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- Preaching the Living WORD through
the Written WORD - 2 Tim 4;:2 - |
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NEHEMIAH RESPONDS
TO FURTHER OPPOSITION (Neh 6:10‑19) 6/27/10 Grace Bible Church,
Gillette, Wyoming Pastor Daryl Hilbert I. NEHEMIAH RESPONDS TO
FALSE PROPHETS (10‑14) A. [Intro] Sanballat’s plots against Nehemiah failed,
which included the personal threats against Nehemiah. Nehemiah disregarded
the personal attacks, kept the work of God as first priority, and stood firm
in the face of fear and threats. As a result, the enemy’s plans were foiled.
A new plan was devised where a prophet was hired to lure Nehemiah into the
Temple, so as to defile and discredit himself and his ministry. However,
Nehemiah remained a faithful leader who exemplifies leadership, integrity,
and wisdom. B. [6:10]
We are not exactly certain how Nehemiah came to visit Shemaiah. Some
have supposed that Shemaiah invited Nehemiah to his house. Others assert that
Shemaiah may have been a close friend of Nehemiah. Whatever the case, it
appears that Nehemiah trusted Shemaiah enough to visit him. 1. There
were several Shemaiahs mentioned in Nehemiah, but
this Shemaiah (son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel) is only mentioned here. 2. Nehemiah states that Shemaiah claimed to
be a prophet and for some reason was confined to his house. Either he had
some physical debilitation, perhaps was symbolically acting out his supposed
prophecy, or he wanted to meet Nehemiah in secrecy. 3. Shemaiah informed Nehemiah that his
enemies were planning to kill him that very night. Therefore, Nehemiah should
go to the Temple for asylum and protection. The Law allowed a Jew to flee to
the altar to seek asylum (Ex 21:13‑14; 1Ki 1:50‑53; 2:28‑31),
but there were restrictions. Fleeing from a foreign enemy was not one of
them. C. [6:11] Nehemiah understood that he was not
allowed in the holy of holies because he was a laymen and not a priest (some
believe that Nehemiah was a eunuch, which would have been an additional
restriction). 1. If
Nehemiah did flee to the Temple and violate the Law, he would lose
credibility with the people. This no doubt was the plot of his enemies. 2. Nehemiah was a man of integrity and
would not violate the Law of God and said “I will not go.” 3. Furthermore, what kind of signal would that
have sent to the Jews if their leader lacked courage
and acted cowardly. Such is reflected in his reply, “Should a man like me
flee?” D. [6:12] From knowing the Law and knowing that no
true prophet would advise someone to violate the Law, Nehemiah “perceived” (nakar ‑ recognize or distinguish)
that Shemaiah was not a prophet from God. The only other alternative was that
Shemaiah was hired by Tobiah and Sanballat to try to discredit Nehemiah. E. [6:13]
In fact, Nehemiah figured out the entire plot of his enemies. They
attempted to frighten him so that he would flee into the Temple and sin. This
would discredit Nehemiah in the eyes of the people and would give his enemies
an opportunity to bring reproach against him. F. [6:14]
In Nehemiah‑like fashion he lifted his soul unto God. His prayer
resembled the imprecatory prayer that he prayed earlier (4:4). 1. First he
asked that God would remember Tobiah and Sanballat. In 5:19, Nehemiah asked
God to remember him with a view toward blessing. Here he asks that God would remember his enemies with a view toward punishment
and cursing. The imprecatory prayers are based on the Abrahamic Covenant,
where God promised to “bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you
I will curse” (Ge 12:3). God was to remember his enemies according to their
works. Tobiah and Sanballat were not just enemies of Nehemiah, but of God and
His people. The permanency of Israel along with the line of the Messiah was
directly affected by the success or failure of Nehemiah’s enemies. 2. Nehemiah also prayed that God would
remember those who falsely professed to be prophets and prophetesses of God.
Evidently, there were more false prophets than Shemaiah, who were tying to frighten Nehemiah. In fact, he named a
particular prophetess named Noadiah. According to
Dt 18:21‑22, it was crucial for Israel to know God’s prophecies through
true prophets. Therefore, a false prophet was to be rejected by Israel, and
even stoned (Dt 18:20). They tried to frighten Nehemiah, but Dt 18:22 states
that Israel was not to be afraid of a false prophet. II. NEHEMIAH
COMPLETES THE WORK OF GOD (15‑16) A. [6:15] Nehemiah records that the wall was
completed in 52 days. There are those who suggest this number is incorrect
due to a scribal error. Josephus, the historian, wrote that it took Nehemiah
two and a half years to complete the wall. However, there are some strong
arguments for the completion in 52 days. 1. Nehemiah’s
project took place aprox. 500 years before Josephus
recorded his writings. 2. The perimeter around the wall was smaller
than generally accepted. According to Kathleen Kenyon’s archaeological work
in Jerusalem, the wall was about 2,600 meters, which is aprox
1.6 miles. If you include the western wall it would be 4,150 meters, which is
aprox. 2.5 miles. 3. The wall was not completely destroyed. In
some places, the structure was unharmed. In others only breaches, doors and
gates needed to be repaired. 4. Under a great leader such as Nehemiah,
with a large number of citizens working, and motivated by presence of
impending danger, it is quite conceivable that the work was completed in 52
days. B. [6:16] When the enemies heard and saw that
Nehemiah and the people had completed the wall, they were disheartened and
frightened. Nehemiah’s enemies had realized God was with them and was their
Helper. They enemies attempted to frighten Nehemiah, but they ended up being
frightened in the end. Nehemiah’s prayer of 4:4 was fulfilled and the
reproach of the enemies returned upon them. III. NEHEMIAH IS OPPOSED BY
TOBIAH (17‑19) A. [6:17] Nehemiah adds a footnote to explain how
Tobiah was able to make in‑roads and influence some of the Jews such
as, the nobles who refused to work (3:5), Shemaiah, and Noadiah.
In fact, many letters were sent back and forth to Tobiah from the nobles of
Judah. Dissension was in the midst of Israel and Nehemiah reveals its harmful
advances toward God’s people and God’s work. B. [6:18]
Tobiah was connected with the Jewish people in several ways. First,
his father-in-law was Shecaniah son of Arah (cf. Ezra 2:5). Second, his daughter-in-law was the
daughter of Meshullam son of Berekiah,
who worked on two sections of the wall (Neh. 3:4, 30). C. [6:19]
There appears to have been many loyalists to Tobiah, the co‑conspirator
with Sanballat. Many were telling Nehemiah about Tobiah’s good deeds and that
he was a good man. But, Tobiah proved otherwise by sending letters to
frighten Nehemiah and hiring prophets to discredit him. IV. OBSERVATIONS AND
APPLICATIONS 1. Leadership
fulfills the will of God by following the Word of God (Ne 6:11 cp. Ro 12:1‑2). 2. Leadership discerns people with the
knowledge of the Word of God (Ne 6:12 cp. Ph 1:9). 3. Leadership understands that accomplishing
the work of God defeats the enemy (Ne 6:16 cp. Ja 4:7) 4. Leadership does not let any personal
behavior discredit their ministry (Ne 6:13 cp. 2Ti 3:2). 5. Leadership thwarts all dissension so that
the work of God goes unhindered (Ne 6:17 cp. 1Ti 2:8 cp. 1Co 11:18). |
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