Finishing Strong Series

The problems never end for Nehemiah. He faced constant challenges in doing the work of God.

• It started with discouraging words of ridicule and intimidation, and then grew into more intense, life-threatening situation that requires them to carry arms.

• The problems came from without, and then later from within, among his own people. They quarrelled and the work was stopped momentarily.

• By God’s grace, the sinners understood God’s will and repented. Nehemiah set them a good example and the issue was resolved quickly.

When the dust settled and the wall reached its full height in Nehemiah 6, we might think that it would be the end of his woes. Or was it? Let’s find out - Neh 6:1-4.

Despite the trials & tribulations, the work had continued and the wall reached its full height with all the gaps covered and only the doors to the gates left to be installed.

• Even at this point the enemies did not give up. They could not do much about the wall now that it has already been fully built.

• Sanballat and Geshem turned their attention to attacking Nehemiah. Destroy him and the city would be powerless.

We’ve seen such plots repeated in history.

• Satan starts off seeking to destroy God’s work, and then he hits at the people, creating disunity and divisions. And if that fails, he attacks the leader.

• Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered, that what Jesus says in Matt 26:31 (quoting from Zech 13:7).

The enemies plotted to deceive/distract him, defame/slander him and to discredit/dishonour him.

Sanballat and Geshem invited Nehemiah to meet them in one of the villages NW of Jerusalem, about 40km away in the plain of Ono.

• No reason was given. It looked like a “peace talk” of some kind, like Trump-Kim summit; “Let’s discuss how to co-exist peacefully going forward.”

• But Nehemiah discerned it differently. He suspected foul play. “They were scheming to harm me.” (6:2b)

• How did he know? Discernment. We’ve seen that in Nehemiah over the course of the book.

It’s actually common sense, from a man who walks closely with God.

• Ono is one day’s journey away to the North-West and near to the border of Samaria – Sanballat’s province.

• Why would you want to travel a day’s journey for a talk, away from the protection of your people, to a place near to your enemy’s territory?

• “Common sense is the most common thing that is uncommon to common people.” Godly people are blessed with anointed ‘common sense’ or spiritual discernment.

Nehemiah said, “I am carrying on a great project, and I cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?” (6:3)

• I’ve a more important task to do in this GREAT project and I should not STOP.

This reminded me of a story of a missionary in China whose talents and abilities were so outstanding that one of the American companies tried to hire him. They offered him an attractive job with a salary to match, but he turned it down.

He told them that God had sent him to China as a missionary. He thought that would end the matter, but instead they came back with a better offer and an increase in salary.

He turned that down too, but again they came back a third time, doubling the financial package with added benefits.

Finally he said to them, “It’s not your salary that’s too little. It’s the job that’s too small!”

Nehemiah: “I’m not going to stop this GREAT WORK of God to meet up with you.”

• Notice the enemies did not made any attempt to explain the need to meet.

• Obviously so because they had no good reason for it. If they were sincere, they could have arrange to meet Nehemiah in Jerusalem itself.

• Nothing was said because they had nothing to say. They just repeated the same invite FOUR times and Nehemiah said NO four times. He stood firm.

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The enemies changed their tactic. Read Neh 6:5-9.

• Sanballat sent his servant to Nehemiah with an unsealed letter.

• Unsealed meaning it’s an open letter, which would have been read on its delivery from Samaria to Jerusalem.

• It was designed to be so. Any fabricated news would have been talked about widely by the time Nehemiah got to read it for the first time.

The message? It was rumoured that Nehemiah and his people were planning a revolt. This was the reason why they were rebuilding the wall.

• And Nehemiah was planning to make himself the King of Judah, with arrangements already made for the prophets to declare him king.

• Even Geshem would testify to it that this was true. How odd, coming from one of their own. They created a fake news and rubber-stamped it themselves.