When Foxes Preach Text: Nehemiah 4:1-6
Introduction: The Inevitability of Scorn
Whenever the people of God set their hands to do a good work, a tangible work, a visible work for the kingdom, they must expect two things to happen simultaneously. The first is that God will bless the work, and the second is that the devil will stir up opposition. These two things are not contradictory; they are corollary. The presence of determined, vitriolic opposition is often one of the surest signs that the work is in fact God's work. If you are building something for the glory of God in this fallen world and no one is mocking you, you should probably stop and ask if you are building with worldly materials on a worldly foundation.
We live in an age that prizes niceness above all other virtues. We have been taught that if we are just winsome enough, clever enough, and accommodating enough, the world will eventually come to admire our work and perhaps even join in. Nehemiah teaches us the opposite. The world does not hate our bad manners; it hates our God. It does not despise our lack of cultural savvy; it despises the resurrected stones of Jerusalem. The rebuilding of the wall was a public declaration that Yahweh was the God of Israel, that His covenant was not broken, and that His people had a future. Such a declaration is an act of war against the principalities and powers, and they will always dispatch their earthly agents, their Sanballats and Tobiahs, to stop it.
The primary weapon deployed in this passage is not the sword, at least not yet. It is mockery. Scorn is a particularly insidious form of spiritual attack. A sword wound is honest, but mockery is designed to poison the heart, to induce shame, to make the builders feel foolish and small. It is the devil's attempt to get inside your head, to make you see your work through his eyes, as a pathetic, doomed enterprise. We must therefore learn from Nehemiah not only how to build, but how to respond when the enemies of God stand on the sidelines, laughing at our efforts.
The Text
Now it happened that when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and very vexed and mocked the Jews. He spoke in the presence of his brothers and the wealthy men of Samaria and said, "What are these feeble Jews doing? Are they going to restore it for themselves? Can they offer sacrifices? Can they complete it in a day? Can they bring the stones to life from the dusty rubble, though they are burned?" Now Tobiah the Ammonite was near him and he said, "Even what they are building, if a fox should jump on it, he would break their stone wall down!"
Hear, O our God, for we are despised! Return their reproach on their own heads and give them up for plunder in a land of captivity. Do not forgive their iniquity and let not their sin be blotted out before You, for they have vexed the builders.
So we built the wall and the whole wall was joined together to half its height, and the people had a heart to work.
(Nehemiah 4:1-6 LSB)
The Anatomy of Mockery (vv. 1-3)
The attack begins with the emotional reaction of the enemy, which then spills out in a torrent of scorn.
"Now it happened that when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and very vexed and mocked the Jews." (Nehemiah 4:1)
Sanballat's anger is theological. The wall represents the presence of God, the covenant faithfulness of God, and the distinct identity of God's people. A Jerusalem with walls is a city that cannot be easily assimilated into the bland, pagan soup of the surrounding cultures. This is what infuriates him. The world hates clear definitions. It hates walls. It wants everything to be a gray, homogenous blend. The very act of building a wall is a defiant statement that we belong to God and not to the world. And so, when Sanballat hears of the work, his response is not mild disagreement but hot rage. This rage is a good sign; it means the work is having its intended effect.
His rage then overflows in mockery, and he delivers his sermon of contempt before an audience of his "brothers and the wealthy men of Samaria." Mockery loves an audience. It is performative. He asks a series of rhetorical questions designed to belittle every aspect of the Jews' work.
"What are these feeble Jews doing? Are they going to restore it for themselves? Can they offer sacrifices? Can they complete it in a day? Can they bring the stones to life from the dusty rubble, though they are burned?" (Nehemiah 4:2)
Let us dissect these questions, for they reveal the timeless strategy of the enemy. First, "What are these feeble Jews doing?" This is an attack on their identity and strength. The world always sees the church as weak, irrelevant, and pathetic. Second, "Are they going to restore it for themselves?" This is an attack on their authority. Who do they think they are? By what right do they undertake such a project? Third, "Can they offer sacrifices?" This is an attack on their worship. He implies that their work is not truly spiritual, that God will not accept it. Fourth, "Can they complete it in a day?" This is an attack on their competence and realism. He paints them as naive dreamers engaged in a foolishly impossible task.
But the final question is the most revealing: "Can they bring the stones to life from the dusty rubble, though they are burned?" This is the heart of unbelief. Sanballat sees only burned stones, useless debris. From a purely materialist perspective, he is right. The stones are ruined. But he has no category for a God who specializes in resurrection. He has no grid for a God who brings life out of death, who creates ex nihilo, and who can take the burned-out rubble of our lives and build a holy temple. This question is a denial of the power of God, and it is the central lie behind all mockery.
"Now Tobiah the Ammonite was near him and he said, 'Even what they are building, if a fox should jump on it, he would break their stone wall down!'" (Nehemiah 4:3)
Tobiah, the sycophant, provides the punchline. This is the witty remark meant to draw laughter and seal the contempt. The image is absurd. A fox is a lightweight animal. The insult is pure hyperbole, designed to paint the wall as utterly fragile and pathetic. This is how worldly wisdom operates. It uses cleverness and wit to dismiss the work of God. The enemies of Christ are often very funny. Their stand-up routines against the church can be quite clever. But it is the laughter of fools, signifying nothing.
The Righteous Response (vv. 4-5)
Nehemiah's response to this barrage of scorn is instructive. He does not engage in a debate with Sanballat. He does not write a letter to the editor of the Samaria Times. He does not hire a consultant to improve the wall's public image. He turns immediately and vertically to God.
"Hear, O our God, for we are despised! Return their reproach on their own heads and give them up for plunder in a land of captivity." (Nehemiah 4:4)
This is an imprecatory prayer. Such prayers make modern, sentimental Christians very nervous. But they are thoroughly biblical and profoundly righteous. Nehemiah understands that the mockery against the Jews is ultimately mockery against their God. The reproach is not just against them; it is against God's name and God's project. Therefore, he asks God, the righteous judge, to act. He is not taking vengeance into his own hands; he is handing the case over to the supreme court of heaven. He asks God to return their reproach on their own heads, which is simply the principle of biblical justice, the lex talionis. Let them reap what they have sown.
"Do not forgive their iniquity and let not their sin be blotted out before You, for they have vexed the builders." (Nehemiah 4:5)
This is the part that truly offends our therapeutic age. "Do not forgive their iniquity." Is this not contrary to the spirit of Christ? Not at all. Nehemiah is praying in the Old Covenant, but he is praying in line with God's perfect justice, which is unchanging. This is a prayer against hardened, unrepentant enemies who are actively seeking to thwart the purposes of God. To pray for their forgiveness while they are still shaking their fist at heaven would be to ask God to be unjust. This prayer is an acknowledgment that God's glory is revealed not only in His mercy to the penitent but also in His justice upon the defiant. They have "vexed the builders," or more literally, "provoked you to anger to the face of the builders." Their sin is public, high-handed, and directed at God Himself.
The Fruit of Faithful Work (v. 6)
So what is the result of this exchange? The enemies mock, Nehemiah prays, and what happens next? Does the work stop? Are the builders demoralized? Quite the opposite.
"So we built the wall and the whole wall was joined together to half its height, and the people had a heart to work." (Nehemiah 4:6)
The word "So" is pivotal. Because the enemies mocked, and because Nehemiah prayed, the people worked. The mockery, once it was processed through prayer and handed over to God, became fuel for the work. Instead of being discouraged, the people were energized. The opposition clarified the stakes and solidified their resolve.
Notice the key phrase: "and the people had a heart to work." The Hebrew is literally "there was a heart to the people to work." Their motivation was not external; it was internal. It was a Spirit-given, grace-driven desire to see the work completed. This is the sign of true revival. It is not just about emotional meetings; it is about calloused hands and a shared determination to build.
And their work bore fruit. The wall was joined together to half its height. This is tangible, measurable progress. They did not just pray; they prayed and picked up the next stone. This is the biblical pattern. Faith without works is as dead as a burned stone. But faith that prays in the face of mockery and then gets back to work is the faith that builds cities and transforms cultures.
Conclusion: Keep Building
The lesson for us is plain. If you set out to build anything for Christ, whether it is a Christian family, a classical Christian school, or a faithful church, the Sanballats and Tobiahs of this world will show up. They will stand at a safe distance and preach their sermons of scorn. They will call you feeble. They will question your authority. They will tell you that you are working with burned-out rubble and that a fox could topple your efforts.
You have two options. You can listen to the foxes, become discouraged, and lay down your trowel. Or you can do what Nehemiah did. You can turn to God and say, "Hear, O our God, for we are despised!" You can hand the insults over to Him, trusting Him to be your vindicator. And then, with your heart strangely warmed and your resolve strangely strengthened, you can turn to the brother next to you and say, "Pass me another stone."
For we worship a God who brought His own Son, the chief cornerstone, back from the rubble of death. The world mocked Him as feeble on the cross. They thought His work was finished. But God raised Him from the dead, and He is now building His church, and the gates of Hell, let alone a stray fox, shall not prevail against it. So take heart. The mockery is a sign that you are on the right track. Pray, and keep building.