. . . the Gospel writers, particularly Matthew, understood the building of the “wall” by Nehemiah as typifying the crucifixion, as demonstrated in the following table:
|
Nehemiah |
Christ |
|
“At that time I had
not set up the doors of the gates” (6:1) |
Possess the gates
of his enemies, hell and death (Rev. 1:18; Gen. 22:17) |
|
Asked four times to come down off
the wall . . . “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down” (6:3). |
Asked four times to come down off
the cross (Mtt. 27:41-43). |
|
Accused of wanting
to be king of the Jews (6:6). |
Crucified as king
of the Jews (Mtt. 27:37). |
|
“Their hands shall
be weakened from the work, that it be not done. Now, therefore, O God,
strengthen my hands” (6:9). |
His hands strengthened
for the cross. |
|
“And I said, should
such a man as I flee? And who is there, that being as I am, would go into the
Temple to save his life? I will not go in” (6:11). |
“Thinkest thou that
I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than
twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled,
that thus it must be?” (Mtt. 26:53, 54). |
|
“For they perceived
that this work was wrought of our God” (6:16). |
“Truly this was the
Son of God” (Mtt. 27:54). |
Source: Paulus Wyns, God is Judge: A Commentary on the Book
of Daniel (Biblaridion Media, 2011), 280