| |
Nehemiah is determined to fulfill the Lord’s work and rebuild the walls despite facing every obstacle imaginable thus far. He has persevered during the mockery from his enemies and the turmoil from his own people. Satan would now pull out all the stops. His most deadly deception would be the most difficult to overcome for Nehemiah; it was personal.
When Satan aims to take down a ministry or a church, he eventually goes for the jugular. Spirit-led and God-fearing leaders will always become the prime targets to take the brunt of his warfare. If he can take down the leader, he can take down the ministry and he can wipe out the body. But by the strength of the Lord, Nehemiah was prepared to stand firm.
Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem first try to send a letter to lure Nehemiah into a trap. Four times Nehemiah sent back a firm response stating he could not abandon his work. Then, Sanballat had an idea. Since he could not lure Nehemiah into a trap, he would attack his character. The smear campaign began.
If you remember, Nehemiah was originally granted the permission to return to Jerusalem by Artaxerxes of Persia. There was an agreement that Nehemiah would return after the project was completed. The false allegations brought against Nehemiah accused him of fortifying his city in preparation to rebel against Artaxerxes. This, in turn, would have created a whirlwind of “what-if” scenarios for Nehemiah. If these rumors made it back to Artaxerxes, they would undoubtedly violate his trust and ignite an all-out war.
Of course, Sanballat and his companions had no intention of actually going to Artaxerxes with this information. It was merely an intimidation tactic meant to scare Nehemiah into showing up for their “meeting” (assassination plot). If you have ever been in a situation where you have been slandered, intimidated, and manipulated in the form of a smear campaign, you can relate to the turmoil of Nehemiah’s mind. He needed strength… and the Lord delivered.
For they were all trying to intimidate us, saying, “They will become discouraged in the work, and it will never be finished.” But now, my God, strengthen me.
Nehemiah 6:9 HCSB
The final act in the plot against Nehemiah was the hiring of a false prophet to tempt Nehemiah into sinning. This would have destroyed his credibility with his fellow Jews and ultimately halted the work on the temple.
“When Nehemiah visited him, Shemaiah proposed that they enter the holy place to be safe from assassins. Shemaiah’s suggestion was for Nehemiah to flee into the sanctuary. It was lawful for an Israelite to seek refuge at the altar outside the temple (Exo 21:13-14), but only a priest could enter the holy place. Nehemiah’s enemies were subtly tempting him. If they could trap him in sin, this would discredit him and the work. Then the people would cease to follow him, and the work on the wall would stop.”
Nelson’s Commentary
Some commentators believe that Shemaiah was the son of a priest and an intimate friend of Nehemiah. It is incredible to consider that Nehemiah was able to resist this plot that extended all the way down to a close friendship. God not only strengthened Nehemiah, but He gave him the wisdom and discernment to avoid compromising. He would not run and hide; he would not live in fear; he would not be intimidated. He stood firm.
The fruit of his life was tangible. The wall was finished in 52 days. His enemies who relentlessly plotted to intimidate him now trembled with fear. In the end, all the glory went to God, just as it should. The unbelieving world looked at the results of Nehemiah’s leadership and knew, without a doubt, this task had been accomplished by the One True God.