Scripture Thought (What I Learned):
Chapter 3: Names of those who built walls
Eliashib the high priest
rose up with his brethren the priests and built the Sheep Gate; they
consecrated it and hung its doors. They also built the Tower of the
Hundred, and consecrated it, then also the Tower of Hananel. Next
to Eliashib the men of Jericho built. And next to them Zaccur
the son of Imri built.
The sons of Hassenaah built
the Fish Gate; they laid its beams and hung its doors with its bolts and bars.
And next to them Meremoth the son of Urijah, the son of Koz, made repairs. Next
to them Meshullam the son of Berechiah, the son of Meshezabel, made repairs.
Next to them Zadok the son of Baana made repairs. Next to them the Tekoites
made repairs; but their nobles did not put their shoulders to the work of their
Lord.
Jehoiada the son of Paseah
and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah repaired the Old Gate; they laid its beams
and hung its doors, with its bolts and bars. And next to them Melatiah the
Gibeonite, Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon and Mizpah, repaired the
residence of the governor of the region beyond the River. Next
to him Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs. Also
next to him Hananiah, one of the perfumers, made repairs; and they fortified
Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall. And next to them Rephaiah the son of
Hur, leader of half the district of Jerusalem, made repairs. Next to them
Jedaiah the son of Harumaph made repairs in front of his house. And next to him
Hattush the son of Hashabniah made repairs. Malchijah the son of Harim and
Hashub the son of Pahath-Moab repaired another section, as well as the Tower of
the Ovens. And next to him was Shallum the son of Hallohesh, leader of half the
district of Jerusalem; he and his daughters made repairs.
Hanun and the inhabitants
of Zanoah repaired the Valley Gate. They built it, hung its doors with its
bolts and bars, and repaired a thousand cubits of the wall as
far as the Refuse Gate.
Malchijah the son of
Rechab, leader of the district of Beth Haccerem, repaired the Refuse Gate; he
built it and hung its doors with its bolts and bars.
Shallun the son of
Col-Hozeh, leader of the district of Mizpah, repaired the Fountain Gate; he
built it, covered it, hung its doors with its bolts and bars, and repaired the
wall of the Pool of Shelah by the King’s Garden, as far as the stairs that go
down from the City of David. After him Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, leader of
half the district of Beth Zur, made repairs as far as the place in
front of the tombs of David, to the man-made pool, and as far as the House of
the Mighty. After him the Levites, under Rehum the son of
Bani, made repairs. Next to him Hashabiah, leader of half the district of
Keilah, made repairs for his district. After him their brethren, under Bavai
the son of Henadad, leader of the other half of the district
of Keilah, made repairs. And next to him Ezer the son of Jeshua, the leader of
Mizpah, repaired another section in front of the Ascent to the Armory at the
buttress. After him Baruch the son of Zabbai carefully repaired the other
section, from the buttress to the door of the house of Eliashib the high
priest. After him Meremoth the son of Urijah, the son of Koz, repaired another
section, from the door of the house of Eliashib to the end of the house of
Eliashib. And after him the priests, the men of the plain, made repairs. After
him Benjamin and Hasshub made repairs opposite their house. After them Azariah
the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah, made repairs by his house. After him
Binnui the son of Henadad repaired another section, from the house of Azariah
to the buttress, even as far as the corner. Palal the son of Uzai made
repairs opposite the buttress, and on the tower which projects from
the king’s upper house that was by the court of the prison.
After him Pedaiah the son of Parosh made repairs.
Nethinim who dwelt in
Ophel made repairs as far as the place in
front of the Water Gate toward the east, and on the projecting tower. After
them the Tekoites repaired another section, next to the great projecting tower,
and as far as the wall of Ophel.
Beyond the Horse Gate the
priests made repairs, each in front of his own house. After
them Zadok the son of Immer made repairs in front of his own house.
After him Shemaiah the son of Shechaniah, the keeper of the East Gate, made
repairs. After him Hananiah the son of Shelemiah, and Hanun, the sixth son of
Zalaph, repaired another section. After him Meshullam the son of Berechiah made
repairs in front of his dwelling.
After him Malchijah, one of
the goldsmiths, made repairs as far as the house of the Nethinim and of the
merchants, in front of the Miphkad Gate, and as far as the upper room at the
corner. And between the upper room at the corner, as far as the Sheep
Gate, the goldsmiths and the merchants made repairs.
·
This chapter shows the need
for believers to work together to accomplish something.
·
The workthat was
accomplished was a reflection on the family - almost everyone mentioned is
mentioned as the son of someone.
·
This showed an Evidence of
Nehemiah’s leadership.
Chapter 4: Enemies Seek to Destroy the Work
When Sanballat heard that
we were rebuilding the wall, he was furious and mocked the Jews. He askedhis brethren
and the army of Samaria; What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify
themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they complete it in a day? Will
they revive the stones from the heaps of rubbish; stones that
are burned? Tobiah the Ammonite was beside
him, and he said that whatever they build, if even a fox goes up on it, he
will break down their stone wall.
So they built the wall, and
the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for
the people had a mind to work. When Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the
Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were being
restored and the gaps were beginning to be closed, that they became very angry,
and all of them conspired together to come and attack
Jerusalem.
Nevertheless they said
their prayers to God, with Judah telling them that the strength of the laborers
is failing, and there is so much rubbish that we are not able
to build the wall.
And their adversaries said,
that they will neither know nor see anything, till we come into their midst and
kill them and cause the work to cease.
So, when the Jews who lived
there came, and positioned men behind the lower parts of the
wall, at the openings; and set the people according to their families, with
their swords, their spears, and their bows. And I looked, and arose and said to
the nobles, to the leaders, and to the rest of the people, to not be afraid of
them and to remember the Lord, so that they would fight for their brethren,
their sons, their daughters, theirs wives, and their homes.
When their enemies heard
that it was known to them, and that God had destroyed their
plot, all the people returned to the wall, everyone to his work.
From that time on, half
of the servants worked at construction, while the other half held the spears,
the shields, the bows, and the leaders were behind all the
house of Judah. Those who built on the wall, and those who carried burdens,
loaded themselves so that with one hand they worked at construction, and with
the other held a weapon. Every one of the builders had his sword girded at his
side as he built.
Then he said to the nobles,
the rulers, and the rest of the people, that the work is great
and extensive, and they are separated far from one another on the wall.
Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, get ready, because their God would
fight for them. So they labored in the work, and half of the men held
the spears from daybreak until the stars appeared.
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