Sanballat and Tobiah - Nehemiah 2:10

In the book of Nehemiah, Nehemiah said, “I came to the governors beyond the river, and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me”, and in chapter two and verse ten of Nehemiah, Nehemiah shared about, “Sanballat and Tobiah”, where we read,

When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.

The verse reads, “When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, ...”. Nehemiah began with the words, “when Sanballat the Horonite” or “at the time and moment Sanballat whose name means strength and was a Horonite which means a native of Horonaim in Moab”, “and Tobiah the servant” which means “and Tobiah whose name means Jehovah is good and was a man of servile condition, slave and bondman”, “the Ammonite” or “a descendant of Ammon”, “heard of it” which means “was given the faculty of listening to, perceiving and giving attention toNehemiah coming with letters to the governors” the following occurred. Nehemiah shared at the time “Sanballat and Tobiah” perceived that Nehemiah was sent with “letters to the governors” the following happened. 

The verse continues, “... it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.” Nehemiah added the words, “it grieved them exceedingly” or “Nehemiah having the letters to the governors broke and displeased Sanballat and Tobiah” “that there was come a man” which means “that a male human being was dispatched and assigned” “to seek the welfare” or “to search out and discover the good, pleasant and agreeable state” “of the children of Israel” which means “belonging to the offspring and progeny belonging to the Israel whose name means God prevails and is the name of the descendants and nation of the descendants of Jacob”. Nehemiah said because Nehemiah was sent with “letters to the governors” to diligently discover the good state of the people of Israel, “Sanballat and Tobiah” were exceedingly displeased. 

When we consider the words in this verse, we learn through Nehemiah that not everyone was pleased or excited about him coming to the ruling authorities with “letters to the governors”. “Sanballat and Tobiah” may have believed themselves to be advocating for their own causes, but they were actually opponents to the work of God Almighty. Many people are like this today. Even Jesus, God's Only Begotten Son, faced opposition when He came into the world to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind and was resurrected from the dead three days later to provide salvation to all who believe. God wants us to have a personal relationship with Him, but Satan and those who align with him do not. When we put our faith and trust in Jesus as our “Lord and Savior”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and and put within us a resolve by His Holy Spirit to carry out His purposes regardless of the “Sanballats and Tobiahs” we encounter. 

Next time Nehemiah says, “I came to Jerusalem” so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".