What is the meaning of Nehemiah 4:3? Then Tobiah the Ammonite Tobiah is introduced again as an adversary. Earlier we met him when “it displeased [him] greatly that someone had come to seek the welfare of the Israelites” (Nehemiah 2:10). The label “Ammonite” reminds us: • Ammon had long stood opposed to Israel (Deuteronomy 23:3-4). • Enemies often resurface when God’s people advance (Exodus 17:8-16; 1 Peter 5:8). Tobiah embodies the recurring resistance that seeks to discourage every fresh move of God. who was beside him Tobiah isn’t isolated; he is “beside” Sanballat, linking arms in opposition. Scripture warns about the company we keep: “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked… or sit in the seat of mockers” (Psalm 1:1). Their alliance illustrates: • Evil naturally networks (Psalm 83:3-5). • Partnerships amplify hostility (Proverbs 13:20). Standing shoulder-to-shoulder against God’s work always backfires (2 Chronicles 20:22). said Words matter. “The tongue has the power of life and death” (Proverbs 18:21). Here the enemies choose death-dealing speech: • Mockery aims to erode morale (Psalm 123:3-4). • Verbal assaults often precede physical ones (Matthew 27:39-40). Yet their taunts can’t override God’s promises (Numbers 23:19). If even a fox were to climb up A fox is light-footed, scarcely able to disturb solid masonry. By picking the tiniest creature, Tobiah chooses pure ridicule. Similar scorn was heaped on Jesus: “Herod wants to kill you.” Jesus replied, “Go tell that fox…” (Luke 13:32). God’s people have always faced belittlement, but “fox-sized” mockery cannot derail a God-sized mission (1 Samuel 17:42-47). on what they are building The remnant is “building” under divine commission: “The God of heaven will give us success; therefore we His servants will arise and build” (Nehemiah 2:20). Every believer today is likewise “God’s fellow worker… building on the foundation” (1 Corinthians 3:9-10). • Our tasks are visible targets for ridicule. • Still, obedience keeps the hammers swinging (Philippians 2:13). it would break down their wall of stones! Tobiah claims the wall is so feeble that a mere fox could topple it. In reality Nehemiah’s wall would stand completed in fifty-two days (Nehemiah 6:15). God turns insults into testimony: • “See, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone… the one who believes will be unshaken” (Isaiah 28:16). • “You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house” (1 Peter 2:5). Opposition forecasts failure, but God guarantees endurance: “No weapon formed against you shall prosper” (Isaiah 54:17). summary Tobiah’s sarcastic jab spotlights a timeless clash: mockers belittle what God’s people build, yet the Lord Himself secures every stone. The verse exposes the enemy’s strategy—scorn, alliances, and discouraging words—while underscoring God’s strategy—steadfast purpose, unified builders, and walls that endure fox-sized taunts and far more. Stand firm; the wall will hold. |
    |