Nehemiah 6:10-14 – Resolute
Not only did Nehemiah have to withstand the opposition of enemies, he was also subjected to deceitful counsel from those he considered friends. The relationship he had with Shemaiah appears to be one of cordiality and friendship for Nehemiah visited him in his home, and Shemaiah seemed to have a real concern for his welfare. Here we see the subtlety of Satan; Nehemiah had rejected every open approach made to get him to stop the work, and so now an attempt is made by deceit to trick him into giving up.
The suggestion of Shemaiah seems very plausible – if people were truly coming to kill Nehemiah it may have seemed sensible to hide in a place of refuge. The response of Nehemiah is a rebuke to all who would be put off from doing the work of the Lord because of the fear of man.
a. He knew that God had given him a work to do and had preserved him in the doing of it, and there was no way that he was going to run and hide in order to preserve his own life. He knew that he was immortal until his work was done.
b. He was given discernment. God revealed to him not only that Shemaiah was a false prophet in the pay of Sanballat, but also the purpose for which he had been hired. If Nehemiah had gone to the Temple the story would have been spread about that he was a coward and only concerned to save his own skin.
c. He prayed that God would deal with those who opposed the work, not only from Tobiah and Sanballat but also from those religious figures who should have been the ones most supportive of the work.
So Nehemiah resisted all attempts to stop the work, ‘I cannot come down’ (6:3), ‘I will not go in’ (6:11). ‘God give us grace to be as resolute, in the task appointed us.’ (James Philip).
Questions
- What did Nehemiah “friend” tell him to do?
- Why did Nehemiah refuse?
Prayer Points
- Pray that we would be resolute in following the Lord.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.