Nehemiah 4:9 – “But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.”
The walls around Jerusalem had been destroyed by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar as part of his conquest, and had laid in ruin for some time. After the Babylonian Captivity, a remnant of the Jewish people had returned to Jerusalem under the leadership of Zerubbabel and Ezra. These returned exiles had rebuilt the temple, but they were now in need of protection. The lack of fortified walls around the city left the people defenseless against enemies. Weather, wild animals, opposing people, and other opponents could easily enter and cause “great trouble” to the people.
Nehemiah was commissioned by the Persian king Artaxerxes to rebuild the walls around Jerusalem. A city with broken walls revealed a defeated people. The Jews who had returned to their homeland were both in unsafe conditions and humiliated at living in a destroyed city. Nehemiah told the Jewish leaders, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.”