Studies in Nehemiah

Studies in Nehemiah Presentation 06

Turning The Screw Chapter 6v1-14 Presentation 06

Introduction Friends own a very interesting nut cracker which looks like a miniature vice. The nut is placed in position and the screw is tightened. With each turn of the screw their is a heightened sense of expectation, this turn ought to crack it. If that failed there was always one more turn until eventually the nut cracked. That picture describes the rational of Satan's attacks on the people of God. Failure does not ultimately discourage him. He's always lining up a new attack. There's always another turn of the screw. But unlike the nutcracker his attempts to crack open God’s work is not inevitable as the story of Nehemiah so wonderfully illustrates. Presentation 06

The Peace Conference Ridicule had failed. The threat of attack had failed. Discouragement among the workers had failed. Dividing the people of God had failed. But the enemy of God's people does not give up and the subtlety of his approach becomes increasingly more apparent. What could be more appealing than the invitation which Nehemiah received from Sanballet and Tobiah to attend a peace conference. It seemed such a reasonable request. Surely it reflected a change in position from those who had shown themselves to be so opposed to God's work. Presentation 06

The Peace Conference A less discerning man than Nehemiah could have been flattered into thinking that his faithfulness in God’s work had been responsible for mellowing its opponents! Had not their mockery, derision and armed opposition been replaced by a spirit of friendship? God's grace changes people lives does it not? Nehemiah could have viewed this invitation as an opportunity to win over the opposition. Imagine how the headlines of the Jerusalem Sunday Times could have read, 'Sanballet and Tobiah converted'. Was this not too good an opportunity to let slip by? Presentation 06

The Peace Conference Nehemiah was not naive. He saw the proposed peace conference for what it was, a sham, a pretence of friendship designed to disrupt the work. How did he know this? Was there a God- produced uneasiness in his heart? Did he possess a spirit of discernment which enabled him to see beyond the outstretched hand to the scheming heart? That is not an unreasonable assumption. Despite the repeated appeals Nehemiah refused to attend such a meeting. Look at his response in 'I am carrying out a great project and cannot come down’ v3. Presentation 06

The Peace Conference Think of the fascination with inter-faith conferences today where people of different faiths are encouraged to forget the beliefs that separate them and work together at worship. Or think of the plethora of working parties and conferences within the church - how we love to talk. Endless talking can distract us from the work to which we are called! We need discernment to keep us from the Devil's conference table and to see through what appears reasonable, harmless and well intentioned. Presentation 06

The Peace Conference How we need to cry to God for discernment so that we will not be dragged into anything which will draw us away from the essential task of the gospel. John Mott, a well known missionary working in Japan was asked by the president of the U.S.A to be his ambassador in Japan. Mott replied, “Mr. President since God called me to be an ambassador of his, my ears have been deaf to all other calls”. Appealing as the invitation was, and he might have exerted great influence and done a good job, Mott saw it as a distraction from the work to which he was called. Like Nehemiah he was saying, 'I am carrying on a great project and cannot come down'. Do we give that kind of priority to our God-given tasks? Presentation 06

The Blackmail Letter The apparent friendliness of Sanballet and Tobiahevaporates in v5-9. They now turn their hand to blackmail and intimidation. This took the form of an open letter which they were threatening to send to King Artaxerxes. It accused the Jews of planning a revolt against their Persian overlords and Nehemiah of having aspirations to Israel’s throne. It implied a secret motive behind the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. “Oh Nehemiah, what do you think King Artaxerxes would do if this letter fell into his hands? Please have a little read before we send it.” Presentation 06

The Blackmail Letter Notice that the focus of the attack has now changed. It has become very personal and its aim is to discredit the leader of the building team, Nehemiah. The aim of this attack is to question Nehemiah’s motives. To depict him as a man with personal ambitions, a man driven by selfishness, a man who wanted to be king. The danger of innuendo is that people are often ready to believe it because they find these very cravings swimming around in their own hearts. We need to remember that the devil is not only a deceiver, he is an accuser. Presentation 06

The Blackmail Letter Nehemiah quickly identifies the purpose of this letter in v9. It was a crude attempt to frighten and intimidate the leadership into forsaking the work. Nehemiah resists this additional pressure by refuting the slander. He traces its origin - 'its clearly something you fellows have dreamed up!' Secondly, Nehemiah turned to God in prayer that he might be strengthened against constant pressure from the opposition. He asks to be equipped to do the work to which he had been called. God strengthened Nehemiah and blew out any flame that this mischievous letter may have lit! Presentation 06

The Blackmail Letter It is good to be able to rest in the hand of God and to know that whatever he begins in and through us he will accomplish despite the broad arsenal of opposition that may be arrayed against us. Was Nehemiah familiar with the words of the prophet Isaiah ? “no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me,” declares the LORD. Isa. 54v17 Presentation 06

The Word From God The Devil will stop at nothing to stop God's work as is apparent from v10-14. The instrument of disruption he now uses is one of Nehemiah's friends and counsellors, a man called Shemaiah, who is a prophet of God. He tells Nehemiah that he has a message for him from God. Men were planning to come that evening to kill him therefore, he should hide himself in the temple in order to protect his life. He is saying in effect, “God has told you to do this Nehemiah, therefore you must follow his instructions.” Presentation 06

The Word From God How do you argue with a statement which begins, “God has said”? John writes in his epistle “test the spirits” 1Jn. 4v1. Do not assume because someone claims to have a message from God that they are genuine. Had Nehemiah uncritically received this message and acted upon it, he would have been charged with cowardice, of running away to ensure his own safety. Imagine what the response of the inhabitants of Jerusalem would have been? “Nehemiah, exposes us to the danger building and guarding these walls while he is hiding in the temple and keeping himself safe”. A discredited leader soon has no one to lead. Presentation 06

The Word From God Nehemiah asks, is this 'message from the Lord' consistent with what I know of God's character? Would God really counsel self-preservation, while I leave others exposed to danger? No! this is no way for a leader to behave, 'I will not go in'. Satan is not only a deceiver and an accuser, he is a liar, who often comes dressed as an ‘angel of light’. His temptations can be clothed in religious language. Nehemiah's spiritual intuition was right for Shemaiah had turned traitor. He was a fifth columnist, in the employ of Sanballet and Tobiah. Presentation 06

The Word From God Indeed v14 seems to suggest that there were a number of so-called prophets trying, in one way or another, to cause havoc and so bring God's work to a halt. It is hard to imagine the hurt and distress which all this must have caused Nehemiah. Men on whose friendship and counsel he had counted, who professed to speak for God had betrayed both their calling and his trust. Yet Nehemiah was not deflected from his work. This is one of the most painful of all experiences in Christian work, and enough to discourage the most courageous of hearts. Presentation 06

The Word From God At a human level Nehemiah must have experienced a great sense of aloneness as those on whom he thought he could rely proved unreliable. But he was not alone, God was with him. When we are doing God's work we are never alone. Think of the encouraging words spoken by Jesus after commissioning his disciples for mission. He was sending them out into certain danger; “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matt 28v19-20 Presentation 06

Conclusion The battle in which the believer is involved is relentless. The attacks come in many guises, from many different directions and often with increased intensity as the screw is turned. Satan’s goal is, “Stop the work at all costs”. Nehemiah's responses, ‘I cannot come down- I refuse to be distracted, I will not go in or run away from danger’, all display the same strength of resolve. James says,‘Resist the devil, and he will flee from you’ Jas 4.7. In addition, we need to be constantly praying, 'Lord when the screw turns keep me from cracking.' Presentation 06

Studies in Nehemiah