NEHEMIAH LESSON 6


     We will begin this lesson in Nehemiah 6:1 "Now it came to pass,
when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and Geshem the Arabian, and the rest of
our enemies, heard that I had builded the wall, and [that] there was
no breach left therein; (though at that time I had not set up the
doors upon the gates;)"

     This chapter happened at the same time as the building of the
wall.  It is not chronologically located. It is parallel with the
earlier chapters. This was speaking of the hanging of the doors in the
opening of the gates as being the last thing that was done.

     Nehemiah 6:2 "That Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me, saying,
Come, let us meet together in [some one of] the villages in the plain
of Ono. But they thought to do me mischief."

     Ono was very near Philistia. They felt they could not get to
Nehemiah, while he was in Jerusalem with so many people around him,
but they wanted to kill him. The only way to accomplish this was to
get him off to himself.

     Nehemiah 6:3 "And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I [am]
doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work
cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?"

     Nehemiah knew what they were trying to do, and he sent word to
them that there was absolutely no way he could break away from the
work on the wall to come out to meet them. They were not honorable
men, and it would not have bothered them at all to lie to Nehemiah.

     Nehemiah 6:4 "Yet they sent unto me four times after this sort;
and I answered them after the same manner."

     This shows how determined they were to get rid of Nehemiah.

     Nehemiah 6:5 "Then sent Sanballat his servant unto me in like
manner the fifth time with an open letter in his hand;"  Nehemiah 6:6
"Wherein [was] written, It is reported among the heathen, and Gashmu
saith [it, that] thou and the Jews think to rebel: for which cause
thou buildest the wall, that thou mayest be their king, according to
these words."

     The open letter was so that all of the Jews could see the letter.
This was a lie that Sanballat told to get the people stirred up, so
they would not continue the work on the wall. He was undoubtedly not
aware that the king of Persia had given Nehemiah leave to build the
wall. Nehemiah, nor the Jews, had no intention of rebelling. The
building of the wall would keep others from attacking them
successfully.

     Nehemiah 6:7 "And thou hast also appointed prophets to preach of
thee at Jerusalem, saying, [There is] a king in Judah: and now shall
it be reported to the king according to these words. Come now
therefore, and let us take counsel together."

     This shows how little he knew about the Hebrews and their God.
Prophets are men of God that speak as an oracle of God. They are not
under the control of a man upon the earth, unless they are false
prophets. No such thing was planned. Nehemiah had one mission, and
that was to build the wall.

     Nehemiah 6:8 "Then I sent unto him, saying, There are no such
things done as thou sayest, but thou feignest them out of thine own
heart."

     Nehemiah denied these accusations strongly. He knew that all of
this had been made up by Sanballat. He made all of this up to pretend
that Nehemiah was power hungry. These things were not true they were
coming from the evil heart of Sanballat.

     Nehemiah 6:9 "For they all made us afraid, saying, Their hands
shall be weakened from the work, that it be not done. Now therefore,
[O God], strengthen my hands."

     This was a request from Nehemiah to God for help to keep the
desire strong to build the wall in all the people. Sanballat was doing
all of this to turn Nehemiah's people against him. God can cause them
not to listen to these lies.

     Nehemiah 6:10 "Afterward I came unto the house of Shemaiah the
son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabeel, who [was] shut up; and he said,
Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let
us shut the doors of the temple: for they will come to slay thee; yea,
in the night will they come to slay thee."

     This Shemaiah was not concerned about the life of Nehemiah at
all. He was paid by Sanballat to prophecy something that was not even
truth to Nehemiah. This reminds me so much of the way the devil
operates. When he is trying to destroy a person or a church, he first
tries to destroy them from without. If that does not work, then he
sends the enemy inside the church pretending to be of God. It is much
more difficult to stop an attack from within. This Sanballat was
trying everything he could think of to stop Nehemiah.

     Nehemiah 6:11 "And I said, Should such a man as I flee? and who
[is there], that, [being] as I [am], would go into the temple to save
his life? I will not go in."

     If God sent Nehemiah to build the wall, God would protect him
while he was doing it. He did not need to hide. God would build a
hedge of protection around him. Nehemiah had received no such
information from God.

     Nehemiah 6:12 "And, lo, I perceived that God had not sent him;
but that he pronounced this prophecy against me: for Tobiah and
Sanballat had hired him."
     This man was a false prophet. God opened Nehemiah's eyes, so that
he understood. He did not believe this man, because he perceived he
was not from God.

     Nehemiah 6:13 "Therefore [was] he hired, that I should be afraid,
and do so, and sin, and [that] they might have [matter] for an evil
report, that they might reproach me."

     Those who believe in the LORD have nothing to fear but God.
Psalms 118:6 "The LORD [is] on my side; I will not fear: what can man
do unto me?"  In the case of Nehemiah, it would have been sin to fear
Sanballat. God had sent him to do this work, he could not allow
Sanballat to stop him. It would be lack in faith of God on Nehemiah's
part, if he did. Nehemiah had set the example for all of the workers
on the wall, and he must continue to do that.

     Nehemiah 6:14 "My God, think thou upon Tobiah and Sanballat
according to these their works, and on the prophetess Noadiah, and the
rest of the prophets, that would have put me in fear."

     All we know of Noadiah was that she was working against Nehemiah
to cause him to fear.

     Nehemiah 6:15 "So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth
[day] of [the month] Elul, in fifty and two days."

     The wall was approximately 4 miles in length. There were many
groups who worked on the wall, so it would not have been impossible
for it to have been finished in 52 days. Elul, on their calendar, is
approximately the same as September on our calendar.

     Nehemiah 6:16 "And it came to pass, that when all our enemies
heard [thereof], and all the heathen that [were] about us saw [these
things], they were much cast down in their own eyes: for they
perceived that this work was wrought of our God."

     The more trouble that came caused them to work harder, not slow
down. These very same enemies who had done everything in their power
to stop Nehemiah and the work on the wall, now realize that this was
the work of God. They would have to have been totally unaware of
reality, if they had not credited the supernatural hand of God in
this.

     Nehemiah 6:17  "Moreover in those days the nobles of Judah sent
many letters unto Tobiah, and [the letters] of Tobiah came unto them."

     This was to stir up the people within the wall of Jerusalem.
There seemed to be traitors inside of Jerusalem, who listened more to
Tobiah, than they did to Nehemiah.

     Nehemiah 6:18 "For [there were] many in Judah sworn unto him,
because he [was] the son in law of Shechaniah the son of Arah; and his
son Johanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah."

     It appears, that Tobiah's family were unable to prove their
kinship with Israel. They came back with Zerubbabel from captivity,
however. Shechaniah was the son of Arah, or Beni-arah.  Tobiah's
connection to these Hebrews was through marriage.

     Nehemiah 6:19 "Also they reported his good deeds before me, and
uttered my words to him. [And] Tobiah sent letters to put me in fear."

     This was sad, because it spoke of traitors to Judah. They were
living in Jerusalem, enjoying all of the benefits, but reporting
everything that Nehemiah did to Tobiah. All the time they were telling
Nehemiah of the greatness of Tobiah, they were not faithful to Judah,
Nehemiah, or the building of the wall. Their loyalty was bought by
Tobiah.








































                           Nehemiah 6 Questions


1.  Verse 1, speaks of one thing yet to do, what was it?
2.  Who sent word to Nehemiah to get him to come away from Jerusalem
    and meet with them?
3.  Why did they want him to come out of Jerusalem?
4.  What was Nehemiah's answer to them?
5.  What did Nehemiah tell them he was doing?
6.  Why did it not bother them to lie to Nehemiah?
7.  What showed their determination?
8.  Why did they send an open letter?
9.  They were not aware of what?
10. What lie were they telling about Nehemiah wanting power?
11. Prophets should be men that speak as an ____________ of God.
12. If they are under the control of men on the earth, they are
    ___________ prophets.
13. Where did Nehemiah say these evil sayings came from?
14. Why had Sanballat made up these lies?
15. What did Nehemiah ask God to strengthen?
16. What terrible message did Shemaiah give Nehemiah?
17. How does the author relate the actions of Shemaiah, here, to the
    devil?
18. What questions did Nehemiah send to him as an answer?
19. What did Nehemiah perceive about him?
20. Who had hired Shemaiah to say these things?
21. Quote Psalms chapter 118 verse 6.
22. Had Nehemiah feared Sanballat, it would have been a ______.
23. Who did Nehemiah ask God to think on for trying to make him fear?
24. When was the wall finished?
25. How long did it take to build it?
26. How long was the wall approximately?
27. What did the enemies of Nehemiah finally realize after the wall
    was finished?
28. Who sent letters to Tobiah?
29. Why were some of the people in Judah sworn to him?
30. What was sad about the people reporting Nehemiah's actions to
    Tobiah?