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His enemies requested for a dialogue session. We are told:
Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies found out that I had finished rebuilding the wall and that no gaps remained—though we had not yet set up the doors in the gates. So Sanballat and Geshem sent a message asking me to meet them at one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But I realized they were plotting to harm me (1-2).
Nehemiah's response was that he had important work to do. He sent messengers to them, saying, “I am engaged in a great work, so I can’t come. Why should I stop working to come and meet with you?” Four times they sent the same message, and each time I gave the same reply (3-4).
All together they issued four formal invitations to Nehemiah to have a conference management and human conflict. How persistent his enemies were. Was that their sincere desire and real intention? Or, was it a plot to kill him and a distraction ploy? It was the latter. Nehemiah did not want to take any chances. If he were to go, he might not be able to return. His reply to them was that he was too busy to meet them because he was doing something important.
Nehemiah and the Principle of Priority
Here Nehemiah practised the principle of priority - First thing first. Leadership needs to be focused to finish what God calls us to do and not get be distracted. In effect, Nehemiah was saying, "I have a wall to finish! I must finish the wall!' Compare what Paul said, "This one thing I do..."
His opponents were all out to get him to stop the rebuilding project. Their attempt to get him there did not work. So, they tried for the fifth time a more sinister method - slander letter purportedly written by Nehemiah himself.
Fifth Attempt: Slander letter (5-7)
The fifth time, Sanballat’s servant came with an open letter in his hand, and this is what it said: “There is a rumour among the surrounding nations, and Geshem tells me it is true, that you and the Jews are planning to rebel and that is why you are building the wall. According to his reports, you plan to be their king. He also reports that you have appointed prophets in Jerusalem to proclaim about you, ‘Look! There is a king in Judah!’. “You can be very sure that this report will get back to the king, so I suggest that you come and talk it over with me” (5-7).
His enemies now resorted to innuendoes - character assassination. This time the enemy (Sanballat) wrote an open letter accusing him of treason. Nehemiah was accused of
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Nehemiah was threatened with all these accusations. Imagine if all these words were to get to the Persian monarch king, Nehemiah's career would have ended and his life executed. At the same time while making all these allegations, his enemies tried to appear conciliatory. They asked him to come for a conference so that an understanding could be reached and clarification given so that they would not report Nehemiah to the king. Outwardly, they appeared to have good motives (e.g. clarification exercise) but inwardly it was an entrapment - to coerce Nehemiah to meet them and get rid of him. What a smart move.
Nehemiah's Response (8-9)
What could Nehemiah do in such a situation? He did two things. First, he denied the allegation.
I replied, “There is no truth in any part of your story. You are making up the whole thing.” They were just trying to intimidate us, imagining that they could discourage us and stop the work (8).
Second, he prayed to God. He went to God again and recommitted the rebuilding project to God! Since the enemies said, “Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed” (v 9: NIV), he prayed against it in the opposite direction.
“Now strengthen my hands” (9; NIV).[1]
We observe that his prayer was short and specific. Too often our prayers are vague.
Sixth Attempt: Treachery (10-13)
Later I went to visit Shemaiah son of Delaiah and grandson of Mehetabel, who was confined to his home. He said, “Let us meet together inside the Temple of God and bolt the doors shut. Your enemies are coming to kill you tonight” (10).
Earlier on, Sanballat tried to turned the people against Nehemiah by telling the people that Nehemiah wanted to set himself up as king. He tried to turn the officials against Nehemiah too buy threatening to report to the king that Nehemiah was starting a rebellion. By having an unsealed letter delivered to Nehemiah he wanted the contents to be made public. Sanballat's accusation was untrue and that did not divert Nehemiah from his task. Since their five attempts failed, his enemies tried the sixth time. This time, they tried to get someone to kill him – they bribed Shemaiah to tell Nehemiah on the pretext that his life was in danger and he needed to hide in the temple since the people were coming to kill him. Shemaiah misused or abused God’s law when he asked Nehemiah to hide in the temple. According to God's law, it would have been wrong for Nehemiah to run into the temple to hide because he wasn't a priest (Num 18:22).
Nehemiah’s Reply (11-14)
But I replied, “Should someone in my position run from danger? Should someone in my position enter the Temple to save his life? No, I won’t do it!” realized that God had not spoken to him, but that he had uttered this prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. They were hoping to intimidate me and make me sin. Then they would be able to accuse and discredit me. Remember, O my God, all the evil things that Tobiah and Sanballat have done. And remember Noadiah the prophet and all the prophets like her who have tried to intimidate me (11-14).
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How far would our enemies go to destroy us? Do we have Shemaiahs and Noadiahs in our churches today — friendly but mischievous?
[1]Cf. "Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands" (KJV). "Strengthen me for the work, was my prayer" (REB). "So I continued the work with even greater determination" (NLT).