• 1:3 - And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.
• We know of the damage today:
• godliness (Christianity)
• church
• local
• universal
• preaching
• teaching
• profane and vain babblings instead of rightly dividing
• Christians
• Bibles
• children and grandchildren
• the country
• freedoms
• economy
• global attraction
• our personal lives

I.  Watch out, here they come - and they are not pleased with you and your new life!

• 2:10 - When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.
• Sanballat, the Horonite & Tobiah the Ammonite (a servant)
• When they heard...  who were they listening to?
• They were exceedingly grieved.
• II Timothy 3:13 - But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
• II Timothy 4:3,4 - For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
• Galatians 4:16 - Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?

Galatians 4:17 - They zealously affect you, but not well; yea, they would exclude you, that ye might affect them.
• II Corinthians 12:15 - And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved.

• Their action:
• 2:19 - But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do?  will ye rebel against the king?
• When they heard...
• Talked about them to others and got them involved now...
• Geshem the Arabian
• Laughed them to scorn
• Despised them
• Accused them of going against what is 'right.'

• 4:1 - But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews.
• When he heard...
• He was wroth!
• He took great indignation!
• He mocked the Jews!
• He expressed his doubt!
• 'feeble'
• will they fortify themselves?
• will they sacrifice?
• will they make an end in a day?
• will they revive stones out of the burned rubbish?
• a fox will be able to break it down!
• he doubted...
• how strong they really were!
• how serious they really were!
• that they had what it would take!
• that they were capable!
• their ability!

• 4:7-8 - But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth, And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it.
• Added to the troops!
• Sanballat / Tobiah / Arabians / Ammonites / Ashdodites
• All wroth
• Conspired to fight against them
• Tried to hinder them

• 4:11 - And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come in the midst among them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease.
• They knew that Nehemiah's people were getting weaker because of the rubbish in their lives!
• 4:10 - And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall.
• How did they know?  They must have heard...
• They continually 'talked' to Nehemiah's people...
• they won't know until it is too late
• they won't see until it is too late
• then we can slay them
• then we can get the 'work' to cease
• 4:12 - And it came to pass, that when the Jews which dwelt by them came, they said unto us ten times, From all places whence ye shall return unto us they will be upon you.
• would that wear them down - after awhile, many must have just given in...?
• ten times...

• 6:1-2 - Now it came to pass, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and Geshem the Arabian, and the rest of our enemies, heard that I had builded the wall, and that there was no breach left therein; (though at that time I had not set up the doors upon the gates;) That Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me, saying, Come, let us meet together in some one of the villages in the plain of Ono.  But they thought to do me mischief.
• Nehemiah's own leaders were hard on them - bondage, etc.
• 5:1-5
• It was ruining their families - being brought under bondage to keep it all going - and had lost their land and possessions, etc.
• When they heard...
• So, they made it appear that they were offering compromise, but in all reality, they wanted to do Nehemiah mischief.

• 6:5-7 -
• Tried a fifth time with a accusatory letter
• Accuses Nehemiah of personal gain and wanting power.

• 6:10 - Afterward I came unto the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabeel, who was shut up; and he said, Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple: for they will come to slay thee; yea, in the night will they come to slay thee.
• Shemaiah was hired by Sanballat

• 6:17-19
• There were still people in the ranks of Nehemiah that were still close to Tobiah.
• Did you ever wonder how Sanballat always knew the status of the wall building?
• It was because of some folks within Nehemiah's congregation that kept them all up to date!
• This is how they always knew what Nehemiah was doing!!!!
• They continued to try to show Nehemiah that Tobiah wasn't that bad of a man - even AFTER Tobiah proved himself to be the enemy!
• Tobiah continued to send letters to Nehemiah to try put him in fear!