Not Coming Down! (Nehmeiah 6:1-14)

Introduction

A. Preliminaries

Good Morning.

We will continue our series in the Book of Nehemiah this morning.

We are in the sixth chapter of Nehemiah. The text for the sermon this morning will begin at verse 1, and go to verse 9. You can find it on Page 472 of the Bibles in your pews.

B. Sermon Text

Nehemiah 6:1–9 ESV

Now when Sanballat and Tobiah and Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies heard that I had built the wall and that there was no breach left in it (although up to that time I had not set up the doors in the gates), Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come and let us meet together at Hakkephirim in the plain of Ono.” But they intended to do me harm. And I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” And they sent to me four times in this way, and I answered them in the same manner. In the same way Sanballat for the fifth time sent his servant to me with an open letter in his hand. In it was written, “It is reported among the nations, and Geshem also says it, that you and the Jews intend to rebel; that is why you are building the wall. And according to these reports you wish to become their king. And you have also set up prophets to proclaim concerning you in Jerusalem, ‘There is a king in Judah.’ And now the king will hear of these reports. So now come and let us take counsel together.” Then I sent to him, saying, “No such things as you say have been done, for you are inventing them out of your own mind.” For they all wanted to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will drop from the work, and it will not be done.” But now, O God, strengthen my hands.

This is the Word of the Lord

Thanks be to God!

C. Background

Originally, this sermon was going to go until verse 14, but I honestly found I had enough to work with just from the first nine verses.

So because it has been a couple of weeks since we were in Nehemiah, I wanted to remind you where we were in the story.

In Chapter 4, you have the threats and pressures from Israel’s enemies which results in the famous rousing call from Nehemiah in verse 14 to defend your homes and your families and so on.

In Chapter 5, we then see that Israel’s problems were not only external, but internal. There were sin problems in the camp that were destroying the community from within.

And here in Chapter 6, it would seem we return to the external threats. But it’s also important to understand that the wall was all but done. So anything like a military threat or assault is probably worthless. And so Nehemiah’s enemies resort to sneakier tactics.

And in many ways this book just seems to be one problem after another. I think the Subtitle to the Book of Nehemiah could be “Perseverance when Trouble Won’t Stop Coming.”

Because Nehemiah does seem to be a story of one bit of trouble after another.

Some months ago, I was forced to begin utilizing a digital answering service for my phone. So if you call me from a unrecognized number, you’ll probably be greeted with a robot voice asking for your name and the purpose of your call.

And nobody likes it. The people who call me don’t like it. I don’t like it either. But a few months back, I was getting—I kid you not—10 to 15 telemarketer calls a day.

They were relentless. And not always calling from a foreign land like India or Madagascar or North Dakota. But also spoofing local 318 numbers, too. They were changing their tactics so I had to change mine too.

And with apologies to anyone in the room who has worked in telemarketing, I am making a comparison between those tactics, and the devil’s.

That as soon as you feel you’ve resolved one problem area, he comes from a new direction. A different kind of temptation. A different kind of threat. A different kind of bait.

D. Sermon Points

And so that brings us to our topic this morning. I want to talk to you about the tactics of temptation on display here in this text, and how we can understand some of the strategies of our enemy, so we know how to respond. What’s also on display here is Nehemiah’s example of resistance, which is good for us to see and understand.

So there are at least three methods of temptation at work in this text, and we’re going to look at them together. They are:

1. The Bait of Distraction

2. The Bait of Slander

3. The Bait of Fear

E. Sermon Prayer

Let’s Pray

God, Our Father,

We confess that there is no ignorance as dark as what we think we know. We pray that your Spirit would banish any ignorance of this sort this morning, and that we would let go of it gladly, and without a fight. Teach us from your Word, for we pray in Jesus’s name, and Amen.

(A Prayer by Douglas Wilson)

I. The Bait of Distraction

Look at verse 2

Nehemiah 6:2–4 ESV

Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come and let us meet together at Hakkephirim in the plain of Ono.” But they intended to do me harm. And I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” And they sent to me four times in this way, and I answered them in the same manner.

So Sanballat and Geshem are back from Chapter 2, here to cause trouble again. And Nehemiah gets an invitation. “Come and meet us in the plain of Ono.”

Sanballat and Geshem are calling for a meeting on neutral ground in a one of the villages of the plain of Ono, some 27 miles northwest of Jerusalem.

Four times they try this, and four times Nehemiah says “Go away, don’t bother me.”

Which is a reaction that probably surprises us. Nehemiah. Your enemies are most desirous to talk to you. And this sounds like peace talks. Isn’t that what you want? Doesn’t everything get better with more talking? Isn’t it true that if you just have more words you can resolve all conflicts? And Nehemiah says “Right, but we’re winning. I’m not going to stop my work, just when we are about to finish so that I can discuss peace with people who are going to lose anyway.”

It might bother some of you that Nehemiah was unwilling to come to the table to talk. Now, it is true that a lot of conflict does not get resolved because we do not talk. A lot of conflict festers because we do not communicate.

But it is also the case that it is possible to waste words, and to waste time with your words. I have noticed in marriages it is often the case with wives—though this can afflict husbands too—that an attitude can develop that runs along the lines of “We’ve talked about this 1,000 times, but I’m sure if I just get my words in and my side in, one more time, it’ll click for sure.”

Now, to be clear, I read this text as a false invitation from liars. But even if it’s given in earnest, the point of Nehemiah’s strategy still stands.

You have to prioritize your work according to what God has given you.

Men, if you have a wife and kids, God has called you to lead and shepherd that home. You will have many other noble and good endeavors that pull you in many directions and you have to know when to say “No. I’m not coming off the wall right now.”

Women as well—especially those of you who have children and are trying to balance the work of caring for your kids and your home, there will be times when you’ll have good things that you have to say no to. Everything from invitations from a culture shot through with feminism to the temptation to care for everyone else in the world except your own household.

And just more broadly let me give an admonition I have had to receive myself. The plain of Ono today looks like addiction. It looks like social media debates. It looks like news cycle outrage. And the devil doesn’t care if you win those arguments, as long as you leave the wall unattended.

Four times they try to get Nehemiah to come down, and four times he says “No.” The world might call it stubbornness, but if God has given you a work to do, you do get stubborn about that.

So, there’s your principle: When you get invited to the plans of Ono, just say “Oh, no.”

So, that’s the bait of distraction. Next comes

II. The Bait of Slander

Look at verse 5

Nehemiah 6:5 ESV

In the same way Sanballat for the fifth time sent his servant to me with an open letter in his hand.

Do you know what “open letter” means in this context? It means slander.

Look at what they wrote:

Nehemiah 6:6 ESV

In it was written, “It is reported among the nations, and Geshem also says it, that you and the Jews intend to rebel; that is why you are building the wall. And according to these reports you wish to become their king.

Remember that Nehemiah was the Persian king’s representative in Jerusalem. This was a serious accusation. This was a death-penalty level crime, if true.

And I’ve got to say my favorite part is verse 6. It is reported among the nations. That sounds scary. and Geshem also says it. That sounds a lot less frightening, almost to the point of being hilarious.

And what’s interesting here is that the ESV translates it Geshem. The same guy from back up in verse 1. But the Hebrew is actually Gashmu.

Now it is absolutely plausible that this might just be another name for the same guy, or a nickname. That’s why the ESV handles it so. I almost prefer the interpretation that it’s just some random dude. Because they’re just going for fear and terror. Well who is Gashmu? That sounds ominious. Text doesn’t tell us. It’s just another fear tactic. Gashmu says it? Well it must be true then. Don’t do any research, just believe the slander.

But then verse 7 really amps it up.

Nehemiah 6:7 ESV

And you have also set up prophets to proclaim concerning you in Jerusalem, ‘There is a king in Judah.’ And now the king will hear of these reports. So now come and let us take counsel together.”

God’s people are carrying on with their work with faithfulness and focus, and their enemies are accusing them of being revolutionaries and fanatics. A threat to the common good.

This should probably sound familiar to some of you.

The accusation is your prophets are saying that you have a new king. And what’s really cool about this text is that if you realize that some of the biblical prophets were writing and prophesying during this time, this accusation is not too far off.

Because you see, the prophets were proclaiming that a King was coming in Judah. He would be born in Bethlehem. And he would crush all his enemies under his pierced feet.

But all they hear is King in Judah. And the rumors start to fly.

So what is Nehemiah’s strategy?

I have to admit I kind of love it.

Nehemiah 6:8 ESV

Then I sent to him, saying, “No such things as you say have been done, for you are inventing them out of your own mind.”

In other words, hush your mouth and quit making stuff up. Back to work everyone.

And I want you to notice the brevity. Nehemiah doesn’t publish a 500-page defense. He doesn’t hire a PR firm. He just says, “That’s a lie, and you’re a liar.”

I think the whole Christian Church can learn from this. There’s a time to have the conversation. And there’s a time to say “That’s just silly” and move on.

Nobody exemplified this better than John Calvin. There are moments in the Institutes where he gives every imaginable consideration to the arguments of his enemies. Breaking down all the parts of the argument, and for goodness sake, his sub-points have sub-points.

And then there are moments where he states an opposing position, and then simply says “This is silly, and we won’t be wasting time on it. Moving on.”

And there’s a time for both. I mean lets be honest, a lot of wickedness in our nation and our world has advanced precisely because it refuses to debate or be reasoned with. We tend not to do that. We prefer to write six-volume apologetics series that absolutely no one reads, except Neil.

There’s a kind of wisdom here in knowing where it’s good to have the conversation and there’s a time for “That’s silly, that’s wicked, that’s a lie, and we won’t be wasting time with it.”

But most of all, I think what we can learn from Nehemiah here is that when slander comes, don’t panic. Don’t over-explain. Don’t always be on the defensive. Lies will often collapse under their own weight if straightforwardly exposed.

So we have seen the bait of distraction and the bait of slander. Finally there is,

III. The Bait of Fear

Look at verse 9

Nehemiah 6:9 ESV

For they all wanted to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will drop from the work, and it will not be done.” But now, O God, strengthen my hands.

Nehemiah understands the strategy of his enemy. Which is a very good thing to do. Read the Screwtape Letters.

“They wanted to frighten us.” That’s the entire strategy in one line. The devil doesn’t need to topple the wall. He just needs you to stop working.

And Nehemiah understands how to respond—this is a great example of a godly response. He starts with himself and he says “Lord give me strength. Strengthen my hands.” That’s a prayer of faith. When the work if before you, when fears are before you, when threats are in your ears, the temptation is to pray “Lord make these circumstances different. Lord, change what’s around me.” Instead, Nehemiah prays “Lord, change me.” Give me strength. Strengthen my hands for this, because this is what you’ve called me to.

There are a lot of challenges around us. Challenges in marriages and families. Challenges at work. Challenges in the economy. Challenges in our church. We are in a renewal moment where we will need to freshly consider “Where is God calling me to serve in this body, in this fellowship, and see us together bear fruit in Christ as a body?”

Even the future of our nation has a number of challenges before it—we seem to be at a rather precarious moment.

So how do we respond?

First we gather to pray. Let me invite you once more, tonight at the Ida Street House, we will gather to call on the infinite resources from heaven and speak to our heavenly Father who loves us and knows what we need. And second we will pray O God Strengthen Our Hands. For ourselves and each other. Because He does.

Biblical faithfulness is leaning on the Lord while you keep going. It might be a slow going. It might be a day by day going for which you need daily bread. But ask God for strength, because he really does give it.

Conclusion

The focus in the sermon this morning has been to make the case that while your enemy, the devil loves to change up tactics, his arsenal is, at the end of the day, limited and somewhat predictable. Distraction, slander, fear. He still loves to use these and I would encourage you to ask yourself this morning—am I getting schooled? Am I getting run over by these very things?

Because the answers haven’t changed either: we answer distraction with clarity, we answer slander with truth, and we answer fear with prayer.

Above all, we have this our great hope: That Jesus Christ has not changed.

Jesus is the true and better Nehemiah who didn’t just refuse to come down from a wall until the work was done, but refused to come down from a cross until the work was done. That was the mockery, don’t you remember?

“If he is the king of Israel let him come down off that cross and we will believe in him! He said he could rebuild that temple in three days, let him come down if he really is who he says.”

And the Son of God said to his enemies “I cannot come down.”

Because he was committed not only to building our salvation, but finishing it, with his very own blood. the wall of our salvation with His own blood.

So Grace Presbyterian Church, when the world invites you to Ono, decline politely. When they spread lies, answer plainly and briefly and without stumbling. When they try to frighten you, pray for strength. And above all—keep building.

Because we are doing a great work here, and we cannot come down.

In the name of Jesus, Amen.