Jerusalem stands as a symbolic and strategic heart of Jewish identity. Its restoration has been defended many times over centuries, I believe, parallels modern Israel’s journey through adversity. In Nehemiah’s day, Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem conspired to oppose the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls. In our time, Israel faces slander, legal assaults, multi-front terror campaigns, and delegitimization efforts. But just as Nehemiah persevered through prayer, vigilance, and unity, so too Israel defends itself—physically, morally, and spiritually – along with those who support her.
What I want to attempt to do here is track those parallels in depth, weaving historical figures and modern parties together, and underscoring—through scripture, examination, and current events—why supporting Israel’s right to defend, rebuild, and exist is not only strategic but an expression of moral clarity.
Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem – How are they being repeated?
In Nehemiah 2:10, we read that when Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem to rebuild its walls, Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arab were “very much disturbed that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites.” These men represented regional authorities aligned with the Persian Empire—and they viewed Jerusalem’s fortification as a threat to their influence and borders. Their tactics were diverse and shrewd, which included:
- Mockery and Ridicule
“When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews,” especially through sarcastic comparisons like a fox climbing the wall (Neh 4:1; 2:19; Tobiah’s “fox” joke in 4:3). - Fear and Intimidation
These local rulers conspired to launch violent attacks, “planning to come and fight against Jerusalem and cause confusion” (Neh 4:7–8). They also spread rumors to demoralize the workers (Neh 4:9–12). - Deception & Entrapment
They invited Nehemiah to meet them in the plain of Ono, four times—clearly a trap (Neh 6:1–4). - Narrative Control/Manipulation & Collusion
They spread rumors that Nehemiah was plotting rebellion against the Persian king (Neh 6:6). Tobiah had a son-in-law in Jerusalem (from Eliashib the high priest), and Tobiah even received custody of the temple storerooms—an internal abuse of power (Neh 13:4, 28). - Divided Loyalty and Internal Corruption
Some Jewish elites colluded with these opponents, echoing how portions of society can be swayed by external pressure (Neh 13:4, 28).
But we see Nehemiah’s response displayed integrity and faithfulness –
- He refused the traps (“I am doing a great work… why should I come down?” — Neh 6:3
- He responded to threats with prayer: “Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, my God…” (Neh 6:14).
- He kept building, organized armed defense, and refused to be swayed (Neh 4–6).
- Despite external mockery, intimidation, internal collusion, and narrative attacks, the walls were completed in 52 days (Neh 6:15).
Modern Parallels: Israel’s Opponents and Their Tactics
Just as in Nehemiah’s time, Israel today faces a coalition of threats—regional, legal, ideological, and moral—aimed at weakening its security, defaming its legitimacy, and stopping its growth. Here’s a detailed comparison across time and tactic:
- Mockery & Ridicule → Global Slander and Media Bias
Ancient: Sanballat and Tobiah mocked the rebuilding in contempt (e.g., “fox” quips, scoffing at “feeble Jews”).
Modern: Israel often confronts skewed narratives—by celebrities, media, and global institutions—that equate Israeli defense with oppression. A recent example: U2 members called Israel’s military response “indefensible” and “ethnic cleansing” despite acknowledging the tragedy of Hamas’s massacre on Oct. 7.
Parallel: The attempt is to discredit Israel’s legitimate defense—even amidst terror—through emotional, symbolic vilification.
- Fear & Multi-Front Pressure → Terror and Military Encirclement
Ancient: The coalition threatened physical assault, causing confusion and fear. Enduring Word
Modern: Israel is simultaneously threatened by Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and other proxies in Syria and beyond—creating multi-front instability and constant danger.
Parallel: Just as Nehemiah’s workers armed themselves while building, Israelis face terror while maintaining life and defense.
- Deception & Entrapment → Legal and Political Traps
Ancient: Repeated calls for “meetings” that were traps.
Modern: Israel is ensnared in legal battlegrounds like the International Criminal Court (ICC). Despite not being a member, Israeli leaders (Netanyahu, Gallant) have arrest warrants issued against them, on the grounds of war crimes, along with Hamas leaders. They are also denounced in the United Nations, and now European Nations are calling for a Palestinian State to exist starting this September.
Parallel: As Nehemiah avoided physical traps, Israel deflects unfair legal traps intended to delegitimize self-defense.
- Narrative Attacks & Collusion → Media Bias, Internal Dissent, Human Shields
Ancient: Jewish elites were entangled—Tobiah’s inroads into the temple storerooms show how internal collusion weakens defenses (Neh 13).
Modern: Israel faces internal criticism, but also external narrative manipulation—such as Hamas’s use of human shields to induce Israeli restraint, then blaming Israel for civilian casualties. They also hold Israeli civilian hostages without any effort to return, except for force leveled against them. They killed infant hostages – placed child hostages in cages and burned them – but there is little international outrage.
Parallel: Just as Nehemiah had to confront internal corruption, Israel must contend with both internal critique and foreign campaigns that weaponize civilian suffering.
- Lawfare: Colonial Legal Frameworks fomented by International Legal Pressure
- Ancient: Sanballat appealed to Persian law and governors.
- Modern: Israel is pressured through lawfare—UN resolutions, ICC investigations, ICJ disputes, NGO litigation, and global liability narratives.
- Parallel: Legal systems intended to uphold justice are weaponized to delegitimize Israel even while censoring the terror narrative.
- Economic Blockade & Divestment (BDS & Sanctions)
- Ancient: The effort to discourage the workforce and cut supplies.
- Modern: The BDS movement, begun in 2005, pressures Israel through boycotts, cultural divestment, and academic isolation—often ignoring the broader context of conflict.
- Parallel: The aim remains: isolate, demoralize, and signal that Jerusalem need not be rebuilt. Israel, like Nehemiah’s builders, perseveres—often strengthening alternatives in response.
- Completion Despite Opposition
- Ancient: Nehemiah completed the wall in 52 days amid threats.
- Modern: Israel continues strengthening its defense, legal institutions, and civil society. Despite legal threats, military terror, and global pressure, Israel remains a democratic, innovative state—defending its citizens, advancing diplomacy, and seeking peace when possible.
Genealogies and Geography: Why Regional Forces Resist Israeli Stability
It’s not about ethnicity – the world always makes race a lightning rod – but this is simply not what it is about…it’s about power geography:
- Sanballat: A Samarian/Moabite regional governor, concerned his power base would erode if Jerusalem became fortified.
- Tobiah: Ammonite representative; married into Jewish elite—tying himself into the system to dilute resistance.
- Geshem: Arab tribal leader south/east of Judah—economically invested in a weak Jerusalem.
- Modern parallel: Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Islamic Jihad, various Arab states, and proxies—dynamic rivals who benefit strategically and economically when Israel remains preoccupied or weakened.
The Biblical Model: Faith, Work, and Unity as Israel’s Blueprint
Nehemiah’s Model:
- Prayer: “Remember… my God.”
- Prayer with Planning: Organized, armed building teams.
- Narrative Clarity: He refused tricks and rumors.
- Spiritual & Civic Integrity: Confronted internal corruption decisively.
Modern Israel’s equivalent:
- Faith and Prayer: Many Israelis and supporters turn to prayer amid dire times.
- Defense and Tech: Israeli defense industries, the IDF, and civil resilience.
- Strategic Communication: In a world of media bias, Israel invests in public diplomacy—and civil boundaries.
- Institutional Integrity: Ongoing debates about government transparency, rule of law, and civil liberties reflect struggles similar to Nehemiah confronting internal collusion.
Conclusion: Standing With Israel Is Both Just and Strategic
Jerusalem’s ancient walls symbolized survival, identity, and sovereignty. Nehemiah faced mocking, threats, legal traps, and internal compromise—and overcame them.
Modern Israel faces the same threat pattern:
Mockery and slander from media and cultural elites; Multi-front terror and regional aggression; International legal frameworks weaponized through uneven lawfare; Delegitimization via BDS and UN resolutions; AND Internal and external narrative manipulation. So what does the big picture look like? – Well, I always tell those who ask, “What is your favorite book of the Bible?” – that it is the book of Ezra – BECAUSE Ultimate Kingdom restoration is all in this book. Personal revival, National Reconciliation to God, Preservation of God’s people – and the list goes on…
Here is a synopsis of how that all works together – we must understand that Ezra, Esther, Nehemiah, and Chronicles, parts of Isaiah, Daniel, Haggai, and Zechariah are all woven together into ONE STORY – not seen in a vacuum. The return of the Jewish people from Babylonian exile unfolded under the reigns of five successive Persian kings and all attached Biblical references. This era, stretching from the late sixth to the mid-fifth century BC, was a time of both divine fulfillment and determined opposition, marked by prophetic leadership, political challenges, and moments of dramatic deliverance. So here is what it looked like:
Cyrus II “The Great” (559–530 BC)
In 539 BC, Cyrus the Great, king of Persia, conquered Babylon (Daniel 5:30–31), bringing the Medo-Persian Empire to dominance over the ancient Near East. Within a year, in 538 BC, he issued a decree allowing the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple. This remarkable act fulfilled long-standing prophecies (Ezra 1:1–4; 2 Chronicles 36:22–23; Isaiah 44:28; 45:1–4).
Led by Zerubbabel, a descendant of King David, and Joshua (Jeshua) the high priest, approximately 42,360 Jews returned (Ezra 2:64). In 537–536 BC, they rebuilt the altar and laid the foundation of the Temple (Ezra 3:1–13). However, opposition from neighboring peoples—particularly the Samaritans—soon halted the work (Ezra 4:1–5).
Cambyses II (530–522 BC)
Cambyses II, the son of Cyrus, expanded the Persian Empire into Egypt, but he is not mentioned by name in the biblical text. During his short reign, the Temple construction remained stalled. The returning exiles continued to face discouragement and obstruction from local adversaries.
Darius I “The Great” (522–486 BC)
Under Darius I, the project regained momentum. In 520 BC, the prophets Haggai and Zechariah stirred the people to resume building (Ezra 5:1–2; Haggai 1:1–15; Zechariah 1:1–6). Local governors challenged the work and sent a letter of inquiry to Darius (Ezra 5:6–17). A search of the royal archives uncovered Cyrus’s original decree, prompting Darius to reaffirm and enforce it (Ezra 6:1–12).
By 516 BC, seventy years after Jerusalem’s destruction by Babylon, the Temple was completed and dedicated (Ezra 6:13–18), fulfilling Jeremiah’s prophecy of a seventy-year exile (Jeremiah 25:11–12).
Xerxes I / Ahasuerus (486–465 BC)
Known in Hebrew as אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ (Aḥašwērōš), in Old Persian as Khshayarsha, and Greek as Ξέρξης (Xerxes), this king is remembered both in biblical history and in the annals of world events—particularly for his role in the Greco-Persian Wars (including the battles of Thermopylae and Salamis in 480 BC).
The Bible mentions him in Ezra 4:6, where, early in his reign, opponents of the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem sent an accusatory letter to the king—an early example of political obstruction against Jewish restoration efforts.
Xerxes is also the central monarch of the Book of Esther.
- In 483 BC (his third year), he held a lavish banquet for nobles (Esther 1:3), during which Queen Vashti refused to appear before him and was deposed.
- In 479–478 BC (seventh year), Esther was chosen as queen (Esther 2:16).
- By 474 BC (twelfth year), the infamous court official Haman plotted to annihilate the Jewish people throughout the Persian Empire (Esther 3:7). Esther, risking her life, exposed the plot, leading to Haman’s execution and the salvation of her people. The Feast of Purim was instituted to commemorate this deliverance (Esther 9:20–32).
This event was not merely local—it ensured the survival of the Jewish people across the empire, including those who had not returned to Jerusalem. Without Esther’s intervention, the covenant people could have been exterminated in the diaspora (exilic dispersion).
Artaxerxes I Longimanus (465–424 BC)
In 458 BC (his seventh year), Ezra returned to Jerusalem with another group of exiles (Ezra 7:1–10). Ezra devoted himself to teaching the Law of God, reforming worship practices, and confronting intermarriage issues that compromised the community’s covenant integrity (Ezra 9–10).
In 445 BC (his twentieth year), Nehemiah—cupbearer to the king—heard that Jerusalem’s walls were still in ruins (Nehemiah 1:1–3). Granted royal permission and resources, he returned to rebuild the city’s fortifications. Nehemiah faced fierce opposition from Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arab (Nehemiah 2–6), but with determined leadership and divine help, the walls were rebuilt in only 52 days (Nehemiah 6:15). Together, Ezra’s teaching and Nehemiah’s reforms sparked a spiritual revival among the returned exiles (Nehemiah 8–10).
Summary of the Kings (See Graphic)
- Cyrus – Decree issued for the Jews to return and rebuild the Temple.
- Cambyses – Work on the Temple stalled.
- Darius I – Temple completed and dedicated.
- Xerxes I / Ahasuerus – Political opposition to Jerusalem and the empire-wide deliverance of Jews through Esther.
- Artaxerxes I – Ezra’s and Nehemiah’s returns; rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls; covenant renewal.
Why Esther Fits Between Ezra 6 and Ezra 7
Ezra 6 closes during the reign of Darius I with the Temple’s completion in 516 BC. Ezra 7 then jumps forward to the reign of Artaxerxes I in 458 BC. This creates a gap of approximately 58 years—precisely the period of Xerxes’s reign—during which the events of Esther occurred. This means that Purim took place after the completion of the Temple but before Ezra arrived in Jerusalem. That was a last-ditch effort for satan to destroy the Jewish people, which only ended up seeing the destroyer impaled on a 75-foot stake. “Cursed is everything that hangs on a tree.” This, I believe, also prophetically speaks to the end of the end – when the lake of fire engulfs the finality of the devil and his angelic host. It is why the Almighty will never abandon
So, as in this 100-year timeline, where ancient Israel endured, it brings us to today after 77 years, where Modern Israel Endures – not because it’s perfect, but because it perseveres, defends, builds, and speaks truth to power when it comes to God’s covenant. The parallels with the storyline above are not just historic—they provide a blueprint for what faithful resilience looks like. Supporting Israel does not mean that it’s a simple equation without human complexities. It means affirming the right to protect, rebuild, and exist—with justice, fortitude, and courage. Just as Nehemiah refused to be deterred, so must Israel—and so must its supporters—stand firm.
