Nehemiah reads slanderous letters from Sanballet
Pray, Speak the Truth & Persevere Always
Look to Nehemiah. Are you facing slander? Have mistruths been spoken about you? You can overcome the discouragement and discern the lies, deception, and diversion around you! Nehemiah will show you how. Join the podcast today as he shows us to always pray, speak the truth, and persevere. Today we cover the following points:
The Outcry of the People
- In Nehemiah 5, the immoral and unlawful practices of the Jewish nobles and officials brought many families to poverty.
- After he stood back in anger, Nehemiah demanded that nobles and officials follow God’s laws, or as a consequence, they would lose their possessions in God’s justice. The Jewish officials made an oath to do this and responded, “Amen,” and “praised the Lord.”
Three Attacks from the Opposition
- In Nehemiah 6, the enemies from surrounding countries become fearful about losing authority and moneymaking practices.
- They conspired to stop the building with a 1) Fake Meeting, 2) Slander Campaign, and 3) False Prophecy.
Diversion – The Fake Meeting Scheme (Nehemiah 6: 1-4)
- They invited Nehemiah to a “fake meeting” in the hills of Ono, a day’s journey away (near Tel Aviv today).
- It sounded like a neutral place, but he discerned it was a scheme to do him harm.
Division- Lies & The Smear Campaign (Nehemiah 6: 5-9)
- In an unsealed letter, Sanballat accused Nehemiah of a treasonous plot to revolt and overthrow the king.
- Sanballat knew that others would read the lies and slander would be spread everywhere.
- The scheme had worked twenty years prior when the King of Persia shut down the rebuilding (Ezra 4).
- Nehemiah declared the truth to confront the lies and prayed: But now, O God, strengthen my hands.”
Deception –False Prophecy Trap (Nehemiah 6: 10-14)
- Tobiah and Sanballat hired Shemaiah, likely a priest and prophet, to mislead Nehemiah.
- He prophesied that he should seek refuge in the temple and make an offering.
- Shemaiah tried to use tales of terror and “religious speak, saying the enemies planned to kill Nehemiah.
- Nehemiah knew entering the temple would be a sin that the enemies would use to discredit him.
The Completed Wall
- God blessed Nehemiah, answered his prayers, and helped the Israelites complete the wall in only 52 days.
- This was a great victory for the people because of opposition from the same enemies over twenty years.
Personal Reflection
- Today, Nehemiah reminds us how to respond to life’s assaults: Pray, Declare the Truth, and Persevere.
- When you are facing discouragement, especially from diversion, division, or deception, pray like Nehemiah, Lord, strengthen my hands! and thus, ask God to help you discern the truth and persevere.
- Declare the truth. Don’t be distracted by rumors or slanderous accusations. This is the devil’s way of making you compromise with evil. Instead, speak the truth in love. Declare the Scriptures. For example:
- Romans 8:15: For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, “Abba! Father!” Declare: I am a daughter of God!
- Timothy 1:7: [F]or God did not give us a spirit of fear, but rather a spirit of power and of love and a sound mind. Declare: I don’t have a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and a sound mind.
- Commit your work to the Lord and stay focused.
Cup of JOY Women
- Consider hosting a weekly one-hour Cup of Joy Women’s small group study on It accompanies this podcast and you can begin anytime or choose any podcast series (e.g. Finding More JOY).
- Pray about accepting this fantastic opportunity to engage others and gently evangelize by hosting a small group of friends over coffee or tea. It’s free and I will help you get started. For information, contact me, go to Cup of Joy Women.
Links
- Download Bookmarks from this podcast series at my website: com
- Read more on hosting a Cup of Joy Women’s small group.
- Check out more podcasts here!
- Click HERE to find the book: Nehemiah: Rebuilding Hope and Joy in Your Life.
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