Nehemiah 6-7 part 4
Nehemiah 6:1 Now it
happened when Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies
heard that I had rebuilt the wall, and that there were no breaks left in
it (though at that time I had not hung the doors in the gates), 2 that Sanballat and Geshem sent to
me, saying, "Come, let us meet together among the villages in the plain of
Ono." But they thought to do me harm.
3 So I sent messengers to them, saying, "I am doing
a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I
leave it and go down to you?" 4
But they sent me this message four times, and I answered them in the same
manner.
Nehemiah’s enemies have
already tried to intimidate the Jews through mockery and threatening to attack,
but none of these things worked, so now they are trying a new tactic before the
construction process was complete. Now they want to be friends and they want to
meet at a neutral spot and talk things over, but their intent was not a sincere
one because they wanted to get Nehemiah off by himself, so they could possibly
kidnap him or kill him. The place they wanted to meet was around 20 miles away
and it was about 5 miles from Joppa.
They sent 4 different
invitations to him, but Nehemiah’s answer did not change. He told them, “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot
come down. Why should the work cease while I leave and go down to you?” His
enemies knew that Nehemiah played a critical role in the Jews efforts to
rebuild, and if they could get rid of Nehemiah, it could have put an end to
there renewed faith or at least slowed them down. Even if their enemies just
wanted talk about the situation, Nehemiah was not interested in compromising
the work that God put into his heart to do, so he refused to negotiate.
A great lesson that we
can learn from this is that God doesn’t ever want to comprise his truth for the
sake of unity. As I have been studying this great book of Nehemiah, I see a lot
of similarities in what they went through and what we are going through today.
First of all, I want you
to realize that there are still many congregations out there that are like the
Jews of Nehemiah’s day who have a mind to work and they have their good days
and their bad days, but they continue to build on the wall of faith with the Word
of God being foundation. These same congregations have great leaders like
Nehemiah and Ezra and they make sure that their congregation is being feed with
God’s Word and they encourage them to serve God with all of their being.
However, there are also
many today that are just like Sanballat and those that were with him. They
don’t want to see God’s people be successful at following His Word. They want
to cause confusion and doubt and they want mock us for adhering to the Word of
God. The more our society keeps seeking change and tolerance to sin, the more
it influences the way that Christians think.
The Saballat’s of our time have been causing
some Christians to waiver who used to stand up for God’s Word. They have become
like Jews of Nehemiah day who had become tired and weak from building on the
wall and they started to allow their enemies words to sink into their hearts.
However, Nehemiah did not allow this continue on and refortified their faith,
but unfortunately today we have some leaders that are in place that are like
the nobles during Nehemiah’s days who were loyal to the enemy and because of
this these tired and weary Christians throw their hands up into the air and
they give up, and they allow the wall of faith to be neglected.
To help prevent poor
leadership, especial in the eldership, God has given specific qualification for
elders in 1 Tim. 3 and Titus 1. When a man meets these qualifications, the
chances are low that he will be like the nobles who were loyal to the enemy. This
is why it’s important that these qualifications be met and we certainly don’t
need a novice that is someone new to the faith serving as an elder.
There are also many like
Saballat today who have recognized that fighting against the faithful or
mocking them for holding to their principle doesn’t work, so they change their
tactics by wanting to meet together and talk things out, so that we might
compromise for the sake of unity.
They want us to look at
our similarities and to overlook those minor differences. They don’t want us to
be concerned about them using musical instruments in their worship to God and
they don’t want us to be concerned about those who have been divorced for some
other reason than fornication and then have been remarried. They don’t want us to
be concerned about how they allow their woman to take on roles that God says
are meant for men. They don’t want us to be concerned that they don’t baptize
for remission of sins and the list can go on.
While its important for
to know the similarities that we have, it just as important to know the
difference that we have. Just because have some similarities doesn’t mean that
we should have unity. For instance, the devil knows the Scriptures very well
and He believes in God and if we are faithful Christian we will have this in
common with the devil, but those similarities certainly do not put us into
unity with him nor would anyone in there right mind join in fellowship with the
devil based on those similarities. In the same way, we should never compromise
God’s truth for the sake of unity because true unity can only come when we
adhere to God’s Word. Anything less than that would be leaving out part of
God’s Word or adding to it.
God does not approve when
we go beyond His word. For instance notice,
Leviticus 10:1 Then
Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it,
put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the LORD, which He had not
commanded them. 2 So fire
went out from the LORD and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.
These men started
thinking like many have started thinking today. They didn’t think that God
would mind if they did their own thing, but when they offered up that profane
fire not commanded by God, He consumed them with fire, which consumed them.
2 Samuel 6:6 And
when they came to Nachon's threshing floor, Uzzah put out his hand to
the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. 7 Then the anger of the LORD was
aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his error; and he
died there by the ark of God.
As far as we know, here
we have a man that had good intentions of keeping the ark from falling as the
oxen stumbled. Whether his intensions were sincere or not, what he did was
against the Law of God and he was struck dead for his error. I think as
Christians we need read stories like these to refresh our minds that God
considers His commandants as being serious business and He wants us to follow
them and not try to compromise just because we feel like it will be ok.
Now some might think,
well that was under the OT, God is not as concerned with us keeping his law in
the N.T. While it is true that God doesn’t consume someone with fire or strike
them dead for their sin today as He did on occasion in the O.T. He still did it
during the first century to show the importance of following His commands. For
instance, in Acts 5 Ananias and Sapphira sold their land and then claimed that
they were giving Peter all the money from it. However, they were lying. They
probably thought that no would know or who would care because they were still
getting a large sum of money, but both this husband and wife were struck dead
because they were lying about what they did.
This was a compromise of
God’s truth and He didn’t tolerate it and He used this couple as an example to
show that He doesn’t want us to lie or break His commands. He is just as
serious about us keeping His commands today as He was in the Old Testament. In
fact, you could say that he is even more demanding today because we don’t have
any valid excuses for not knowing what He wants because all have full access to
God’s Word. As Luke records,
Acts 17:30
"Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men
everywhere to repent, 31
"because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in
righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained.
Now let me tell you what
I am not saying. I am not saying that we shouldn’t sit down with different
religious groups and have a discussion. In fact, I think that would be
wonderful if that could happen. However, the discussion should not be about
compromise. Instead, it should be a discussion about what the Bible says
because the only unity that is going to be pleasing to God is if that unity
comes from His Word.
So don’t every allow the
Sanballat’s of this world to confuse, intimidate, or befriend you into
compromising God’s truth. Instead, be like the Jews of Nehemiah’s day and have
a mind to work and continue to build on that wall of faith.
Nehemiah 6:5 Then Sanballat sent his servant to me as
before, the fifth time, with an open letter in his hand. 6 In it was written: It is
reported among the nations, and Geshem says, that you and the Jews plan
to rebel; therefore, according to these rumors, you are rebuilding the wall,
that you may be their king. 7
And you have also appointed prophets to proclaim concerning you at
Once again Sanballat has
changed his tactics. This time he is making false accusations hoping it will
cause Nehemiah to come meet with him. This 5th letter was an open
one. This would allow this messenger to read this letter and if he choose to
tell everyone what it said. Sanballat would have loved for the Jews to think
that these rumors were true.
Sanballat is accusing
Nehemiah of having a hidden agenda to become king and that he is using the
prophets to help him manipulate the Jews. To strike fear into them, he said he
was going to send this message to the king as well.
Again, this is another
tactic that the Saballat’s of the world are using today because there are many
false claims that are made against the
A man is goes up into
heaven and Peter starts showing the man around. They start walking down a
hallway. They came across one room where the people were playing bingo and he
asked who are they, and Peter said they are the Catholics. He came by another
room where everyone was dancing and he asked who are they, he said that the
Methodist. Then another room contained some who raising their hands in the air
and were babbling and Peter told him these were Pentecostals. Then as they
approached another room he heard all kind instruments being played and Peter
told him these were Baptist. As they approached another room Peter told the man
to be really quite because that room was full of the
This joke shows that
people think that the
Also many accuse of us of
not believing in the OT, and they say that we are legalistic just like the
Pharisees were. Again, none of these things are true, but that doesn’t keep the
Sabballat’s of this world from trying to spread false rumors to keep people
from the truth.
Notice Nehemiah’s
response:
Nehemiah 6:8 Then I
sent to him, saying, "No such things as you say are being done, but you
invent them in your own heart." 9
For they all were trying to make us afraid, saying, "Their hands
will be weakened in the work, and it will not be done." Now therefore, O
God, strengthen my hands.
Nehemiah didn’t allow
these false accusations to slow him down. Instead, he denied them and accused
them of inventing them in their own heart. Then he prayed to God to strengthen
his hands to continue on. As Nehemiah did, we should spend much time in prayer
to God requesting that he strengthen our hands so we can continue on in our
work for the Lord.
Nehemiah 6:10
Afterward I came to the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, the son of
Mehetabel, (meh-het-uh-bel) who was a secret informer; and 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; indeed,
at night they will come to kill you."
11 And I said, "Should such a man as I flee? And who is
there such as I who would go into the temple to save his life? I will not
go in!" 12 Then I
perceived that God had not sent him at all, but that he pronounced this prophecy
against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13 For this reason he was hired,
that I should be afraid and act that way and sin, so that they might
have cause for an evil report, that they might reproach me. 14 My God, remember Tobiah and
Sanballat, according to these their works, and the prophetess Noadiah and the
rest of the prophets who would have made me afraid.
Here we learn that
Shemiah was an informer and he was hired to prophecy to Nehemiah. He was wants
Nehemiah to meet him in the temple where only the priest were allowed to go.
This is what caused Nehemiah to know that this was a false prophecy because it
would violate God’s Law for Nehemiah to enter the temple because he was not a
priest. Even if there was going to be attempt on his life, he was not going to
comprise God Law and hide in the temple.
Besides, what kind of
leader would he be if went and hide in temple just because his life was in
danger, after he asked these Jews to put their lives on the line in rebuilding
the wall. Even if wasn’t against God’s Law for him to hide in the temple he
wouldn’t have hide anyway. His enemies were hoping they could force him into
sinning so they could have some leverage to use against the Jews. They would be
able to say something along the lines of, “Look
at you, you pathetic Jews. Your working hard to build up your city under the
direction of Nehemiah, yet he is a coward and has hid himself in the temple of
your God, which goes against you laws. Why do follow a coward and a sinner.”
Now we are not given all
the details in this plot, but there was more than one prophet involved in
trying to strike fear in Nehemiah and cause him to sin, but he did not relent
to their words, and once again he prayed to God and asked Him to remember these
evil deeds of Tobiah, Sanballat and the prophetesses and prophets that were
involved with this.
Nehemiah 6:15 So the
wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in fifty-two
days. 16 And it happened,
when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations around us saw these
things, that they were very disheartened in their own eyes; for they
perceived that this work was done by our God.
Despite all the
opposition of their enemies they managed to rebuild the walls of
Nehemiah 6:17 Also in
those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and the letters
of Tobiah came to them. 18
For many in Judah were pledged to him, because he was the son-in-law of
Shechaniah the son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of
Meshullam the son of Berechiah. 19
Also they reported his good deeds before me, and reported my words to him.
Tobiah sent letters to frighten me.
These last few verses
explain why some of these priests were against Nehemiah. They had allowed their
daughters to marry Tobiah and his son Jehohanan. Because of this they were
willing to report all the good things about Tobiah and stand against Nehemiah.
This is reason the reason God had forbidden the Jews from marrying foreigners
because this exactly the kind of problems that would happen. These priests’
personal connection with the enemy had clotted their judgment and caused them
to be compromise God’s truth and side with the enemy.
This is why our young
people must be careful on who the choose to marry because if they marry someone
that does not have the same beliefs as they do, many times this can lead them
to compromise God’s word for the sake of unity in their marriage. If they
spouse is a atheist they may become an atheist. If they spouse belongs to a
denomination, there a chance they may give up on the truth and start attending
that denomination and this in turn could even cause their parents and their
grandparents to soften up and accept their new belief all because of this
marriage.
So my plea to the young
people, if it at all possible before you marry someone, make sure you and your
mate are in agreement in serving God according to His Word. Now this does not
mean that won’t have problems with your marriage down the line, but it will
increase your chances of having a happy marriage and one that will be centered
around the Word of God. Whenever we are on the same page as our mate, then we
are going to have a mate that is going to help us to get to heaven instead of
hindering us.
Nehemiah 7:1 Then it
was, when the wall was built and I had hung the doors, when the gatekeepers,
the singers, and the Levites had been appointed, 2 that I gave the charge of
Jerusalem to my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the leader of the citadel, for he was
a faithful man and feared God more than many. 3 And I said to them, "Do not
let the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot; and while they stand
guard, let them shut and bar the doors; and appoint guards from among
the inhabitants of Jerusalem, one at his watch station and another in front of
his own house."
Nehemiah wanted the gates
to be protected by men that he could trust and these gatekeepers, singers and
Levites were the ones that he chose. He also set his brother Hanani over
Normally the gates would
be open from sunrise to sunset, but Nehemiah only wanted them open for part of
the day and he wanted the people to be watching at the gate and from their
homes, so none of their enemies could pull a surprise attack on them.
Nehemiah 7:4 Now the
city was large and spacious, but the people in it were few, and
the houses were not rebuilt. 5 Then my God put it into my
heart to gather the nobles, the rulers, and the people, that they might be
registered by genealogy. And I found a register of the genealogy of those who
had come up in the first return, and found written in it: 6 These are the people
of the province who came back from the captivity, of those who had been carried
away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away, and who
returned to Jerusalem and Judah, everyone to his city.
Nehemiah had found the
list of men that came back with Zerubbabel, which you can read in the remaining
verses of this chapter. This is the same list is found Ezra 2 with just a few
differences. While it was important for them to fill up the city, he wanted to
make sure that only the pure Jews were added. This list would help him do that.
When it says that the houses were not rebuilt it was n ot talking about all
them because even verse 3 indicates that they had some houses.
In verse 61 – 65 some
that had been serving as priest were not on this list and they were dismissed
from there work until their lineage could be proven because Nehemiah only
wanted those that were qualified to serve. This shows us how much Nehemiah
desired to live by the Law of Moses, so that they would be pleasing to God. We
would all do good to follow Nehemiah’s example and be people who are more concerned
about doing things according to God will instead of our own.