to cease."

     The enemy was still threatening to come in, and kill all of those
working on the wall.

     Nehemiah 4:12 "And it came to pass, that when the Jews which
dwelt by them came, they said unto us ten times, From all places
whence ye shall return unto us [they will be upon you]."

     There were Jews who lived outside of the wall. It seemed, the
people opposed to the building of the wall had told them, that they
would not be strong enough to finish the building of the wall. They
threatened these people by telling them, they had ten times as many as
Judah, and Judah would not stand under such pressure.

     Nehemiah 4:13 "Therefore set I in the lower places behind the
wall, [and] on the higher places, I even set the people after their
families with their swords, their spears, and their bows."

     This warning from the adversaries caused Nehemiah to gather the
people, and place them on the wall, and behind the wall armed with
sword, spears, and bows. All of these threats were accomplishing the
stopping of the work on the wall.

     Nehemiah 4:14 "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, [which is] great and terrible, and
fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives,
and your houses."

     Nehemiah had even found out the side the attack was supposed to
come from. He alerted the rulers of people of what was planned, and
then he reminded them that they should not fear, because God would
fight for them. The wall would now help everyone, not just those who
had been working on it. Everyone must take up arms and fight off their
mutual enemy.

     Nehemiah 4:15 "And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that
it was known unto us, and God had brought their counsel to nought,
that we returned all of us to the wall, every one unto his work."

     When the enemy found that Nehemiah and all of Judah knew of their
plans and were prepared to fight, the enemy decided not to fight them.
There seemed to be just a short pause for the preparation for war. As
soon as the threat was over, Nehemiah and all of the workers went back
to work on the wall.

     Nehemiah 4:16 "And it came to pass from that time forth, [that]
the half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of
them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the
habergeons; and the rulers [were] behind all the house of Judah."

     It seemed, the threat of war had drawn all of the people together
as one. Half of the people worked on the wall, while the other half
stood prepared for war. All of those, who had not been willing to work
on the wall, were now standing ready to defend Jerusalem.

     Nehemiah 4:17 "They which builded on the wall, and they that bare
burdens, with those that laded, [every one] with one of his hands
wrought in the work, and with the other [hand] held a weapon."

     This is saying, that even those who were working on the wall, had
a weapon ready beside them to use in case it was needed.

     Nehemiah 4:18 "For the builders, every one had his sword girded
by his side, and [so] builded. And he that sounded the trumpet [was]
by me."

     This blowing of the trumpet in a certain area, would call the
people to that area to fight. Even though the threat of war remained,
they built on the wall. The men strapped their weapons to their sides
and worked with their weapons where they could instantly get their
hands on them. If the trumpet blew, they would all stop working and
prepare for war.

     Nehemiah 4:19  "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." Nehemiah 4:20 "In
what place [therefore] ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye
thither unto us: our God shall fight for us."

     The wall went completely around the city with people every few
feet working on building it up. Those of Judah and Benjamin, who had
come back from Babylon, were not a large number of people. The blowing
of the trumpet would be necessary to bring the greatest number
together to fight, wherever the war broke out.

     Nehemiah 4:21 "So we laboured in the work: and half of them held
the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared."

     They were actually ready 24 hours a day, but they worked about a
12 hour shift from sunup to sundown. Half were working, and half were
standing guard at all times.

     Nehemiah 4:22 "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 labour on the day."

     This was for the safety of Jerusalem, but it would, also, be
safer for the workers to not leave the safety of the walls. One or two
men could easily be stopped and killed, when they were away from the
others. This way, they would all be together all the time.

     Nehemiah 4:23 "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, [saving that] every one put them off for washing."

     This is just saying, they slept in their clothes. The only time
they had their clothes off, was to wash them and put them right back
on. These had to be dedicated people to sacrifice like this to build
the wall. Notice, Nehemiah did this, as well as the men. He set the
example for them.
                           Nehemiah 4 Questions


1.  Who was angry about them building the wall?
2.  How were they mocking the Jews?
3.  What description of the Jews did he use in verse 2?
4.  What questions were they asking in a mocking way?
5.  Why were the Samaritans upset about the wall?
6.  There is always someone saying the task the LORD has given you to
    do is an _____________.
7.  How weak were they saying the wall was?
8.  Tobiah was listening to ___________.
9.  The ___________ and the ___________ are opposed to the building of
    the wall.
10. What does Nehemiah ask God for?
11. Who were they provoking to anger, besides the workers?
12. In verse 6, we see that _________ of the wall is finished?
13. Who became angry, along with Tobiah and Sanballat, when they heard
    the Jews were building the wall?
14. What did they all conspire together to do?
15. What did Nehemiah do first?
16. What did they do, besides pray?
17. What hindered them from finishing the wall?
18. What were the adversaries threatening to do?
19. What did they tell the Jews, who lived out of Jerusalem?
20. What did Nehemiah do as a show of force?
21. What did Nehemiah say to the nobles?
22. As soon as the enemy had word of all they were doing to protect
    themselves, what did Nehemiah have his people do?
23. _______ of the men worked on the wall and ________ stood guard.
24. Those who worked on the wall had what weapons nearby to use, if
    necessary.
25. How would they bring the majority of the people to one area, if
    there was an attack?
26. How long were their workdays?
27. What did they do, when they slept?
28. This was for the safety of ____________.
29. What did Nehemiah tell those who lived out of the walls of
    Jerusalem to do?
30. __________ set the example for them.