Week 7, Nehemiah 6: Hook

Transcription

1 Week 7, Nehemiah 6: Hook Main Point: Seek to make a difference for the kingdom and expect attacks from the enemy. In Today s Culture: One unfortunate experience that marks the childhood of many people is bullying the use of force, threat or coercion to abuse, intimidate, or aggressively impose domination over others. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, close to half of all children will experience school bullying at some point while they are at primary or secondary school. At least 10 percent of children are bullied regularly. 1 This doesn t change much as adults. 35 percent of the U.S. workforce (an estimated 53.5 million Americans) report being bullied at work; an additional 15 percent witness it. Half of all Americans have directly experienced it. 2 Discussion Questions: What is the best way to respond to bullying? Should the approach change as one moves from childhood to adulthood? What do you do when others seek to intimidate you? How do you respond to criticism? Personal Story: 1 Child Bullying, Bullying Statistics, 2 Workplace Bullying Institute,

2 Think of a time in your life, either as a child in school, amongst siblings, or in the workplace, when you were bullied. Describe the circumstances surrounding that event. What was the perceived reason you received such harsh treatment? How did you respond?

3 Nehemiah 6: Book Main Point: Seek to make a difference for the kingdom and expect attacks from the enemy. Text Summary: Nehemiah 6:1 14 Nehemiah becomes the sole subject of Sanballat and Tobiah s subversive tactics. They now seek to either take Nehemiah s life or to ruin it. In this set of verses six attempts are made against Nehemiah, all having the same result. Nehemiah shows each time that he is a servant of the God of heaven, and it is this God who fights for him and defends him. It is this God who protects him against the enemy. Nehemiah 6:1 4 (Read) Sub Point: Approach attractive opportunities with wisdom. Stop the building. Get Nehemiah down. Lure him out of the city. Kill him. This is their plan; Sanballat and Tobiah have tried everything. They have had it with the wall and Nehemiah. Understanding they cannot overtake the Jews and dismantle their efforts as a whole, Sanballat and Tobiah go after the leader. Stop the leader and then stop the cause. This first attack is more subtle than the others. Sanballat and Geshem invite Nehemiah to meet with them in one of the villages on the plain of Ono. The plain of Ono was named after the town of that name (cf. 1 Chronicles 8:12; Ezra 2:33; Nehemiah 7:37; 11:35). It was near Lod, about 25 miles northwest of Jerusalem, about six miles southeast of Joppa. As seen on the map, Postexilic Samaria and Judah, near Ezra 2, Ono was near the border of Samaria, Sanballat s home province. On the surface, it appeared that Sanballat and his cohorts wanted to have a peace conference, but their hidden motive was to harm Nehemiah. Nehemiah suspects foul play. Why would they want him a day s journey away from Jerusalem? Then he could not oversee the work, and by outnumbering him, they might do him harm. Though he cannot prove his enemies motives at the moment, he chooses a method that would eventually demonstrate whether they were sincere. He simply sent messengers to tell them he was involved in a great (important) project and could not leave it unsupervised. By responding in this way, Nehemiah was not openly questioning their motives. In fact, he was giving them an opportunity to prove their motives were sincere, if they had really wanted to make peace. 3 Is the believer obligated to trust the stated intentions of others? How should you respond when someone who formerly presented opposition claims he desires reconciliation? 3 Gene A. Getz, Nehemiah in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), Ne 6:1 3.

4 What is your process when evaluating potential opportunities? How do you safeguard yourself against making foolish decisions? Nehemiah 6:5 9 (Read) Sub Point: In times of persecution, turn to the Lord for strength. On the fifth attempt, Sanballat issues an open letter spreading rumors about what the Jews are really doing and why they are rebuilding the wall. Sanballat says that the Jews wish to rebel and that Nehemiah wishes to become their king. Revolt is coming, he says. Sanballat resorts to public slander; he attacks Nehemiah s integrity claiming that the Jews have not been truthful, calling them liars and schemers. Instead of people that claim to bring peace through the reconstruction, Sanballat charges them as people who will bring revolt and chaos. These rumors had the potential to damage the Jews and to Nehemiah. Jerusalem had a history of revolting and this new wall of theirs made a rebellion more viable. 4 This could have been dangerous for them, especially Nehemiah. But Nehemiah made it known this was far from true. He was very direct in how he addressed the claims. Being over the top and very defensive could have made it seem there was truth in Sanballat s accusations. However, being direct and calm about the rumors showed resolve in Nehemiah and showed these claims to be faulty and to have no legitimacy. At the end of verse 9, Nehemiah prays for the Lord to strengthen his hands. Nehemiah continues to focus on the wall but must do so while dispelling rumors and diverting attacks from the enemy time after time. This is exhausting to do on our own, but Nehemiah knows his God will continue to uphold His promise and sustain him. Is it up to a believer to defend himself against false accusations? Evaluate Nehemiah s response to the slander being spread by his enemies (verse 8). How far did Nehemiah go in his own defense? Have you ever been in a position where you had to defend another person s character against false accusations? What motivated you to speak on that person s behalf? Nehemiah 6:10 14 (Read) Sub Point: Guard against godly council that conflicts with God s character. After his letter fails, Sanballat tries a different strategy. He uses a member of the community, Shemaiah, against Nehemiah. Shemaiah gets Nehemiah to come to his home, and there he issues false prophecies to Nehemiah, attempting to trick him into thinking these prophecies are for his protection. This, like every other attempt, does nothing to deter him. Nehemiah realizes 4 Mervin Breneman. The New American Standard Commentary: Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther. B&H Publishing: Nashville, TN, 1993.

5 that Shemaiah and his prophecies are not from the Lord and they must not be trusted. How do you discern if someone has a word from the Lord? What do you find honoring about Nehemiah and how he responds to these false claims? Another Perspective: Bible Knowledge Commentary Nehemiah discerned two flaws in Shemaiah s so- called prophecy. First, God would hardly ask Nehemiah to run when the project on the walls was nearing completion. Second, no true prophet would ask someone to violate God s Law. Only priests were allowed in the sanctuary (Numbers 3:10; 18:7). If Nehemiah, not being a priest, entered the temple, he would have desecrated it and brought himself under God s judgment. He would not disobey God to try to gain safety from his enemies. 5 Discussion: Have your class discuss Nehemiah s ability to discern the flaws in Shemaiah s thinking; notice the text does not mention Nehemiah stopping to pray and seek council before making a decision. Discuss how an understanding of God s Word and His character affects decision- making. 5 Gene A. Getz, Nehemiah in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), Ne 6:11 14.

6 Nehemiah 6: Took Main Point: Seek to make a difference for the kingdom and expect attacks from the enemy. Historical Event: As the leader of a nonviolent quest for racial justice, Martin Luther King, Jr. was the object of unrelenting physical attacks and vilification. On April 3, 1968, King addressed a rally in Memphis, Tenn. His flight to Memphis had been delayed by the threat of a bomb on his plane. In the closing of his final public speech and in reference to the bomb threat, King said: We ve got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn t matter with me now. Because I ve been to the mountaintop. And I don t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God s will. And He s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I ve looked over. And I ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land. So I m happy, tonight. I m not worried about anything. I m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord. Note that MLK s quote shows no hint of fear of man; rather he speaks of seeking the pleasure of God and His agenda. Nehemiah, likewise, does not fear the threats and opposition he receives; rather he understands that God had entrusted to him a task of such importance that every other concern was ignored in order to complete it. Discussion Questions: What are the priorities and tasks that the Lord has given you (God, spouse, family, job, etc.)? What tactics are used to divert, distract, discourage, and disqualify you from doing God s work? Challenge: Challenge your class members to assess their level of commitment to Christ s kingdom agenda. Remind them that God does not need our help, but offers us the opportunity to participate in His plan. Pray earnestly that we would be so impressed with the splendor of the tasks with which we have been entrusted that we would reject every suggestion of the Evil One bidding us take up some lesser pursuit.