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Nehemiah Chapter Three

1. The building of the walls and gates of Jerusalem was a group effort.  Many people came together and were responsible for their specific portion in the overall work.
2. Eliashib the high priest (Neh. 3:1) was the grandson of Joshua (Neh. 12:10).
3. Meremoth (Neh. 3:4,21) was the priest who received the temple treasures (Ezr. 8:33).
4. Meshullam (Neh. 3:4) spoke against Ezra’s divorce teaching (Ezr. 10:15), and gave his daughter in marriage to Tobiah the Ammonite’s son Jehohanan (Neh. 6:18).
5. The walls were completed, and gates were built, but not yet hung until the final stage of construction (Neh. 6:1).
6. Particular residences are also built up within and adjacent to particular sections of wall (Neh. 3:20-21,23-24,28-31).

Nehemiah Chapter Four

1. The building project came under the ridicule of Sanballat (Governor of Samaria) and Tobiah (Governor of Ammon) (Neh. 4:1-3).
2. Nehemiah responded to this reproach by leading a prayer meeting (Neh. 4:4-6; cf. 1st Pet. 2:23).
3. Sanballat, Tobiah & the others intended to intensify their opposition, and sponsor terrorism to stop the wall-building (Neh. 4:7-8).
4. Nehemiah responded to the terrorism threat by leading another prayer meeting, and setting round-the-clock guards (Neh. 4:9).
5. The terror nearly succeeded until Nehemiah’s leadership encouraged the men to fight for their families (Neh. 4:10-14).
6. The imagery of this building project is totally appropriate for Church Age believers to make application: building up with one hand and holding a weapon in the other hand (Neh. 4:15-23; Eph. 4:12; 6:17).

Nehemiah Chapter Five

1. The Jews building the Jerusalem walls neglected their own farms, and came into serious debt in their service to the Lord (Neh. 5:1-5).
2. Nehemiah became very angry over the profiteering that fellow Jews were engaged in at the expense of their brethren, and preached a message of rebuke against them (Neh. 5:6-13; Ex. 22:25-27).
3. Nehemiah made certain that his personal life was conducted in accordance with his public message (Neh. 5:14-19).

Nehemiah Chapter Six

1. With the wall complete, and the gates nearly mounted, Nehemiah’s enemies plot his assassination (Neh. 6:1-2).
2. Nehemiah resists four enticements and a threat of slanderous blackmail (Neh. 6:3-9).  Nehemiah maintained a diligent prayer life and was blessed by wisdom in these dealings.
3. Tobiah & Sanballat hired a friend of Nehemiah to betray him, but Nehemiah’s diligent prayer life allowed him to see through their plot (Neh. 6:10-14).
4. The completion of the wall in only 52 days was a Divine miracle that produced fear in the heart of the Lord’s enemies (Neh. 6:15-16).
5. Tobiah’s family alliances with Shecaniah the son of Arah, Meshullam the son of Berekiah (Neh. 3:4,30), and Eliashib the high priest (Neh. 13:4) gave him a political edge in his hostility against Nehemiah (Neh. 6:17-19).

Nehemiah Chapter Seven

1. Having completed the walls of Jerusalem, Nehemiah assigned Hanani & Hananiah as the commanders of Jerusalem’s defense (Neh. 7:1-4).
   1. The gates were opened on a limited basis.
   2. 24hr guard duty was scheduled upon the walls.

(Chapter Seven continues tomorrow)