Nehemiah 6:15-7:4--The Wall Is Finished

Nehemiah 6:15-7:4
English Standard Version

The Wall Is Finished
15 So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. 16 And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God. 17 Moreover, in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah's letters came to them. 18 For many in Judah were bound by oath to him, because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah the son of Arah: and his son Jehohanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah as his wife. 19 Also they spoke of his good deeds in my presence and reported my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to make me afraid.

7 Now when the wall had been built and I had set up the doors, and the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed, 2 I gave my brother Hanani and Hananiah the governor of the castle charge over Jerusalem, for he was a more faithful and God-fearing man than many. 3 And I said to them, “Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot. And while they are still standing guard, let them shut and bar the doors. Appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, some at their guard posts and some in front of their own homes.” 4 The city was wide and large, but the people within it were few, and no houses had been rebuilt.

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What an amazing progress report!  Despite opposition from without and from within and replacement of all the government officials and Nehemiah assuming the role of governor of Judah, the wall is finished in less than two months!  Fifty-two days to be exact!  This struck fear in the hearts of all of Judah's enemies--not only because Jerusalem is defended by walls, but because it is obvious to everyone that the LORD is on their side.  With man alone, such a task would have been nearly impossible, and certainly wouldn't have been finished this well and this quickly.

For reasons the text will reveal to us shortly, there are still government officials loyal to Tobiah in Jerusalem that have been writing letters to him and he's been replying (I guess you could say he had lot of pen pals in Jerusalem).  Do you remember how Nehemiah was upset about the men of Judah, especially the officials, being married to foreign women?  Well, it turns out that these officials that are loyal to Tobiah are loyal to him because they were related to him by marriage, or because they were friends of people who were related to him by marriage.  "For many in Judah were bound by oath to him, because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah the son of Arah: and his son Jehohanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah as his wife."  It was common in that day among the Gentile nations for political marriages ike this to happen, but the Jews had been told they were to marry from within their own tribe, and if for some reason they could not find a spouse from within their own tribe, then they were to marry from within the Twelve Tribes of Israel.  They were not to marry a foreigner (some exceptions were made for God-fearing Gentiles who converted to Judaism like Rahab and Ruth--Tobiah and his family were definitely "the rule" and not "the exception").  It became obvious to Nehemiah who these officials were loyal to, and that Tobiah's letters that were read aloud to Nehemiah and the way in which these officials talked well of Tobiah in Nehemiah's presence was nothing more than an intimidation tactic that was once again intended to make Nehemiah afraid.  Nehemiah once again did not fear because he put his trust in the LORD.

Not only were the walls built, but the gates were in place, and the gatekeepers were at their posts.  The singers and the Levites had also been appointed, so it was time to praise the LORD for this wonderful deed He had done and to lead the people in worship as they consecrated the wall and the city. More on why it is important that we have singers and Levites when we get to chapter 12 for the dedication of the wall, but we have much to talk about before we get there.


Nehemiah gave charge of the city to his brother Hanani and Hananiah (the governor of the castle) --apparently the same man because the text says, "for he was a more faithful and God-fearing man than many" in the singular, so we're only talking about one man being put in charge.  Nehemiah gave instructions to keep the gates closed and sealed until midday when the sun was hot, and to close them up and lock them tight before the sun went down.  He knew that if Sanballat and Tobiah were going to attack, they would do so either at first light or under the cover of darkness, and he wanted to remove any opportunity for them to come through an open door.

Then guards were appointed not only to watch the gates, but also to watch over the houses of those who lived in Jerusalem, for it was the lives of the people, and not so much the walls or the buildings that were precious.  The text for today ends by telling us that the walls were built so that the city was large, but there were very few people living in it and no one had built any houses yet.  The work of reconstruction was not done simply because the walls were built--now Nehemiah needed to help the people rebuild their homes and get people to be willing to come back and once again live in Jerusalem (and eventually return to their homes in the rest of Judah).  This is a much larger task--a task that will take us all the way until the end of the book of Nehemiah.