Nehemiah's Adversaries (Tobiah and Sanballat)

Genesis 19:14

(14) And Lot went out, and spoke unto his sons-in-law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons-in-law.

When the angel pulled Lot out, they pulled out his DAUGHTERS but not their husbands, but the spirit of Sodom had taken them as well, so when they reached the cave they had seed with their father.

Genesis 19:36-38

(36) Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father.

(37) And the firstborn bore a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day.

(38) And the younger, she also bore a son, and called his name Ben-ammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day.

Now in Nehemiah the 2 main characters that fought against the burden of the Lord were Sandballat and Tobiah, I looked up their background and found this out:

Tobiah was an Ammonite official (possibly a governor of Ammon) who incited the Ammonites to hinder Ezra and Nehemiah's efforts to rebuild Jerusalem.

Sanballat is described as "the Horonite" (2:10, 19; 13:28). This likely has reference to the Moabite city of Horonaim (Isa. 15:5; Jer. 48:5, 34), which suggests that Sanballat, in all probability, was a Moabite. At the time he appears to have been the governor of Samaria (4:2). Tobiah was an Ammonite (2:10, 19; 4:3) and possibly Sanballat's servant.

Both of these men were connected to the Israelites through unlawful marriages (6:18; 13:28)

God hated these people so much he made a proclamation through Nehemiah:

Nehemiah 13:1-3

(1) On that day they read in the book of Moses in the audience of the people; and therein was found written, that the Ammonite and the Moabite should not come into the congregation of God forever;

(2) Because they met not the children of Israel with bread and with water, but hired Balaam against them, that he should curse them: howbeit our God turned the curse into a blessing.

(3) Now it came to pass, when they had heard the law, that they separated from Israel all the mixed multitude.

The beauty of this is that Ruth was in fact a Moabite, but because she desired the things of God and cherished the people of God, the call of God, and wanted to be His child, she was able to break through the law that was against her and through the kinsmen she was restored.