The attacks that came from Sanballat and Tobiah could have been very discouraging for the builders. Like many of the attacks of the evil one, there were elements of truth in what they were saying as well as blatant lies. a. They were described as being 'feeble' and that was, of course, nothing but the

It is no surprise that once the work of rebuilding had commenced and seemed to be advancing well that once again Sanballat should make an appearance! When Sanballat and his companion Tobiah first heard that somebody had come to seek the welfare of the Israelites (2:10) they were displeased and disturbed, now that the work was actually under way

The people were working hard to rebuild the walls, and both nobles and people were co-operating together in order to improve the safety and security of their community. There appears to have been an almost universal willingness for the residents of Jerusalem to work together in spite of all the social, economic, and other differences that there were between

The rest of the third chapter gives a list of all those who worked on or around the remaining gates. a. The restoration was to be a complete one - no gaps were to be left and no part of the structure was to be left un-strengthened or unrepaired. This speaks of the need

When we read the list of those who willingly engaged in the work of rebuilding and the strengthening of the city walls there are some very interesting insights: a. These men were not professional builders - there was a goldsmith and a perfumer - but the important thing was that they were willing. Those who may

It might seem that chapter three is of nothing more than historical interest. That, however, is far from the truth for there are many spiritual lessons to be learned from this chapter. Nehemiah describes the work as he moves round from gate to gate for the gates were the entry points to the city and most vulnerable to

It is interesting that Nehemiah did not seek to answer the accusations of Tobiah and Sanballat by explaining exactly how he was going to carry out the proposed work or to show them the letter that he had received from the king authorising him to do the work. Rather than engage in fruitless discussion Nehemiah made confident and striking statements:

No sooner had the officials and the people 'put their hands to the good work' than the opposition arose. It should be no surprise that as soon as God's people begin to be enthusiastic about working for God the devil will stir up his agents to oppose it! The opposition to Nehemiah came from

When Nehemiah had seen the situation and had made a realistic assessment, he then turned to the leaders of the people to make them aware of the situation. In his approach, Nehemiah demonstrated great wisdom: a. He did not blame the leaders of the people for sitting around for decades simply accepting that nothing could

When Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem he did not immediately call together the leaders of the people to discuss what he had come to do. His work began quietly and secretly. He did not seek to call a press conference and announce some great plan of rebuilding and seek for funding from all and sundry, he went out at