Nehemiah 6: “The Last Ditch Efforts By Enemies To Stop Nehemiah Before The Wall Is Completed Fails”
By
1. TIMELINE:
These graphs depict the timeline of the Old Testament, and note that the book of Nehemiah is written about a period of history after the Babylonian captivity and beginning in 445 BC.
Graph of Persian kings & Jewish companies sent out by them to Judea:
1.1. In our last study, we looked at chapter 5 of the book of Nehemiah.
1.1.1. We have seen in our study that in 445 BC that Nehemiah, a cupbearer to King Artaxerxes I, heard that the people in Jerusalem were in great distress and reproach, and the city wall was still broken down and its gates burned. This caused him to mourn, pray, and fast for four months that God might move the king’s heart and allow him to go and to rebuild Jerusalem’s wall. Finally, the Lord prepared the king’s heart for a conversation with Nehemiah, and when the king noticed that Nehemiah’s countenance was sad, he asked Nehemiah why he was sad in heart. The king then heard Nehemiah’s request and allowed him to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the city’s wall. The king gave Nehemiah all that he requested to successfully complete the job: official papers to give to the governors along the way, official paperwork to get all of the wood for building the gates, and an armed escort to assure a safe trip.
1.1.2. We saw that as the people continued to work on the wall that challenge after challenge was presented to them by their enemies, and without a great leader in Nehemiah they would have become discouraged and given up on building the wall.
1.1.3. We saw that Sanballat and Tobiah, the enemies of the Judeans, originally laughed at the Israelites who had come to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem. However, as the work on the wall progressed, so their anger and opposition against the Judeans increased as well. Judea’s enemies begin to mock and ridicule, next openly oppose Judea, and then when the wall was built to ˝ height they began to conspire to organize a plot to attack Jerusalem and the builders.
1.1.4. We saw how their leader Nehemiah dealt with the increasing warfare from their adversaries. They had to work with a weapon in one hand or strapped to their side, and half the people had to guard while the other half worked, and, some had to guard even in the evening.
1.1.5. We considered principles of spiritual warfare in our study, for the enemies that Nehemiah and the Judeans faced were only being motivated by the real enemy of our souls.
1.1.6. So far in our study of Nehemiah, we have observed several principles for effective leadership in Nehemiah’s life, including that an effective leader:
1.1.6.1.He gets people to do things they wouldn’t do otherwise, and enjoy doing it.
1.1.6.2.He understands people’s needs and recognizes problems.
1.1.6.3.He does not rush into action.
1.1.6.4.He goes to the Lord first about problems.
1.1.6.5.He is willing to be a solution to problems.
1.1.6.6.He waits on God to open doors, move in people’s hearts, and give the vision God has for them.
1.1.6.7.He keeps his emotions under control.
1.1.6.8.He plans.
1.1.6.9.He is discreet, keeps some things confidential, and tells others his plans at the proper time.
1.1.6.10.He is one who has gotten a proper balance of human responsibility and divine initiative, as he prays but plans.
1.1.6.11.He uses a combination of methods to motivate people but utilizes internal motivating factors more than external ones.
1.1.6.12.He is one who knows how to divide up a large project into a number of small projects that can be delegated to others to complete.
1.1.6.13.He is one who allows those under his leadership to have significant say in the things that they do.
1.1.6.14.He is one who has an understanding that timing is important. Important tasks must be done first, as with those tasks upon which other tasks depend.
1.1.6.15.He is one who leads God’s people to deal with the enemies and problems that do exist not those that are imaginary or could perhaps exist.
1.1.6.16.He is one who does not retaliate against those who are threatening him and giving him a hard time, but leaves all vengeance to the Lord
1.1.6.17.He is one who encourages people by causing them to take their eyes off of their circumstances and put them on the Lord
1.1.6.18.He is one who is enthusiastic about what God is doing and maintains a positive mental attitude.
1.1.6.19.He is one who leads people to work together in unity as one and look out for each other as for their own families.
1.1.6.20.He is one who keeps a proper balance between faith and action.
1.1.6.21.He lives his own life as a servant leader.
1.1.6.22.He thinks before he acts.
1.1.6.23.Realizes that in addition to battling external opposition to your work, you have to also deal with internal problems among those whom you are leading.
1.1.6.24.Does not use his status and promotions for his own personal advancement, nor to build his own kingdom.
1.2. In our study today, we are going to look at chapter 6 of the book.
1.2.1. We will see that as the wall is almost completed that Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem, Nehemiah’s enemies come up with a desperation attempt to stop him and the wall-building project. Kind of like how it sometimes happens in war when armies are instructed to fire at the officers, these men decide to go after Nehemiah himself and assassinate him.
1.2.2. Initially, these men four times try to get Nehemiah to come and meet them in the plain of Ono. Their plot is insidious because it could seem plausible to Nehemiah that they want to now admit his success and that he is going to re-establish Jerusalem as a walled city and thus acknowledge Judea as a nation on its own. However, Nehemiah has discernment that their true intent is to due him harm and keep him from completing the work. Four times he turns down their offer stating he is too busy with the great work.
1.2.3. Next, Sanballat sends a publicly read letter accusing Nehemiah of committing treason against King Artaxerxes I by planning to announce himself as king and pull away from Persia. Nehemiah denies the accusation and replies to Sanballat that he has made up these accusations in his own mind.
1.2.4. Finally, we will see that Tobiah is working underhandedly behind Nehemiah’s back by writing the men in Jerusalem and gaining their allegiance against Nehemiah. We will discuss how that we need to beware of entertaining or repeating rumors and gossip that is spread behind our brother’s and sister’s backs.
1.2.5. In all of these accounts of treachery plotted against Nehemiah, we are going to pull out principles that we today in the church can apply to our own lives and the opposition to the work of God today.
1.2.6. The further we go into this book of Nehemiah, the more I am impressed with how Nehemiah didn’t crack under pressure, and how he handled each and every difficulty. He truly understood that trials are opportunities for us to trust the Lord with our life. Charles Swindoll has written the following about the importance of attitude in our lives as God’s people: "The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on my life. Attitude to me is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than what other people say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude that we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it. And so it is with you. We are in charge of our attitude."
2. VS 6:1-4 - “1 Now when it was reported to Sanballat, Tobiah, to Geshem the Arab and to the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall, and that no breach remained in it, although at that time I had not set up the doors in the gates, 2 then Sanballat and Geshem sent a message to me, saying, “Come, let us meet together at Chephirim in the plain of Ono.” But they were planning to harm me. 3 So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” 4 They sent messages to me four times in this manner, and I answered them in the same way.” - Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem come up with a plot to harm Nehemiah when they hear that the wall has been rebuilt with no breach remaining in it, and they ask him to come and to meet together with them at the plain of Ono
2.1. Previous to now, all of the threats made by Nehemiah’s enemies were against the Judeans in general. Now as the work was completed, these enemies were desperate and determined that their only hope of stopping this work in Jerusalem and keeping the city from again becoming a financial sovereign city, was to stop Nehemiah himself. In order to stop him they conceived an insidious plot to assassinate him that could easily have worked.
2.2. One of the things that a leader of God’s people needs is “discernment.” This is why God’s leaders need consistently to prayer looking to Him for wisdom and discernment. Without “discernment” from above a lot of things look to us to be good ideas, and Satan sets up webs and snares for God’s people, including leaders. If leaders can be beguiled, the work of God can be hindered.
2.3. As an example of an effective leader, Nehemiah has discernment concerning peoples motives needed for the decisions he makes. I’m sure that Nehemiah prayed and that this discernment was the result of his prayers.
2.4. The Bible tells us what to do if we ever need discernment and wisdom to make any decision: James 1:5, “5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”
2.5. On the surface, Nehemiah might have thought that this meeting was good news and a vindication of his leadership over Judea. He might have thought that finally they were accepting that he was going to be successful and that Jerusalem would again arise as a power and financial capital. However, as Nehemiah thought more about this it occurred to him that it was in ‘the plain of Ono’ where some of Israel’s enemies were located. If Nehemiah were to wander out of Jerusalem for this meeting it would be very risky. Nehemiah began to realize that this was a plot to harm him and that in ‘the plain of Ono’ that Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem could simply pay assassins to kill him, and no one would be able to prove that they had any involvement. Nehemiah’s murder could be made to look like just an unfortunate coincidence.
2.6. Easton’s Bible Dictionary includes the following about where Ono was located: “Ono — a town of Benjamin, in the “plain of Ono” (1 Chr. 8:12; Ezra 2:33); now Kefr ‘Ana, 5 miles north of Lydda, and about 30 miles north-west of Jerusalem.”
2.7. Nehemiah also realized that he had not yet completely finished the rebuilding of the wall because he ‘had not set up the doors in the gates.’ Therefore, to leave on a one day journey each way to meet with these enemies would just take him away for at least three days from the work that he was doing. His time was too valuable for this.
2.7.1. Another example of effective leadership from Nehemiah’s example is that an effective leader realizes how important his time is and that the enemy will try to make him ineffective by causing him to be consumed with irrelevant and inconsequential activities.
2.8. Nehemiah knew that if he accused Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem of plotting to assassinate him through this invitation to the plain of Ono that he could be accused of being paranoid, or at least of being disengenious. Nothing good could come by open accusation, so Nehemiah simply told them that he was so busy with this great work he was doing that he didn’t have the time right now to come down to them.
2.9. Four different times Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem sent the same message to him, and many would have been tempted to give in due to the pressure to give in to these requests. However, Nehemiah realized with each additional request how correct his discernment had been all along and that his enemies were just displaying more and more their desperation to stop this work of God in the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s wall.
3. VS 6:5-9 - “5 Then Sanballat sent his servant to me in the same manner a fifth time with an open letter in his hand. 6 In it was written, “It is reported among the nations, and Gashmu says, that you and the Jews are planning to rebel; therefore you are rebuilding the wall. And you are to be their king, according to these reports. 7 “You have also appointed prophets to proclaim in Jerusalem concerning you, ‘A king is in Judah!’ And now it will be reported to the king according to these reports. So come now, let us take counsel together.” 8 Then I sent a message to him saying, “Such things as you are saying have not been done, but you are inventing them in your own mind.” 9 For all of them were trying to frighten us, thinking, “They will become discouraged with the work and it will not be done.” But now, O God, strengthen my hands.” - Sanballat sends an open letter to Nehemiah through a servant and in it Nehemiah is accused of plotting to announce himself as king and rebel against Persia, however Nehemiah sends a message back denying the rumor and charging Sanballat for making it up, and then, Nehemiah begins to pray for strength
3.1. When Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem realized that sending private invitations to Nehemiah to get him to come to the plain of Ono were not going to succeed, they decide to send a public letter to be read to him. In this letter, they reveal that their intentions were not noble. They accuse Nehemiah of sedition stating that his intentions all along were to have himself declared king and to split away from Persia and paying tribute to Persia.
3.2. In the letter, these men declare that Nehemiah’s seditiousness is common knowledge, as it reads: ‘It is reported among the nations.’
3.3. Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem wrote these accusations so that they could apply further leverage to get Nehemiah to come to the plain of Ono to meet with them, for they say in its conclusion: ‘So come now, let us take counsel together.’
3.4. When we’re a public figure and someone accuses us of something and we don’t deny it, this causes people to think that the accusation must be true. Nehemiah was wise on this day to write a response right back and deny the accusation: ‘Such things as you are saying have not been done, but you are inventing them in your own mind.’
3.5. Nehemiah also did not give in to this ploy to manipulate him again to come to the plain of Ono.
3.6. Nehemiah writes here about the motives of these enemies, saying they: ‘were trying to frighten us.’ Further, he writes that these enemies were trying to cause them to ‘become discouraged with the work’ and give up on it.
3.7. As an example of an effective leader, Nehemiah does not bow to the pressure of men when they try to get him to go against what He knows the Lord has revealed to him.
3.8. We who are Christians need to stick with our convictions that the Lord has given us, and not compromise no matter how much pressure men put upon us. Sadly, many Christians, and even Christian leaders, bow to the pressure of men. It has been more the case than the exception of late that when Christian leaders are on a talk show, such and Larry King’s, that when asked if there is another way to come to God than through Jesus Christ, that they have bowed to the pressure and waffled at that question. But, we who are Christians must not let the pressure of men cause us to deny the only Name given under heaven whereby a man can be saved. Jesus said in John 14:6 that He is “the way, the truth, and the life, and no man comes to the Father but through Me.” He is either a liar, a lunatic, or He is the Lord.
3.9. Notice here that after this happened that Nehemiah prayed to the Lord to ‘strengthen my hands.’
4. VS 6:10-13 - “10 When I entered the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, who was confined at home, he said, “Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you, and they are coming to kill you at night.” 11 But I said, “Should a man like me flee? And could one such as I go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in.” 12 Then I perceived that surely God had not sent him, but he uttered his prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13 He was hired for this reason, that I might become frightened and act accordingly and sin, so that they might have an evil report in order that they could reproach me.” - A prophet named Shemaiah who is holed up in his house calls for Nehemiah, and when Nehemiah comes he tells him that his enemies are coming to kill him and that he and Nehemiah ought to go into the temple and hide, however Nehemiah realizes that God had not sent this prophet and that the prophet was hired by Tobiah and Sanballat
4.1. Here we see that Judea’s enemies had hired a prophet named ‘Shemiah,’ the son of Deliah. This man had closed himself in his house and asked for Nehemiah to come to him. He evidently tried to get Nehemiah that he too was being sought after by these enemies and that to protect himself he was hiding in his house.
4.2. Shemiah evidently speaks here to Nehemiah what he poses to be an oracle from God for Nehemiah. He tells Nehemiah to go with him and together they will close themselves inside of the temple where they will be free from an impending attack that he (Shemiah) has had revealed to him is imminent.
4.3. What is insidious about this ploy is that Nehemiah knew that he was to look up to and respect the prophets of the Lord. Plus, he knew that this man, Shemiah, prior to this had been known to be a prophet of God. Nehemiah would be tempted to believe and act upon whatever Shemiah told him.
4.4. Again we see that the Lord gave Nehemiah discernment concerning this situation and this man’s real motives.
4.5. What Nehemiah realized was wrong with what Shemiah suggested was twofold:
4.5.1. It was a sin for anyone but a descendant of Aaron to enter the temple.
4.5.2. This was a temptation to act upon fear rather than trust in the Lord.
4.6. Nehemiah recognized that Shemiah had been hired by his enemies, and that the Lord had not sent him. The Lord does not call His people to disobey the commandments of His word, and He also does not call His people to base their decision upon fear. Nehemiah writes the following: ‘Then I perceived that surely God had not sent him, but he uttered his prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.’
4.7. When someone gives us a supposed word from God, or even a Bible study, and what they say does not match up with the word of God, then we can know that what they are telling us to do cannot be from God. We need to judge all of these words based upon what the word of God tells us.
4.8. Nehemiah writes here also that he knew that these men had tried to get Nehemiah to sin by following Shemiah’s words, ‘that they might have an evil report in order that they could reproach me.’
5. VS 6:14 - “14 Remember, O my God, Tobiah and Sanballat according to these works of theirs, and also Noadiah the prophetess and the rest of the prophets who were trying to frighten me.” - Nehemiah tells the Lord to remember Tobiah, Sanballat, Noadiah the prophetess, and the other prophets who were trying to frighten him away from doing what God had called him to do
5.1. Nehemiah realized that Shemiah was not the only prophet who was trying to ‘frighten’ him, including even a woman named ‘Noadiah.’ The very men who were to be loyal to the Lord and allow Him to speak to them and lead them were compromised by the enemy.
5.2. Nehemiah asks the Lord to remember Sanballat and Tobiah as well as these corrupt prophets and prophetesses. Nehemiah knew that judgment from God was determined for these ones, therefore God should and would remember them.
6. VS 6:15-16 - “15 So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. 16 When all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations surrounding us saw it, they lost their confidence; for they recognized that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.” - We are told the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, and in just 52 days, and that all of Judea’s enemies lost their confidence because they recognized that the work had been accomplished by the help of their God
6.1. Here we read the day that the wall around Jerusalem was finally completed, it was the ‘twenty-fifth of the month of the month Elul.’
6.2. Nehemiah writes the incredible statement that the work was completed ‘in fifty-two days.’
6.3. Nehemiah writes here that when their enemies heard about the fact that the wall had finally be completed that ‘the lost their confidence.’
6.4. Further, Nehemiah writes that these enemies even realized that the wall could only have been accomplished ‘with the help of our God.’
7. VS 6:17-19 - “17 Also in those days many letters went from the nobles of Judah to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters came to them. 18 For many in Judah were bound by oath to him because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah the son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah. 19 Moreover, they were speaking about his good deeds in my presence and reported my words to him. Then Tobiah sent letters to frighten me.” - There was letter writing between Tobiah and many of the nobles in Jerusalem while the wall was being rebuilt, for he was trying to undermine Nehemiah and his authority and the work he was doing, and, Tobiah himself sent letters to Nehemiah to frighten him
7.1. These verses deal with rumors and gossip that spread amongst the people of God through Tobiah, the Moabite governor. Even though a Moabite, Tobiah was related to some of those in Judea. He had married an Israelite and thus was ‘the son-in-law of Shecaniah.’ But, his son ‘Jehohanan’ had married an Israel, ‘the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechaih.’
7.2. Because of Tobiah’s power as governor of Moab, plus his relationships to the Israelites, many people in Jerusalem began to read the letters that he wrote which sought to undermine Nehemiah, question his motives, and perhaps attest that it would be better to yield allegiance to Tobiah in the long run than Nehemiah, since Tobiah was a powerful governor, ruling over Moab, and Tobiah would out last Nehemiah.
7.3. Tobiah in his letters probably told the people he wrote to consider how well that they knew Nehemiah, how that Nehemiah being a cupbearer would have the wisdom or experience to rebuild the wall, how sure they could be that Nehemiah had their best interests at heart, how that they knew for sure that Nehemiah was truly commissioned by the Persian king, etc., etc.
7.4. Rumors have a devastating effect on any people and work of God, and thus we really need to be careful not entertain them nor spread them. Someone once described a rumor as something that someone feels that they have to share so quickly or they are going to find out that it is not true. Rumors usually contain a grain of truth however it is not fair to spread them because the one about whom they are spread cannot respond to them.
7.5. People are just as responsible for hearing gossip as for spreading it. Here are some suggestions I am going to share with our group about what to do say when someone is telling you something you think may be a rumor, or something not flattering about someone else:
7.5.1. “Can I quote you on that?”
7.5.2. “Can I check your sources on that?”
7.5.3. “Is that GOSSIP you’re telling me?”
7.5.4. “Have you talked to him/her about that?
7.5.5. “Can you tell me what good is going to come out of you telling me this?"
7.6. I am amazed at how quick Christians are to accuse a pastor or elder of some sin or offense based upon rumors. Today, it is almost as if because a person is a pastor or a leader that people think that it is OK to entertain rumors and gossip about them. Yet, the scripture tells us just the opposite: "Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses. " (1 Timothy 5:19)
8. CONCLUSIONS:
8.1. Pray for discernment to understand people’s true motives and intentions.
8.2. Don’t be moved by the persuasion of men if you know that God has said differently in His word.
8.3. Judge every supposed word from God or prophesy against what the Bible says and recognize that God does not contradict His own word.
8.4. Don’t allow yourself to entertain or to spread rumors and gossip.