Nehemiah Rebuilds Jerusalem's Walls
Thirteen years after Ezra’s arrival, Nehemiah—a Jewish cupbearer to King Artaxerxes in the Persian palace at Susa—received devastating news from Jerusalem: “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”
Nehemiah wept, mourned, fasted, and prayed. When the king noticed his sadness and asked why, Nehemiah—after a quick prayer—boldly requested: “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it.”
Artaxerxes granted his request, providing:
- Letters to governors for safe passage
- A letter to the keeper of the royal forest for timber
- Military officers and cavalry for protection
Surveying the ruins:
Arriving in Jerusalem, Nehemiah rested three days, then secretly inspected the walls at night. He found them in worse condition than he’d imagined—broken down, with gates destroyed by fire. Only after his inspection did he reveal his plan to the leaders: “Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.”
They replied: “Let us start rebuilding!” And they began the good work.
Opposition:
Three enemies immediately arose:
- Sanballat the Horonite (governor of Samaria)
- Tobiah the Ammonite
- Geshem the Arab
They mocked: “What is this you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?”
Nehemiah answered: “The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it.”
The rebuilding:
Nehemiah organized the work brilliantly—assigning each family to rebuild the section nearest their home. The work progressed rapidly. When Sanballat and Tobiah saw this, they escalated their opposition:
- Mockery: “What are those feeble Jews doing?… If even a fox climbed up on it, he would break down their wall of stones!”
- Military threat: They plotted to attack Jerusalem
- Discouragement: Hired people to undermine morale
- Assassination plot: Invited Nehemiah to meet them, planning to harm him
Nehemiah’s response:
Prayer: “Hear us, our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads.”
Vigilance: Posted guards day and night. Half the men worked while half stood guard with spears, shields, and bows. Those who carried materials worked with one hand and held a weapon with the other. “Whoever was building, each wore his sword at his side as he built.”
Courage: When warned of the assassination plot: “Should a man like me run away?… I will not go!”
Completion:
In just 52 days, the wall was completed. When all their enemies heard about this, “all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.”
The rebuilt walls restored Jerusalem’s security and honor. No longer could enemies mock a defenseless city. The physical rebuilding symbolized spiritual restoration—God was reestablishing His people in their land.
Nehemiah served as governor for 12 years, refusing the governor’s food allowance to avoid burdening the people, canceling debts, and ensuring justice for the poor.