Nehemiah 2:19 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

Navigator

Nehemiah 2:19

Comments

Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem, the Arabian, laughed them to scorn. ‘You can't do it. These walls have been ruins now for 150 years. What are you going to do, you weak and feeble Israelites, people of Judah. ‘And despised us and said, What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king?’ This was going to be their political direction: You only want to build those walls, and strengthen your country, so that you can declare unilateral independence from Persia, and set up a rebellion. That's what they are going to say against him. ‘Then answered I them and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us, therefore we his servants will arise and build, but ye [the Samaritans] have no portion, nor right, nor memorial in Jerusalem.’ He is going to practice Biblical separation from anyone who would hinder the work of God. And that's really introductory to the whole story, which begins to unfold with so much cunning, and so many surprises from the enemies of God. Why didn’t he say, I have permission from Artaxerxes? Because he was first of all a man of God, and his only real hope was the God of Israel.

Application

Here the weapon used against God’s people is derision. This can be very painful for us. We must learn that the slanders of the world against Christ and his people are spoken in ignorance, and ‘as the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come. (Proverbs 26:2). The world in deriding the church assumes far more confidence in its scathing tones than it is entitled to. It is a bluff, and they have made themselves the enemies of the most high God, who will overturn their schemes. Scorn is designed to make us feel ashamed, but we hold on to the truth of God’s word without shame. Our confidence in God’s word will prove to be our strength long after scorners have disappeared from the scene.

We have to be careful who we work with and who we accept help and support from. If we make alliances with the enemies of God, we will bring discipline from the Lord on ourselves. Israel was from the beginning commanded to be a separate people – ‘Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. ⁴ For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly’ (Deuteronomy 7:3-4). The Samaritans mixed together their pagan worship with elements of the worship of God (2 Kings 17:28-29), and Nehemiah knew that Israel could have nothing to do with them, and could certainly not allow them to join them in the work.

Questions

Outline

Purpose

Introduction

Nehemiah 2:19 Commentary and Bible Study