FINISHED!! Nehemiah 6:14-19 Nehemiah's prayer was not for vindication but simply his response to a threat. His first recorded prayer was his response to bad news from Jerusalem. When he prayed while in conversation with the king, he gave God credit for an answer before it happened. He prayed when he was mocked, and thus was not tempted to take matters into his own hands. He prayed when threatened, then took action, trusting God. Again, he prayed when threatened and asked for help when he was under pressure from those who wanted to make him afraid.
An open heart before God, with a specific request, is an appropriate response to bad news. That attitude of prayer keeps us from taking credit for ourselves. We should never think that opposition to the work of God will cease, even though the work is going well at the moment. The enemy of men's souls will never stop his implacable desire to oppose anything that is of God. Some things, even though they are of the opposition, may never show themselves for a long time. There seem to be layer upon layer of schemes and insidious plans that come one after another to halt the furtherance of the Gospel and the establishment of the people of God on a solid foundation of scriptural truth.
Nehemiah had been attacked politically with charges of plotting rebellion. He had been attacked personally by those who said he wanted to be the king of Judah. There were other attacks on his spiritual commitment and personal integrity. Some of these came from outside, and some from within among the people of God who wanted the status quo to remain so they could prosper financially at the expense of others and retain their positions of authority over others.
One of those was Shemaiah, who was probably a person of note in the community because he apparently had access to the temple. He may even have been a priest. For some reason, he was a man of credibility, so when Nehemiah found him shut up in his house, that seemed peculiar. It seemed he was implying that he was in danger of being killed by the same enemies Nehemiah faced. He wanted Nehemiah to think he was allied with him, so he asked to meet him in the temple and to shut the doors so they would not be killed in the night.
"Fifth column" practices are deceptive because they are designed to appear as allies rather than enemies. The underlying motive is to use false warnings from false witnesses and false prophets to deliver false messages in order to defeat those they oppose. Usually, such people are self- proclaimed messengers who seek to impress others by speaking with authority. Intimidation does not stop a person of faith from accomplishing their work because their trust is in the Lord.
Shemaiah intended to spread an evil report against Nehemiah so that he would be reproached and rejected by the people. Sanballat and Tobiah had hired him for that purpose, but Nehemiah saw through his deception. Yet in his response, Nehemiah laid no charge against Shemaiah's falsehood. He would not go where he should not go and retained his integrity despite Shemaiah, a woman named Noadiah, and other prophets who tried to prevent the wall from being finished.
Daniel, who was among the first group of Israelites taken captive to Babylon 130 years earlier, had written that Jerusalem would be rebuilt; now it had been accomplished. Many people believed it could never be done because the task was too great and the problems too numerous. However, Nehemiah said that those around him, the enemies of the Jews, could hardly believe what they saw with their own eyes; Jerusalem was rebuilt and was a walled city! In 52 days, the wall was finished, and the enemies “perceived that this work was wrought of God!”
When we know we are doing what God wants and God’s people unite with singleness of mind and heart, much can be accomplished in a short time because God is working and we are helping Him as tools in His hands. He provides everything we need to do His work. God-given gifts and talents, coordinated toward a common goal and guided by divine wisdom, can fulfill what He wants in remarkable ways. People look on from a distance and say, “What hath God wrought!”
Hindrances to God’s work arise when we pursue our own agendas and use our energy, expertise, and resources for our own benefit. When we pray for divine guidance in specific ways and with specific words, and keep our focus on the tasks God has given us, we will be able to say with assurance, “Hitherto hath the Lord helped us!” Often, the tasks ahead, the time involved, and the size of the work to be done can keep some of God’s people from participating in the most significant work they could ever put their hands to and from which they could benefit throughout their lives.
For a leader to suggest something that is not scriptural is evidence that, in spite of his position and words, he is not God's messenger. When intimidation and slander from enemies do not hinder us from doing God's work in God's way. We may be inclined to listen to a sympathetic voice suggesting a way out of a problem even though it is unscriptural. We need to keep in mind the fact that the world, the flesh, and the devil are always enemies, and none of those will ever stop in their desire to make a child of God fall. Nor will they ever cease operating against us in this lifetime, even to taking advantage of the weakness of body and mind in those who are in old age.
Sadly, there were Jews and nobles who had made commitments to Tobiah. That wicked man’s family had married into a Jewish family, and consequently there were Jews in Jerusalem who had family loyalty and strong ties to him. He still thought he could intimidate Nehemiah and sent him threatening letters to make Nehemiah afraid of him.
Nehemiah had faced assaults against him, but they were all proven false. Various forms of intimidation had failed, so someone within the city, a fellow countryman of some importance who had the right to enter the temple, tried to get Nehemiah to sin. If Nehemiah had gone into the temple where he should not have gone, he would have lost his credibility as one who spoke for and worked for God. A spiritual leader will lose the people's respect and the right to lead when he does what he knows is wrong for personal advantage or compromise. In an assembly or a family, hypocrisy and deception for the sake of money or a leader's self-advancement will erode trust among those who follow him.
The plot against Nehemiah was deep and widespread among the upper crust of society, meant to keep him afraid. Instead, he focused on finishing the work at hand, not on his own self-interest or credibility. The "great work" we have is more important than any personal attacks against us. Nehemiah didn't seek to retaliate against those who opposed him, nor did he seek any kind of vengeance. Uncompromising convictions and patient, consistent labor brought the wall to completion in 52 days. Even the enemies knew God was behind the work and had given the needed strength and courage to finish the wall quickly. Even the enemies knew "that the work was wrought of our God." Such a rapid accomplishment made those who opposed him fearful. An amazing work was quickly done. The city wall was finished. But instead of joy, some wanted the man's character diminished. The city was now safe and secure. What God wanted was fully done. But for the covetous there was no pity, for the leader they opposed had won. However, even after the walls were finished, the covetous nobles of Judah remained opposed to Nehemiah because their leadership roles and financial wealth were being taken away. All they had controlled through their wrong connections and alliances was being lost. Compromising alliances create compromised positions. Compromised positions cause compromised truth. The corrections under Ezra's authority had not lasted, and some Jews had returned to unholy marriages. Unequal yokes are hard to break because they claim our minds, emotions, and will if we are not on guard against them.
It is an unfortunate, but not uncommon practice, for those who oppose a servant of God to keep trying to undermine his credibility and authority. Innuendo, gossip, half-truths, and words taken out of context are used to sow suspicion and undermine confidence in a person. A campaign of praise for an enemy and criticism for a faithful servant in the service of the Lord causes confusion and unrest among the Lord's people. It happened to Nehemiah, and it can happen to us.
We cannot expect those who seek to oppose us to welcome us with open arms. It is foolish for us to suppose that enemies wish us no harm. The intervention of truth causes concern to those who traffic in lies. Truth, by its very nature, deeply burns in the conscience when it is brought down to size. To discern hypocrisy and underhanded deceit takes God-given wisdom in the soul of God's man. He knows that he will have to compete with falsehood and the enemies' plans. It is the highest wisdom to always be ready and willing, to be on guard and consciously aware of the subtleties and compromises that compel our attention and want us to share with evil.
The Lord Himself is our refuge and safety. He knows all from the beginning to the end. In the scriptures of truth, He tells us plainly of the tactics those who oppose God employ. In faith and with unwavering confidence, we commit ourselves to the work in our hands. Without vengeance or nagging complaints, we will endure until God's plan is fulfilled.
Similar things may happen as we seek to serve the Lord and follow the plain teaching of the Bible. We can be strengthened in our faith in God and confident in His guidance when we “Turn our eyes upon Jesus, and look full in His wonderful face; And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”