Enemies (Nehemiah 2: 19 - 20)

But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard about this, they mocked us and ridiculed us, saying, “What is this you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?”

So I answered them and said, “The God of heaven is the One who will grant us success. We, His servants, will start rebuilding, but you have no portion, right, or claim in Jerusalem.”

Verse of the day: So I answered them and said, “The God of heaven is the One who will grant us success. We, His servants, will start rebuilding, but you have no portion, right, or claim in Jerusalem.”

Commentary:

Enemies. Nehemiah will meet the same enemies through his story. He knows them by name too. They are Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite, and Gesham the Arab. I don't know much about spiritual warfare. But while writing I thought, "what enemies are at war with my bloodline?" The bloodline of Christ. When I was adopted into this family, I also adopted his enemies. Enemies who lay in wait for an opportunity to interrupt his mission for me.

And it starts with:

1. Hesitation - "What are you doing?"
2. Accusation - "Are you rebelling against the king?"

Hesitation causes you to pause and think about your decision. That pause can lead to second guessing which kills most actions.

Then there's accusation:

• "So you think you're better than me."
• "Can you even do this?"
• "I'm telling the boss."

The accusation bullies you back to the inside group way of thinking. It's can come from a place of jealousy or fear. "How dare you do something I don't want done?" or "This is different from what the majority of the crowd wants you to do?"

And odds are high you've done this to some one else.

But look at Nehemiah's response

1. God's Authority
2. Rebuke

Nehemiah doesn't invoke the king's authority. He invokes God's because these are spiritual attacks. He also doesn't answer their questions. All questions don't need a response. Some need a rebuke. He doesn't insult them personally either. Used to regularly ask people some variety of " Are you an idiot?". I don't anymore. But clearly, there is more appropriate and better way to rebuke people. And notice, he only rebukes those who are sabotaging his mission. We will see how he handles those who are a part of his mission and in his care in later chapters.

Daily Practice: Consider a few was to rebuke someone that doesn't personally offend them. How do you say this is what I'm (or we) are going to do regardless without being too offense?

Historical Note

The Bible is about people. People come from people groups that have conflicts with each other.

Gesham the Arab

• A prominent Arab ruler.
• Historical documents suggest he was part of a powerful north Arabian confederacy.
• This confederacy would've controlled areas from northeast Egypt to northern Arabia and southern Palestine.

Tobiah the Ammonite

• Name means "Yahweh is good,".
• It's believed he was of Jewish heritage.
• Likely served as the Persian-appointed governor of Ammon.
• His son Jehohanan marrying into a prominent Jerusalem family
• The Ammonite where distant cousins to the Jews. They came from Lot and his youngest daughter.

Sanballat the Horonite

• Governor of Samaria
• Sanballat's name was of Babylonian origin, meaning "Sin (the moon god) gives life"
• Founder of a dynasty that controlled Samaria for six generations.

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References:

An Exposition of the Prophet Ezekiel, with Useful Observations Thereupon, Eze 21, p 522

David Mandel, in The Ultimate Who’s Who in the Bible (Alachua, FL: Bridge-Logos, 2007), 197–198.

The Eerdmans Dictionary of Early Judaism, p 1190

Noah M. Marsh, “Tobiah, Governor of Ammon,” in The Lexham Bible Dictionary, ed. John D. Barry et al. (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).