Struggle for Survival

GOLDEN TEXT: “Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king’s words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work.” —Nehemiah 2:18

NEHEMIAH 4:6-9,15,21-23; 12:27,43

AS ZERUBBABEL was commissioned to build the temple in Jerusalem, Nehemiah was the one appointed to rebuild the walls. Nehemiah was a cupbearer for King Artaxerxes, of Persia, and dwelt in the king’s palace at Shushan. Hanani, one of his Jewish brethren, came to Persia from Jerusalem and visited Nehemiah, who asked concerning the welfare of his people in Judah.

The report was, “The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.” (Neh. 1:1-3) Nehemiah wept when he received this report, and prayed earnestly to the Lord, confessing the sins of his people, and mentioning a promise the Lord made to Moses concerning the blessing of his people when they confessed and forsook their sins and turned to him for help.—ch. 1:5-11

Nehemiah then waited for a favorable opportunity to present the matter before the king and request leave of absence that he might go to Jerusalem and restore the walls and the city. The king agreed, and upon Nehemiah’s request gave him letters of authority and a requisition to present to Asaph, “the keeper of the king’s forest,” for timber that might be needed in the construction project.

Nehemiah then went to Jerusalem. Upon arrival, Sanballat, a Moabite of Beth-horon who apparently held some position of authority in Samaria at the time, at once manifested his animosity toward Nehemiah, as did also his servant, Tobiah, the Ammonite. But Nehemiah proceeded with caution, making his survey of the city’s walls at night so his enemies would not know at once the purpose of his coming.

Having decided upon a course of action, he then announced the purpose of his visit to those whom he believed would co-operate with him. In the words of our Golden Text they replied, “Let us rise up and build.” Sanballat and Tobiah mocked, and tried to frighten Nehemiah out of attempting the work, but failed. He reminded them that they had no jurisdiction in Jerusalem, and that the “God of heaven” would prosper the work of his servants.—ch. 2:19,20

Chapter three details the organizational arrangement for the work of construction, each of the various leaders of the people being assigned a section of the wall as his responsibility. Seeing that the work was actually in progress, Sanballat was “wroth,” and made a move to have his Samaritan army attack and stop the work. But, as Nehemiah reports, “We made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night.”—ch. 4:1,2,9

Just as it was by the Spirit of the Lord that the temple was rebuilt, so Nehemiah knew that only by the help of the God of Israel could they hope to build the walls of the city. His prayer had opened the way for him to go to Jerusalem to supervise the work, and now that a crisis had arisen, threatening to hinder the work, he again took the matter to the Lord in prayer—“We made our prayer.”

Then Nehemiah placed guards in all vulnerable places, armed with spears and bows. The enemy, realizing that their plan had been discovered, hence that a surprise attack was not possible, held back, and the work of building was resumed. But Nehemiah ordered that they should maintain their watch. Some worked, others stood on guard. In fact, the workers held a weapon in one hand, and worked with the other.

Despite all the handicaps, the walls of Jerusalem were rebuilt in fifty-two days. (ch. 6:15) It reveals what can be accomplished when the Lord blesses the efforts of his faithful people. Then came the “dedication with gladness, both with thanksgivings, and with singing, with cymbals, psalteries, and with harps.”—ch. 12:27

“Also,” the record states, “that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced: for God had made them rejoice with great joy.” (ch. 12:43) Those whom God makes rejoice are joyful indeed.

As the title of our lesson suggests, the returning captives from Babylon had a real struggle for survival. They were comparatively few in number, and no match, militarily, for the enemies which surrounded them on every side. But they had leaders who were faithful to God, and this meant that they had divine help and protection, just as the opposite was true when they were taken out of the land into captivity. It was now God’s will that they remain in the land until their Messiah should come, and with Jehovah on their side, no weapon formed against them could prosper. The same is true of spiritual Israelites today. We, too, have enemies on every side, but greater is he who is for us than all who be against us.

QUESTIONS

Who was Nehemiah, and what work did the Lord commission him to do?

Who were Sanballat and Tobiah?

What was the most important thing that Nehemiah and his fellow-workers did when threatened by their enemies?

How long did it take to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem?

What assurance did the returned captives have that they would not be destroyed by their enemies?

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