Nehemiah Directs the Rebuilding of Jerusalem's Wallby CNSDATECH
4:8Nehemiah 4:8
And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it.
The conspiracy broke out in anger when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabians and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were joined and the breaches were being stopped. It came after earlier efforts to stop the rebuilding by deception and distraction had failed, and anger then drove the enemies to violent opposition. The verse describes a united plot by the neighboring heathen enemies, including the Samaritans, to come and fight against Jerusalem itself and to hinder the rebuilding work Nehemiah had come to lead. The difficulties met in moving the publishing work from Battle Creek are compared with this same conspiracy to attack the city and obstruct the work.
In plotting violent rebellion the enemies resorted to the very violence they had earlier accused Nehemiah of provoking, exposing their hypocrisy in accusing him of rebellion while plotting rebellion themselves. At the same time as the outside plot, disaffected Jewish leaders exaggerated the builders' difficulties, and Jews living nearby repeated the enemies' reports, weakening courage and stirring disaffection. Such opposition could succeed only if God's people failed to remain loyal and united or opened the way to the enemy from within. Faithful, harmonious effort and reliance on God would frustrate their plans and strengthen resolve to continue the work.
The open warfare was met by humbling before God, confessing personal sins and the sins of the people as if personally the offenders, and by patient toiling and praying and suffering. God answers prayer to carry forward His purpose despite zealous hindrance, moving even kings to help. He opens a way to continue when hindrances nearly stop the work, as when prayer opened the way for the publishing work to continue in its removal from Battle Creek. Open hostility was not the hardest part of the work. The secret opposition of pretended friends was harder, increasing the servants' burden tenfold by lending influence to evil and furnishing enemies with material for warfare, springing from evil passions and rebellious wills at war with plain requirements.
The fact that enemies organize together to hinder God's work is no proof the work is false. God's people must move forward with united effort, overcome obstacles, reach people, and answer the reproach cast on God's messengers. Hatred and opposition united groups that otherwise would have fought each other in mutual sympathy. This illustrates how men of different denominations unite to oppose present truth with only dragonic bitterness and hatred against the remnant who keep God's commandments, seen when first-day, no-day, and all-days-alike Adventists who hate and slander one another join to misrepresent, slander, and abuse Seventh-day Adventists.
The conspiracy broke out in anger when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabians and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were joined and the breaches were being stopped. It came after earlier efforts to stop the rebuilding by deception and distraction had failed, and anger then drove the enemies to violent opposition. The verse describes a united plot by the neighboring heathen enemies, including the Samaritans, to come and fight against Jerusalem itself and to hinder the rebuilding work Nehemiah had come to lead. The difficulties met in moving the publishing work from Battle Creek are compared with this same conspiracy to attack the city and obstruct the work.
In plotting violent rebellion the enemies resorted to the very violence they had earlier accused Nehemiah of provoking, exposing their hypocrisy in accusing him of rebellion while plotting rebellion themselves. At the same time as the outside plot, disaffected Jewish leaders exaggerated the builders' difficulties, and Jews living nearby repeated the enemies' reports, weakening courage and stirring disaffection. Such opposition could succeed only if God's people failed to remain loyal and united or opened the way to the enemy from within. Faithful, harmonious effort and reliance on God would frustrate their plans and strengthen resolve to continue the work.
The open warfare was met by humbling before God, confessing personal sins and the sins of the people as if personally the offenders, and by patient toiling and praying and suffering. God answers prayer to carry forward His purpose despite zealous hindrance, moving even kings to help. He opens a way to continue when hindrances nearly stop the work, as when prayer opened the way for the publishing work to continue in its removal from Battle Creek. Open hostility was not the hardest part of the work. The secret opposition of pretended friends was harder, increasing the servants' burden tenfold by lending influence to evil and furnishing enemies with material for warfare, springing from evil passions and rebellious wills at war with plain requirements.
The fact that enemies organize together to hinder God's work is no proof the work is false. God's people must move forward with united effort, overcome obstacles, reach people, and answer the reproach cast on God's messengers. Hatred and opposition united groups that otherwise would have fought each other in mutual sympathy. This illustrates how men of different denominations unite to oppose present truth with only dragonic bitterness and hatred against the remnant who keep God's commandments, seen when first-day, no-day, and all-days-alike Adventists who hate and slander one another join to misrepresent, slander, and abuse Seventh-day Adventists.