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. (Nehemiah 6:1)
This is what sets Nehemiah apart. Yes, he states he rebuilt the wall and there was no breach in it, but he also tells the truth, in that the doors had not yet been hung. We are used to glowing reports from our leaders, but they only admit what’s lacking if the specific question is asked. As an aside, we should strive to complete what we’ve started, not celebrating until the project’s complete. I’ve always said, “Rome wasn’t built in a day, but it was built!” God made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested. Jesus saw death on the cross to its bitter completion, to which, he said, “It is finished.” (John 19:30) Let’s not pat ourselves on the back until the job is completely done.
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. (Nehemiah 6:2)
This request, to meet up in Ono, appeared to be a “Hail Mary” move on the part of Sanballat and Geshem (did Tobiah dissent?). We must realize our adversary the devil is relentless. (1 Peter 5:8) We can never let our guard down except in the safe confines of the Lord. This was clearly a move to isolate the leader in a vulnerable place so that he could be assassinated. He was the head of the snake in their eyes. The people would fold without him, they thought. It was a last ditch effort.
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?” (Nehemiah 6:3)
Always the diplomat, Nehemiah claimed he was too busy to meet. If you think about it, we should always be too busy for evil, even if its entry point appears benign. But this request wasn’t even thinly veiled. Nothing good could come from it. We should summarily dismiss everything that comes our way that is off target or off limits. The spirit of God within us instructs us in the way we should go. We don’t have to rely on instincts or our gut. The Word of God seems to cover every eventuality. Ergo, be a student of it. The book of Nehemiah (and the rest of the Bible) is replete with timely instructions for staying on course, for turning not to the right or left, but with eyes fixed straight ahead, marching onward and forward.
Let your eyes look directly ahead and let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you. Watch the path of your feet and all your ways will be established.Do not turn to the right nor to the left; turn your foot from evil. (Proverbs 4:25–27)
Don’t miss the fact that they made the same proposal four times: “They sent messages to me four times in this manner, and I answered them in the same way.” (Nehemiah 6:4) I can’t stress enough how relentless Satan is. He’s thinking “the fourth time will be the charm.” He’ll always try to wear us down, even in the little things. Perhaps you vow to eliminate sweets in your diet, and a dessert is pushed in your face. The same goes for “ just one drink.” He only needs one crack. Nehemiah displayed the requisite discipline, “answering them in the same way.”
Then Sanballat sent his servant to me in the same manner a fifth time with an open letter in his hand. (Nehemiah 6:5)
Not taking “no” for an answer, Sanballat and Geshem delivered an open (“unsealed”) letter to Nehemiah. As such, it was not for “his eyes only.” In it were three false indictments, that he was planning to rebel (thus he was rebuilding of the wall), that he wanted to be king, and that he had established prophets to proclaim that he was king. For these reasons they were alerting Babylon.
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.” (Nehemiah 6:6–7)
Then Nehemiah responded in kind, writing, “Such things as you are saying have not been done, but you are inventing them in your own mind.” (Nehemiah 6:8)
We hear categorical denials all the time from politicians. In this case, Nehemiah simply commented on the source of these claims; their imaginations. Flat denials are better than gracing false claims with an elaborate argument, giving even momentary credence to the charges for discussion purposes. If you’ve committed no crime and the accusations are false, don’t accept a premise in order to defend yourself. You often hear a suspect respond to arresting police officers with a glowing assessment of his or her own character, that they’re “not the kind of person who would do such a thing.” Consider the source. In keeping with his well established reputation as a godly man, Nehemiah stated the obvious. The teaching to us is clear. Live in such a way that false accusations have no rung to stand on.
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. (Nehemiah 6:9)
To sum up, our adversary, the devil, seeks to frighten us with lies, that we might grow discouraged and not do what the Lord has called us to do. He is the “father of lies” you know. Remember what God has called us to do. Even a simple action or task should be considered a “great work!” When we are resilient to one mode of attack, the enemy will try another tack. Again, it’s always to scare us to veer off course. We must always be ready for his trickery. Whatever the plan, it will be designed to persuade us to act unbecomingly, to depart from a godly principle. Something of God never requires us to sin. Satan goes from trying to destroy Nehemiah’s work to destroying Nehemiah the man. No doubt why Nehemiah asks for strength. Our adversary is like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him in the evil day and stand firm. (1 Peter 5:8, Ephesians 6;10-13)
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