1 Now when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and greatly enraged, and he jeered at the Jews. 2 And he said in the presence of his brothers and of the army of Samaria, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore it for themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish up in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, and burned ones at that?” 3 Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “Yes, what they are building—if a fox goes up on it he will break down their stone wall!” 4 Hear, O our God, for we are despised. Turn back their taunt on their own heads and give them up to be plundered in a land where they are captives. 5 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.
6 So we built the wall. And all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.
7 But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and that the breaches were beginning to be closed, they were very angry. 8 And they all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it. 9 And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night.
10 In Judah it was said, “The strength of those who bear the burdens is failing. There is too much rubble. By ourselves we will not be able to rebuild the wall.” 11 And our enemies said, “They will not know or see till we come among them and kill them and stop the work.” 12 At that time the Jews who lived near them came from all directions and said to us ten times, “You must return to us.” 13 So in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in open places, I stationed the people by their clans, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. 14 And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “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.”
15 When our enemies heard that it was known to us and that God had frustrated their plan, we all returned to the wall, each to his work. 16 From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction, and half held the spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. And the leaders stood behind the whole house of Judah, 17 who were building on the wall. Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other. 18 And each of the builders had his sword strapped at his side while he built. The man who sounded the trumpet was beside me. 19 And I said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “The work is great and widely spread, and we are separated on the wall, far from one another. 20 In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.”
21 So we labored at the work, and half of them held the spears from the break of dawn until the stars came out. 22 I also said to the people at that time, “Let every man and his servant pass the night within Jerusalem, that they may be a guard for us by night and may labor by day.” 23 So neither I nor my brothers nor my servants nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us took off our clothes; each kept his weapon at his right hand. – Nehemiah 4:1-23 ESV
Leading others can be difficult even in the best of times. When things aren’t going well, it can become nearly impossible. Nehemiah was encountering the very real challenge of trying to motivate a workforce burdened with the overwhelming responsibility of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. This massive civic work project was overwhelming in both its scale and importance. It is estimated that the walls of Jerusalem were more than two miles in circumference and high enough to serve as a formidable barrier against enemy invasion. These walls had lain in ruins for nearly 150 years and Nehemiah was attempting to rebuild them using a civilian workforce comprised of priests, peasants, merchants, and government officials.
Despite the size and complexity of the task, progress was being made. The walls were going up and the gates were being installed. But while their hard work paid off, it had produced a growing resentment among their enemies. The local non-Jewish residents were incensed that Nehemiah had been successful in his efforts to rebuild the walls. Sanballat and his co-conspirators used sarcasm and ridicule to demoralize Nehemiah’s workforce.
“What does this bunch of poor, feeble Jews think they’re doing? Do they think they can build the wall in a single day by just offering a few sacrifices? Do they actually think they can make something of stones from a rubbish heap—and charred ones at that?” – Nememiah 4:2 NLT
But while their childish taunts failed to halt the rebuilding efforts, they did have an effect. The Jews began to question the validity of their work. Were they wasting their time? Was their labor in vain? Weary from the back-breaking work of rebuilding the walls, they were susceptible to doubt and despair. Nehemiah could sense that the people were struggling and took the matter to the Lord.
“Hear us, our God, for we are being mocked. May their scoffing fall back on their own heads, and may they themselves become captives in a foreign land! Do not ignore their guilt. Do not blot out their sins, for they have provoked you to anger here in front of the builders.” – Nehemiah 4:4-5 NLT
He asked Yahweh to hold their enemies accountable for their actions. Nehemiah wasn’t interested in mercy; he wanted vengeance. There is no indication that God answered Nehemiah’s prayer, but He did provide protection so that the people were able to complete 50 percent of the project.
Once again, their success only served to stoke the anger of Sanballat, Tobiah, and the Arabs, Ammonites, and Ashdodites. The higher the wall went, the more intense the opposition became. No longer content to use words as weapons, the enemies of Israel began to plot physical violence. If they couldn’t demoralize the Jews with cutting words, they would cut them down with swords.
Nehemiah had his work cut out for him. He knew he had to keep the people working but the threat of armed opposition made his task even more difficult. So he prayed and took steps to prepare the people for the possibility of hand-to-hand combat. He “placed armed guards behind the lowest parts of the wall in the exposed areas” and “stationed the people to stand guard by families, armed with swords, spears, and bows” (Nehemiah 4:13 NLT).
Sensing the growing apprehension among his workers, Nehemiah tried to remind them of the nature of their cause and the presence of their God.
“Don’t be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes!” – Nehemiah 4:14 NLT
The people rallied to his charge and continued the work. While half labored on the walls, the rest served as armed guards and watchmen. But this division of labor didn’t come without its own set of problems. Nehemiah was learning that there was far more to leadership than he ever imagined.
He knew some of his workers felt they were getting the short end of the stick. As they worked, their companions stood around and “guarded” the walls. For one-half of the labor force, the work doubled. Real or perceived inequality and inequity make it extremely hard for people to want to follow. If they feel like they are getting the raw end of the deal, they will resist and sometimes even rebel. The construction project they were tasked with was seemingly insurmountable, requiring around-the-clock effort and robbing the people of much-needed rest. It wasn't long before they began to lose heart.
Then the people of Judah began to complain, “The workers are getting tired, and there is so much rubble to be moved. We will never be able to build the wall by ourselves.” – Nehemiah 4:10 NLT
Nehemiah was charged with leading the people and ensuring that the construction of the wall continued, despite persistent opposition and the waning hopes of the people. Nehemiah prayed, organized, encouraged, prepared, and took steps to ensure that the work could continue and the people were safe. He relied on the grace of God, but he understood that God's grace is opposed to earning, but not effort. The steps he took to organize the people and defend the wall were not an attempt to earn favor with God, but to ensure that the work of God could continue uninterrupted. Nehemiah knew that the job they had to do was difficult and would require even more work on the part of the people. He knew their enemies were real and the threats they were making were not imaginary. So he did what what was necessary to see that the people were safe and the work could continue. They worked in shifts. Some built, while others guarded. They all carried weapons and were prepared to fight at a moments notice. But Nehemiah also knew that they would not be fighting alone. "Then our God will fight for us!" (Nehemiah 4:20b NLT).
As if their enemies were not enough, Nehemiah also found himself dealing with some significant problems within his own camp. The bickering began over inequities taking place. Some people were mortgaging everything they had just to buy food. Others had been forced to sell their own children into slavery just to pay their taxes. The sad thing was that the culprits who profited from all this were the nobles and officials of Judah. The haves were taking advantage of the have-nots. So Nehemiah took charge once again and demanded that the greed, graft, and corruption come to an end. And all along the way, he set the example for godly leadership, never drawing his official food allowance, even though he was entitled to it. He worked as hard as anyone else, never claiming exemption from labor due to his role as governor. Nehemiah was a model of godly leadership. Why? Because he feared God. He had a reverence and respect for God that would not allow him to live in a way that brought shame or dishonor to the name of God through his actions. Nehemiah was motivated by his love for God and his belief that he worked for and was responsible to God for the people, the wall, and his own attitudes and actions. For Nehemiah, leadership was not about power, position, authority, or respect. He was not interested in lining his pockets or padding his resume. He simply wanted to use his God-given position to lead the people through exhortation and example. He would trust God for whatever reward God chose to give him for his efforts. He performed for an audience of one – God.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.