Ridiculing the workers and threats against their lives failed to stop the building project going on in Jerusalem (Nehemiah 4:1-2, 6). When Sanballat and his allies escalated his efforts to a conspiracy to slay the workers before they knew they were under attack (Nehemiah 4:7-8, 11), their secret plans became known to Nehemiah, and their efforts to surprise and slay the workers also failed (Nehemiah 4:12-14). When it became known that all the breaches between the walls around Jerusalem were closed (Nehemiah 6:1), a new conspiracy came into play in an effort to bring the work on the wall to a halt. This time Sanballat’s efforts were to slay Nehemiah under the guise a friendly meeting with his enemies in order to reconcile their differences (Nehemiah 6:1-4), but when these latest attempts to stop the Jews’ efforts to rebuild the wall surrounding Jerusalem failed, another escalation became necessary. All their plans had failed, because of the leadership of Nehemiah. Therefore, if they could ever hope for success, Nehemiah, himself, had to be taken out of the way. So, the conspiracy against rebuilding the Temple and the walls around Jerusalem continued.
A fifth letter was sent to Nehemiah from Sanballat and his allies. It was an open letter, which was also sent to the king. This time, the letter contained words that accused Nehemiah of desiring to make himself king in Jerusalem and cause the Jews to rebel against Darius Hystaspes, the King of Persia (Nehemiah 6:5). Not only did the letter, which was sent to the king, accuse Nehemiah of wanting to make himself king, but it also included accusations against the Jews of being a rebellious people, and, therefore, the building project should be halted (cp. Ezra 4:7-16). Sanballat and his allies had convinced, Rehum (Ezra 4:8), the Persian satrap west of the Euphrates, that Nehemiah and the Jews intended to rebel against the king of Persia. This effort by Sanballat and his allies would succeed, because they convinced Rehum to write to the king, which culminated in finally stopping the Jews from building both the walls and the Temple at Jerusalem. After the king investigated the charges of the Jews’ rebellious history, he wrote back to Rehum, the satrap, and his Persian companions, who lived in Samaria (Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel; cp. Ezra 4:7), ordering them to bring the building project in Jerusalem to a halt, by force if necessary (cp. Ezra 4:17-24). Thus, Nehemiah was told to return to the king, after serving in Jerusalem for twelve years (Nehemiah 5:14)
Sanballat accused Nehemiah of appointing prophets to preach in support of himself in an effort to gain the support of all the Jews to make himself king (Nehemiah 6:6). Moreover, Sanballat claimed he would (or did; cp. Ezra 4:7) write a letter to the king saying as much. Nevertheless, he offered an overture of friendship in one final attempt to meet with him away from the protection of Jerusalem, so Nehemiah could be taken out of the way (Nehemiah 6:7)
However, Nehemiah sent his own messenger to Sanballat, denying all the charges, which were made against him, and Nehemiah accused Sanballat of inventing those allegations out of his own heart (Nehemiah 6:8). He had no proof of his claims. Neverthless the letters Nehemiah had from the king, which Nehemiah had given to the king’s satrap on this side of the Euphrates, gave him the legal right to rebuild the walls around Jerusalem. Therefore, Sanballat’s only hope for success was that the search of the records at the king’s palace would prove the Jews were a rebellious people (cp. Ezra 4:15), and this alone would lend credence to his accusations against Nehemiah.
Nevertheless, Sanballat’s letter did have some effect upon Nehemiah, in that he was put in fear of what it might do, when the king received it. Therefore, Nehemiah prayed for renewed strength (Nehemiah 6:9).
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