Nehemiah 2:19-20 "But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king? (20) Then answered I them, and said unto them, the God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem."
I really do not plan to do a verse by verse commentary of this book, but these
first two chapters lay the groundwork for the rest of the book. We have
already been introduced to the adversaries of Nehemiah; but, their names are
Sanballat and Tobiah. They will constantly be popping their heads into the
business of Nehemiah and the others as they do the work of rebuilding. We saw
that the city was literally a mess. Rubble was laying all around to the point
that Nehemiah could not maneuver his horse through all of it. Instead of being
discouraged, he surrounded himself with people who were willing and ready to
help. When Nehemiah told them of the conditions that he had observed, they
replied, "Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for
this good work."
How did these adversaries attack Nehemiah? They did not come up against them
physically at this point; rather, they came attacking their will and
determination. They accused them of trying to overthrow the king. Nehemiah knew
something that Sanballat and Tobiah did not know: he had permission from the
king to do this work. But more than that, he was working under the divine authority
of "the God of heaven." He knew that the work would not fail
with the direction, inspiration, and help of the Almighty. His determination
and resolve rose up when they falsely accused him. "The God of heaven, he
will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no
portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem."
How can you and I keep the course when the Lord places something on our hearts
and minds to accomplish. Be certain that Satan will try to discourage you. The answer
lies in maintaining our determination based upon "the God of heaven."
Greater is He that is in you than He that is in the world. Let us keep
our focus on the Lord God Almighty rather than allowing ourselves to be
distracted by the wiles of Satan.