West Concord Church of Christ

Nehemiah took on an ambitious project to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. This was a great accomplishment, but it did not go smoothly.

Opposition By Intimidation

1) Sanballat had no interest in Israel returning. (Nehemiah 2:10)
2) He and his cohorts didn't think that he could rebuild the wall. They jeered or mocked him.
3) They accused Nehemiah of rebelling against the government.
4) Nehemiah had permission to do this.

Nehemiah's Reaction
- Didn't defend himself. He just relied on God and kept working.

Opposition By Ridicule

1) Sanballat poked fun at them. Almost sounded like excuses.
2) Notice the motivation behind it: anger and perhaps jealousy.
3) These accusations were direct, not hidden.

Nehemiah's Reaction
- Didn't mock back. (Proverbs 26:4)
- Relied on God
- Kept working

Opposition By Anger

1) Sanballat was angry at the success.
2) When words fail, people tend to rely on muscle.

Nehemiah's Response
- Goes to God (Psalms 50:15)

Opposition By Exhaustion

1) The work was exhausting
2) There was the stress of being attacked.

Nehemiah's Response
- Reminded the people not to fear.
- Got the people more organized. (Nehemiah 4:13-23)

Opposition By Extortion

1) The conflict was internal. This could have been worse than what Sanballat and his friends were doing.
2) People were being taken advantage of.
3) Money easily causes opposition.

Nehemiah's Response
- Says it is wrong and fixes it.
- Didn't ignore it or spin it

Opposition By Compromise

1) Since the work on the wall was productive, now Sanballat and his crew wanted to talk.
2) Nehemiah realized it could be a trap.

Nehemiah's Response
- Knew that talking would be just a time waster. He knew their reputation.
- He didn't fall to their persistence.

Opposition By Slander
1) It now became more personal.
2) The attacks are more specific.

Nehemiah's Response
- Said it was wrong.
- Realized they were just trying to hinder the work.

Opposition By Treachery
1) Nehemiah was put in a compromising position.
2) Someone wanted to make him think he was going to be killed.
3) He wanted Nehemiah to be a coward.

Nehemiah's Response
- He didn't hide, but relied on God. (Psalms 11:1)
- He didn't let perception be used as a weapon.