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Christian Service
places of Jerusalem, and make it once more a strong and defensed
city. Momentous results to the Jewish city and nation hung upon this
request. “And,” says Nehemiah, “the king granted me according to the
good hand of my God upon me.”—
The Southern Watchman, March 8,
1904
.
Secured Official Indorsement—As his [Nehemiah’s] request to the
king had been so favorably received, he was encouraged to ask for
such assistance as was needed for the carrying out of his plans. To give
dignity and authority to his mission, as well as to provide for protection
on the journey, he secured a military escort. He obtained royal letters
to the governors of the provinces beyond the Euphrates, the territory
through which he must pass on his way to Judea; and he obtained,
also, a letter to the keeper of the king’s forest in the mountains of
Lebanon, directing him to furnish such timber as would be needed
for the wall of Jerusalem and the buildings that Nehemiah proposed
to erect. In order that there might be no occasion for complaint that
he had exceeded his commission, Nehemiah was careful to have the
authority and privileges accorded him, clearly defined.—
The Southern
Watchman, March 15, 1904
.
The royal letters to the governors of the provinces along his route,
secured to Nehemiah an honorable reception and prompt assistance.
And no enemy dared molest the official who was guarded by the power
of the Persian king and treated with marked consideration by the
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provincial rulers. Nehemiah’s journey was safe and prosperous.—
The
Southern Watchman, March 22, 1904
.
Encountering Obstacles—His arrival at Jerusalem, however, with
the attendance of a military guard, showing that he had come on some
important mission, excited the jealousy and hatred of the enemies
of Israel. The heathen tribes settled near Jerusalem had previously
indulged their enmity against the Jews by heaping upon them every
insult and injury which they dared inflict. Foremost in this evil work
were certain chiefs of these tribes, Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah
the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian; and from this time these
leaders watched with jealous eye the movements of Nehemiah, and
endeavored by every means in their power to thwart his plans and
hinder his work.—
The Southern Watchman, March 22, 1904
.
They attempted to cause division among the workmen by sug-
gesting doubts and arousing unbelief as to their success. They also