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Now it happened when Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall, and that there were no breaks left in it (though at that time I had not hung the doors in the gates), that Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come, let us meet together among the villages in the plain of Ono.” But they thought to do me harm.
So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?”
But they sent me this message four times, and I answered them in the same manner.
Then Sanballat sent his servant to me as before, the fifth time, with an open letter in his hand. In it was written:
It is reported among the nations, and Geshem says, that you and the Jews plan to rebel; therefore, according to these rumors, you are rebuilding the wall, that you may be their king. And you have also appointed prophets to proclaim concerning you at Jerusalem, saying, “There is a king in Judah!” Now these matters will be reported to the king. So come, therefore, and let us consult together.
Then I sent to him, saying, “No such things as you say are being done, but you invent them in your own heart.”
For they all were trying to make us afraid, saying, “Their hands will be weakened in the work, and it will not be done.”
Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.
you know, some of the biggest battles we engage in are the ones we step foot into right before our ultimate victory...
Nehemiah and the crew are almost completely finished with the whole project of building this wall around the city of Jerusalem...
they are so close to their final victory...
and yet,
another battle...
the wall is built but the doors arent installed yet...
Sanballat, tobiah and Geshem...
these three scoundrels…
these enemies of nehemiahs vision...
they just dont quit do they?
they are relentless in opposing Nehemiah and his vision...
kind of like our
These guys heard that the project was almost completed and that
by Gods provision and grace the wall is now completely built...
the only thing that needed to be done was the hanging of the doors...
in one last attempt to cause the work to cease, they attempt to summon Nehemiah through FEAR...
they say,
Fear
Fear
“come, let us meet together among the villages in the plain of Ono.”
of course nehemiah sees right through their invitation...
he knows that the only reason they want to meet with him is to do him harm...
he knows that they have been against him and this vision from day one...
so he sends messengers back saying “look guys, im too busy to meet with you… i am doing a great work, so that i cannot come down...
i love that...
I am not going to give you any time of day...
i got better things to do...
like Gods call on my life to focus on...
nehemiah goes on to say, Why should the work cease while i leave it and go down to you…?
so at this point, in their foolish thinking, everything could either go smoothly or it can all come crashing down suddenly...
their evil hope was that one last attack would destroy the vision for good...
They attack nehemiah with fear...
The enemy could find
Nehemiah knew that he could not let his guard down even for a second...
he knew the craftiness of his enemy…
he wasnt willing to take a time out to hear what the enemy had to say to him...
in fact, nehemiah knew through his discerning spirit within him that the enemy had nothing good to say in the first place...
as we already know,
the only reason the enemy wanted to meet with nehemiah was to do harm to him...
to kill him...
to cause the work to cease...
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
but despite Nehemiahs refusal to meet up with the enemy,
the enemy relentlessly and persistently pursues him...
But they sent me this message four times, and I answered them in the same manner.
Nehemiah
with the enemy, 1 attack is never enough...
with the enemy, 1 attack is never enough...
A spiritual attack can, at times be repetitive...
A spiritual attack can, at times be repetitive...
Remember, When Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights, the devil did not stop with just one attack on Jesus… The enemy actually attacked Jesus 3 times in that story…
he repetitively attacked Him just like Sanballat is repetively coming at nehemiah...
do you ever feel like the enemy is repetitively lying to you?
are you tempted to believe those lies…?
What does nehemiah do?
But they sent me this message four times, and I answered them in the same manner.
Nehemiah Answers the enemy with the same truth...
because the truth doesnt change...
the truth was, God had called Nehemiah to greatness and Nehemiah knew that the enemy was calling him to defeat...
And nehemiah had come too far in this vision to settle in defeat...
he refused to meet with a lier...
And we too, as Christians can answer the devil, the father of all lies in the same manner...
with the truth of Gods word...
no matter the repetition the enemy uses...
we can be confident that Gods truth does not change...
that this truth is constant...
this truth is our firm foundation...
as a certain woman once said...
He loves us...
Jesus died on a cross for us...
He
on the scriptures i will stand...
And Jesus lives in us now...
on all else is sinking sand...
the scriptures which contain the truth that sets us free from all lies of the enemy...
lets be people who stand on the truth...
After all
Repetitive lies in the brain, are defeated by repetitive truth proclaimed...
Repetitive lies in the brain, are defeated by repetitive truth proclaimed...
so nehemiah continues to stand on the truth… even through repetitive opposition...
Nehemiah 6:5-
Then Sanballat sent his servant to me as before, the fifth time, with an open letter in his hand. In it was written:
It is reported among the nations, and Geshem says, that you and the Jews plan to rebel; therefore, according to these rumors, you are rebuilding the wall, that you may be their king. And you have also appointed prophets to proclaim concerning you at Jerusalem, saying, “There is a king in Judah!” Now these matters will be reported to the king. So come, therefore, and let us consult together.
This is what i like to call...
F.E.A.R. “False, Evidence, Appearing, Real”
F.E.A.R. “False, Evidence, Appearing, Real”
none of these things were taking place...
Nehemiah wasnt seeking to stir his people up against the king to overthrow the kingdom...
Nehemiah had no desire to set himself up as king of Judah...
Nehemiah was on mission to exalt the king of Heaven and to glorify Him and Him alone...
once again, Nehemiah sees right through the attack...
he wisely responds...
Then I sent to him, saying, “No such things as you say are being done, but you invent them in your own heart.”
For they all were trying to make us afraid, saying, “Their hands will be weakened in the work, and it will not be done.”
Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.
Nehemiah 6:
Then I sent to him, saying, “No such things as you say are being done, but you invent them in your own heart.”
Nehemiah 6:
Nehemiah doesnt cave under the pressure of repetitive opposition...
Do you cave under repetitive opposition?
he repetitively proclaims the truth and prays for the strength to continue to the completion of the wall...
sometimes i do...
the ultimate victory after the battle...
in conclusion, we are in a battle of truth and lies...
we choose what we want to believe...
we can choose to believe the lies of the enemy and remain hindered in the work of Gods kingdom...
or we can choose to believe truth...
the truth of Gods word that remains constant and firm...
even when our feeling dont line up with what God says is true,
the truth always wins out...
the truth always wins out...
we can stand on the solid ground of Gods truth found in His word...
knowing...
All else is sinking sand...
All else is sinking sand...