The Minor Prophets: 'Nehemiah Chapter 6, This is a Return to The Theme of Chapter 4 and The Opposition' at Christian Classics Ethereal Library

comment 'Nehemiah 6:1-2, Sanballat's Invitation' by beemanlee

This first verse starts out with the completed Walls. This was only
saying that the breach had been repaired in The Walls but The Doors were
not finished.


The Jewish Scholar, Malbim, points out that The Doors were not yet hung
on The Gates. The Walls were completely rebuilt with no breaks in them.
The Doors were still in the construction stage on location but not hung
fully in place.


In this first section of reading we will see that this invitation by
Sanballat is a typical Opposition trick. With deception being the first
tool of the opposition being used against Nehemiah.


V1 Now it happened when Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the
rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall, and [that] there
were no breaks left in it (though at that time I had not hung the doors
in the gates),
V2 that Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, "Come, let us meet
together among the villages[Kefirim] in the plain of Ono." But they
thought to do me harm.


Nehemiah was no stranger to this deception. Even on his first entry
into Jerusalem he was very covert with his movements as he first
inspected the Walls all around the Southern and Eastern parts of the
City of David. This was done so that no one would know the real purpose
for Nehemiah's being in Jerusalem.


This latest issue he received from Sanballat to meet him in the Plain
of Ono was only one more deviance, formally enacted to destroy The Work
being done on Jerusalem's Walls.

It wasn't very hard for Nehemiah to second guess this invitation by
Sanballat and see what the truth was behind the reason for going to
Kefirim. The trap was obvious, and Nehemiah was too much interested in
completing the job he had come so far to do, get The Doors hung on The
Gates of Jerusalem.