Nehemiah 4 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study
Nehemiah 4 Short Summary:
In Nehemiah 4, Nehemiah and his men make progress rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. When they’re about halfway finished, and to prevent them from completing, the enemies of the Jews plan a violent attack. Thanks to God, the attack is thwarted, but Nehemiah’s men don’t let their guard down. They continue building with a tool in one hand and a weapon in the other.
Nehemiah 4 Summary
WHEN:
538-537 BC – Cyrus the Great of Persia frees the Jews from their Babylonian captivity.
516 BC – The rebuilding of the Temple is completed in Jerusalem.
457 BC – Ezra arrives in Jerusalem.
445-444 BC – Nehemiah arrives in Jerusalem.
KEY CHARACTERS:
Jews – They joined Nehemiah to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
Nehemiah – The former Jewish cupbearer to the king of Persia. He motivated the Jews to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
Sanballat and Tobiah – Enemies of Nehemiah and the Jews who opposed the rebuilding of Jerusalem.
WHERE:
Jerusalem – The capital of the Kingdom of Judah and the location of God’s Temple.
OUTLINE:
OPPOSITION TO THE WALLS OF JERUSALEM (4:1-6):
When Sanballat and Tobiah heard that the Jews had organized to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, they mocked the effort.
Tobiah said, “Yes, what they are building—if a fox goes up on it he will break down their stone walls” (4:3).
Nehemiah prayed that God would punish them for their taunting.
Despite their mockery, Nehemiah’s men continued building and completed the wall to half-height.
A THREAT OF VIOLENCE (4:7-14):
Seeing that their mockery wasn’t working, Sanballat and Tobiah planned to attack Jerusalem and use violence to disrupt the work.
This plot was discovered by some of the Jews who lived near Sanballat and Tobiah’s land, and they informed Nehemiah’s workers, pleading with them to withdraw from the work for their own safety.
But Nehemiah motivated his men to keep working through the threat, saying, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, you wives, and your homes” (4:14).
WORKING WITH ONE HAND AND DEFENDING WITH THE OTHER (4:15-23):
When they realized their plan had been exposed, Sanballat and Tobiah called off the attack, however Nehemiah’s men did not let their guard down.
From that day on, half of Nehemiah’s men worked, and half stood guard with weapons.
Some of his men even held a weapon with one hand and worked with the other.
Day and night the city was guarded and the work continued.
APPLICATION
The image of a worker with a tool in one hand and a defensive weapon in the other is a good analogy for Christians.
We want to be both defensive and offensive in our work for the Lord.
We want to defend ourselves and our fellow Christians from false doctrine, immorality, and the devil’s attacks.
But we don’t ONLY want to be on the defensive. If all we ever do is defend, the best we can hope for is to never lose ground.
We want to be building, progressing, and growing. We want the Church to become stronger, to win territory from the devil.
Nehemiah’s men were constructing and defending, and that needs to be our goal as we serve God.
