Why had Nehemiah kept his mission secret (Nehemiah 2:12)?
Two factors may explain Nehemiah s secrecy: (1) Jerusalem, without its protecting walls, was populated with many non-Jews and was a hotbed of political intrigue. Spies would be willing to sell secrets to enemies of the Jews. (2) Any attempt to rally the demoralized Jews to rebuild the walls without a clear plan would breed skepticism among those he needed to inspire. The Quest Study Bible Aren t we supposed to pray for our enemies not seek their demise (Nehemiah 4:45)? While Jesus teaching clearly rules out hatred toward one s personal enemies and encourages prayer for them (Matthew 5:4348), Nehemiah was, technically, praying for his enemies here. Jesus never taught that it is somehow God-honoring for evil to prevail. So when we pray for our enemies, that doesn t mean we should desire that their hostile schemes succeed it s perfectly in line with Jesus intent for us to ask that all evil plans be thwarted. Jesus himself confronted evil people, verbally and otherwise, calling wicked Hero
