And our adversaries said, they shall not know ,.... Our designs upon them: neither see ; or perceive what we are about to do: till we come in the midst of them ; with an army suddenly, at an unawares, and unexpected: and slay them ; they being unarmed, and not prepared to defend themselves: and cause the work to cease ; as it must in course, the builders being slain. read more
The work and warfare of the Church. I. The weak of the Church. 1. Derided. "And mocked the Jews" ( Nehemiah 4:1 ). 2. Under-estimated. "These feeble Jews" ( Nehemiah 4:2 ). 3. Misrepresented. "If a fox go up, he shall even break down their stone wall" ( Nehemiah 4:3 ). 4. Prayerful. "Hear, O our God" ( Nehemiah 4:4 ). 5. Hearty. "For the people had a mind to work" ( Nehemiah 4:6 ). 6. Advancing. "Heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, and that... read more
This description of the building of the wall of Jerusalem may be taken as representing the life of the Church militant. The chief points are these:— I. THE SPIRIT which pervades and actuates it. "The people had a mind to work." Activity, self-denial, fellowship, and fortitude. II. THE METHOD . Division and distribution of the work. Builders, fighters, burden-bearers. Some in command, others waiting upon their word. A place for every one in which to work, and every one keeping... read more
Armed opposition. Ridicule failing and the work progressing, the enemies of the Jews, more angry than ever, conspire to stop it by force of arms. We have here— I. ENEMIES WITHOUT . 1. Various ( Nehemiah 4:7 ). 2. Combined ( Nehemiah 4:8 ). 3. Angry ( Nehemiah 4:7 ). 4. Wily ( Nehemiah 4:11 ). 5. Ruthless ( ibid. ) . 6. Determined to stop the work. II. DIFFICULTIES WITHIN . 1. The weariness and discouragement of the labourers ( ... read more
The wisdom of the Christian workman in the hour of peril. We are reminded here of— I. THE PROGRESS OF SIN IN ITS COURSE ( Nehemiah 4:8 ). From sneers the enemies of Israel passed on to plots; from taunts to a mischievous conspiracy. They "conspired together to come and fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it." This advance of theirs was brought about by their hearing that the walls of Jerusalem were "made up." The steadfast labour of the good led, incidentally, to the... read more
Nehemiah 4:11. Our adversaries said, They shall not know, &c. Their enemies resolved not to appear with an army before Jerusalem, but to march so secretly that the Jews should have no notice of their approach till they saw them in the city, armed and prepared to attack them suddenly, and put them to the sword. read more
Early opposition (4:1-23)Since the Jews had the Persian king’s approval for their building program, their opponents, being also under the government of Persia, hesitated to attack Jerusalem openly. However, they were still able to mock and ridicule, hoping that this would dishearten the people from building (4:1-5).But the Jews were not easily discouraged and the work continued (6). The enemies therefore planned to create confusion and uncertainty among the Jews by carrying out surprise... read more
cause, &c. = suspend the work. read more
2. The opposition to the workers ch. 4Any attempt to fulfill God’s desires will almost certainly draw opposition from God’s enemies."The real test of a leader is how he or she faces crises and reacts to opposition. This chapter recounts several forms of opposition and how Nehemiah confronted them." [Note: Breneman, p. 193.] The Jews’ enemies used ridicule (Nehemiah 4:1-6), as well as armed resistance (Nehemiah 4:8), to oppose the work. A better translation of the Hebrew word rendered "wealthy"... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Nehemiah 4:7-15
We have here, I. The conspiracy which the Jews? enemies formed against them, to stay the building by slaying the builders. The conspirators were not only Sanballat and Tobiah, but other neighbouring people whom they had drawn into the plot. They flattered themselves with a fancy that the work would soon stand still of itself; but, when they heard that it went on a prospered, they were angry at the Jews for being so hasty to push the work forward and angry at themselves for being so slow in... read more