king’s consent to his departure indicate that he was a man of rare energy and ability.  Artaxerxes I was famous for his susceptibility to the influence of court favorites.  The queen referred to in 1:6 was probably the queen-mother Amestris, who exercised commanding authority in the Persian court.  Without the royal consent and the resources and authority granted him, Nehemiah could hardly have accomplished the large task which he undertook.  The arduous journey of fifteen hundred miles over mountains and barren deserts was enough to daunt a man reared in the luxury of an Oriental court, but Nehemiah was inspired by an ideal of service which recognized no obstacles.

III.  Obstacles that Confronted Him.  The high-priestly rulers do not appear to have welcomed Nehemiah with enthusiasm.  Some of them, at least, later sought to undermine his work.  It is not difficult to infer the reason for their apathy.  Intrenched wealth and authority are usually conservative, especially if conscious that their position is easily assailable.  As the sequel proved, these leaders of the community were simply intent upon self-aggrandizement, even at the expense of the dependent members of the community.  A revolutionizing work like that proposed by Nehemiah was certain to affect their vested interests and to reveal their cruel selfishness.  Certain of their families had also intermarried with neighboring chieftains; and they were quite content with the existing conditions.  A second obstacle was the opposition of the hostile peoples who surrounded the little Judean community.  On the east the Ammonites had apparently pressed in and occupied the ancient Hebrew territory as far as the Jordan.  Tobiah, the Ammonite, who figures prominently in Nehemiah’s narrative, was probably one of their local chiefs.  Gashmu, the Arabian, represented the half-civilized Bedouin tribes that had invaded the territory of Judea from the south and east during the period of weakness following the destruction of Jerusalem.  Possibly he belonged to the Edomites who then held Hebron and all of the southern part of Judea.  Nehemiah also refers to the descendents of Israel’s ancient foes, the Philistines, living in the city of Ashdod.  On the north the superior resources of Samaria had asserted themselves, and these survivors of the ancient Israelites who lived among the hills of Ephraim had grown into a powerful nation that overshadowed the struggling Judean community.  These northerners, however, still worshipped at Jerusalem and were closely allied with the Jews.  At their head was Sanballat, the Horonite, who probably came from Bethhoron, in southwestern Samaria.  Each of these peoples inherited the feeling of hostility with which their fathers had regarded the people of Judah, and looked with suspicion upon any movement to re-establish Jerusalem’s former strength and prestige.  Furthermore, the men of the Judean community itself lacked courage and training.  With inefficient helpers and with opponents within and without the community, Nehemiah’s task seemed well-nigh impossible.  That he succeeded in the face of all these obstacles in rebuilding the walls in the incredibly short period of fifty-two days is only explained by his superlative skill, devotion, and energy.