DAY

ONE: [Re]read Nehemiah 6 through 7:3 (text below). Use the note column to the right to jot down words or phrases that stick out to you.

SESSION SIX

Nehemiah 6

Notes:

Further opposition to the [re]building When word came to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left in itthough up to that time I had not set the doors in the gates 2 Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono. But they were scheming to harm me; 3 so I sent messengers to them with this reply: I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you? 4 Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer. 5 Then, the fifth time, Sanballat sent his aide to me with the same message, and in his hand was an unsealed letter 6 in which was written: It is reported among the nationsand Geshem says it is truethat you and the Jews are plotting to revolt, and therefore you are building the wall. Moreover, according to these reports you are about to become their king 7 and have even appointed prophets to make this proclamation about you in Jerusalem: There is a king in Judah! Now this report will get back to the king; so come, let us meet together.

54


8 I sent him this reply: Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head. 9 They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed. But I prayed, Now strengthen my hands. 10 One day I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was shut in at his home. He said, Let us meet in the house of God, inside the temple, and let us close the temple doors, because men are coming to kill youby night they are coming to kill you. 11 But I said, Should a man like me run away? Or should someone like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go! 12 I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had prophesied against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13 He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would commit a sin by doing this, and then they would give me a bad name to discredit me. 14 Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, my God, because of what they have done; remember also the prophet Noadiah and how she and the rest of the prophets have been trying to intimidate me. 15 So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days. Opposition to the Completed Wall 16 When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self- confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God. 17 Also, in those days the nobles of Judah were sending many letters to Tobiah, and replies from Tobiah kept coming to them. 18 For many in Judah were under oath to him, since he was son-in-law to Shekaniah son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berekiah. 19 Moreover, they kept reporting to me his good deeds and then telling him what I said. And Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me.

Notes:

Nehemiah 7

After the wall had been rebuilt and I had set the doors in place, the gatekeepers, the musicians and the Levites were appointed. 2 I put in charge of 55

 Jerusalem my brother Hanani, along with Hananiah Notes: the commander of the citadel, because he was a man of integrity and feared God more than most people do. 3 I said to them, The gates of Jerusalem are not to be opened until the sun is hot. While the gatekeepers are still on duty, have them shut the doors and bar them. Also appoint residents of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some near their own houses. DAY TWO: Nehemiahs vision of re-building a wall and restoring the soul of a city was almost complete. God had placed within his heart a holy discontent (Neh. 1:3). One writer put it, Anyone who is emotionally involved, frustrated, brokenhearted, even angry, is a candidate for a vision. Nehemiahs heart was broken for his people. This holy discontent in Nehemiahs soul led him to holy prayer (Neh. 1:5-11), for it is in prayer that dreams mature into a clear mental picture of a preferable future. Nehemiahs prayers gave him holy nerve godly courage for vision takes courage. It takes courage to leave what is comfortable, familiar and predictable to risk entering the unknown, which demands a holy conviction conviction that God goes before you and is with you. And conviction gives hope to hopeless and aimless people. But, the enemy will seek to prevent that from happening. When Nehemiah introduced Gods vision, all hell broke loose. Nehemiah encountered resistance from his enemies within and without. He reacted with a holy indignation and holy tenacity and the work continued successfully. That brings us to Nehemiah 6. The work was now at an advanced stage. Every attempt to halt the work had failed. The end was in sight. All that was left were the gates. Military threats had been to no avail (Neh. 4:1-11). The people were becoming the community of God. But the enemy never gives up; He simply shifts tactics, and now focuses his energies on a conspiracy that attempts to distract the leader Nehemiah. But, leadership is forged in the furnace, and chapter 6 was Nehemiahs furnace. For God does not always save us from the fire, he promises to enter the fire with us. If you intend to live a Nehemiah-like life (and we all as disciples should), there are plenty of lessons for us in the way he responded to negative forces around him. [Re]read Nehemiah 6:1-4. Take note of how Nehemiahs enemies tried to use distraction to keep him from completing the wall and fulfilling his God-given vision. How did Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem and the other enemies find out that Nehemiah had nearly completed the walls? (v. 1) How did Nehemiah discover that they were plotting to harm him? (v. 2) 56

SESSION SIX

 What did Nehemiah do to stay above the distractions and avoid being lured into the trap set for him? (v. 3) As you consider Nehemiahs situation, have you ever faced a similar experience? How did you handle your experience? What are some of the distractions (not necessarily bad things) that dominate our time, energy and focus that keep us from investing our lives in Gods plan and purpose for our lives? SIDE NOTE: Our enemy is always lurking and luring us away from Gods best plan for our lives and what matters most. It can come from anything even SMALL GROUPS: Take some something relatively innocent that fills our hours and days so we time during this session to dont have time to do what God most wants of us. What is one pray for each other. Pray as a distraction Satan uses to entice you and keep you from focusing whole or pray in smaller your energy on what matters most? groups of two or three. Pray specifically for each other. Pray that God would enable accountability so as to help each member avoid the distractions that get in the way What can you do to avoid this distraction and keep your eyes and of vision and completion of heart on what God wants for you? God-sized goals. Life is full of distractions and the daily grind of life is hard on vision. As disciples, the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. Read Luke 5:15-16. How did Jesus maintain his focus on his task? 57

 Read Philippians 3:12-14. Nehemiah knew he was part of something bigger than himself, bigger than other demands. It was a God-purpose that demanded a this one thing I do, a ferocious resolve, a persistence that would not be moved off task. What does it take for us as disciples or as a church to live with this kind of resolve and tenacity?

NEXT STEPS: Over the next 24 hours, jot down how you spent your time.

Be as specific as you can. At the end of that 24 hour period, evaluate how you spent your time. How/when were you distracted? What could you have done differently to avoid such distractions? Did you budget your time wisely? Where was God in the midst of your busyness and your daily routine?

SESSION SIX

DAY THREE: [Re]read Nehemiah 6:5-9. The intent of the second attempt to distract Nehemiahs work was to assassinate his character and reputation by false accusations, rumors, slander and flat-out lies! If King Artaxerxes believed the lies that Geshem and his cohorts were spreading, it could mean the end of the nearly finished wall, the end of Nehemiahs role as leader in Gods city and maybe even the end of Nehemiahs life! It has been evils intent from the beginning to destroy the movement of God on the earth. Our enemy seeks to crush our spirit and destroy our reputation with lies and deceit. Nothing brings out critics like a vision or when people attempt something greater than themselves, something for God. Others will question our motives. People might even accuse you of doing it for your glory, for your own purposes. Like in the first attack, Nehemiah stood his ground, he would not be intimidated. He knew his own heart and his practices spoke for themselves. So his response (as ours must be) was to the point. Nothing more needed to be said; he, nor any of us, are accountable to our critics. Our accountability belongs ultimately to God. Having failed to lure Nehemiah to the plain of Ono, Sanballat reverted to his earlier tactics by referring to the intent of rebellion (2:19). A similar tactic of false accusations worked before in Ezra (see, Ezra 4). What were some of the lies written in the letter about Nehemiah? (vv. 6-7) 58

 How would a rebellious messianic movement in Jerusalem be seen as a threat to Artaxerxes? Why could Sanballats accusations have been believable? In verse 5 is says the letter was unsealed. This was a way of saying that the word was leaked to the press, or posted on the internet. If this was intentional, how did it further the rumors about Nehemiah and seek to discredit him? If Nehemiah was truly a rebel would-be king how would anyone who associated with Nehemiah also be in danger? How did Sanballat betray his real intention in the letter? (Look at the end of v. 7.) How did Nehemiah respond to the false accusations against him? What do you learn from Nehemiahs response, and how might you incorporate these lessons into your own response when people speak falsehoods about you? What steps can we take to make sure we are not being used by the enemy to slander, gossip about, or hurt others with false accusations? Nehemiah discerned the ulterior motive behind the letter. What was it? (v. 9) At work in all of these assaults, all the way back to Nehemiah 2, was the intent to weaken hearts (4:10- 12). We too will be tempted at times to give up. It is the aim of our enemy to get us to give-up. The wall will seem too high, the rubble too much. Anxieties will work overtime. There wont be enough money. Gods not in this. It is not realistic. What was Nehemiahs response again? (v. 9b) 59

 Nehemiah was afraid. He feared at times for his life. He feared his strength would give out. He feared people would believe the slander. So, what did he pray for? Fear was turned to courage and the wall was finished! Karl Barth was a German pastor and theologian during the days of Hitlers Third Reich. He was a part of the Church in Germany that resisted Hitler. Barth personally knew much about fear, resolve, and prayer during a very difficult time in world history. He defined courage this way, Courage is fear that has said its prayers. Nehemiah was a man who said his prayers, convinced that something happens in the invisible realm that under girds and affects the visible realm and when you do, WALLS GET BUILT! DAY FOUR: So far this week, weve discovered how Nehemiah had to navigate distraction and accusation. Today well look at how he had to overcome deception. [Re]read 6:10-14. What was the conspiracy that was planned to destroy Nehemiahs standing as a leader, and how did he uncover it? What would be wrong about Nehemiah hiding out inside the temple? At face value, hiding out in order to save himself might have sounded like a logical idea, but Nehemiah knew that it would have negative [re]percussions. In each of the previous encounters with opposition, how did Nehemiah respond? [Re]read 2:10, 2:19, 4:1-3, 4:7-8,11, 6:1-9 for reference, if necessary. How was his response in 6:10-14 consistent with his prior leadership? 60

SESSION SIX

 Nehemiah was never one to run from opposition. He routinely modeled boldness in his leadership. Here is a deeper explanation from British Methodist Theologian Adam Clarke (17621832) as to why hiding out was not the best option for Nehemiah. The meaning is, "Shut yourself up in the temple; appear to have taken sanctuary there, for in it alone can you find safety." This he said to discourage and disgrace him, and to ruin the people; for, had Nehemiah taken his advice, the people would have been without a leader, their enemies would have come upon them at once, and they would have been an easy prey. Besides, had Nehemiah done this, he would have been shut up in the temple, his government would have been declared at an end, and Sanballat would have assumed the reins. Read Numbers 18:7. Why else might Nehemiah have decided to NOT enter the temple for asylum? Sanballat used Shemaiah, an insider, to attempt to deceive and take down Nehemiah. Satan will go to great lengths to throw a follower off track and to discredit a Godly vision. What is a believer's primary defense against spiritual deception? How did Nehemiah show discernment when dealing with Shemaiah? The tactic of deception, employed by Sanballat, Tobiah and Shemaiah was intended to destroy Nehemiahs reputation and tear down his leadership ability. This tactic is still used today. As Bill Hybels, pastor of Willow Creek Community Church wrote : Though a person lives with integrity and seeks to honor God in his or her conduct, other people will conspire against them. Traps can be still be set. We shouldnt be suspicious to the point of paranoia, but we are well served to take note of such realities. A wise follower of Christ learns to pay attention and be discerning.

NEXT STEPS: Pray specifically over the next week for boldness and discernment.

Ask God to show you opportunities to put your bold faith in action. Learn to pay attention. Have your eyes and ears open. BE prepared to be bold and to practice discernment.

61

SESSION SIX
DAY FIVE: [Re]read 6:15-7:3. The wall is finally completed. Nehemiahs vision had become a reality. He stayed the course and avoided distraction, accusation and deception and FINISHED THE WALL! Note that in verse 15, the wall was completed after only 52 days, on the 25th day of the month of Elul. Remember, when Nehemiah first heard of Jerusalems disgraced walls, it was the month of Kislev (November-December). For four months he prayed, fasted and mourned. In the month of Nisan (March-April) he had the courage to ask the king for permission to go and rebuild the wall. After a period of time traveling with a cavalry, reaching Jerusalem and scoping out the decrepit walls he was ready to share his vision. And then, a mere 52 days after he shared his [re]invigorating dream with the Israelites, in the month of Elul (August-September), the wall was finished. In roughly 9 months time, Nehemiahs vision was conceived and birthed. What might we be able to accomplish with our God- sized dreams if we followed Nehemiahs example? Thus far, what have you learned from Nehemiahs example? What amazes you most about what Nehemiah and the Israelites accomplished? [Re]read vs. 16. What was the reaction from Jerusalems neighbors and enemies upon the completion of the wall? Why did they respond in the way that they did? (6:16b) 62

 God had continually been on Nehemiahs side. His hand was upon the Israelites during this whole time. God was near (as he always is) and Nehemiah knew it. He tapped in to the power of God and did something magnificent. [Re]read 6:17-19. Tobiah was persistent, even as the project was finishing, in destroying Nehemiahs reputation. The letters between Tobiah and the people of Jerusalem became a form of secret communication. How can such communication become a poison in a congregation? What can we do to avoid becoming part of a gossip or conspiracy pipeline in the church? [Re]read 7:1-3. How does Nehemiah show his continued preparedness once the gates and doors completed the project?

NEXT STEPS: Throughout this whole process, Nehemiah has been the model of consistency.
What a great example for any disciple to follow. Reflect on how you might live out a disciple life, like Nehemiah this week and beyond. What God-sized vision is He calling you to?

63