[Dear friends, please read the Book of Nehemiah as preparation, or at least the first 6 chapters. You will find it between the Books of Ezra and Esther]

PROLOGUE

In chapter 2 of the Book of Nehemiah, the scene is set for a most extraordinary vignette depicting the relationship between God’s people and their enemies when they dedicate their lives to the Lord’s work.

First, let’s put this in its historical context, which involves a portion of time centred around the restoration of Jerusalem after the exile in Babylon. We all know about the Babylonian conquest of Israel — about the fact that there was a judgement for unfaithfulness. The Assyrians also came in war against the Northern kingdom of Israel: first in 734 BC under Tiglath-Pileser; then in 722 BC against Samaria. The Babylonian conquest took place in 605 BC when Nebuchadnezzar attacked Jerusalem. Then we find Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in captivity in Babylon. Cyrus the Persian leader then conquered the Babylonian empire. There was a succession of leaders after that in Cambyses, Darius 1, Xerxes 1 (Ahasuerus), and Artaxerxes 1, for whom Nehemiah was the drinks tester.

After the return to Jerusalem under Ezra in 458 BC, the building work was stopped as a result of the Samaritans pressurising Artaxerxes. Nehemiah received news of the broken down walls in November-December of 445 BC. He began his journey there early the following year. But first he had to clear it with the king.

We find Nehemiah looking miserable (Nehemiah 2:1) because of the state of Jerusalem in front of the king — a crime which could be punishable by death in those days! No wonder he was “afraid” (Nehemiah 2:2). But, as a result of his famous “ejaculatory” prayer (sometimes called an “arrow” prayer, v.4), the king remarkably gives his permission for the rebuilding of Jerusalem. Nehemiah then goes to Jerusalem to begin the work. Little did he know to what this would lead; for the building up of the work of God is not a thing which happens in a vacuum, but is guaranteed to cause havoc in the world of men and demons. Always remember this.

The entire string of events which is charted in this Book of Nehemiah was triggered off by the report to Nehemiah that

“The remnant who survived the exile are there in the province, in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are burned with fire” (Nehemiah 1:3).

Every gram of Nehemiah’s being was then thrown onto red alert. He knew that there was nothing more he wanted, needed, to do than repair and restore those walls and gates.

How can we translate the events recorded in Nehemiah to our own day? Bear in mind that all the things which happened in the Old Testament was not only history but “happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come” (1 Corinthians 10:11). Furthermore, “everything that was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope” (Romans 15:4). For there was a template here as to what should be the case with every believer of any era.

On hearing that the Church — to which the old city of Jerusalem pointed forward to as a figure and type — is being assaulted and ruined, every believer should feel that same acute desire for repair and restoration which was felt by Nehemiah. And once one embarks on such a pathway, one finds that it is an absolute minefield of danger and treachery. Thus, the experiences of Nehemiah the rebuilder of old covenant Jerusalem provide a trustworthy map for the experiences of those today who seek to be rebuilders of new covenant “Jerusalem” — which is the church.

Thus, as Nehemiah represents the faithful believer of any era, so Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official represent the classic enemies of the faithful and their faith at any point in history. Wherever one finds faithful believers who are courageous enough to be rebuilders, restorers — to take on the enemies who cause breaches in walls and gates — one will find the Sanballats and Tobiahs. Personally, I have met, and had dire dealings with, a great many Sanballats and Tobiahs during the course of my almost forty years of Christian life. Churches today are brimming over with such characters. They can be very subtle indeed; but once you know their characteristics you will be able to spot them with ease. They are very destructive, and a great menace, but whatever the outcome, we must always be aware that the “good hand of God” is truly upon those who faithfully carry out the defensive and protective work necessary for the people of God (Nehemiah 2:8).

For very many years, I have had a particular affection for Nehemiah and have learned much from him and the way that he dealt with the enemies of God nearly 2,500 years ago. I hope that I will transfer this enthusiasm to you too.

What I want to share with you here is this: 1) The Seven Classic Behaviours of the Enemies of the Faithful Believer, as Exemplified in Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite’s Reactions and Tactics against Nehemiah; and 2) The Seven Responses of the True Believer to the Enemies of the Church, as Shown by Nehemiah’s Responses to Sanballat and Tobiah. For there is much we can learn from exploring these two aspects. So, first, the behaviour of the enemies of the faithful believer, as seen in the actions of Sanballat and Tobiah.

I. THE SEVEN CLASSIC BEHAVIOURS OF THE ENEMIES OF THE FAITHFUL BELIEVER

One of the first things which we notice regarding the behaviour of these enemies, when they become aware of the repairs and restorations initiated by God’s people, is that

1) They Become Seriously Disturbed

… and I mean DISTURBED!

“But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were deeply disturbed that someone had come to seek the well-being of the Israelites” (Nehemiah 2:10).

This isn’t some minor commotion, or temporary upset, that we’re dealing with here. It means being exceedingly grieved inwardly. It is a deep and lasting stirring up of a well of hatred and resentment reserved especially for the friends and co-workers of God. We are just going to have to face up to the fact that when anyone seeks the well-being of God’s people, in whatever form, the enemies of truth will become highly vexed, even beyond our imagination. When a faithful child of God enters into a situation whereby he or she seeks the well-being of the saints, it is the equivalent of throwing a stone into a glasslike millpond. Confusion, turmoil, agitation, perturbance, upheaval and pandemonium occur in the hearts and minds of those outside the church of God.

“But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were deeply disturbed that someone had come to seek the well-being of the Israelites”.

You can imagine it all breaking out first in the Satanic realm. Then it spreads to those who are the agents of this realm on earth, and from there outwards via the usual means of osmosis. There is a deep disturbance which will set the scene for the foreseeable time to come. Once this disturbance has occurred it will not subside. It may appear to do so, but it will simply be a case of the enemy waiting “until an opportune time” (cf. Luke 4:13).

The Sanballats and Tobiahs of this universe do not take kindly to the emissaries of heaven beginning a good work. How many pastors have ‘greenhorned’ their way from a seminary to a church imagining that all they have to do is preach sweetly and strongly from the Word of God and the world and his friend will be eating out of their hands? They will very soon discover that the opposite is most likely to be true. If you want to bring the Sanballats and Tobiahs out of their hidey-holes, make a little noise on behalf of the Lord and they will soon become highly agitated and show their faces — often in the most unexpected manner.

Linked in with this we notice another element regarding the behaviour of these enemies, when they become aware of repairs and restoration:

2) They Like to Disturb the Saints

“And it came to pass when Sanballat and Tobiah, together with the Arabs, Ammonites, and Ashdodites, heard that the repair to the walls of Jerusalem was progressing and that the gaps were being closed, they were furious, and all of them conspired to come and fight against Jerusalem and create a hindrance” (Nehemiah 4:7-8).

Not only do they themselves become disturbed but they also try to create disturbance and confusion in God’s people in order to hinder the work. (For the equivalent New Covenant work to building up the walls of the city of Jerusalem in the Old Covenant is the building of the true Church. For old Jerusalem functions symbolically as a type of the Church, cf. Hebrews 12:22). And the creation of confusion is a hallmark of satanic activity. This comes about as a result of their anger: “Now when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he was furious and filled with indignation…” (Nehemiah 4:1). This shouldn’t surprise us. The enemies of truth are naturally angry (irrationally so) because their emotions are determined by their true parentage (John 8:44), and the satanic realm is very angry indeed, for a variety of reasons. First, the devil knows that he only has a short time, which stirs up his fury (Revelation 12:12). Secondly, he is filled with wrath towards God’s people because they seem to receive so much assistance from outside sources and, what’s more, “they keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 12:16-17). Third, his irrational anger makes him roam about wantonly seeking anyone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). This absurd surge of anger causes him to thrive on stirring up confusion; and his lackeys in the earthly realm thrive on this also. Whenever there is a smell of confusion in the air, you can guarantee that Satan and his agents have been active.

Ultimately, the demonic realm has no real power over the saints (although they can exercise a temporary inconvenience); and neither do their earthly agents (1 John 5:18; Revelation 12:6,14), unless we hand it to them on a plate. As William Green put it:

“If you steadfastly resist the devil, confiding in the grace of God and the salvation of Jesus, he cannot touch a hair of your head. Temptation and sin, if you bravely resist them, will react to your everlasting welfare: your position is impregnable, the protection is ample, the armament is invincible, the supplies abundant, and the fortress can never be entered by the enemy, unless betrayed into his power by your own treacherous hands” (W.H. Green, The Argument of Job Unfolded, Klock & Klock, 1978), pp.68-69)

This is the stark truth. In a very real manner of speaking, the demonic realm is all bark and no lasting bite. Because even their most hideous persecutions merely provide a gateway to the crown of life for the saints (e.g. Revelation 2:10), they have to resort to creating confusion and disturbance (Nehemiah 6:9), as if they have nothing better to do with their time (which they don’t — as they are merely treading water while they await their final judgement!). As Thomas Brooks put it in his treatise on “Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices” — the devil’s main aim with faithful believers (as he cannot take away their faith) is to put them in a “sad, doubting, questioning and uncomfortable condition”. So don’t fall for that. Stand firm!

The Sanballats and Tobiahs will always try to disturb the saints; and they never cease from their attempts at disturbance, by whatever means possible — as we shall shortly see.

Another thing that we notice regarding the behaviour of these enemies of God, when they become aware of repairs and restoration being carried out by God’s people, is that

3) They Love to Ridicule the Saints

“’Let us start rebuilding,’ they replied, and they set their hands to this good work. But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard about this, they mocked us and despised us…” (Nehemiah 2:18-19).

The moment you start setting about the building up of the walls of Jerusalem — whether it was the old literal walls of the city in Old Testament times or the new symbolic walls of the Church in New Testament times — you will become the target of total derision to the children of the world (offspring of Satan). To them, your faith is a joke; your beliefs are a joke; your trust in God and belief in His existence are a joke; your belief in Satan is a joke; your actions on behalf of the Lord are a joke; your outspokenness against pornography and sodomy is a joke; your hatred of abortion is a joke; your prayers are a joke; your giving thanks before a meal is a joke. In short, your whole life is a joke to those who have not given their whole lives over to God. They will think that you are insane and they will not be slow to tell you. You will be an object of ridicule, a fool to be despised. Such ridicule is part of what is used by them to break you down and make you filled with doubts. Incidentally, their apparent hilarity is not based on genuine humour, but is instead a mask for their fury. For when it says “they mocked us and despised us”, the Hebrew there shows that it is not amusement in which they are indulging, but they are exhibiting a very nasty form of mockery and utter contempt. If you have not experienced any of this, then you are either a false Christian or a silent one (though how on earth can a real Christian keep quiet about truth and salvation?).

The above paragraph refers merely to the ridiculing attitude of the world to your faith. It gets far worse in the church itself. Yes! In the church! Churches are full of Sanballats and Tobiahs who will ridicule your stand for truth, who will tell you that you take your religion far too seriously, who will accuse you of making mindless attacks on good Christians when you expose falsehood and heresy, who will turn others against you through lies and innuendoes, who will amaze you with the intensity of their contempt.

“So they said, ‘Let us rise up and build’. Then they set their hands to this good work. But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they mocked us and despised us…”.

If you want to build spiritually and do a good work, you will be mocked and regarded with total contempt, both by the world and by swathes of those in churches who profess to be Christians. It’s a lonely stand when you walk on the pathway of faith.

Another thing that we notice regarding the behaviour of these enemies, when they become aware of repairs and restoration, is that

4) They Engage in Deliberate Deceptions

“When Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left—though to that time I had not yet installed the doors in the gates—Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: ‘Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono’. But they were planning to harm me” (6:1-2).

What would the Sanballats and Tobiahs of today say to Nehemiah? Probably some sort of ‘gaslighting’ like this:

“Hold on a minute, Nehemiah, you’re just being paranoid. Old San ‘n Tob are just a couple of nice guys who want to meet with you. They only want to talk to you. They’re being very reasonable. But look at you! What a persecution complex you’ve got — as we can also see from Nehemiah 4:4; 6:9a,12-13. How easily you think the worst of people! This is even after the nobles of Judah have told you repeatedly about Tobiah’s ‘good works’ (Nehemiah 6:19). And you call yourself a believer?”

Well? Was Nehemiah paranoid? Did he really have a persecution complex? That, of course, is what his enemies would have said. This is always one of their chief lines of defence when you work out what game they are playing and you then begin to expose them. Because Sanballats and Tobiahs often have a high degree of respectability — due to the cunning with which they operate and the lack of discernment of the masses — they can continue to pass themselves off as being credible, even AFTER they have been exposed by the Nehemiahs of this world! This is because Sanballats and Tobiahs are supreme masters of dissemblance. (A “dissembler” is someone who successfully manages to conceal his or her real motives). “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono”. A meeting? Hehehe… Nice try guys. But you’re just a bunch of deceivers, like your father. I would no more come to your phoney meetings than I would go to a brothel! Although they would no doubt deny it, and again reprove Nehemiah for having a “persecution complex”, Scripture helpfully reveals the fact that “all of them conspired” — that is, Sanballat and Tobiah, together with the Arabs, Ammonites, and Ashdodites (see Nehemiah 4:7-8). They can call you paranoid till they are blue in the face, but it is THEY who are the conspirators.

Then go and read Nehemiah 6:10-13 for yet another scheming deception organised by Sanballat and Tobiah. They hired a secret informer (they ALWAYS have informers, by the way, people who they use in order to spy on you) and induced him to trick Nehemiah into some sacrilegious behaviour which they could then spread around about him in order to discredit him. This is the way they always operate. They are entirely predictable. One can enjoy an amusingly diverting game by working out in advance all the ruses which Sanballats and Tobiahs will engage in. They are so predictable that you could even write their scripts for them! The look on their faces when you show them will be a picture to remember forever (I know because I’ve done it! 😉 ). Always bear in mind that the Sanballats and Tobiahs of this world thrive on appearances. It doesn’t matter what the underlying truth is, so long as they can make things look the way they want them to look. So they are very adept at writing ‘showcase’ letters which can be pointed to as “evidence” of their innocence. They are very good at dropping the right remarks in conversations which can then be referred back to later as “evidence” of their good intentions. In fact, they are experts in chucking stuff down the ‘memory-hole’ and rewriting history to suit their own ends! (This, of course, is straight off the pages of George Orwell’s masterpiece “1984”, which could be read constructively by all Christians wishing to attune themselves to some of the dark arts of diabolical strategy).

You can imagine Sanballat and Tobiah rewriting history in Nehemiah’s time:-

“Us? Do Nehemiah harm? What a slander! How could you even suggest such a thing? Just look at the nice letter we sent him asking him to meet with us. There’s all the evidence you could want. HE refused the meeting — not us. It is HE who is the hypocrite in all this, casting slurs on our reputation by suggesting we wanted to harm him. The man’s deluded. Anyone can see that”.

And most people will believe them. Really. It’s true! Most people will run with the Sanballats and Tobiahs rather than the Nehemiahs. It has always been that way and it always will be so. They are of their father the devil and it is his work that they do. The devil’s work revolves around deception, with which he easily deludes the people — even the majority of professing Christians actually. Look around and see! The same hypnotic sway which Satan uses to control the masses is used by the Sanballats and Tobiahs to pull the wool over people’s eyes. They engage in deliberate and systematic deception; and it is this which is the foundation of their lives — but the vast majority of people sleepwalk through it without realising it. Such is certainly the case with the people of the world, leading to the ultimate climax of all deception, when the world will believe the Lie and revel in a rejection of the love of truth (2 Thessalonians 2:9-11). However, it is through just the same process of satanic mesmerism that so many Sanballats and Tobiahs have managed to take over most of the world’s denominations and a vast number of independent churches in recent years!

Another thing that we notice regarding the behaviour of these enemies, when they become aware of repairs and restoration, is that

5) They Set out to Destroy the Reputations of any Nehemiahs

The Sanballats and Tobiahs of this world (and church) could never overcome a Nehemiah by honest means, so they always have to resort to skulduggery and counterfeit. Because of their obsession with appearances and their supreme ability to manipulate how things appear, one of the most effective ways for them to operate is to destroy reputations. This is one of their specialties. They do this in two principal ways. First, they do it

a) By Inducement to Sin

“He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would sin by doing as he suggested, so they could give me a bad name in order to discredit me” (Nehemiah 6:13).

Here, Nehemiah realised what was happening and avoided the trap they had laid. In fact, Nehemiah discerned that Shemaiah was a false prophet who had presumably tried to pass off his message as if it was from God. He also realised that Shemaiah was a hireling of Sanballat and Tobiah, sent by them to cause trouble for him. To take sanctuary in the temple if one wasn’t a priest was against the Law of God (Numbers 3:10; 18:7). It was plain to Nehemiah that a true prophet of God would not give him such a message, and that it was designed to make him fall into sin. They were presumably hoping that Nehemiah would be so worn down by the opposition that he would be willing to take such a course of action. They specialise in wearing people down in order to make them act out of character, after which they can score points by making it public.

On this occasion, Nehemiah saw through the deception. However, if they catch people off their guard, very often they will fail to discern these Sanballatish strategies in advance. Sometimes, they can make people feel so desperate that they will consider taking wrong courses of action. That is their aim. For example, with their foul tactics and calumnies they can drive a Nehemiah into a corner to such an extent that he becomes justifiably angry which, compared to their contrived public “sweet reasonableness”, makes him then appear to be the villain. Clever move. Or they will try to intimidate him to such an extent that he will become fearful and thus take a wrong turning which they can then report with glee to the world.

The second effective way for them to destroy reputations is

b) By False Insinuations

“The fifth time, Sanballat sent me this same message by his young servant, who had in his hand an unsealed letter that read: “It is reported among the nations—and Geshem agrees—that you and the Jews are plotting to revolt, and this is why you are building the wall. According to these reports, you are to become their king, and you have even appointed prophets in Jerusalem to proclaim on your behalf: ‘There is a king in Judah.’ Soon these rumours will reach the ears of the king. So come, let us confer together” (Nehemiah 6:5-7).

Here Sanballat was trying to make out that Nehemiah was on a power trip by setting himself up as king. Such is a classic Sanballatish action, which I have witnessed again and again. This is because it is really the Sanballats and Tobiahs who want the power, and when they see the Nehemiahs of this world taking charge of the Lord’s repair-work at the Lord’s bidding (and gaining the respect of many), they make out to others that these Nehemiahs are on an ego trip and are power-crazy and arrogant. I have seen pastors who preach with much success berated by other elders as “building a powerbase” for themselves. The Sanballats and Tobiahs in the churches love to falsely insinuate that well-intentioned leaders with a successful ministry are on an ego-trip. But this is a classic case of projection to deflect such thoughts away from themselves.

These actions, designed to trash the reputations of Nehemiahs, represent a major form of spiritual warfare which must be seen for the slippery menace that it is. Although it demonstrates the bankruptcy of their weaponry, nevertheless such tactics can prove very effective in their deceptive campaign. Sanballat and Tobiah were continually trying to catch Nehemiah off his guard. They either wanted to induce him to make a mistake, or they conducted a smear campaign. These are the two main strategies used in order to ruin reputations. The first is a situation over which one can exercise some control, whereas with the second one becomes a helpless victim.

Another thing that we notice regarding the behaviour of these enemies, when they become aware of repairs and restoration among the people of God, is that

6) They Specialise in Bullyboy Tactics

Because the Sanballats and Tobiahs of this world are devoid of any real intellectual or spiritual substance, they always have to resort to subterfuge in their bid to upset the objects of their enmity. Therefore, you will discover that they are always bullies who specialise in bullyboy tactics. Sudden threats, roughness of tone, brusque manner, aggressive visits, letters with veiled or explicit intimidation — in short, anything which might make the sensitive saints fearful, lack courage, and thus desist from their work. The true saints are sensitive; and it is on this sensitivity which the Sanballats and Tobiahs prey, as we can see from the many examples in the Book of Nehemiah. For example,

“They were all trying to frighten us, saying, “Their hands will be weakened in the work, and it will never be finished’“ (6:9).

“O my God, remember Tobiah and Sanballat for what they have done, and also Noadiah the prophetess and the other prophets who tried to intimidate me” (6:14).

“Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me” (6:19b).

Such enemies of the faithful are ALWAYS bullies, and they rely on the shock nastiness of their words to intimidate the sensitive saints, who can naturally become very easily upset by this behaviour. However, if I may quote from an article I wrote on the subject of bullying:

“Always remember that bullies never win in the final analysis, even if they do appear to gain some advantage in the short term through their pugilism, innuendoes, falsehoods and subterfuge. Truth is always a victim in this life; but in the end, it is always a victorious victim. One day, all the bullies who have ever existed in this universe will woefully and painfully discover that for themselves!”

And Sanballat and Tobiah, together with all their imitators, will be among them!

Another thing that we notice regarding the behaviour of these enemies, when they become aware of repairs and restoration and building for the Lord, is that

7) Their Ultimate Aim is the Destruction of All Nehemiahs

If all else fails (which it usually does!), the Sanballats and Tobiahs of this world will resort to strategies designed to bring about the destruction of Nehemiahs. They will ultimately be prepared to kill, both spiritually and physically. As Nehemiah put it: “Our enemies said, “Before they know or see a thing, we will come into their midst, kill them, and put an end to the work” (Nehemiah 4:11). And they will use whatever means necessary in order to realise this. Their sole aim is to cause the good work to cease and their evils to hold sway.

I recall a case some years ago in which an astute theologian wrote a preface in the respectable Crockford’s clergyman’s journal in the UK which was very critical of Robert Runcie, who was then Archbishop of Canterbury. The piece received much publicity in the press. As a result, the bishops (who represent some of the modern Sanballats and Tobiahs) were highly indignant and made some very nasty public remarks about the poor man who wrote the preface. The nastiness built up and within a week it was reported that the man (after also finding that his cat had died), had very uncharacteristically “committed suicide” without a note being left. [See https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-12-09-mn-18510-story.html ]. Judge it how you will. Either he was driven to it or something far more sinister had happened (and don’t imagine that it couldn’t). But they got their way. “Before they know or see a thing, we will come into their midst, kill them, and put an end to the work”. That is their aim, however they can achieve it, they will punish those who stand in their way. (Incidentally, to see the Sanballat bishops queuing up after the “suicide” to give glowing eulogies about this poor man was more nauseous than can be imagined).

It may not even be physical death which they seek to bring upon the saints, as spiritual destruction will suffice. They may seek to drive a Nehemiah to such distraction that his faith is pressed out of recognition and he either goes mad or becomes a stranger to himself. Many saints have been driven mad and alienated by Sanballats and Tobiahs. Many saints have been made to cease their work and been effectively “killed off” by Sanballats and Tobiahs. Does this make their victims failures in the eyes of God? Not at all. Many faithful saints down the centuries have been effectively closed down and their work stopped by Sanballats and Tobiahs. That does not make them failures and losers but victims and martyrs. Many of such saints are catalogued in Scripture. In Hebrews 11, for example, we find faithful saints with productive ministries being “stoned”, “sawn in two” (a probable reference to Isaiah), “tortured”, “mocked and whipped”, etc. (Hebrews 11:35-37). These men were not failures but martyrs and examples for those who came after. Their “defeat” was only an appearance. Their ultimate reward was the Crown of Life.

So above are the seven principal behaviours of the enemies of God’s work — Sanballats and Tobiahs — when they become aware of spiritual building work. So how should believers respond to this barrage of enmity? A good place to discover that is in the responses of the original Nehemiah to his detractors.

II. THE SEVEN RESPONSES OF TRUE BELIEVERS TO THE ENEMIES OF THE CHURCH

A first response to the enemies of the church, based on Nehemiah’s behaviour, is to

1) Put Our Trust Totally in the Lord

This may sound over-simplistic and easy to say, but it is the plain truth and we must stand by it. This had been Nehemiah’s approach right from the start (Nehemiah 1:4-10), and he never wavered throughout. He continually brought his own case before God, asking for divine recognition and assistance. After the first confrontation with Sanballat and Tobiah, he said directly to them: “The God of heaven is the One who will grant us success…” (Nehemiah 2:20). He later reassured his fellow-workers in rebuilding by telling them: “Our God will fight for us” (Nehemiah 4:20). When our backs are against the wall, we have no choice but to place out trust in the God of miracles. He may not always remove us from the danger, for it may be our time to be persecuted or even to be martyred. But He will, at the very least, provide supreme strength to face difficulty, or a way of escape into another realm. In Nehemiah’s case, God restrained Sanballat, Tobiah and the others and brought their plot to nothing (Nehemiah 4:15). We must put ourselves in His hands entirely and trust Him to deal with the outcome in His own way.

A second response to the enemies of the church, based on Nehemiah’s behaviour, is to

2) Make a Declaration of Intent to Them

When confronted with Sanballats and Tobiahs, we should leave them in no doubt of where we stand, that we plan to continue our work, and that they have no right whatsoever to interfere in it. It may make them mad; it may induce them to intensify their actions; it may get us cast out or even killed, but do it we must anyway. This was Nehemiah’s response. He answered and said to them: “The God of heaven is the One who will grant us success. We, His servants, will start rebuilding…” (Nehemiah 2:20). We’re going right ahead! Your opposition means nothing to me. A mere mosquito crawling on my arm. Business as usual.

Show them your determination not to be moved. “Here I stand, and can do no other”. We shall not be moved. We WILL do this, at all costs. Make your declaration of intent, so that they and the whole world knows your goal and direction.

A third response to the enemies of the church, based on Nehemiah’s behaviour, is to

3) Make a Declaration of their True Position Before the World

The Sanballats and Tobiahs have no place in the Church of Jesus Christ — just as the original ones had no place in old covenant Jerusalem. These people worm their way in by skulduggery and stealth, nepotism and family connections into the heart of God’s work and then use their privileged position to oppose it. The reason they get away with it is because most people do not have the courage to stand up to them and expose them for what they are — and those that do stand up tend to be isolated and have to stand alone because of the lack of support from so many cowards.

Nehemiah would have none of it. How we need Nehemiahs today to “stick it to them”! He told them straight: “You have no portion, right, or claim in Jerusalem” (Nehemiah 2:20). Bam! That was the truth, squarely put. Neither Sanballat the Horonite nor Tobiah the Ammonite had any heritage, right or memorial in Jerusalem. Sanballat was a syncretistic Yahweh worshipper from Samaria, whose own name probably means something like “The Moon-God has given life”. He was apparently politically savvy enough to became governor of Samaria in 407 BC. He was also religiously suave enough to get his daughter accepted for marriage to one of the grandchildren of the high priest Eliashib (Nehemiah 13:28). But Nehemiah told him truthfully: “You have no portion, right, or claim in Jerusalem”. Period. End of.

Tobiah was also a smooth operator who could worm his way into the heart of God’s work in order to be able to oppose it. How stupid so many are to allow them to do so unopposed! Tobiah had cultivated a multitude of connections in all the ‘right’ places (Nehemiah 6:17-18). And he had an easy walk into Jerusalem. In fact, so easy that the high priest had given him his own huge room in the temple to use as his headquarters — a room which was previously being used to store all the temple offerings (Nehemiah 13:4-7). Amazing! What chutzpah! But what did Nehemiah do? Did he take on board the popular contemporary baloney about Tobiah’s “good works” (Nehemiah 6:19)? Did he incant in a pious voice about the need to be “gracious”? Did he listen to all those who would wag their fingers at him telling him how he mustn’t uproot the Tares? Not at all. In fact, as he reports: “I was greatly displeased and threw all of Tobiah’s household goods out of the room” (Nehemiah 13:8). Brilliant! That’s the way to do it! What a great lesson for us. Tell them straight: “You have no portion, right, or claim in Jerusalem”. Expose them for all to see.

Sanballat and Tobiah were ascribing false authority to themselves in thinking that they could call the shots to Nehemiah. They had no portion, right or claim in Jerusalem, and thus had no hold over Nehemiah or his work. But they acted as if they did. Even in the apostolic era this kind of infiltration was common in churches (Galatians 2:4; Acts 20:29-30; 2 Peter 2:1; Jude 4). Similarly, churches today are bursting at the seams with Sanballats and Tobiahs who have no place there, using their vantage point to sow their own seeds and further their own ends, usurping false authority to themselves, convincing everyone that they are Christians yet, at the same time, engaging in the subtle or explicit suppression of God’s faithful servants. Well the time has come for them to be exposed. Those of a nervous disposition will predictably say: “It is wrong to name names. Believers should love their enemies”. Bla-bla. But name them we must. Make a declaration of their true position before the world. Just as Nehemiah did. For such people are not merely our enemies… they are actually the enemies of God! It is His name that we are defending not our own.

A fourth response to the enemies of the church, based on Nehemiah’s behaviour, is to

4) Show Them that They are of Little Consequence to You

If there is one thing which Sanballats and Tobiahs hate above all else it is when the objects of their enmity show scant regard for them. In short, they cannot bear to be ignored! They are determined to shake you to the very foundations. But when they see that they have failed, they become most incensed. After Nehemiah had received the phoney request for a meeting from Sanballat, Tobiah and the others, he refused to come to them and instead he replied by sending messengers, saying: “I am doing a great work and cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it to go down to you?” (Nehemiah 6:3). Again, a brilliant response. Show them that they are of no consequence to you and that they are braying into the wind. You have seen through them and you have better things to do than waste time on their sham irrelevant meetings.

Notice also here that these dissemblers sent quasi-”polite” requests four times to Nehemiah; but when they saw that they made no inroads into his life they changed their tone entirely with the fifth attempt and became nasty and abusive, making snide insinuations. This is absolutely classic satanic behaviour. I have observed this on countless occasions in the actions of Sanballats and Tobiahs both inside the Church and outside. They are all very smarmy at first, wearing a toothy grin as they try by stealth to upset your apple-cart. Butter wouldn’t melt in their mouths. 🙂 But when they fail with that, they begin to show their true beastly natures. That was how it was for “Christian” on the road to the Heavenly City, in his encounter with Apollyon in Bunyan’s “Pilgrim’s Progress”. First the great beast tried to woo him back to the City of Destruction with soft entreaties; then, when that failed, he became violent and abusive. If you hang out against them long enough, they will show their true colours. Or, as I have always maintained about Sanballats and Tobiahs, give them enough rope and they will someday hang themselves on their own petards!

Remember then, always show these Sanballats and Tobiahs that they are of little consequence to you, and that your divinely-appointed work is far too important to be messed up by their pathetic little schemes. It will trigger fearful anger in them but… no problem… for courage is the Christian’s middle name.

A fifth response to the enemies of the church and of God, based on Nehemiah’s behaviour, is to

5) Let the Lord Have the Ultimate Vengeance

One may have to take divinely-appointed actions against Sanballats and Tobiahs — especially if they are passing themselves off as Christians. But this is not likely to be the end of the matter. Even if you “chuck Tobiah’s stuff out of the temple” (please apply that metaphorically too), he may still come back at you with the force of a thousand demons. When this happens, one is powerless in human terms to withstand it. But, fortunately, there is a principle of Scripture which can be soundly relied upon — the fact that we can leave all final vengeance and punitive judgements to the Lord (Deuteronomy 32:35; Romans 12:19). Nehemiah was aware of this principle, and he was not slow to invoke it in his prayers:

“Hear us, O God, for we are despised. Turn their scorn back upon their own heads, and let them be taken as plunder to a land of captivity. Do not cover up their iniquity or let their sin be blotted out from Your sight, for they have provoked the builders” (Nehemiah 4:4-5).

Always remember that, in reality, no one sins against us personally: they only sin against God. So there is no real need for us to feel affronted, hurt, personally abused, offended, etc., even if that may be the case. It is not US who should be provoked to anger, but the Lord Himself. Leave it with Him, and He will deal with it. “Lord, turn their scorn back upon their own heads”.

A sixth response to the enemies of the church, based on Nehemiah’s behaviour, is to

6) Become Fulltime “Watchmen”

The enemies of the Lord and His work cannot be ignored. We may have better things to do with our lives than play ball with their silly meetings or rise to their provokings; but nevertheless we need to keep a watchful eye on them. This was the strategy of Nehemiah when he realised what Sanballat and Co. were about: “All of them conspired to come and fight against Jerusalem and create a hindrance. So we prayed to our God and posted a guard against them day and night” (Nehemiah 4:8-9). Pray and watch; watch and pray.

How alert we need to be. The enemy is stealthy. Their father, Satan, is extremely wily. After all, he has had a great many millennia to perfect his art, whereas we little believers have only been around a comparatively short time. True, we have the infinitely-wise Scriptures to assist us at every turn; but I can assure you that Satan knows those Scriptures far better than any of us!

There is a certain class in the Old Testament which were known as “watchmen”. There were watchmen who actually kept watch over homes and cities (2 Samuel 18:24; Song of Solomon 3:3); but there were also spiritual watchmen. To Ezekiel, God said: “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from My mouth, give them a warning from Me” (Ezekiel 3:17). To the children of Israel, the Lord said: “I appointed watchmen over you and said, ‘Listen for the sound of the ram’s horn.’ But they answered, ‘We will not listen!’” (Jeremiah 6:17). Nehemiah also knew the importance of having watchmen: “We set a watch against them day and night” (Nehemiah 4:9). This was a necessity when confronted with the cunning kind of enemies with which he was dealing. And it is also necessary in our own day. Every believer needs to be something of a watchman. Every church needs its watchmen. Yet, it is amazing how so many of those plainly exercising a watchman type of ministry are despised, criticised and abused. But that is part of the “payoff” in the life of the watchman. If it was good enough for Nehemiah, it should be good enough for us.

A seventh response to the enemies of the church, based on Nehemiah’s behaviour, is to

7) Take Up Arms!

I am not referring here to the forming of a local militia! Some Christians think that we should take up physical weapons to defend ourselves against any enemies of God’s work; but this would be to overlook important differences between the Old and New Covenants. Nehemiah lived under the auspices of a theocratic earthly nation — part of whose divinely-appointed role was to take up arms against its spiritual enemies in order to preserve the purity of national Israel. Under the New Covenant, we live under the auspices of a spiritual nation (1 Peter 2:9) drawn from every earthly country, tribe and language, whose role is the evangelisation of the world (Matthew 28:18-20). When James and John wanted to command fire to come down from heaven and consume a Samaritan village because it did not receive the Lord Jesus Christ, He rebuked them and said: “You do not know of what kind of spirit you are. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them” (Luke 9:54-56). Our role, under the New Covenant, is to use specifically spiritual weaponry as plainly directed by the Lord, as we shall shortly see. However, we can certainly make an application today, in a spiritual sense, of the directions for warfare given to those living under the Old Covenant. In Nehemiah, we read the following directions about taking up arms against spiritual enemies:

“From that day on, half of my servants did the work while the other half held spears, shields, bows, and armour. The officers stationed themselves behind all the people of Judah who were rebuilding the wall. The labourers who carried materials worked with one hand and held a weapon with the other. And each of the builders worked with his sword strapped at his side” (Nehemiah 4:16-18).

This is tremendous advice in terms of spiritual warfare. It has given rise to the oft-used phrase “sword and trowel” in Christian organisations in terms of being equipped to ward off God’s enemies. “The labourers who carried materials worked with one hand and held a weapon with the other“. But how can we apply it to ourselves today, living under the New Covenant? By applying New Covenant principles. The apostle Paul tells us:

“For though we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh. The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the world. Instead, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We tear down arguments and every presumption set up against the knowledge of God; and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).

In Israel of old, all attacks against the Lord and His nation were expressed primarily in a physical sense against the power of the earthly theocratic nation; and the rebuttals were conducted on the same level — sword against sword. Spiritual warfare was won according to the outcome of an earthly battlefield. There was a theocratic nation involving a politico-religious system to defend. However, in terms of the present age, our warfare exists principally in the world of ideas. All attacks against the church are expressed primarily in intellectual terms. It is true that there are physical persecutions, but we are forbidden from violently resisting these and encouraged to regard them as a form of blessing by which we can become evangelists and apologists in unusual places (Matthew 5:11-12; 5:39, 44; Luke 21:12-15; Romans 12:14; 1 Corinthians 4:12-13; 1 Peter 4:14). However, the attacks which we are required to resist are those in the world of ideas:

“For though we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh. The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the world. Instead, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We tear down arguments and every presumption set up against the knowledge of God; and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).

As the apostle elsewhere says: “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong” (1 Corinthians 1:27). Therefore, in imitation of Nehemiah, believers today are to “take up arms” in spiritual terms as a public rebuke of spiritual falsehood, spiritual deception and the usurpation of spiritual authority. We must openly engage in casting down arguments which are opposed the truth which we love so dearly while also exposing the works of darkness (Ephesians 5:11).

But this is not a one-sided thing, whereby we become obsessed with warfare so exclusively that the building work is neglected. Notice how the defensive strategy worked with Nehemiah. “Each of the builders worked with his sword strapped at his side”. The building was the main work, with the sword at the ready in case of necessity. So should it be with us. We must resist being sidetracked by the “sword” to such an extent that we fail to build.

When the Lord Jesus said to Peter, “On this rock I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18), He was not speaking about steeple funds or pew replacements or congregational hall extensions, and all the other paraphernalia of institutional church life! Neither was He appointing Peter as the “first bishop of Rome”! The rock on which Jesus would build His church was Peter’s confession of the Deity of Christ: “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God” (Matthew 16:16). The fact that Jesus Christ is God provides the foundation of everything in which we are involved. The denial of that is the spirit of the antichrist (1 John 4:2-3). The building of the church has to do with the proclamation of spiritual truth on earth, as we engage in the world of ideas among men. It has to do with being able apologists for the faith in a largely antichristian world. It has to do with the injection of objective reality into a populus brainwashed with emotive subjectivism. As soon as one engages in that kind of building, one encounters vicious, mendacious, power-usurping opposition. This is why we need to carry our “swords” as well as our building implements.

EPILOGUE

It is providential that Nehemiah was surrounded by people who worked faithfully alongside him. But it might have been a very different story if he had found himself all alone. He would then most likely have suffered the same fate as Isaiah or Jeremiah. However, whatever happens, as Nehemiah advises: “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome…” (Nehemiah 4:14). Do you believe that? Do you put your trust in Him in the midst of all the turmoil? Whatever happens, the Lord will be there steering you through it or providing the way of escape. As the psalmist puts it: “For in You I can charge an army, and with my God I can scale a wall” (Psalm 18:29). That is supernatural assistance.

The experience of Nehemiah at the hands of Sanballat and Tobiah provides us with the supreme “role model” for this new year of 2001 — a great example of how to engage in our building work and then stand up to the forces which oppose it. This will often be dangerous. It can sometimes get scary. It is guaranteed to cause turmoil and anger around us. But it cannot ultimately fail. “The gates of Hades will not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). For the building of the church does not have its real successes emblazoned on the pages of earthly history books, but in the rescue of souls from endless vanity into a fruitful eternity.

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© Copyright, Alan Morrison, 2023
[The copyright on my works is merely to protect them from any wanton plagiarism which could result in undesirable changes (as has actually happened!). Readers are free to reproduce my work, so long as it is in the same format and with the exact same content and its origin is acknowledged]