Background: God has illustrated the basic principles of success in Nehemiah 3. Each paragraph in this chapter is structured around one of the 10 gates of the city. The problem we face as we look at this chapter is the long list of names, which tempts us to turn the page and continue the story at Nehemiah 4. Yet this chapter is one of the most important in the entire book! By noting repetitious statements, certain vitally important principles emerge which will help us to learn secret of Nehemiah success.

I. 1st Principle: Coordination

1. The clue is found in the recurrence of the phrases "NEXT TO HIM" or "NEXT TO THEM" that are repeated throughout the chapter (used 15 times).

A. Each person knew where they belonged, their responsibility, and what was expected of them.
B. Some had the responsibility of rebuilding their section of the wall from scratch while others only needed to make repairs.

2. The 2nd set of recurring phrases enlarges upon our understanding of this principle of coordination: "OVER AGAINST HIS HOUSE" or "BESIDE HIS HOUSE." (at least 6 different workers plus an unknown amount of priests).

A. Nehemiah took advantage of convenience

1) By arranging for each man to work close to his own home, Nehemiah made it easy for them to get to work, to be sustained while on the job, and to safeguard those who were nearest and dearest to them.
2) This relieved each worker of any unnecessary anxiety, and it also insured that each person would put his best effort into what he was doing.

II. 2nd Principle: Cooperation

1. Men from different places and different walks of life worked together on the wall.

A. God uses all kinds of people, there was a place for everyone, and a job for everyone to do.

1) Priest, Levites, rulers, common people, gatekeepers, guards, farmers, goldsmiths, pharmacists, merchants, temple servants, union workers and women.
2) Leaders must set the example (v.1).
3) They worked without rivalry or resentment.

B. Nehemiah did not achieve total success.

1) The elite from Tekoa (tuh-koh'-uh) refused to participate (3:5).
2) Nehemiah did not allow their obstinacy to deflate his optimism.

- He worked with those who were willing to put their backs to the work of the Lord, and succeeded in accomplishing what many believed to be impossible.

III. 3rd Principle: Commendation

1. The recurring expression "REPAIRED ANOTHER SECTION" (3:11, 19-21, 24-27, 30).

- He was quick to notice and appreciate the zeal and effort of those who worked with him.

2. Nehemiah took a personal interest in the volunteers.

A. This is evidence by his knowledge of the names of those who worked on the wall, and his awareness of where they worked and what they did.
B. He treated them as people, not as things. They had worth and were not there to be exploited.

IV. 4th Principle: Completion

1. The words "BUILT" and "REPAIRED" are in the perfect tense indicating a continuous action

- Every one kept busy, every one knew what was expected of them, every one worked in their place, and every one finished their work.

V. 5th Principle: Communication

1. Nehemiah coordinated his activities by dividing the wall into about 40 different groups.

A. Each person was assigned a section on the wall.
B. By breaking the work up into sections, Nehemiah was able to supervise the work and communicate with one section at a time.

2. What was formerly a complex situation, became relatively simple when handled piecemeal.

Background: When things are going well, get ready for trouble, because the enemy doesn't want to see the Lord's work make progress. Opposition is not only evidence that God is blessing, but it is also an opportunity for us to grow. This chapter presents four of Satan's devices for opposing the Lord's work, and it also tells us how God's people can be steadfast and defeat the enemy. If you start building, you will soon be battling; so, be prepared!

I. Mocking (vv.1-6)

1. Sanballat intensified the power of his ridicule as he made some important people laugh at the Jews by making his speech before the army.

A. First, he ridiculed THE WORKERS by calling them "FEEBLE JEWS."

1) The word FEEBLE means "WITHERED, MISERABLE."
2) The people were like cut flowers that were fading away.

B. Secondly, he ridiculed THE WORK ITSELF by asking 3 taunting questions:

1) "WILL THEY FORTIFY THEMSELVES?"
- How could a remnant of feeble Jews hope to build a wall strong enough to protect the city from the army?
2) "WILL THEY SACRIFICE?"

A) This implies, "It will take more than prayer and worship to rebuild the city!"
B) This question was blasphemy against Jehovah God, for Sanballat was denying that God would help His people.

3) "WILL THEY FINISH IN A DAY?"
- This suggests that the Jews didn't know how difficult the task was and would soon quit.

C. Thirdly, he ridiculed the MATERIALS they were using.

1) In spite of what he said, there was still plenty of good material for the builders to use.
2) We also see Tobiah the Ammonite was one of the visiting dignitaries at the Samaritan army inspection; and when it was his turn to make a speech, he ridiculed THE FINISHED PRODUCT (v.3). He wouldn't need an army to knock down the wall; a solitary fox could do it!

2. Nehemiah's response to the ridicule: HE PRAYED AND ASKED GOD TO FIGHT THE ENEMY FOR HIM.

A. He didn't allow himself to get detoured from his work by taking time to reply to their words.
B. The Lord had heard the taunts of Sanballat and Tobiah, and would deal with them in His own way and His own time.

1) Nehemiah was praying as a servant of God concerned for the glory of God, and wasn't requesting personal vengeance but vindication for God's people.
2) The opposition of Sanballat and Tobiah against the Jews was in reality opposition against God.

II. Conspiring (vv.7-9)

1. A common enemy and a common cause brought 4 different groups together to stop the work on the walls of Jerusalem.

A. The city was now completely surrounded by enemies!
B. As the enemy saw the work progressing, they became angry and decided to plan a secret attack against Jerusalem.

2. Nehemiah suspected that his enemies would launch an attack, so he posted a guard and encouraged the people to pray.

- The workers held both tools and weapons and were prepared to fight when the signal was given.

III. Demoralizing (v.10)

1. Pressures from without often create problems within.

2. Discouragement is a key weapon in Satan's arsenal.

A. WE ARE NOT ABLE! is the rallying cry of all who take their eyes off the Lord and start looking at themselves and their problems.

1) The discouraged workers were actually agreeing with the enemy who said they were feeble!
2) Some of the people in the tribe of Judah were secretly cooperating with the enemy because of marriage ties that were stronger than the bonds of commitment to the Lord (Chp.6).
3) Others were not wholly devoted to the Lord, but were more interested in making money (Chp.13).

IV. Fear (vv.11-23)

1. The Jews who lived in the outlying villages (3:2, 5, 7, 13) kept bringing a report to the city that the enemy was planning another surprise attack.

2. Nehemiah didn't reply to the reports, but when he saw that his people were starting to become afraid, he then began to act.

A. He posted guards at the most conspicuous and vulnerable places on the wall so the enemy could then see that the Jews were prepared to fight (he armed entire families).
B. He encouraged the people not to be afraid but to look to the Lord for help.
C. He set up a defense plan that solved the problem of rumors

1) Half of the men worked on the will while the other half stood guard.
2) The people who worked and carried materials also carried weapons.
3) Nehemiah kept a man with the trumpet close by so the alarm could be given immediately.