Nehemiah-The Torment My Brothers Had Faced From Bullies Finally Stopped

By Mary Vee
Nehemiah 6

From Nehemiah's Journal

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

The king of Babylon sent me to oversee the completion of the rebuilding of Jerusalem. 

Ugh, I'm sad to report life has not been good. 

Have you ever tried so hard to get something done but ran into troubles because a bully kept getting in the way? Yeah. That has been life here.

When I worked in Babylon as a slave to the king and heard the news that the walls for Jerusalem had not been built, I couldn't understand why my Jewish brothers living in Jerusalem didn't get the work done. I, sad to say, thought they were lazy.

I was wrong.

Now I see my Jewish brothers had constantly been tormented by bullies, men who were not Jews, men who prevented and threatened my brothers if they did any work on the walls. And how could my Jewish brothers stand up to the bullies when an army of trouble makers helped?

Now I understood. 

I am so tired of fighting these guys who continually pick on us. 

I spend many hours in prayer asking God to comfort me, to help me know how to handle the situation, to...I don't know...do something. And God has. Everyday I am here I am surprised to see progress on the wall. Progress God has helped us to make.

And now, as we are closing in on finishing the work, the bullying is increasing. Remember Tobiah, the friend of Sanballat? The two who led the bullying? Yeah. Well, he has been writing letters to the nobles who live in Jerusalem. Yes, you remember those lazy Jewish nobles who felt they shouldn't have to help build the walls. The ones who paid others to do their work but expected to receive all the benefits. Well, the nobles received letters from Tobiah asking them to meet with me, although I didn't know that was why they came, and asked questions Tobiah wanted them to ask.

The nobles may be lazy but they are my Jewish brothers. I thought they just wanted to talk. But no, they were aiding Tobiah. After speaking with me they wrote my answers back to Tobiah who used the information to send letters to me. All to cause more trouble. This is just such a miserable time.

I'm not sorry I came. I am sorry I didn't realize the torment my brothers had gone through while living here.

In all fairness I brought these sorrows to God. "Remember what Tobiah and Sanballat did to us, O my God. Remember also the evil prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who have been trying to intimidate me."

I know God will take care of the problem. There is nothing more I can do to make them stop.

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The good news is, the wall has been completed. the gates hung. There is no way for anyone to enter the city without permission.

AND THIS....THIS...is what our enemies did not want. 

When they heard the news that they could not enter the city to cause trouble without going through a guarded gate, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence. They realized that this work of building the walls to protect the great city of Jerusalem had been done with the help of our God.


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