In my previous study, I showed that Sanballat, the apparent governor of Samaria, and his allies were greatly disturbed over the fact that Nehemiah had been sent by Artaxerxes to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls. He had been alerted by the Persian satrap that Nehemiah had come from the king to govern the affairs of Judah and Jerusalem (cp. Nehemiah 2:7; 4:1), which seems to imply that Sanballat had been previously considered the authority not only of Samaria, but also over Judah and the affairs of the Jews. If this is logical and true, then Sanballat’s cut of the local revenue, going to the King of Persia, would have been greatly reduced with the coming of Nehemiah! Moreover, a walled and unfriendly Jerusalem would tend to make this arrangement permanent, because a strong Jewish culture in the area would likely have a tendency toward a permanent independent provincial state, given the biases against the Jews by her provincial neighbors.
When ridicule and intimidation fail, if a threat is to be taken seriously, the next step, obviously, is to follow through on one’s treat. Remember, Sanballat wasn’t merely critical of the Jews’ business, he brought his army along with him, as a show of force (Nehemiah 4:2), and was probably turned back only by proof of the letters given to Nehemiah that the king did, indeed, appoint him governor of Judah (cp. Nehemiah 2:19-20). His accusation that the Jews were in rebellion against the king (Nehemiah 2:19) seems to be an inferred excuse for him to follow through in open battle against the Jews to stop the building project. When this failed, presumably through Nehemiah presenting him with letters of authorization from the king, Sanballat and his allies, Tobiah, the Ammonites, Arabians and Ashdodites conspired together privately to fight against Jerusalem in order to stop the work done on the wall (Nehemiah 4:7-8).
Nevertheless, Nehemiah and the Jews had prayed to the Lord (Nehemiah 4:9, cp. 4:4-6), and they continued in obedience to build the wall that the Lord had commanded them to do (Nehemiah 4:6), and watches, day and night, were set against a surprise attack by the Jews’ enemies. Moreover, the danger of violence wasn’t the only obstacle in the way of the building project. The labor was long and hard, so the laborers grew tired and were unable to continue throughout the whole day. Additionally, the rubbish in the area was so replete that removing it prevented the actual building part of the labor to be as consistent as would have been desired (Nehemiah 4:10).
Apparently, the type of resistance Sanballat and his allies conspired to put in place (cp. verse-8) was of a guerrilla nature, as opposed to an open conflict that might arouse the opposition of their immediate superior, the Persian satrap. Instead of open warfare, the plan was to appear as pilgrims and/or merchants, until they were among the Jewish laborers. Then, they would arm themselves and slay the Jews and, thus, cause the work on the wall to come to a halt (Nehemiah 4:11). Nevertheless, the Lord was attentive to Nehemiah’s prayers (Nehemiah 4:4-5). So, when the Jews, who were living among the Samaritans and among their enemies in other neighboring lands, had come up to Jerusalem, they informed the authorities there of the secret plans of Sanballat and his allies (Nehemiah 4:12).
Therefore, Nehemiah took measures to prevent Sanballat from succeeding in his efforts to stop the building project. He armed the Jews and placed them at strategic locations, both along the wall in in the high points in Jerusalem, where more of the wall could be observed. Moreover, he placed men in areas where they lived, so that they would be greatly inspired to protect their own homes and families (Nehemiah 4:13). Finally, he encouraged both the nobles and rulers of the city, as well as the rest of the people, that they had nothing to fear. They were involved in the Lord’s work, and the Lord would fight for them. Therefore, if and when an attack from the enemy occurred, they should understand that they fought in the name of the Lord, as they protected their loved ones, and their great and mighty Lord would fight with them (Nehemiah 4:14).
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