The Old Testament book of Nehemiah describes how God gave His vision for the Israelites to Nehemiah, cupbearer to King Artaxerxes. This vision began with the reconstruction of the walls around the city of Jerusalem but ultimately included the restoration of the Israelite nation spiritually, geographically, and economically. This Israelite renewal came at the objection of several neighboring leaders, specifically, Tobiah, Sanballat and Geshem.
Tobiah, a Jewish Leader
Notably, Tobiah was a practicing Jew. His name was Hebrew for "Yah [God] is good." Though he is referred to as "Tobiah the Ammonite" (Nehemiah 2:10-19), this does not indicate he was a Gentile. Rather, it is probable that Tobiah's ancestors fled to Ammon during the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem. From Ammon, Tobiah was bestowed with the title of servant to the Persian Empire. This position would have granted him access to noble benefits of which he would not have wanted to relinquish.
The re-establishment of Jerusalem would have undermined his political authority and he repeatedly attempted to intimidate Nehemiah and the Israelites during the rebuilding efforts. Tobiah was privy to insider information on the progress in Jerusalem. His son, Jehohanan, married the daughter of a prominent Jewish family.
Sanballat, the Governor of Samaria
Though the meaning of Sanballat's name refers to a foreign god, "Sin [the god] has healed," he also was a practicing Jew. Sanballat was likely his Babylonian name rather than his Jewish name. His sons' names reflected Hebrew etymology. Sanballat was the governor of Samaria, who had ties to Jerusalem through his daughter. She married the grandson of Jerusalem’s high priest (Nehemiah 13:28).
Nehemiah referred to Sanballat as the “Horonite”. Most likely he was connected with Upper or Lower Beth-Horon. Both of these cities dominated the trade highway between Jerusalem and the Mediterranean Sea. The restoration of Jerusalem would have been of great threat to Sanballat’s power, which likely motivated him to seek out allies to oppose rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls. His opposition would most likely have been politically motivated rather than racially or spiritually.
Geshem, Powerful Ruler Established by Persian Empire
Though Geshem was a servant of the Persian Empire; he had great power over the tribes of the Syrian Desert, southern Palestine, the delta region of Egypt, and northern Arabia. Unlike Tobiah and Sanballat, Geshem was not a Jew but rather an Arabian ruler of Kedar. He joined forces with Nehemiah’s enemies, Tobiah and Sanballat, in attempts to thwart the restoration of the city. More than likely he wanted to gain further control of the Palestine area and perceived a revived Jerusalem as a threat. A revitalized authority there would have weakened Geshem's trade routes and undermined his power.
These three men found common ground and their repeated attempts to stop the re-establishment of the walls of Jerusalem are recorded in Nehemiah 2:19, 6:1-19. Despite the level of power they wielded, they were unsuccessful at stopping Nehemiah. At the close of the book, everything has been restored to Judea, except the king. The Temple has been rebuilt, Jerusalem reconstructed, the covenant restored, and the people are reformed. The final step would be restoration of the king, which the Bible records as the return of Jesus Christ, the Messiah.
References:
Brand, Chad. Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Nashiville, TN: B & H Pub Group, 2003. Print.
Jennifer White - Jennifer White has authored parenting books and has worked in childcare and education fields for over 15 years. She now focuses much of ...
