Resource Detail

2025 Study of the Book of Nehemiah #6

THE WALL REBUILDING WAS COMPLETED

Nehemiah 6:1-19

Key Verse 6:15

1. As the wall rebuilding was nearing completion, in what ways were the enemies scheming to harm Nehemiah (1-2)? What might have been their reasons for targeting Nehemiah? How did Nehemiah respond to their actions (3)? In what ways did the enemies persist in their attempts to harm him (4)?
2. When their scheme failed, what new plots did Sanballat devise (5-7)? How might the unsealed letter be an effective tool to pressure Nehemiah? However, how was Nehemiah able to overcome the enemies’ schemes (8-9)?
3. What suggestion did Shemaiah make to Nehemiah when he came to visit him (10)? Why did Nehemiah reject that proposal (11-13)? How did Nehemiah respond in prayer regarding his enemies (14)?
4. How many days did it take to complete the wall rebuilding (15)? What were the enemies’ reactions upon hearing about its completion (16)? In what ways were the nobles of Judah supporting Tobiah (17-19)?
5. What aspects of Nehemiah’s leadership contributed to the successful completion of the wall rebuilding? How are your broken walls being rebuilt?

2025 Nehemiah Feb 16, 2025

THE JERUSALEM WALL WAS COMPLETED

Nehemiah 6:1-19

Key Verse 6:15

So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days.

Since the beginning of 2025, we have been studying the book of Nehemiah and rebuilding the broken walls in our lives. Do you remember the three key areas I encouraged you to rebuild? First, rebuilding our personal relationship with God. Second, rebuilding broken walls in our families—relationships between spouses, and between parents and children. Third, rebuilding broken walls in our church. How is your rebuilding process going? Is it going well, or is it stagnant? Have you already begun, or are you still hesitating and wondering what needs to be rebuilt?

Our church is currently rebuilding the wall of early morning prayer. We have decided to gather together from Monday to Friday at 5:30 a.m. to meditate on the word of God and begin our day with personal prayer. I prayed that this rebuilding of early morning prayer would not be just a three-day resolution. After completing the first three days, I prayed to keep the first week faithfully. After completing the first week, I prayed to remain faithful in early morning prayer for three weeks. This way, we successfully completed three weeks of early morning prayer last week. Now, we will pray to remain faithful for a full month. After that, we will pray to continue for three months. We must rebuild our broken walls step by step, day by day.

Today’s passage includes the completion of Jerusalem’s wall in just 52 days. Nehemiah devoted himself with all his heart and strength to rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. He faced constant attacks from his enemies and internal challenges as well. However, his faith never wavered, and he faithfully carried out the mission God had entrusted to him.

Look at verses 1 and 2. The work on Jerusalem’s wall was making great progress, and not a gap was left in it. Only setting the doors remained. When Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of the enemies heard this, they were extremely angry. They realized that their attempts to threaten the Jews and stop the wall rebuilding had failed. They saw that the Jews were united around Nehemiah and wholeheartedly devoted to the rebuilding work. So, they changed their strategy. They decided to kill Nehemiah, the leader of the people.

Sanballat and Geshem sent a message to Nehemiah, saying, “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono.” The exact location of the plain of Ono is uncertain. However, many scholars believe it was about 30 miles northwest of Jerusalem, near the border of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin. On the surface, Sanballat’s request to meet Nehemiah there seemed reasonable. The area he governed, Samaria, was about 40 miles from Ono, making it appear like a neutral meeting place. By sending the message, “Come, let us meet together,” Sanballat seemed to extend an invitation for dialogue and reconciliation. However, his true intention was entirely different. He wanted to lure Nehemiah far from Jerusalem to an isolated place—so he could assassinate him.

What was Nehemiah’s response to Sanballat’s proposal? “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?” Nehemiah firmly rejected Sanballat’s proposal. He recognized Sanballat’s scheme and did not fall into the trap. How was Nehemiah able to discern this? I believe it was because he prayed. He sought God’s guidance on whether he should go to meet Sanballat or not, and God revealed the enemy’s scheme to him. Following God’s direction, Nehemiah avoided falling into their trap.

Nehemiah’s refusal was completely reasonable. In fact, he was carrying on a great project—the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s wall. Traveling to and from Ono would have taken at least two to three days, even while riding a horse. Since Nehemiah was leading the rebuilding of the wall, he had no idea what might happen in his absence, and the work could have been disrupted. Nehemiah wanted to stay focused on God’s work. He avoided anything that would distract him from completing the work of God. When serving God’s work, staying focused is essential.

But Sanballat did not give up. He persistently tried to kill Nehemiah. He sent the same message four times, hoping to lure him out. However, Nehemiah rejected it all four times. There is a saying, “Third time’s the charm,” which means that the third attempt at something is more likely to succeed. But Sanballat went even further—he tried four times. Yet, Nehemiah firmly refused every single time. Nehemiah was a man of unshakable faith.

Sanballat was not the type to give up just because he failed four times. Instead, he came up with an even more manipulative plot. Sanballat sent his aide to Nehemiah with an unsealed letter. An unsealed letter meant that it was open for others to see. The message in the letter accused Nehemiah and the Jews of plotting a revolt. Furthermore, it said that Nehemiah was trying to make himself king. This was a serious accusation. If such a report reached the king of Persia, Nehemiah could be summoned immediately, or, worse, the Persian army could be sent to Jerusalem. Sanballat was trying to pressure Nehemiah with this threatening letter. At this point, Nehemiah could have thought, “Maybe I should meet him and resolve this issue.” But he did not fall for Sanballat’s scheme. Instead, he firmly rejected the accusation, saying, “Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head.” Nehemiah lived before God. He knew that Sanballat’s claims were lies, and because he stood before God with a clear conscience, he had nothing to fear. Standing on the truth, he was able to resist false threats and overcome them.

But even then, Sanballat did not give up. He was truly persistent. This time, Tobiah and Sanballat hired Shemaiah. Shemaiah was a prophet, but he was shut in at his home. So Nehemiah went to visit him. When Nehemiah arrived, Shemaiah said, “Let us meet in the house of God, inside the temple.” This was a trap set to destroy Nehemiah. If people heard that Nehemiah had fled to the temple out of fear, the Jews in Jerusalem would panic. Worse yet, only priests were allowed to enter inside the temple. If Nehemiah went in, he would be committing a grave sin against God. His credibility as a leader would be completely ruined.

So what was Nehemiah’s response? “Should a man like me run away? Or should someone like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go!” Nehemiah firmly rejected the proposal. He saw through the scheme and understood the consequences if he fell into their trap. He was not afraid of losing his life. He was ready to lay down his life for God’s work. Because of this unwavering commitment, he was able to refuse the proposal without hesitation and avoid falling into the enemy’s scheme.

The attacks from the enemies did not stop even after the wall was completed. Now that they could no longer enter Jerusalem freely, they began to contact their supporters inside the city. The nobles of Judah were sending many letters to Tobiah, and replies from Tobiah kept coming to them. Some of them were even related to Tobiah by marriage. Moreover, the nobles of Judah kept reporting to Nehemiah about Tobiah’s good deeds while also telling Tobiah everything Nehemiah said. Meanwhile, Tobiah continued to send letters to intimidate Nehemiah.

Nehemiah faced relentless attacks from his enemies outside the city. But beyond that, there were also people inside Jerusalem who were secretly working with them. He was surrounded by enemies both externally and internally. Many schemes were devised to take his life. Serving God’s work under such intense pressure is truly challenging. But when we commit ourselves to God’s work, facing opposition is inevitable. That is why spiritual leaders must be prepared for such attacks and have unshakable faith to overcome them.

In the midst of these challenges, Nehemiah constantly turned to God. Look at verse 9b. “But I prayed, ‘Now strengthen my hands.’” Nehemiah desperately cried out to God, saying, “Lord, strengthen my hands.” He also prayed for God to deal with his enemies. “Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, my God, because of what they have done; remember also the prophet Noadiah and how she and the rest of the prophets have been trying to intimidate me.” Nehemiah must have felt very lonely, surrounded by his enemies. However, he poured out the agony in his heart to God. He prayed that God Himself would take vengeance on his enemies. He did not fight a human battle but relied on God and engaged in a spiritual battle. And in the end, God gave him victory.

Look at verse 15. “So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days.” Finally, the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s wall was completed. How long did it take? It was completed in just 52 days. That was an incredibly fast pace, almost unbelievable. Some people argue that the wall must not have been built very well, saying it was done hastily just to get it finished. Others claim that much of the old wall was still standing, so the actual construction wasn’t that significant. However, the reality was that this wall had remained in ruins for about 140 years. We cannot underestimate what Nehemiah accomplished. But in truth, this was not Nehemiah’s work.

Look at verse 16. “When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.” All their enemies were afraid and lost their confidence. Why? Because they realized that this work had been done with the help of God. The rebuilding of the wall was not just a human effort—it was the work of God. It was not accomplished by human strength or ability but by God’s power.

The work of rebuilding the wall in our church is already in progress. Since last year, we have been praying for three visions that God has given us: First, to become a Spirit-Filled Community. Second, to become a Campus Mission-Centered Church. Third, to become a Multicultural and Multigenerational Congregation. You have heard this prayer topic so often that you have probably memorized it. Some of you might even think, “Here we go again.” However, because this vision from God is so important for our church, I am repeating it once again today and will repeat it again soon.

We are currently rebuilding the wall of early morning prayer, as I mentioned already. Over the past three weeks, God has been filling us with the Holy Spirit through early morning prayer. Every day, I receive new strength and grace from God through prayer and His word. I am also deeply grateful to see more and more coworkers joining early morning prayer. We are also building this wall of the Spirit-Filled Community through our Friday Praise & Worship Night. Last Friday, many members gathered to worship together. I felt that our Friday Praise & Worship Night is truly a spiritual celebration before God. Worshiping, rejoicing, and enjoying His presence together is a great blessing for us. I am especially thankful for how God is blessing our college ministry. We have started Bible study groups at QCC and Queens College, and we will soon begin Bible studies at St. John’s University as well. We have also started gathering to pray for college students, asking God to help them grow spiritually in Jesus.

Through today’s passage, I reflected on how Nehemiah made sure there was not a gap left in the wall. This led me to think about the gaps we need to fill in our own community. As I prayed, God revealed to me the importance of forming mentoring relationships among our members. In the book The Resilient Pastor by Mark A. Searby, there is a principle called “Invest in Mentoring Relationships.” He introduces the term “mentoring constellation,” which suggests that we should build four different types of relationships within our personal network. If you look at this diagram, you will see four key roles: mentor, protégé, ally, and confidant. The mentor is someone respected for their spiritual maturity, life experience, wisdom, and specific skills. The protégé is the person we serve in a mentoring role, someone who needs guidance and support. In peer mentoring relationships, there are two key roles: ally and confidant. The ally is an “internal peer mentor” within our immediate community. The confidant is an “external peer mentor” outside our usual circles. By developing these mentoring relationships, we can foster healthy growth in our community and support one another more effectively.

I believe that our one-on-one Bible study plays a crucial role in forming mentor and protégé relationships. This relationship goes beyond simply teaching and learning the Bible. It is a shepherding relationship, where a spiritual mentor guides someone not only in their spiritual life but also in practical aspects of life, helping them walk in the right path before God. High school students, college students, and young adults need to form one-on-one Bible study relationships and find their mentors. Through Fellowship Group Bible Study, we also develop ally relationships. By sharing fellowship and praying for one another in these groups, we build strong allies who support and encourage us. These relationships help us grow spiritually and stay strong in our faith.

When we seek to rebuild the broken walls in our lives, Satan attacks and tries to kill us spiritually. He does this because he wants us to remain distant from God and commit sins. He wants our families to remain broken and for husbands, wives, and children to suffer. He wants our church to be divided and fail in carrying out God’s mission. Therefore, we must have unshakable faith, just like Nehemiah. We must recognize Satan’s schemes, stand firm in faith, and boldly fight to overcome his attacks. We must stay focused and fully committed to the work of rebuilding the walls that God has entrusted to us. Our rebuilding work will not be completed in just 52 days. It is a lifelong journey of learning from Jesus Christ and restoring the image of God that was lost. I pray that we will be filled with the Holy Spirit every day and faithfully carry out the work of rebuilding the broken walls through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.