056. Prayers Of Nehemiah While Building The Walls Of Jerusalem.

Prayers Of Nehemiah While Building The Walls Of Jerusalem. The Prayers as recorded.—Nehemiah 4:4-5; Nehemiah 5:19; Nehemiah 6:9. The Lord’s Answer.—Nehemiah 6:15-16.

Sanballat, the governor of the Samaritans, and other enemies of the Jews, endeavored by every means to overthrow the attempts of Nehemiah and his followers to rebuild the temple; they laughed him to scorn, and ridiculing the idea of his being able to procure the necessary materials, with the most bitter sarcasm endeavored to dissuade him from the work. The Jews were at this time the church of God, and were employed in his worship, and for this they were hated by their enemies. They had need of much prayer in the midst of such violent opposition, and we find the petitions of Nehemiah recorded in the fourth, fifth, and sixth chapters of this book. To some readers the second recorded prayer may appear tinctured with conceit and a boasting spirit, but we would refer such to the language of St. Paul in his Epistle to the Corinthians; of whom he would take nothing, that he might stop the mouths of false apostles and covetous people.