Nehemiah. Pt. 6 Evolving tactics are met with a discerning spirit and prayer.
Good evening everyone and I hope you have joined me in reflecting upon the goodness of God in our lives. Please feel free to share the Thanksgiving posts with your families. Today, we return to our study of Nehemiah and we will find much truth that will benefit us as we learn about this man.
Nehemiah just averted an internal crisis by righting the wrongdoing done to the people by the rulers and nobles. The relentless enemy comes back again in another attempt to stop the work of God on the Holy City.
The enemies of Nehemiah try a new tactic
Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem along with the rest of the enemies heard that Nehemiah was getting the wall completed and that no breaches were left in the walls. Nehemiah tells us that the doors had not yet been set upon the gates.
They tried to use a new tactic. They wanted to lure Nehemiah outside the protective walls of Jerusalem and sent him messages saying that they should meet in a nearby village. Nehemiah saw through their subterfuge and knew that they were up to no good. The word "mischief" means to inflict evil, malignant, hurtful acts to someone.
Nehemiah saw through their attempts to lure him out so that they could kill him.
Nehemiah 6:1-2 Now it came to pass, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and Geshem the Arabian, and the rest of our enemies, heard that I had builded the wall, and that there was no breach left therein; (though at that time I had not set up the doors upon the gates;) 2 That Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me, saying, Come, let us meet together in some one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me mischief.
Nehemiah sent messengers back to the evil men telling them that he would not leave the great work of God that was in process. The enemies were persistent and tried 4 times to get Nehemiah to agree to meeting them outside the walls of Jerusalem.
Nehemiah 6:3-4 And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you? 4 Yet they sent unto me four times after this sort; and I answered them after the same manner.
The enemy tried extortion as their next tactic.
Next, the enemy tried their hand at extortion. They accused Nehemiah and the Jews of plotting to rebel and set up their own king. This is the 5th attempt to lure Nehemiah out of Jerusalem. The content of their letter was entirely fabricated and false but they hoped that the threat of contacting the Persian king might persuade Nehemiah to meet with them.
Nehemiah 6:5-7 Then sent Sanballat his servant unto me in like manner the fifth time with an open letter in his hand; 6 Wherein was written, It is reported among the heathen, and Gashmu saith it, that thou and the Jews think to rebel: for which cause thou buildest the wall, that thou mayest be their king, according to these words. 7 And thou hast also appointed prophets to preach of thee at Jerusalem, saying, There is a king in Judah: and now shall it be reported to the king according to these words. Come now therefore, and let us take counsel together.
Nehemiah confronted them about their lies in writing and brought his burdens to God.
Nehemiah replied and bluntly accused them of writing lies and he lets us know that the people were intimidated to some degree by his writings. Nehemiah, as he has done many times before, leaves all of this crisis in the hands of his God and he prayed for strength to do that which was right.
Nehemiah 6:8-9 Then I sent unto him, saying, There are no such things done as thou sayest, but thou feignest them out of thine own heart. 9 For they all made us afraid, saying, Their hands shall be weakened from the work, that it be not done. Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.
The enemy tried to use bribery to affect Nehemiah.
This did not work so Sanballat and his henchmen tried another tactic. They paid money to one of the Jews in Jerusalem who said that Nehemiah should go into the house of God and shut the temple doors because Sanballat and the others sought to kill him.
Nehemiah refused to enter the temple to save his life because he was not a priest.
Nehemiah knew he was not a priest, therefore he refused to go into the temple to seek safety from his enemies. The Lord helped Nehemiah because he quickly perceived that this man had been hired by Sanballat to prophesy against Nehemiah. They were trying to instill fear in Nehemiah hoping that he would give up.
He committed the judgment of these evil doers into the hands of God.
Once more, Nehemiah commits the judgment of these evil doers to God in heaven so that they would receive divine judgment for their actions.
Nehemiah 6:10-14 10 Afterward I came unto the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabeel, who was shut up; and he said, Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple: for they will come to slay thee; yea, in the night will they come to slay thee. 11 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. 12 And, lo, I perceived that God had not sent him; but that he pronounced this prophecy against me: for Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13 Therefore was he hired, that I should be afraid, and do so, and sin, and that they might have matter for an evil report, that they might reproach me. 14 My God, think thou upon Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their works, and on the prophetess Noadiah, and the rest of the prophets, that would have put me in fear.
The wall is finished and the enemies had to say "God did that!"
This chapter ends with the wall being completed. The enemies of God were aware that all this work that was finished was of God. There simply was no other explanation possible except to say "God did that!"
The heathen enemies were much cast down in their own eyes. They tried to stop the work numerous times and failed miserably.
Still some ongoing collusion with the enemies.
However Nehemiah alerts us to some ongoing problems. First, there were many nobles in Judah sending regular letters to Tobiah because they had sworn allegiance to him.
Tobiah sent many letters back to the nobles. They tried to paint Tobiah in a favorable way to Nehemiah and the nobles also told Tobiah all the words that they heard Nehemiah speak. It was certainly a conspiracy against Nehemiah. Tobiah was trying to make Nehemiah afraid.
Nehemiah 6:15-19 15 So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty and two days. 16 And it came to pass, that when all our enemies heard thereof, and all the heathen that were about us saw these things, they were much cast down in their own eyes: for they perceived that this work was wrought of our God. 17 Moreover in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters unto Tobiah, and the letters of Tobiah came unto them. 18 For there were many in Judah sworn unto him, because he was the son in law of Shechaniah the son of Arah; and his son Johanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah. 19 Also they reported his good deeds before me, and uttered my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to put me in fear.
Nehemiah completes the work and turns it over to trustworthy men.
Nehemiah has completed this vast reconstruction project. The last thing to finish was setting up the doors and gates. He also ordered the porters, singers and Levites so that they could serve in the Temple of God. Nehemiah gave the day to day operational authority to his brothers Hanani and Hananiah because they were God fearing trustworthy men.
Nehemiah established some rules to control who could enter the city. The gates weren't opened until the sun was hot and when people came in, then the door was to be shut and barred. He also said that they must set guards in place at all the gates of the city. This work would be done in shifts so that the burden of guard duty was spread among many people.
Nehemiah 7:1-3 Now it came to pass, when the wall was built, and I had set up the doors, and the porters and the singers and the Levites were appointed, 2 That I gave my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the ruler of the palace, charge over Jerusalem: for he was a faithful man, and feared God above many. 3 And I said unto them, Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun be hot; and while they stand by, let them shut the doors, and bar them: and appoint watches of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, every one in his watch, and every one to be over against his house.
Points to Ponder.....
Nehemiah just averted an internal crisis by righting the wrongdoing done to the people by the rulers and nobles. The relentless enemy comes back again in another attempt to stop the work of God on the Holy City.
The enemies of Nehemiah try a new tactic
Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem along with the rest of the enemies heard that Nehemiah was getting the wall completed and that no breaches were left in the walls. Nehemiah tells us that the doors had not yet been set upon the gates.
They tried to use a new tactic. They wanted to lure Nehemiah outside the protective walls of Jerusalem and sent him messages saying that they should meet in a nearby village. Nehemiah saw through their subterfuge and knew that they were up to no good. The word "mischief" means to inflict evil, malignant, hurtful acts to someone.
Nehemiah saw through their attempts to lure him out so that they could kill him.
Nehemiah 6:1-2 Now it came to pass, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and Geshem the Arabian, and the rest of our enemies, heard that I had builded the wall, and that there was no breach left therein; (though at that time I had not set up the doors upon the gates;) 2 That Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me, saying, Come, let us meet together in some one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me mischief.
Nehemiah sent messengers back to the evil men telling them that he would not leave the great work of God that was in process. The enemies were persistent and tried 4 times to get Nehemiah to agree to meeting them outside the walls of Jerusalem.
Nehemiah 6:3-4 And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you? 4 Yet they sent unto me four times after this sort; and I answered them after the same manner.
The enemy tried extortion as their next tactic.
Next, the enemy tried their hand at extortion. They accused Nehemiah and the Jews of plotting to rebel and set up their own king. This is the 5th attempt to lure Nehemiah out of Jerusalem. The content of their letter was entirely fabricated and false but they hoped that the threat of contacting the Persian king might persuade Nehemiah to meet with them.
Nehemiah 6:5-7 Then sent Sanballat his servant unto me in like manner the fifth time with an open letter in his hand; 6 Wherein was written, It is reported among the heathen, and Gashmu saith it, that thou and the Jews think to rebel: for which cause thou buildest the wall, that thou mayest be their king, according to these words. 7 And thou hast also appointed prophets to preach of thee at Jerusalem, saying, There is a king in Judah: and now shall it be reported to the king according to these words. Come now therefore, and let us take counsel together.
Nehemiah confronted them about their lies in writing and brought his burdens to God.
Nehemiah replied and bluntly accused them of writing lies and he lets us know that the people were intimidated to some degree by his writings. Nehemiah, as he has done many times before, leaves all of this crisis in the hands of his God and he prayed for strength to do that which was right.
Nehemiah 6:8-9 Then I sent unto him, saying, There are no such things done as thou sayest, but thou feignest them out of thine own heart. 9 For they all made us afraid, saying, Their hands shall be weakened from the work, that it be not done. Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.
The enemy tried to use bribery to affect Nehemiah.
This did not work so Sanballat and his henchmen tried another tactic. They paid money to one of the Jews in Jerusalem who said that Nehemiah should go into the house of God and shut the temple doors because Sanballat and the others sought to kill him.
Nehemiah refused to enter the temple to save his life because he was not a priest.
Nehemiah knew he was not a priest, therefore he refused to go into the temple to seek safety from his enemies. The Lord helped Nehemiah because he quickly perceived that this man had been hired by Sanballat to prophesy against Nehemiah. They were trying to instill fear in Nehemiah hoping that he would give up.
He committed the judgment of these evil doers into the hands of God.
Once more, Nehemiah commits the judgment of these evil doers to God in heaven so that they would receive divine judgment for their actions.
Nehemiah 6:10-14 10 Afterward I came unto the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabeel, who was shut up; and he said, Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple: for they will come to slay thee; yea, in the night will they come to slay thee. 11 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. 12 And, lo, I perceived that God had not sent him; but that he pronounced this prophecy against me: for Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13 Therefore was he hired, that I should be afraid, and do so, and sin, and that they might have matter for an evil report, that they might reproach me. 14 My God, think thou upon Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their works, and on the prophetess Noadiah, and the rest of the prophets, that would have put me in fear.
The wall is finished and the enemies had to say "God did that!"
This chapter ends with the wall being completed. The enemies of God were aware that all this work that was finished was of God. There simply was no other explanation possible except to say "God did that!"
The heathen enemies were much cast down in their own eyes. They tried to stop the work numerous times and failed miserably.
Still some ongoing collusion with the enemies.
However Nehemiah alerts us to some ongoing problems. First, there were many nobles in Judah sending regular letters to Tobiah because they had sworn allegiance to him.
Tobiah sent many letters back to the nobles. They tried to paint Tobiah in a favorable way to Nehemiah and the nobles also told Tobiah all the words that they heard Nehemiah speak. It was certainly a conspiracy against Nehemiah. Tobiah was trying to make Nehemiah afraid.
Nehemiah 6:15-19 15 So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty and two days. 16 And it came to pass, that when all our enemies heard thereof, and all the heathen that were about us saw these things, they were much cast down in their own eyes: for they perceived that this work was wrought of our God. 17 Moreover in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters unto Tobiah, and the letters of Tobiah came unto them. 18 For there were many in Judah sworn unto him, because he was the son in law of Shechaniah the son of Arah; and his son Johanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah. 19 Also they reported his good deeds before me, and uttered my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to put me in fear.
Nehemiah completes the work and turns it over to trustworthy men.
Nehemiah has completed this vast reconstruction project. The last thing to finish was setting up the doors and gates. He also ordered the porters, singers and Levites so that they could serve in the Temple of God. Nehemiah gave the day to day operational authority to his brothers Hanani and Hananiah because they were God fearing trustworthy men.
Nehemiah established some rules to control who could enter the city. The gates weren't opened until the sun was hot and when people came in, then the door was to be shut and barred. He also said that they must set guards in place at all the gates of the city. This work would be done in shifts so that the burden of guard duty was spread among many people.
Nehemiah 7:1-3 Now it came to pass, when the wall was built, and I had set up the doors, and the porters and the singers and the Levites were appointed, 2 That I gave my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the ruler of the palace, charge over Jerusalem: for he was a faithful man, and feared God above many. 3 And I said unto them, Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun be hot; and while they stand by, let them shut the doors, and bar them: and appoint watches of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, every one in his watch, and every one to be over against his house.
Points to Ponder.....
- The enemy used an evolving strategy of fear and intimidation. They used deception, bribery, extortion and collusion to advance their agenda.
- Nehemiah saw through their attempts to lure him outside Jerusalem.
- Nehemiah confronted their lies and laid the burden of it on the Lord.
- Nehemiah saw through their attempts to have him hide in the temple and he refused to do so as he committed their fate into the Lord's hands.
- Nehemiah finished the rebuilding and God received the glory.
- Nehemiah still faced internal collusion with the enemy.
- Nehemiah established practical measures to ensure the safety of the city and its inhabitants.
What drama has unfolded in this section. We can be assured that our enemy will change his tactics against us as he tries to catch us off guard. We can be sure that he will somehow spread lies about us and seek to intimidate us.
Our hope is always in the LORD . Our response to the enemy must come from the Word of God just as our Lord Jesus Christ used the Word of God to repel the enemy. If we stand firmly grounded in His word, we will not fall. We must do as Nehemiah did and trust our Great God to take up the burdens we face when we are under attack or being pressured to sin against the truth.
Bob
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