November 24, 2002
1Now 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, 2then 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. 3So 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?" 4They sent messages to me four times in this manner, and I answered them in the same way. 5Then Sanballat sent his servant to me in the same manner a fifth time with an open letter in his hand. 6In 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." 8Then I sent a message to him saying, "Such things as you are saying have not been done, but you are inventing them in your own mind." 9For 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.
10When I entered the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, who was confined at home, 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, and they are coming to kill you at night." 11But I said, "Should a man like me flee? And could one such as I go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in." 12Then I perceived that surely God had not sent him, but he uttered his prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13He was hired for this reason, that I might become frightened and act accordingly and sin, so that they might have an evil report in order that they could reproach me. 14Remember, O my God, Tobiah and Sanballat according to these works of theirs, and also Noadiah the prophetess and the rest of the prophets who were trying to frighten me.
The Wall Is Finished
15So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. 16When all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations surrounding us saw it, they lost their confidence; for they recognized that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God. 17Also in those days many letters went from the nobles of Judah to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters came to them. 18For many in Judah were bound by oath to him because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah the son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah. 19Moreover, they were speaking about his good deeds in my presence and reported my words to him. Then Tobiah sent letters to frighten me. Nehemiah 6:1-19 (NASB)
Thursday morning the news reported the death of Bonnie Witheral, a 31 year-old missionary serving with the Christian Missionary Alliance church. She was a medical missionary in Sidon, Lebanon.
You might remember from Bible stories of Exodus how Joshua led the nation of Israel to possess the Promised Land. That possession could not include the Phonecian cities of Tyre and Sidon. Joshua could not conquer those cities.
Sidon and Tyre were ancient cities, having been founded long before the Israelites entered the land of Canaan…Both cities were known for their maritime exploits and as centers of trade…Joshua could not conquer the territory (Josh. 13:3-4)….About 870 B.C., Ahab married Jezebel, the daughter of the Phoenician king, bringing Baal worship to Israel’s court.
Sidon is a hotbed of terrorist fanatics (Hezbollah and Al Qaeda). There is much hatred there for Americans and Jews. As such, American missionaries who pray for the peace of Jerusalem are often targeted for attacks.
According to the news reports, a gunman walked into the clinic in which Mrs. Witheral was administering medical aid and pumped 3 bullets into her head and then fled. We pray for her family and church. We have been warned this week that increased terrorist activity is likely in the U.S. if war with Iraq becomes a reality. It is an uneasy time in which we live.
Now, contrast that with the serene words of Jennifer’s song a few moments ago:
There’s nothing like the warmth of a summer afternoon.
Waking to the sunlight, being cradled by the moon.
Catching fireflies at night, building castles in the sand;
-kissing Mama’s face good night and holding Daddy’s hand;
Thank you, Lord. How could I ask for more?
Playing barefoot in the grass, a little hide and go seek,
Being so in-love, that you can hardly eat,
Dancing in the dark when there’s no one else around,
Being bundled ’neath the covers, watching snow fall to the ground.
Thank you, Lord. How could I ask for more?
So many things I thought would bring me happiness!
Some dreams that are reality today.
It’s such an irony the things that mean the most to me
Are the mem’ries that I made along the way!
So if there’s anything I’ve learned from this journey I am on,
Simple Truth will keep you going, simple Love will keep you strong.
And there are questions without answers
And dreams that never die
And heartaches we go through are often Blessings in disguise.
So, Thank You, Lord. Oh, thank You, Lord, How could I ask for more
The difference between those two extremes - the news heads warning of the frightening things going on, and how we had better be on the alert; the serenity that keeps in mind fireflies, warm summer afternoons and holding Daddy’s hand. The one says be afraid, very afraid. The other maintains composure, and even says, "Thank you, Lord" under the severest of hardships.
How do you reconcile those two? How do you look at the state of things in this world and come up balanced?
Consider: the nervousness of a possible war,
a flattened economy,
crime on the rise,
taxes through the roof,
divorce, child abuse,
STD’s, AIDS, Cancer,
Teen suicides on the rise,
Pension plans blowing up, and on, and on, and on.
Life in the fast lane is frightening. But our study of Nehemiah’s journal shows us someone living in what looks like the fast lane; it just happens to be the [stand] fast lane!
THE STORY
Nehemiah did experience some really difficult times from the opening of the book to this point.
As a servant of Artaxerxes the Persian king, Nehemiah was the cupbearer who asked to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls. It was frightening to be a lowly servant asking a powerful king to change his former edict to let the walls lay in rubble.
As a traveler making a 1,000 mile journey (which would have taken around two months), there were many dangers to face - sickness, bands of thieves, desertion or mutiny by those sent to protect him.
As a new arrival back in Jerusalem Nehemiah found hostility from the local governors.
When the wall was being rebuilt there were problems from within his own people, grumbling from the poor who were being oppressed by the rich.
In our text this morning we saw that even when the wall was completed Sanballat and Tobiah were still after him. This time they used rumor and lies about Nehemiah’s intent and character. When that failed they resorted to a plot of intrigue to lure Nehemiah to a location away from the safety of Jerusalem…the plain of Ono. Of course Nehemiah said "Oh NO!" to that!
NEHEMIAH’S STEADFASTNESS
Four times Sanballat and Geshem sent letters of invitation to diplomatic negotiation. Four times Nehemiah answered the same way: "I am working on God’s big project here. You will have to wait." There is something admirable about a man who can remember his priorities!
The story is told of young Charles Darwin that one day he was eagerly holding one rare beetle in his right fist, another in his left and then suddenly he caught sight of a third beetle that he simply knew he must have for his collection. What to do?
In a flash he put one of the beetles in his mouth for safekeeping and reached for the third beetle with his now free hand. But the mouth-imprisoned beetle squirted acid down Darwin’s throat, so that in a fit of coughing he lost all three beetles. Remembering your priorities is always to be tempered with remembering to keep the larger picture in perspective.
The fifth attempt was an unsealed letter - open for even the messenger to read - it used rumor and even a bald-faced lie that Nehemiah was planning a revolt against the Persian Empire. Nehemiah answered in that time-honored fashion - He said, "Y’all are nuts!"
Another attempt was the religious ploy - they paid Shemaiah, who had a reputation of being a prophet of God, to pretend he was looking out for Nehemiah’s neck - instead he was luring him into a murderous trap. He left that prophet behind like a bad-hair day.
THE QUESTION
Heroes of the faith like Nehemiah always bring up questions. The one looming before the house this morning has to do with how in the world Nehemiah knew the skullduggery those clowns were planning. And, more importantly, as I follow Christ each day, how can I act with the same kind of discernment I see in Nehemiah?
If you check out Nehemiah’s response to Shemaiah’s invitation you can see the key to his pattern of discernment - Nehemiah leaned on the Word of God.
When Shemaiah said, Go in the temple, Nehemiah recalled that going into the temple for safety was only in certain circumstances - this didn’t qualify. In addition, fleeing in the face of an ungodly plot was so contradictory to the way God’s servants had acted throughout history. Shemaiah claimed to be a prophet, but he was suggesting remedies for Nehemiah’s difficult situations that went decidedly against God’s ways. Nehemiah knew how God felt about such prophets:
20’But the prophet who speaks a word presumptuously in My name which I have not commanded him to speak,
or which he speaks in the name of other gods,
that prophet shall die.’
Deuteronomy 18:20 (NASB)
Therein is the teaching for us as well. If you really want to know how to follow God, seek His Word every day - memorize it - meditate on it - make it your heart’s stuff! Then, when courses of action are suggested to you, you will know how not to sin against Him.
In an NCAA cross-country championship held in Riverside, California, 123 of the 128 runners missed a turn. One competitor, Mike Delcavo, stayed on the 10,000-meter course and began waving for fellow runners to follow him. Delcavo was able to convince only four other runners to go with him.
This thing about discerning God’s baffles the world. When Nehemiah was the subject of gossip and rumor, threats and plots, he told his enemies to hit the road - then he went right on waiting on the Lord, working on the wall, praying and waiting for God to act. Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem were put to shame.
This is the difference when Hezbollah or Al Qaeda terrorists threaten. This is the difference when the economy crumbles, or the doctor says the "c" word. This is the difference for people who have peace in the middle of a dark day, in the midst of a storm - this is the difference in people who are living an everyday close relationship with the God Who is in charge of everything He made. He gives you the peace inside to make the fast lane your [stand] fast lane! That’s what He does!
