Nehemiah 6 Verses 15 to 19 Finish the Task

August 24, 2025 Lesson 8

The Relentless Pursuit of Obedience Class Presentation Notes AAAAA

Background Scriptures:

· Nehemiah 6:1-19

· Hebrews 12:1–3 (NASB95)  Jesus, the Example

   1     Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

   2     fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

   3     For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Main Idea:

· After months of prayer, planning, and leading, Nehemiah never turned away from God’s assignment until the wall was rebuilt.

Study Aim:

· To understand that we must work diligently to complete the task God has set before us.

Create Interest:

· The building of the wall was completed in a relatively short time. The people planned a huge celebration in which they praised God. The ones who had tried to halt the work on the wall were discouraged, and they had to recognize the hand of God at work throughout the project.

Lesson in Historical Context:

· The walls were completed … in 52 days, As stated earlier, the trip to Jerusalem took two or three months (April or May to June or July), as long as or longer than the building program itself.

· The enemies’ self-confidence dissipated as they saw that the work was done with God’s help. Opposing Him, they were fighting a losing battle! One reason Tobiah the Ammonite (cf. 2:10, 19) was able to make some inroads into Judah was that he was related to the Jews in two ways (also cf. 13:4). His father-in-law was Shecaniah son of Arah (cf. Ezra 2:5), and his daughter-in-law was the daughter of Meshullam son of Berekiah, who worked on two sections of the wall (Neh. 3:4, 30). Many Jews were therefore loyalists to Tobiah, perhaps having trading contracts with him, and they kept telling Nehemiah goodthings about Tobiah. Yet Tobiahtried to intimidate the governor-builder with threatening letters.[1]

Bible Study:

Nehemiah 6:15–16 (NASB95)  The Wall Is Finished

15  So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of the month Elul, in fifty-two days.

16 When all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations surrounding us saw it, they lost their confidence; for they recognized that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.

· Vs. 6:15.  Nehemiah could now proudly announce the completion of the wall, presumably including the doors (v. 1; 7:1 “Now when the wall was rebuilt and I had set up the doors, and the gatekeepers and the singers and the Levites were appointed.” [2]

· It was a red-letter day, probably in early October 445 B.C. The extensive repair work, probably begun but not completed at an earlier period (Ezra 4:12), had taken only two months (fifty-two days), and so they must have started in mid-July, assuming a six-day work week. A lot had happened since the day in Susa less than six months before, when Nehemiah had received his mission from the Persian king (2:1–6).

· Vs. 16. This passage marks the last cycle of the literary pattern that begins with progress on the wall. There is now no room for the third element, Nehemiah’s counterresponse, because these verses highlight the second element, the enemy response. This time the enemy reaction to the news was an overwhelming sense of defeat.

o It was their turn to be “intimidated” (njps for afraid), after attempting to intimidate the Judean workers and Nehemiah (vv. 9, 13–14).

o It was also their turn to experience the loss of face they had tried to in inflict on Nehemiah.   The impact upon the malicious enemies who had so viciously opposed the project was immediate.

§ First, they were disheartened, crestfallen, crushed in spirit. They had failed to stop the project. Their spiteful opposition had aroused the returned exiles to complete the wall as quickly as possible to protect themselves.

§ Second, the leaders of the surrounding nations became frightened, for the Jews were now rebuilding Jerusalem. Moreover, it was evident that God was helping them. The project could never have been completed within two months unless the Lordwas supporting and taking care of them.

§ Completing the project in 52 days was clearly a miraculous feat. In addition, the surrounding nations knew that the Jews would be strengthening themselves throughout the coming decades. They would be growing stronger politically, economically, and militarily.

§ Thus, in the future, the Jews would become more of a threat to the political authority and economic influence of the surrounding nations.[3]

Note before moving on with the lesson:

· Here was the happy experience of Psalm 126:2 all over again: “Then it was said among the nations, ‘The Lordhas done great things for them.’ ” How could anyone deny divine enabling in this amazingly rapid achievement against such odds?[4]

· I would be remiss as a teacher in not looking forward in Nehemiah to Chapter 12:27-43 to look at the Dedication of the Wall giving God all the credit for the accomplishment so many tried to prevent.  Respecting our time and wanting more discussion, I call your attention to the following portion of that group of Scriptures.

Nehemiah 12:27–31,43 (NASB95) Dedication of the Wall

27     Now at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought out the Levites from all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem so that they might celebrate the dedication with gladness, with hymns of thanksgiving and with songs to the accompanimentof cymbals, harps and lyres.

28     So the sons of the singers were assembled from the district around Jerusalem, and from the villages of the Netophathites,

29     from Beth-gilgal and from their fields in Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built for themselves villages around Jerusalem.

30     The priests and the Levites purified themselves; they also purified the people, the gates and the wall.

Procedures for the Temple

31     Then I had the leaders of Judah come up on top of the wall, and I appointed two great choirs, the first proceeding to the right on top of the wall toward the Refuse Gate.

43        and on that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced because God had given them great joy, even the women and children rejoiced, so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard from afar.   

Thoughts to soak on about these verses relating to the completion of the wall.

· They said it couldn’t be done. Yet, in 52 days they completed the project in spite of the opposition and arguments that said that it was too difficult.

o God’s men and women, joined together for special tasks, can solve huge problems and accomplish great goals.

o Don’t let the size of a task or the length of time needed to accomplish it keep you from doing it. With God’s help, it can be done in His will.

· When the enemies of the Jews heard that the task was finished, they were humiliated, frightened, and lost their confidence. They even recognized the fact that it was God who helped these people finish this job. Nehemiah and the people did the work, but God got the credit.

o That’s the way it is supposed to be even today.

o Serve the Lord and glorify Him. That is to be the purpose of our lives.

A worldly example to apply to your lives.

· Do you know the difference between a thermostat and a thermometer? A thermometer merely tells what the temperature is in a particular area. If your thermometer reads seventy degrees and you place that thermometer in a room that is currently eighty degrees, the thermometer will change to register whatever the room temperature is. It won’t be long before the thermometer reads eighty degrees. It always adjusts to its environment.

· The thermostat, however, adjusts the room temperature. If the thermostat is set at seventy degrees and the room is eighty degrees, the temperature of the room changes to conform to whatever the thermostat is reading. The room will become seventy degrees.

· You live your life as either a thermostat or a thermometer.

o You can either blend in with the crowd, or you can change the crowd.

o You are either influencing others, or they are influencing you.

o Jesus calls us to become thermostats.

§ Since they didn’t have thermostats in Bible times, Jesus used the terms “salt” and “light” to communicate that we are to be agents of change in the world. See the following Scriptures.

§ We are to point others to Christ by the way we live.

Scriptures to Soak on and apply to our lives.

· Matthew 5:13–16 (NASB95) Disciples and the World

          13      “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again?It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.

          14      “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;

          15      nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.

          16      “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

· Philippians 2:12–16 (NASB95)

          12      So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling;

          13      for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

          14      Do all things without grumbling or disputing;

          15      so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world,

          16      holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain.[5]

Here is a bonus excerpt from an article by Dr. Jim Denison, 7-2-2025 that, in my mind is worthy of discussion at this point.

“The transformation only Christ can make in the human heart is the vital foundation of the morality so central to Western society.”

“The end of life is to do the will of God”

· Dr. Lennox concludes:

“Christians are called upon to be salt and light in the world—to bear witness to the truth by reasoning in the public space, as Jesus and his apostles did, using persuasion and not coercion, never losing sight of the fact that those from whom they differ are fellow human beings made in the image of God.”

· Our “witness to the truth” is vital because you and I are “the” salt of the earth and “the” light of the world (Matthew 5:13, 14). The definite articles signify that there are no others. “Speaking the truth in love” is therefore the greatest gift of love we can give this nation we love (Ephesians 4:15).

· Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. agreed: “I still believe that standing up for the truth of God is the greatest thing in the world. This is the end of life. The end of life is not to be happy. The end of life is not to achieve pleasure and avoid pain. The end of life is to do the will of God, come what may.”

What are some lasting truths in Nehemiah 6:15–16?

· A huge task can be accomplished in a relatively short time when God’s people stay focused on the task of following His will for their lives.

· A God-given task can succeed only with the help of God, but He uses faithful people to do it.

· Having a God-called leader is important to set the pace for God-given tasks.

· In any work for God, all the glory goes to God.[6]

Nehemiah 6:17–19 (NASB95)

17     Also in those days many letters went from the nobles of Judah 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 married the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah.

19     Moreover, they were speaking about his good deeds in my presence and reported my words to him. Then Tobiah sent letters to frighten me.

· If you can’t see Satan working, it’s probably because he has gone underground. We are safer when we can see him at work than when his agents are concealed.

o Open opposition is good for God’s work and God’s workers because it keeps us alert and trusting the Lord.

o “Watch and pray!” was certainly one of Nehemiah’s chief admonitions to his people (Neh. 4:9).

· It seems incredible that any Jew would secretly cooperate with the enemy, let alone Jews who were nobles from the royal tribe of Judah! If any tribe had a stake in the future of “the city of David,” it was the tribe of Judah; for God promised that a Savior and King would come from their tribe (Gen. 49:10; 2 Sam. 7).

o When these nobles cooperated with Tobiah, they were resisting the Lord, disobeying the Word, and jeopardizing their own future.

As we consider the following, think about contemporary examples that are challenging us today………………………

· Neh. 6:17:  Why would they do such a treacherous thing? For one thing, Tobiah wrote them letters and influenced their thinking. Instead of seeking the truth, the nobles believed the enemy’s lies and became traitors to their own people.

o Because they believed he was right, some of the men of Judah even took an oath of loyalty to Tobiah! In his letters, Tobiah no doubt flattered them and made promises to them; and they foolishly believed him. The nobles secretly shared the letters with others, and thus the conspiracy grew.

· Don’t believe everything you read or hear about Christian leaders.

o Consider the source and firmly refuse to accept as truth anything that can’t be documented.

o Especially be wary of what the news media say about evangelical leaders; most media people are not too sympathetic with the Gospel.

o There are times when you wonder if perhaps, we have reached the sad place that Jeremiah wrote about:

§  “Beware of your friends; do not trust your brothers. For every brother is a deceiver, and every friend a slanderer” (Jer. 9:4, NIV).  

“Speak the truth in love”Eph. 4:15

· Neh. 6:18:  How could these Jews turn their backs on their own heritage, their own brothers and sisters, and their own God? The bonds of human connection were stronger than the bonds of spiritual affection. Because Tobiah was tied to the tribe of Judah through marriage, the nobles of Judah gave the loyalty to him that they should have given to God. The men of Judah forgot that they were “married” to Jehovah God and owed Him their love and loyalty.

· But before we criticize these Jewish nobles, let’s examine our own lives.

o Are we totally yielded to the Lord and fully obedient to Him?

o Do we ever permit human relationships to influence our decisions so much that we deliberately disobey the Word of God?

§ Note:  The internal discord rising from mixed loyalties is reflected in Paul’s exhortation to the Corinthians not to be “unequally yoked” (i.e., to take on the responsibilities of marriage) with unbelievers in the first place (2 Cor 6:14 ESV). Nevertheless, believers who have had to take a stand against close friends and family because of the gospel are promised special care from their heavenly Father (2 Cor 6:18).[7]

2 Corinthians 6:18 (NASB95)

18 “And I will be a father to you,

And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,”

Says the Lord Almighty.

· The nobles of Judahweren’t satisfied just to get their information and directions from Tobiah, but they felt it necessary to tell Tobiah everything Nehemiah said! No doubt they were hoping to win Tobiah’s favor and thus earn a greater reward when Tobiah and his friends took over Jerusalem. In every sense, they were traitors to the nation and to the Lord.

o  Meshullam was one of the workers on the wall (Neh. 3:4, 30), and yet his family was undermining the very work he was doing.

· Vs. 6:19:  But these traitors went even further: They repeatedly told Nehemiah what a fine man Tobiah really was! “They that forsake the law praise the wicked; but such as keep the law contend with them” (Prov. 28:4). Had the nobles of Judah been studying and meditating on the Word of God, they would have had discernment and not been walking “in the counsel of the ungodly” (Ps. 1:1). They were blinded by lies and flattery and completely out of touch with reality. There was no light in them (Isa. 8:20).

o Tobiah kept sending letters to his informers, and they in turn kept telling people to change their allegiance before Jerusalem was taken by the Gentiles.

o Nehemiah ignored the letters and threats and kept on working until the job was completed.

o After all, his work was “wrought of our God” (Neh. 6:16); and when God begins a work, He completes it (Phil. 1:6).

So what do we make of our story up to now?

· The story began with “So I prayed” (Neh. 2:4).

· Then we read, “So I came to Jerusalem” (v. 11).

· “So they strengthened their hands for this good work” is the next link in the chain (v. 18), followed by……….

· “So built we the wall” (4:6) and,

· “So we labored” (v. 21).

· Now we reach the end of this part of the story: “So the wall was finished” (6:15).

o But this marks a new beginning, for now Nehemiah must protect what he has accomplished. How he does this is the theme of the rest of the book.[8]

Closing thoughts:

· Now that Nehemiah has successfully rebuilt the wall, he has to turn his attention to the hearts of people, which is a much more difficult building project. Now he has to confront sin within the congregation. As we come to chapter 7, Nehemiah is persevering through the project with the people.

· This list of names in chapter 7 serves to identify who the Jews really are.

What’s at stake in this situation is that God’s people have returned to the land, and they are seeking the blessing of Abraham and through that the good of all nations (Gen 12:3).

· For God’s people to experience the blessing of Abraham and to be the blessing of all the families of the earth, they must be holy. They mustbe set apart to God.

· In order for them to be holy they have to know who they are as a people.

o That’s why these genealogical lists of names matter, and that’s why the problem of intermarriage threatens everything the returnees are trying to accomplish.[9]

Reflect and Discuss

· What is the value of celebrating achievements? When have you experienced finishing one big task only to be confronted with the next one?

· Are there people like Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem trying to hinder your work for God’s kingdom? Are people spreading false rumors or purposely misrepresenting your motives? How should we respond to such people?

· How do such people betray (make public) the fact that they hate God and are opposed to His purposes?

· How does your knowledge of the Bible help you to discern whether a person’s suggestions are valid?

· What are some examples of external opposition to the ministry of your church?

· What are some examples of internal resistance to the ministry of your church?

· When a person in your fellowship speaks well of the enemies of God and His kingdom, in what ways does his or her behavior fit the definition of “treacherous”?

· What could be done to improve the practice of church discipline at your church?

[1]Gene A. Getz, “Nehemiah,”in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 686–687.

[2]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Ne 7:1.

[3]Leadership Ministries Worldwide, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible (Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide, 2004), 153–154.

[4]Leslie C. Allen, “Nehemiah,” in Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, ed. W. Ward Gasque, Robert L. Hubbard, and Robert K. Johnston, Understanding the Bible Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2012), 117–118.

[5]Rod Mattoon, Treasures from Nehemiah, Treasures from Scripture Series (Springfield, IL: Rod Mattoon, 2008), 144–145.

[6]Robert J. Dean, Bible Studies for Life, Spring 2009, Herschel Hobbs Commentary (LifeWay Christian Resources, n.d.), 54.

[7]Hannah K. Harrington, The Books of Ezra and Nehemiah, ed. E. J. Young et al., New International Commentary on the Old and New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2022), 340.

[8]Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Determined, “Be” Commentary Series (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 78–81.

[9]James M. Hamilton Jr. et al., Exalting Jesus in Ezra-Nehemiah (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2014), 146–149.