“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. 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.” — Nehemiah 6:10-11
John Wesley, a noted theologian and evangelist, was a central person in the eighteenth-century revival in Great Britain, and a missionary to Native Americans in the United States. However, he was also a controversial figure in the religious world of his day.
For example, his work among factory workers and the poor was unconventional and brought opposition. While his focus on practical holiness led to a variety of social reforms, the “elite” were alarmed by the emotional response of the “underclass” to Wesley’s preaching. In addition, Wesley ignored many regulations of the Church of England and allowed lay ministers to preach and do pastoral work. As a result, even clergy joined in the attacks on Wesley and his followers, criticizing him in sermons and in print. Churches banned him from speaking from their pulpits, forcing him to preach in obscure venues and even outdoors.
At times, the antagonism escalated into physical attacks. Meetings were frequently disrupted by mobs—more than once they drove oxen into groups assembled in a field to hear Wesley preach. Irate opponents chased Wesley and his companions with clubs and cleavers. He was pelted with rotten tomatoes and manure, smeared with dirt, grabbed by the hair, and chased into houses that the mob threatened to burn or tear down. He was beaten with fists and pummeled with rocks, but civil authorities rarely made any attempt to stop the violence.
Wesley was fearless in withstanding this opposition. He believed he was commissioned by God, and no persecution or obstacles could sway him from the divine urgency and authority of this commission. Still, he recognized the strength of the forces against him. He wrote to his friend, William Wilberforce, “Unless God has raised you up for this very thing, you will be worn out by the opposition of men and devils. But if God be for you, who can be against you? Are all of them together stronger than God? O be not weary of well doing!”1
Nehemiah, who lived many centuries before John Wesley, was another man who refused to give up in the face of continued opposition. In today’s text, Nehemiah’s chief antagonists, Sanballat and Tobiah, resorted to desperate measures after their previous efforts to stop the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s wall had failed. Their new approach was to attack Nehemiah personally through rumors, duplicity, and false reports. They tried to turn the people against Nehemiah, and threatened to tell the king of Persia that Nehemiah was instigating a revolt. They even hired a man named Shemaiah—possibly one of the priests—to try to persuade Nehemiah to hide out in the Temple to escape a supposed plot against his life. In each case, Nehemiah refused to give in to fear or intimidation. He kept at his task, steadfastly rejecting all attempts to divert him from the work.
Nehemiah’s opponents were convinced the job couldn’t be done. They asserted that the task of rebuilding the wall was far too big for “these feeble Jews” and the problems were too great (see Nehemiah 4:1-3). However, the people of Jerusalem proved them wrong; verse 15 of today’s text records that “the wall was finished . . . in fifty and two days.”
The lesson for us? We must not allow the difficulty of the challenge or the hostility of the opposition to keep us from applying ourselves to our God-appointed tasks. Like Nehemiah, let’s pray, “O God, strengthen my hands” (verse 9), knowing that with God’s help, we can accomplish whatever He has called us to do!
1. John Wesley to William Wilberforce, February 24, 1791, Drew University, Methodist Library, Archives; Methodist Archives and Research Centre; Manchester, England, 1977/609.
In chapter 6, Nehemiah continued his description of the ongoing opposition to the repairing of the wall around Jerusalem, and despite both external and internal efforts to hinder the process, the wall was completed. This was a blow to Judah’s enemies. However, treacherous forces were still at work, this time some Jews and nobles who were allied with Tobiah (mentioned in verse 1 and in earlier chapters as one of the chief antagonists of the builders).
Verse 1 of today’s text states that the wall around Jerusalem was almost complete, though the doors of the gates had not yet been put in place. Historians note that this final step would have included covering the wood with metal to prevent the doors from being burned by invaders.
Having failed in their previous attempts to halt the project, verses 2-4 describe another plot by Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem the Arabian. These men tried to persuade Nehemiah to join them for a personal conference in “the plain of Ono,” a location about twenty miles from Jerusalem. Their exact purpose is not explained, but Nehemiah was aware that their intent was “to do me mischief.” Bible scholars suggest this may have been a plot to assassinate Nehemiah. Whether or not he suspected this, four times he rejected their proposals.
Verses 5-9 record Sanballat’s threat to report to the king of Persia a slanderous rumor that Nehemiah intended to rebel and set himself up as king of Judah. However, Nehemiah was not intimidated by this ploy, and once again appealed to God for strength.
In the next plot against Nehemiah, described in verses 10-14, Sanballat hired a man named Shemaiah (possibly a prophet or priest) to convince Nehemiah that his life was in danger and persuade him to take refuge in the Temple. Once again, Nehemiah refused to be lured into the trap. Verse 13 indicates he knew the Law prohibited him from entering a place reserved for those of the priesthood.
The chapter concludes in verses 15-19 with a description of the completion of the wall. The rebuilding process had taken just fifty-two days—a very short time for a task of such magnitude. The heathen nations around Jerusalem were “cast down in their own eyes”—they were disheartened because it was undeniable that God had given Judah divine support in this endeavor. However, verses 17-19 record that opposition did not cease. Some high officials in the community had connections with Tobiah and they would praise him to Nehemiah, and then report back to Tobiah how Nehemiah reacted. In response, Tobiah wrote threatening letters to Nehemiah in an attempt to discourage him.
II. The restoration of the wall by Nehemiah
C. The opposition to the work
5. The opposition through distractive dialogue (6:1-9)
6. The opposition through fear (6:10-14)
D. The completion of the wall
1. The wall finished (6:15-19)
One of the powerful lessons of the Book of Nehemiah is what individuals can accomplish when they align themselves with the will and plan of God, and apply themselves to their God-ordained tasks without fear of opposition.
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