They that built on the wall, and they that bore burdens, with those that loaded, wrought in the work with one hand, and with the other they held a weapon.
The wall of Jerusalem is going up while enemies wait for a chance to attack. Nehemiah's answer is not to choose between building and defending, and not to leave the fighting to a trained few.
Did every man really lay stones one-handed for months on end? One writer reads the next verse as the explanation.
The text says that both the builders and the burden bearers worked with one hand and carried a weapon in the other (v. 17). Verse 18 may explain this further. The sword was not always held in the hand. It was strapped at the worker's side, where he could reach it quickly if he needed it.
One writer reads the verse as naming three groups: the builders, those who carried loads, and those who loaded them. He sees in that division a picture of how God's people share the work.
The builders, the burden-bearers, and those who loaded are also named apart. (v. 17.) Each had his appointed work, and all of it served the same end. God's people are happy when they see the special place they are fitted for, and fill it for the Lord. Forgetting this truth has produced confusion in the church in every age. If we are burden-bearers, let us not try to be builders; and if builders, let us get on with our building. The Lord, not the servant, appoints the work and fits us for it.
Different jobs, yes — but one description covers them all. One writer takes that as a reading of the times, and finds the same pattern in the letter of Jude.
But whether builders, burden-bearers, or "those who loaded," one feature marked them all alike — "each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other." That alone shows what the times were like. They were dangerous times, when Satan's power showed itself more and more against the people of God. They were like the days when Jude wrote his letter; for we find the same two things in him — the sword and the trowel. He had to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints, and he also urged his readers to build themselves up on their most holy faith.
The same writer sees the risk running the other way too. Conflict can swallow a person whole, and the building stops.
When controversies arise through Satan's attacks on the truth, there is a danger. We forget the need of souls. We stop building. We get so taken up with the enemy that we overlook the steady, persistent ministry of Christ that sustains and nourishes souls. The weapons must be ready; but our work is to go on with the wall.
Some are better fitted for defence than others. Does that let the rest leave the fighting to them?
Those who help in the work, and even those who give themselves fully to it, must never let their watchfulness slip. If they cannot hold a weapon in one hand, let them strap the sword at their side. No child of God should leave the use of the Word, that two-edged sword, entirely to others. Some may be more qualified than others to apply it at any given moment... but we must all bear it in every circumstance.
The same writer imagines what the enemy would say to a worker who straps on a sword.
Give your swords to others, who are better fitted for fighting than you. Look after your own work: don't try to do two things at once... No, the worker replies, everything will not be fine if I let your words lull me to sleep. It is a priceless privilege to let the Lord act, but am I not responsible to fight for Him? To say "the Lord will step in," while I myself drop the sword of the Spirit, watchfulness, prayer, and perseverance, is to run after certain defeat.
The pattern did not stop with Nehemiah's wall.
True servants of God have always had to spend a large part of their time and energy defending the truth. From the beginning the apostles had to preach the gospel and teach the truth. They also had to spend much time defending it from the enemy's attacks... The truth is worth contending for. If we lose it, we lose almost everything. So let each of us make sure that, in a spiritual sense, we have a sword in one hand and a trowel in the other, to do the Lord's work.
- Two hands. Every worker carried both. The tool was in one hand, and the weapon in the other or strapped at his side.
- Two roles. Loads, loading, building — each had his own appointed work, and all of it went into the same wall. Forgetting this has caused confusion in every age.
- Two dangers. Build without watching, and you stand defenceless. Fight without building, and souls go unfed.
- No exemptions. Some are better armed than others, but no child of God may leave the use of the Word entirely to specialists.
- No end date. From the apostles until now, God's servants have had to defend the truth. Lose it, and you lose almost everything.
And the builders had every one his sword girded by his side, and built. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me.
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.
And I said to the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work is great and extended, and we are scattered upon the wall, one far from another
Nehemiah pauses the building to speak to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people. The job is huge, and the builders are spread thin along the wall, far apart. He says this to explain what comes next: a leader, a trumpeter, and one place to run to.
The builders were far apart because the job was big, not because they were divided. One writer marks the difference between workers who are scattered and workers who are disconnected:
Along with the sword and the trowel there was the trumpet, to be blown when an alarm was needed. The work was great and large, so the workers were spread far apart from one another. Yet they were one in the work, not many disconnected people. So what endangered one endangered all, and their unity in the work had to be preserved.
A gap in the line is exactly what an enemy wants. The answer is a place where the workers gather:
To be effective, the work must be a combined effort. When the enemy appears, believers must not be scattered. If they put up no combined resistance at the point of attack, they are sure to give way. The enemy takes advantage of God's children when they are scattered. Their gathering together is what he is most against, because he knows that it multiplies their strength. So when he attacks them, his first concern is to sow discord and division among them… Let us not say: My work is enough for me. No, our Head says, it is not enough, for if the enemy finds you isolated, he will destroy both you and your work.
Nehemiah did not leave the trumpeter out on the wall somewhere. He kept him at his own side, so the signal always came from one place. One writer notes who was allowed to blow it, and who the leader pictures:
Beside Nehemiah was one who sounded the trumpet. It was priests who did this service (Num. 10:8). If warfare threatened, they were to sound an alarm (Num. 10:9). In this case it would be Nehemiah who gave orders to the trumpeter, for Nehemiah is a type of Christ, the Leader.
The whole workforce would drop everything at that sound. So it mattered who blew it, and when:
Only the priests were to blow the trumpets — only those who stayed near enough to understand the Lord's mind and to be in communion with it. So here, the man who sounded the trumpet was to stay with Nehemiah, and to sound it only at his master's bidding. Nehemiah had to discern the moment to sound. The trumpeter had to catch the first hint of Nehemiah's mind and will. It is the same now. Only those who live in the enjoyment of their priestly privileges, near to the mind of Christ and in communion with it, know how to sound an alarm. If they blew at their own will, or on their own idea of danger, they would only cause confusion. They would call the builders away from their work, and so do the work of the enemy.
Nehemiah spoke to nobles, officials and workmen alike, and gave them all one order to obey. That obedience would sometimes cost them the work they preferred:
For the moment they had to stop their work, gather around the Lord, and make common cause against the enemy. If the trumpet sounded, it would be unfaithfulness to keep on building. The Lord's mind for them at that moment would be defence and conflict, not building. Some of the builders, as often happens, might feel it was far happier work to build than to fight. But the only question for them would be: Has the trumpet sounded? If it had, they were to obey the call… In all these arrangements one mind governs all. Nehemiah commands, and the part of the people — whether rulers, nobles, or the rest — was simply obedience.
- Great — the size of the task is what spreads the workers out. Distance on the wall is a cost of the work, not a fault in it.
- Separated — distance is the enemy's opening. He takes advantage of scattered people, and his first move is to sow discord among them.
- One — workers far apart are still one in the work, so what endangers one endangers all. "my work is enough for me" is the sentence that loses both the worker and his work.
- Gather — the answer to distance is one rallying point. The trumpeter stays beside the leader, so the call always comes from one mind.
- Obey — when the trumpet sounds, the only question is whether it sounded. Building gives way to defence, even for those who love building more than fighting.
in what place ye hear the sound of the trumpet, thither shall ye assemble to us; our God will fight for us.
The wall was long, the builders were spread thin, and enemies were watching for an isolated group to pick off. Nehemiah answered with one signal and one promise. One sound would bring everyone to the same place, and God Himself would do the fighting.
One writer reads the call to gather as the answer to the enemy's favourite move: keeping believers apart.
The work must be done together to be effective. When the enemy appears, believers must not be scattered. If they do not resist together at the point of attack, they are sure to lose. The enemy takes advantage of God's children when they are scattered. Their gathering together is what he opposes most, because he knows it multiplies their strength. So when he attacks them, his first aim is to sow discord and division among them… We have a centre of gathering. Let us gather around our Head. The trumpet has already sounded loud enough for everyone to hear. Let us hurry. Let us not say: My own work is enough for me. No, our Head says, it is not enough, for if the enemy finds you isolated, he will destroy both you and your work.
This trumpet is not just any noise. The law already settled what it was for and who could blow it.
Numbers 10 shows what the holy trumpets were for. They were used "for summoning the congregation and for breaking camp." In times of war they were also to blow an alarm. That alarm did two things: it gathered the people, and it came up before God and called Him in, so that He would save them from their enemies. And the command was that only the priests should blow the trumpets — only those who, being near Him, understood the Lord's mind and were in close fellowship with Him… If they blew whenever they liked, or because they themselves felt danger, they would only cause confusion. They would call the builders away from their work, and so do the enemy's work for him.
The trumpeter did not stand alone. He stood beside Nehemiah, so the sound marked where the leader was.
Beside Nehemiah was one who sounded the trumpet. It was priests who did this service (Numbers 10:8). If warfare threatened, they were to sound an alarm (Numbers 10:9). In this case it would be Nehemiah who gave orders to the trumpeter, for Nehemiah is a picture of Christ, the Leader.
Answering the call meant leaving the wall unfinished for a while. That is hard for anyone who would rather build than fight.
For the moment they had to stop work and gather around the Lord, making common cause against the enemy. If the trumpet sounded, staying at their work would have been unfaithful. At that moment the Lord's mind for them was defence and conflict, not building. Some of the builders, as often happens, might feel that building was much happier work than fighting. But the only question for them was this: had the trumpet sounded? If it had, they were to obey the call.
The verse ends with a promise. It rests on what God had said about the alarm, and it works on two audiences at once.
If God called the people together to defend His cause, He would surely rescue them from the power of the enemy. What courage that promise should give us! If by His grace we stand with God against the enemy, we can count on His help. "Our God will fight for us" is a battle-cry. It encourages His servants and strikes dread into the heart of the enemy at the same time.
Trust in God does not end the believer's own fight. One writer puts the question to himself.
It is a priceless privilege to let the Lord act. But am I not responsible to fight for Him? To say "the Lord will step in" while I myself give up the sword of the Spirit, watchfulness, prayer and perseverance is to run toward certain defeat.
- Scattered. A long wall spreads workers thin. A lone worker is the enemy's easiest target, so he starts with division.
- Sounded. Only those close enough to the Lord to know His mind may sound the alarm. Blowing it out of personal fear just empties the wall and helps the enemy.
- Summoned. Wherever the trumpet sounds, everyone rallies to the leader, even if that means dropping work they enjoyed more than fighting.
- Supported. "Our God will fight for us" is a battle-cry. It steadies His servants and unsettles the enemy at the same moment.
- Sword still on. Counting on God while you drop watchfulness, prayer and perseverance is not faith. It is a run toward defeat.