#617 I Hear Dead People

When word came to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left in it—though up to that time I had not set the doors in the gates— 2 Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages[a] on the plain of Ono.”

But they were scheming to harm me; 3 so I sent messengers to them with this reply: “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?” 4 Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer.

5 Then, the fifth time, Sanballat sent his aide to me with the same message, and in his hand was an unsealed letter 6 in which was written:

“It is reported among the nations—and Geshem[b] says it is true—that you and the Jews are plotting to revolt, and therefore you are building the wall. Moreover, according to these reports you are about to become their king 7 and have even appointed prophets to make this proclamation about you in Jerusalem: ‘There is a king in Judah!’ Now this report will get back to the king; so come, let us meet together.”

8 I sent him this reply: “Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head.”

9 They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.”

But I prayed, “Now strengthen my hands.”

10 One day I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was shut in at his home. He said, “Let us meet in the house of God, inside the temple, and let us close the temple doors, because men are coming to kill you—by night they are coming to kill you.”

11 But I said, “Should a man like me run away? Or should someone like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go!” 12 I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had prophesied against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13 He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would commit a sin by doing this, and then they would give me a bad name to discredit me.

14 Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, my God, because of what they have done; remember also the prophet Noadiah and how she and the rest of the prophets have been trying to intimidate me. 15 So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days.

Opposition to the Completed Wall

16 When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.

17 Also, in those days the nobles of Judah were sending many letters to Tobiah, and replies from Tobiah kept coming to them. 18 For many in Judah were under oath to him, since he was son-in-law to Shekaniah son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berekiah. 19 Moreover, they kept reporting to me his good deeds and then telling him what I said. And Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me. Nehemiah 6 NIV

Come hang out, take a bit of a holiday, climb in my chariot so that people see us together. Redpath wrote this well:

“Whether you be a pastor or a teacher or evangelist or Sunday school leader, or whatever your position may be in Christian leadership, let me say that there will always be those who are friendly to your face, but plan your downfall behind your back. Beware of the fawning, flattering Christian who is always fluttering around you, and who behind your back will be the first to rejoice when you go down.” (Redpath)

We shouldn't forsake the lost, we shouldn't be set against reconciliation, but we also must be wise as serpents while we are being harmless as doves. These are our relations, our cousins, even husbands and wives at times, that call us away from what God is asking us to do, or the way He is telling us to conduct ourselves. Expect the world to act like the world, don't be shocked, but don't be easily deceived, that is often a form of pride as well, they wouldn't do this to me, they know who I am. There is nothing to worry about until we do the thing we should have thought first about, we find ourselves in the position we could have avoided. 

For the levy of the prostitute is poverty, and the adulteress preys upon your very life. 27Can a man embrace fire and his clothes not be burned? 28Can a man walk on hot coals without scorching his feet?…Proverbs 6:26-28

This applies to those in government as well, not everyone has your best interest at heart. They approached him 4 times and 4 times the greater character prevails. The next time they send a letter with a threat in it, something that will make him look bad to the tidal king. "We know what you are up to, and we have a signed testimony to prove it." I have learned to accept rebuke from anyone, to pause and consider their words, to look at the facts, because I can be wrong, and I have watched those of good intent, who were much better men, be taken down by those of much lesser character. A coral snake is not that big, but if he gnaws on you enough to break the skin, oh the damage. It's not true what they are saying, so the better thing is to finish the work, the proof will be that when the wall is done, what they say will happen does not happen. 

Faithful are the wounds of a friend;

profuse are the kisses of an enemy. Proverbs 27:6

These guys thought they were gangster, but Nehemiah was the OG. I fell often and hard into this trap for a long time, knowing that God said, "do these things, walk this way." In the name of unity or friendship, I made light of those things that God said, I put down that cross, for it was not so good for those I was talking to to look at. It didn't fit through the doors of some of the places I was asked to go. They smiled at me, called me the "cool" Christian, the "tolerable one". Jesus said, "deny yourself, take up your cross and come follow Me. Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake."

Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me; 38 and anyone who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me.…Matthew 10:37

Nehemiah did not go to the ambush, and then they tried to paralyze him with the letter, we are going to defame you. I have no choice but to report this because it was brought to our attention. Go ahead, I have work to do. I have personally experienced that and caved to a point that it bothered me, letting someone get into my head with threats and taunting my ego. You have the truth on your side, but they are not there for that, not bound by logic or reason, so there is no point in stopping the work to argue. Nehemiah calls it like it is, "you are a liar, you are making these things up from your own depraved mind." Next tactic is his religion, when people know that God matters to you, they will attempt this angle too. "Stop the work, it is immoral, look at this scripture here about feeding the hungry." The best way to respond is by giving them the whole counsel of God, and the best way to know this is to read and study the Bible for yourself, and go to a church with an expository teacher. A man, who is considered a prophet, tells Nehemiah to come and hide inside the temple. He wants him to do what God hasn't told him to do, by saying what God hasn't said. He comes in the name of God, claiming to be the oracle of God, but God did not call Nehemiah to the work of the temple, but rather as governor to build the wall. God did not send this man, greed did. He worked for the enemies of the wall, the enemies of the good of Jerusalem overall. 

The anger of the LORD will not diminish until He has fully accomplished the purposes of His heart. In the days to come you will understand it clearly. 21I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied. 22 But if they had stood in My council, they would have proclaimed My words to My people and turned them back from their evil ways and evil deeds.”…Jeremiah 23:20-22

So many voices, and again those of the nobles, the respected, they sing the praises of Sanballat and Tobiah. Well, he's never been mean to me. My daughter is married to his son. I trade with him for oil. He let's me use his boat whenever I want, so I don't understand why Nehemiah has such a problem with these guys. They raise some good points too, I bet Nehemiah is going to announce himself as king, that he is hungry for power. These are probably the same nobles who were willing to sell their neighbor's kids to pay off debts due to the nobles overcharging. Their bar might be set a little low, or they may just be that naive, but Nehemiah has something they don't, discernment. He has also decided to honor God, to trust God and let his works speak for themselves. He has not taken the tax due to governors, he refuses to destroy the sanctity of the temple, has no use for flattery and dammit, how do you get to someone like that? He is going to finish this, his eyes are on the prize.

His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!' Matthew 25:21