Nehemiah - Life without compromise

King Nebuchadnezzar had destroyed Jerusalem (Nehemiah 1:3b) and Nehemiah wanted to rebuild its broken wall (2:5b).
He prayed before starting doing this work (1:4-11a).
He sacrificed his work as the king’s cupbearer (1:11b) and the king permitted him to go to rebuild Jerusalem’s wall (2:6b).

But some enemies (Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem) were furious as they heard that Nehemiah wants to rebuild the wall and conspired together to come and attack Jerusalem to create confusion (2:10,19; 4:1-3,7-8,11). Nehemiah prayed to God (4:4,9) and God had brought their plot to nothing (4:15a).
Nehemiah also faced other troubles while rebuilding the wall: half of the servants worked at construction, while the other half were armed to defend themselves from their enemies (4:16,21); there was a great outcry of the people (5:1-13); and all the time while being appointed to be their governor (12 years!), he did not demand the governor’s provisions (5:14), because of the fear of God (5:15b) and because the bondage was heavy on the people (5:18b). But in spite of all these, Nehemiah did not compromise himself, not even once. He continued the work he had started!

When the enemies had seen that Nehemiah had rebuilt the wall, they tried to stop him from his work. Sanballat invited Nehemiah to leave his work and go down to meet him (6:2). But Nehemiah did not compromise himself and sent him the following message: “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down…” (6:3). Nehemiah did not compromise himself! Even if Sanballat sent him this message 4 times (6:4).

Then Sanballat tried to intimidate Nehemiah through a letter (6:6-7). But Nehemiah recognized that what was written in the letter was not true (6:8). Nehemiah again did not compromise himself!

Sanballat and Tobiah wanted to cheat Nehemiah by hiring a Jew (6:12-13) who should talk to him in God’s name (6:10b). But Nehemiah who knew the Scriptures very well, knew that only the priest is allowed to go into the temple, and he was not a priest (6:11-12). Nehemiah did not compromise himself!

So the wall was finished (6:15) and the enemies have been humiliated and recognized that this was God’s work and that Nehemiah was God’s man (6:16).