The Pulpit Commentary — Nehemiah — Section 40

HOMILETICS. Vers. 1-6.-Rui.icule of a good work. Sanballat and his friends had at first thought it impossible that Nehemiah would attempt to repair and restore the wall of Jerusalem. But when they found that the work was actually begun, and making good progress, their anger was equalled only by their astonishment, and they gave vent to their wrath in scoffs and ridicule. Happily they seem to have been so misled by their contempt for the feebleness of the Jews as to have deemed it impos- sible that they could really complete the undertaking ; and so they contented them- selves with ridicule until the work was so far advanced, and the people so organised and inspirited, that more formidable measures were unavailing. Nehemiah, however was much wounded by their scorn, expressed as it was not only before "the army of Samaria" (ver. 2), but "before the builders" (ver. 5), and adapted to discourage them ; and he expressed his feelings strongly in prayer to God. But he and the people, so for from being disheartened, had only the greater "mind to work," and speedily completed the restoration up to half the,height of the wall. Note- I. THE CONTEMPT AND RIDICULE WHICH GOOD WORKS HAVE OFTEN TO ENCOUNTER, ESPECIALLY AT THEIR COMMENCEMENT. Many discoveries and inventions of a secular character might be cited in illustration. The Copernican system. Gas. Railways, and the speed of travelling expected on them. Ocean steam-ships. But, confining ourselves to Christian enterprises, the first preaching and avowed aims of the gospel, the efforts of Christian reformers and evangelists, the work of modem missions, may be referred to ; and many an effort on a smaller scale to evangelise a dark and god- less population. 1. The circumstances which are thought to justify contempt an<;l ridicule. (1) The supposed impossihility of accomplishing the proposed object. "Will they revive the stones," &c. (2) The feebleness of those who undertake it. In number, wealth, mental capacity, and culture, &c. "What do these feeble Jews?" (3) Their expectation of Divine aid. "Will they sacrifice? " Thus "the preaching of the gospel is to them that perish foolishness ; " and those who preach it are sometimes regarded as either knaves or fools. 2. Their actual causes. (1) Dislike of the work and anger against the workers (ver. 1). Theee help to produce blindness as to the real facts of the case. (2) Ignorance and unbelief. The world knows not the real resources of Christians, and cannot understand their motives. It has no faith in the gospel or the Holy Ghost, in the precepts or promises which impel and inspirit Christian workers, or the Divine love which constrains them. Hence cannot rightly estimate their conduct or the probabilities of their success. What the world can see is manifestly insufficient, and it cannot see what renders success certain. (3) Felt paucity of solid grounds of objection. Ridicule often used as a substitute for argument. Il. THE EFFECT WHICH CONTEMPT AND RIDICULE SHOULD HAVE ON THOSE ENGAGED IN GOOD WORKS. 1. Care not to deserve them. It must be confessed that sometimes those engaged in religious enterprises invite ridicule, if not contempt; by manifest ignorance by cowardly fears of advancing science, by clap-trap and worldly policy, by cant o; weak sentimentalism, by glaring !nconsietencies between their lo~ty pro- fessions and their actual conduct, &c. It 1s one of the wholesome functions of raillery to baniJ;ih such follies from good undertakings, and thus make the work truer and stronger. 2. Prayer. Not like Nehemiah's, for vengeance on the despisers ; but forgiveness and that God would "tum their reproach on their hend '' by granting signal sucdess to the work. 3. Calm confidence. In the assurance of that Divine OH, IV. 1-6,] THE BOOK OF NEHEMIAH, 39