Nehemiah Chapter 6 – Work of God, Words of Men
The wall of Jerusalem was worked on by human hands, but it was clear even to adversaries that completing the wall in 52 days was the very work of God (15-16). Amid the building, and after the wall was built, word was sent multiple times to Nehemiah by messengers and by letters, to threaten, to trick and to frighten him.
Trick or Threat
The unholy trio Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem conspired against Nehemiah, with four failed attempts to trick Nehemiah into meeting them in order to do him harm. These three, a Samaritan, an Ammonite and an Arab, were from nations sharing borders with Judah, with historical links defining them as kinsmen to the Jews. Yet when their trickery failed to fool Nehemiah, they resorted to threatening him – you will be reported to the king as leading an insurrection! (6)
Trick or threat, Nehemiah was not about to succumb.
Private Messages, Open Letter, Word of Prophecy
Unfazed by the baseless accusation of the open letter, Nehemiah prayed for his hands to be strengthened against their attempts to weaken his resolve (9).
That enemies of God would not give up is to be expected – they employed religious deception to get Nehemiah shut himself in the temple premises to avoid a murder attempt that wasn’t. Nehemiah had visited a certain Shemaiah whom he later discovered was hired by Tobiah and Sanballat to pronounce this false prophecy against him. A few other prophets, as well as the prophetess Noadiah were part of this religious plot.
Words of men purporting to be from God to advance their destructive works. They desired to make Nehemiah afraid (13-14), but he gave no heed. Builders of the walls of faith likewise, must be men of valour, like the apostle Paul who said:
But because of false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage), to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you. (Gal 2:4-5)
Ignoble Nobles
Many letters were exchanged between the so-called nobles of Judah and Tobiah. Many in Judah pledged to Tobiah because of his marital ties with eminent families – Shechaniah and Meshullam (Ezra 2:5; Neh 3:4,30)
Tobiah’s misdeeds were reported favourably to Nehemiah, who returned words that stirred Tobiah to send further letters to frighten the unfazed governor of God’s people. How could words of mortals can do anything against the work of God, backed by His word?
As his name testifies, Nehemiah had the consolation of Yah, the great and awesome God.