In this commentary on Nehemiah 5 and 6, we’ll learn two more lessons on how to battle opposition while also taking care of a little community governance.
The Key Lessons from Nehemiah 5 and 6
- A true leader combats internal conflict by living a life of personal integrity.
- The enemy’s primary tactics are temptation, lies, and personal attacks, all designed to distract you.
- Discernment (knowing God’s Word) is the only defense against attempts to destroy your credibility.
What does Nehemiah 5 teach about wealth, debt, and leadership?
If the devil fails to create enough opposition around us, he goes to work stirring up opposition within us, sometimes using wealth and debt. While Nehemiah focused on leading the battle against opposition outside the wall, internal opposition was brewing. By Nehemiah 5 the economy is strained, the city is overcrowded, and food is scarce.
By verses 1-5 the people are falling apart. They are physically exhausted from building the wall and standing watch and emotionally exhausted from the threat of war lurking maliciously beyond the wall. Those who have land are mortgaging houses, fields, and vineyards to buy food. Others are borrowing to pay taxes on their already mortgaged land.
Some have fallen so far financially that they’re using their own children to pay off debt. This is not slavery as we know it, but it’s close. These sons and daughters are more like indentured servants, unpaid laborers working to pay off their family’s debt. Unfortunately, it sounds as if there is some abuse of the system and the conditions are beginning to resemble slavery. The wealthy Israelites are exploiting their own people.
How Could This Happen?
Slavery is exactly what Moses fought to free the Israelites from in Egypt, so he gave them specific laws about lending, servitude, and slavery. Exodus 22:25 says the people should lend money without interest. The laws also heavily regulated debt servitude to prevent it from becoming slavery.
- Exodus 21:2 says it is to be of limited duration.
- Leviticus 25:47-49 says the servant could be redeemed at any time if someone can settle the remaining debt.
- Leviticus 25:39-43 says they are to be treated as hired workers, not slaves, and cannot be ruthlessly ruled over.
The returned exiles either never learned or chose to ignore Moses’ laws. The abuse from the well-to-do nobles along with the people’s fatigue, stress, debt, and poverty create massive internal conflict. Internal conflict is a form of opposition that divides nations, churches, and families. And Nehemiah is not having it.
How did Nehemiah deal with internal conflict and exploitation among the Jews?
In verses 6-8 Nehemiah is righteously angry, and he deals with the internal conflict by pondering the problem, confronting the guilty, and demanding change and restoration.
- He ponders. Unlike Ezra who also uncovered some law-breaking Israelites in our last season of the Bible Book Club podcast, Nehemiah doesn’t pull his hair out or fall into paralysis. He does what we all might wish we’d do more of in tough situations…he ponders. In other words, he carefully considers his words and actions. He gets mad, but his anger doesn’t distract him or blind him. He doesn’t simply react to what happens around him. He ponders.
- He confronts. Then Nehemiah goes to those at the top, the nobles and officials, and “he deals with them.” Wouldn’t it be interesting to witness this? Nehemiah is a force and could probably give us all a few tips on making a case for justice. The guilty nobles and officials are speechless. What can they say?
- He demands. In verses 9-13 Nehemiah challenges the nobles and officials to stop, pointing out he and his brothers are lending without interest and they should too. Then he commands them to give it all back: the fields, vineyards, olive groves, and houses. He tells them to forgive all the debt and return all the collateral. And they listen!
Nehemiah ends by shaking out his robes, illustrating the curse that will befall anyone who doesn’t follow through. They will be shaken out of their precious wealth and fall into nothing. At this, the whole assembly says amen and praises the Lord. Then the people do as they promised.
Nehemiah Leads by Example
During this time period, governors have a food allowance. The allowance is money the people must pay to support their leader. It isn’t corruption. It’s part of the deal. However, the governors before Nehemiah took advantage of this. They required food, wine, and 40 shekels of silver. And the people are poor.
Nehemiah states in verses 14-18 that, out of reverence for God, he does not take this allowance. He gives up his right as governor in order to do what is right for God. Not only does Nehemiah give up the perks of being governor, he personally works on the wall instead of relaxing back at the office. He also personally funds the 150 people who regularly eat with him. He hosts, feeds, and cares for the people out of his own pocket.
Nehemiah perceives the situation. The people are poor. Then he ponders his options and chooses God’s way. It isn’t the easy way. There won’t be any earthly reward for it, but his last words in Nehemiah 5:19 say it all, “Remember me with favor, my God.”
There it is…favor! So many great Bible characters make favor their goal. There is no earthly prize greater than to find favor with our Father in heaven.
How to fight temptation and distraction when focused on important work?
The key to fighting temptation is remaining focused on God’s work and refusing to be distracted. Nehemiah 6:1-4 gives us a great example of this when Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem refuse to give up on their efforts to distract Israel.
They are desperate. The wall is complete except for the gates. Once the gates are up, Jerusalem will be secure. Can you almost imagine their panic? They’re wondering how they could have let this lowly little group get this far. Their only hope in stopping Israel’s momentum is to bring down the man behind the wall…Nehemiah.
How did Sanballat and Tobiah try to lure Nehemiah away from the wall?
Sanballat and Tobiah try to lure Nehemiah away from the wall by inviting him to a friendly meeting in Ono. It’s a chance to get on the same page and discuss things. Temptation is a form of opposition that distracts.
It’s a genius manipulation, except for one thing. Their choice of location reveals subterfuge. Ono is hardly a neutral location. It is near Sanballat’s Samaria making it an ideal place to plan an ambush. It’s also a day’s travel away, which would remove Nehemiah from the city for two to three days. They could kill Nehemiah and at the same time attack the city.
The scheme echoes Satan’s temptations of Jesus in Matthew 4.
- Nehemiah says he won’t go down to their meeting.
- Jesus says He won’t go down when Satan tells Him to throw Himself down from the mountain.
Nehemiah is not fooled and therefore not tempted. He isn’t distracted from his work, and he doesn’t waste time or energy trying to figure out what they are up to or worrying about his life. He just moves on and goes back to work.
Four times they ask and four times Nehemiah dismisses their deception. He is focused on God’s work, and everything else is not worth pondering.
The Opposition Attacks with Lies
Lying is a form of opposition that creates confusion. In Nehemiah 6:5-7 Sanballat and Tobiah’s fifth invitation is more overt. They send a letter to Nehemiah accusing him of planning a revolt against the king so he can become king. Sanballat doesn’t seal the letter in the hopes others will read it on its way and spread seeds of doubt about Nehemiah throughout Jerusalem.
Many people likely did read the letter. At that time, letters were the only form of communication and they changed hands many times on the way to their recipient. An open letter was an open invitation to read. In verses 8-9 Nehemiah never even gives a thought to who might have seen the lies. It would take too much time from his work.
One of the hardest things in life to do is ignore liars and people who slander us. But if we become too concerned with how people perceive us and what we do or what we believe, we will drive ourselves mad and waste a lot of time and energy trying to endlessly respond to them.
Nehemiah recognizes this attempt for what it is, a desperate effort to create confusion and doubt amongst the Israelites that will drain him. It’s the opposition’s attempt at taking him away from where God wants his focus, on the wall, and he’s not having it. He’s almost disdainful in his response as if to say, “You are ridiculous, and making this all up in your head.”
Reflection Point
We have access to so much information about friends, community, the nation, the world. All that information is a temptation. We can be drawn into the point we are wasting time and energy on navigating truth, lies, and opinion. In the end, it distracts us from the work in front of us, the very things we can do something about.
How can I stop wasting time on distracting drama and lies (like on social media)?
To stop wasting time on distracting drama and lies, we must take our eyes off the world and look up in trust to God. He is the author of truth which is written out for us in His Word, the Bible.
Be like Nehemiah and spot the distraction for what it is by asking these important questions:
- Where do I get my information?
- How much time do I spend there?
- Is it a healthy amount of information and time?
- Am I spiraling into conspiracy theories about people and the world to the point that I am confused and losing trust in humanity?
The Opposition Attacks Nehemiah Personally
In Nehemiah 6:10-14 the opposition is getting personal. Why? They have been personally humiliated. They have failed over and over again to thwart Nehemiah. Therefore, their anger burns against him. Forget the wall. In revenge, they want to destroy the man.
Sanballat and Tobiah’s strategy is to discredit Nehemiah in his leadership and faith. Nehemiah has been the driving force behind the people’s growing faith. His example is exemplary, and they want to bring him down, hoping to bring down the revival of Jerusalem.
So Sanballat and Tobiah hire a prophet named Shemaiah who is confined to his home. This detail explains why Nehemiah goes to him. It also makes the prophet appear more isolated and believable. Shemaiah is the son of Delaiah who was mentioned in Ezra 2:59 in the list of exiles who returned but couldn’t prove their families were descended from Israel. He may be from a priestly line or he may not. His legitimacy is somewhat suspect, which makes him a good hire for the opposition.
Shemaiah’s plan sounds like prophesy directly from God. In reality, the message is a cleverly fear-based trap. Shemaiah is using his own credibility as a prophet to get Nehemiah to believe his death is imminent. He wants Nehemiah to believe God has given him a plan for Nehemiah’s protection. He offers this solution as if he is a partner in protecting Nehemiah saying “let us” meet in the Temple and close the doors. He’s implying…it’s okay, we’ll do it together.
How can a leader avoid losing credibility when facing opposition?
Personal attacks are a form of opposition that destroys credibility, and the solution to overcoming them is discernment. Nehemiah cannot be tricked into being foolish because he knows God’s laws, so he knows what’s going on right away. He doesn’t even hesitate.
The Temple is sacred and only priests are allowed inside. Nehemiah is not a priest. If he’s found in there, the Temple guards will arrest or kill him on the spot. Either way, Nehemiah’s leadership will come to an end and his sin will discredit him. All he has worked for will be at risk.
Sanballat and Tobiah know this. They are no longer trying to kill him with words or swords. They are trying to kill him with the Law of his own God at the hands of his own people.
How do I use discernment to recognize spiritual traps or bad advice?
We can use discernment to recognize spiritual traps in our own life by running all the advice we get through the filter of the Bible to make sure it aligns with the Word of God. People in our life, even believers, might give us bad advice. If we know God’s Word, or how to search the Word, we can avoid these spiritual traps and bad advice.
While Shemaiah is a prophet and his plan may sound like prophecy, Nehemiah knows it isn’t because it contradicts the Word of God. He can recognize it’s a trap because he knows God’s laws and he puts the prophecy through the filter of the Bible.
This is discernment, the ability to know if something is from God or the Opposition. Psalm 119:9-16, most likely written by David a man who loved the Lord and was often tempted to sin and chased by the opposition, King Saul, tells us the Bible will keep us focused and teach us discernment.
Six Types of Opposition
Over the last three chapters we have covered six types of opposition:
- Ridicule is a form of opposition that can lead to losing heart
- Threats are a form of opposition that can lead to fear
- Internal conflict is a form of opposition that divides
- Temptation is a form of opposition that distracts
- Lies are a form of opposition that creates confusion
- Personal attacks are a form of opposition that destroys credibility
All six of these types of opposition are very much alive today. Every single one of them has the same purpose: to distract us from God. The enemy wants to tear down the wall we have built with faith around our heart and tear down the faith we may be building in others.
Why? Because we aren’t just in a battle with temptation from the opposition. We are in a battle for our witness, our credibility as believers. We are in a battle to be a light in the darkness.
In 2 Corinthians 12:20 the apostle Paul warned us about common sins that can distract and discredit us too. “For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder.”
What is the “Discern and Dissent” strategy for overcoming opposition?
The solution to overcoming opposition is to do what Nehemiah did with his pattern of Ps to discern and dissent so we can recognize and resist.
What are Nehemiah’s patterns of P’s for overcoming opposition?
- Pray for strength
- Perceive what is actually happening
- Ponder a better response
- Plan a way out of it
- Prepare for it to happen
You don’t have to be defeated by ridicule, paralyzed by threats, divided by internal conflict, or destroyed by personal attacks. Instead, you can be victorious over temptations that discredit you, your faith, and your work. You can overcome the opposition. The Lord will give you the strength, because the last thing He wants is for His people to lose heart, have fear, become divided, and lose their credibility.
God has called us to be a light to the world, and He has given us the key lessons in Nehemiah 5 as an example of how to face opposition with integrity and unwavering focus. We can do this! Rooted in God’s Word, we can discern, perceive the enemy’s attempts at distraction, and refuse to look away from our work.
