Do not be afraid . . . Jehovah the great and the fear-inspiring One keep in your mind.—Neh. 4:14.
When opposers of true worship in Nehemiah’s time heard that “the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem had gone forward,” they took up their swords to “fight against Jerusalem.” For the Jews the situation looked gloomy. There were Samaritans in the north, Ammonites in the east, Arabs in the south, and Ashdodites in the west. Jerusalem was surrounded; the builders appeared to be trapped! What were they to do? “We prayed to our God,” says Nehemiah. The enemies threatened: “We shall certainly kill them and put a stop to the work.” Nehemiah responded by assigning the builders the task of defending the city “with their swords, their lances and their bows.” True, humanly speaking, the small band of Jews did not stand a chance against the overwhelming enemy forces, but Nehemiah urged them to trust in Jehovah.—Neh. 4:7-9, 11, 13. w07 7/1 2:9
