Nehemiah-The Bullies Tormented Us...The Men Wanted to Give up...Nevergiveupstories

By Mary Vee
Nehemiah 4

From Nehemiah's Journal

My name is Nehemiah. I have been a servant in Babylon for a long time. I was cupbearer to the king. 

I must admit, the years I'd spent growing up in Babylon as a servant seemed really difficult at the time. My Jewish brothers worked, how we worked to stay alive in the foreign country, to build homes, to please those who had power over us.

I thought those days were difficult.

Until now.

I was sent to Jerusalem to insure the people would rebuild the walls. Sanballat, his friend Tobiah, and their band of bullies have said the meanest, most discouraging words, or so we thought, until now. 

Until now the Jews rebuilding the city wall have endured the harassment. 

Sanballat, Tobiah, and their evil, bully friends have upped their tormenting to epic levels. 


The Jews were tired. We'd worked day and night searching for good bricks in the rubble, making new ones, spreading mortar, and hoisting the bricks above our heads until they fit in place on the wall. We hadn't taken a break. How could we with men like Sanballat and his band of bullies hanging around?

Sometimes when bullies say mean words over and over and over, the evil starts to wear a person down, right?  We know just how you feel.

This time Sanballat said to the working men, "Before the Israelites know it or see us, we'll be among them and will kill them and put an end to their work." Of course they added a dastardly laugh. 

The Jewish workers became afraid. They came to me. "Whenever we turn, they will attack us. How are we suppose to work? Tell us, Nehemiah. This is so discouraging. We can't keep working like this."

A Jerusalem gate. They are not small!! At this point
the men have built these walls half this height.
Photo Courtesy

They were right. The Jews needed help. I prayed and asked God for an idea how to give the men a sense of safety while they worked. God told me and I did as He said. I pulled some of the workers off the wall and stationed them behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places. I placed them by families so the men from Benjamin would guard where their brothers worked. The men from Reuben would guard where they worked, and so on for all the tribes of men. 

After the guards stood in place I saw the plan looked good. I went to a place where all the workers could hear me and said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, "Don't be afraid of Sanballat and his friends. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, you sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes."

When our enemies heard that we knew all about their plot and that God had ruined it, we all returned to the wall, each man to his own work.

We chose not to be afraid, God was with us, and we would stand up and fight for our family, and home. We chose to never give up.

Never. 

The wall would be finished.

And Jerusalem...rebuilt.




Come back next time to see what happens.
*********************************************************************************************
sources: New International Version, New King James Version