Nehemiah 6 – Study

For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each passage has a four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: Nehemiah 6:1-9

1 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 it – though 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 assistant to me with the same message, and in his hand was an unsealed letter 6 in which was written:

‘It is reported among the nations – and Geshem says it is true – that 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.’

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.’

A. Find Out:

1. How far had the rebuilding gone? v.1
2. What did his enemies suggest, with what desire? v.2
3. How did Nehemiah respond? v.3
4. How persistent were they & what next did they do? v.4,5
5. What accusations did they make? v.6,7
6. With what objective? v.9

B. Think:

1. What was the enemy’s first strategy here?
2. What was their second strategy?
3. Why do you think they were doing this?

C. Comment:

  The rebuilding of the walls is now complete although there were no doors in the gates yet (v.1b). The news of this progress gets back to Samaria and to those there who were opposed to Nehemiah (v.1a). We can, in all this, only suppose that they, being a rather mixed bunch, were envious of the unique identity of the Jews and didn’t like the thought of them becoming a nation again in Israel.

  Thus we now find them sending messages to Nehemiah inviting him to come and meet them in a place near the coast, nearly mid-way between Samaria and Jerusalem, but nearer Samaria (v.2). Nehemiah realises this can only be to cause harm to him and detract from the work and so he refuses their offer (v.3) but they keep on sending the invitation (v.4) until on the fifth time, we might say they ‘upped the ante’, they also sent a letter of accusation (v.5,6).

  This letter now accused them as a people of plotting to rebel against the king from whom Nehemiah had come (v.6a) and were planning to make Nehemiah king (v.6b), even having prophets declare him king (v.7a), and so they threaten to send this letter with its accusation to the king. Nehemiah rejects it as fantasy (v.8), realising they are simply trying to make them afraid (v.9) so that they will give up the work and leave Jerusalem vulnerable without its gates.

D. Application:

1. Beware enemy distractions to God’s purposes for your life.
2. Reject the enemy’s attempts to create fear in your life.

Passage: Nehemiah 6:10-15

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 you – by 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 realised 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.

A. Find Out:

1. Where did he go, to whom and what was suggested? v.10
2. What was Nehemiah’s response? v.11
3. What did Nehemiah realise? v.12
4. What was the truth of this situation? v.13
5. So what does Nehemiah do? v.14
6. What then happened? v.15

B. Think:

1. How was this ‘attack’ different from the previous ones?
2. What were they out to do?
3. Why do you think this was critical for the enemy?

C. Comment:

  We aren’t told exactly who this man Shemaiah is, apart from his parentage but he is obviously a) someone Nehemiah has got to know and possibly an official of some kind because he goes to his house (v.10a), b) someone with a home in Jerusalem (v.10b) which indicates he has been there some time, perhaps returning with Ezra with access to the Temple (v.10c) and therefore possibly a priest, c) a false prophet who says men are coming to kill Nehemiah by night (v.10d) and so he should shut himself away, d) a friend of the enemy (v.12,13) who had been hired by them to create fear in him.

  In the face of this false prophecy (they are coming to kill you) and bad counsel (go to the Temple) Nehemiah exhibits steadfastness as he rejects any view that means he will be taken away from the rebuilding of Jerusalem (v.11). He also shows discernment in realising that this ‘prophecy’ is not from God but made up by those who are against him. He also shows wisdom in rejecting the counsel and understanding in seeing why it has come.

  We then see that he turns to the Lord in prayer and asks Him to deal with his enemies who include a ‘prophetess’ and various ‘prophets’, of whom we know little, except that they had been speaking against Nehemiah trying to intimidate him, and who were therefore not of God.

D. Application:

1. When you know God’s vision and purpose for you – hold on to it!
2. Use the gifts God gives you to counter the attacks of the enemy.

Passage: Nehemiah  6:16 – 7:3

16 When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realised 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.

7:1 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 Jerusalem my brother Hanani, along with Hananiah 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, make them shut the doors and bar them. Also appoint residents of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some near their own houses.’

A. Find Out:    

1. How did their enemy react to the news of completion, and why? v.16
2. What communication went on and why? v.17,18
3. How did this include Nehemiah? v.19
4. Who were next appointed in Jerusalem? v.1
5. And who was put in charge and why? v.2
6. How did they make the city secure? v.3

B. Think:

1. How was the land a problem to Nehemiah?
2. What do you think was significant about the people appointed first?
3. How, do you think, was the choice of city leaders significant?

C. Comment:

  The wall has been complete in 52 days (v.15) and the gates are now in place. The news of this makes their enemies realise they are on the losing side and such success must be a sign of God being with them (v.16). The enemy had a whole network of communication within Judea reporting back to Samaria because, prior to Nehemiah coming, Judah was weak and had sworn loyalty to Samaria, partly through marriages (v.17-18) and that had been part of the trouble, the fact of these ‘whisperers’ saying how good Tobiah was, trying to make Nehemiah feel weak (v.19).   Once the wall and gates are complete, Nehemiah as the king’s representative, goes about establishing people in roles that will sustain the city. Gatekeepers (v.1) are obvious because in those days when you had a walled city it was all about keeping out intruders.

But then we find he appoints singers and Levites (v.1b) which is interesting because they are to do with the Temple and ensuring worship is maintained. Ensuring a right, ongoing relationship with the Lord was maintained was obviously crucial to Nehemiah. Then there are the city leaders, the city administrators to be appointed and he needs people he can trust, men of integrity and so he chooses his brother and godly Hananiah (v.2). Finally, to ensure night security he requires the gates shut at night and guards posted (v.3). The city is now secure!

D. Application:

1. Practical administration is important.
2. Maintaining a right relationship with the Lord is even more important.