“Now it came to pass, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and Geshem the Arabian, and the rest of our enemies, heard that I had builded the wall, and that there was no breach left therein; (though at that time I had not set up the doors upon the gates;)”
That is, that they were joined together, as Neh. 4:6 .
“And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?”
Meaning, that if he should obey their request, the work which God had appointed, should cease: showing hereby that we should not commit ourselves to the hands of the wicked.
“Wherein was written, It is reported among the heathen, and Gashmu saith it, that thou and the Jews think to rebel: for which cause thou buildest the wall, that thou mayest be their king, according to these words. Gashmu: or, Geshem”
As the same goeth. Or, Geshem.
“And thou hast also appointed prophets to preach of thee at Jerusalem, saying, There is a king in Judah: and now shall it be reported to the king according to these words. Come now therefore, and let us take counsel together.”
Thou hast bribed and set up false prophets, to make thyself king, and so to defraud the king of Persia of that subjection which you owe unto him.
“For they all made us afraid, saying, Their hands shall be weakened from the work, that it be not done. Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.”
Hebrew, strengthen thou mine hand .
“Afterward I came unto the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabeel, who was shut up; and he said, Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple: for they will come to slay thee; yea, in the night will they come to slay thee.”
As though he would be secret, to the intent that he might pray unto God with greater liberty, and receive some revelation, which in him was but hypocrisy.
“And I said, Should such a man as I flee? and who is there, that, being as I am, would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in.”
He doubted not but God was able to preserve him, and knew that if he had obeyed this counsel he should have discouraged all the people: thus God giveth power to his to resist false prophecies, though they seem to have never so great probability.
“My God, think thou upon Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their works, and on the prophetess Noadiah, and the rest of the prophets, that would have put me in fear.”
Very grief caused him to pray against such, which under the pretence of being the ministers of God, were adversaries to his glory, and went about to overthrow his Church, declaring also hereby that where there is one true minister of God, the devil hath a great sort of hirelings.
“So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty and two days.”
After that I had sent Sanballat his answer. Which was the sixth month and contained part of August, and part of September.
“Moreover in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters unto Tobiah, and the letters of Tobiah came unto them. sent: Heb. multiplied their letters passing to Tobiah”
Thus the Church of God hath evermore enemies within itself, which are more dangerous than the outward and professed enemy.