Nehemiah 6:10 - Meaning and Application

The enemies of the Jews would stop at nothing to pull Nehemiah away from building Jerusalem’s wall. First they tried to lure him out into the countryside, but that failed. Now they try a different plan, to scare him into hiding in the temple for his own safety. They want him anywhere but at his work, and since they see he is careful, they try to make him fearful.

Here we see how low they sunk in this temptation. Their aim was to get Nehemiah to do something foolish, so they could laugh at him and mock him for it. In this way they hoped to damage his good name and weaken his influence (Nehemiah 6:13). This was the devil’s work, since Satan tempts people in order to accuse them, and leads them into sin so he can shame them. The worst harm enemies can do is frighten us away from our duty and push us into sin.

They used a false prophet and a false prophetess, people they had hired to persuade Nehemiah to stop working and protect himself. The false prophet was Shemaiah, who was shut up in his own house. He may have claimed to be set apart for prayer and reflection, or he may have used that pose to give Nehemiah an example to copy. Nehemiah seems to have respected him, because he went to his house to consult him (Nehemiah 6:10). There was also a prophetess named Noadiah, who was on the enemies’ side (Nehemiah 6:14), taking pay from them and betraying her own people.

It is not clear whether these people openly claimed, "This is what the Lord says," like the false prophets of earlier times. Even if they did not speak that way, they still wanted others to think they had special insight, wisdom, and foresight. People would then consult them in hard situations, as they once consulted true prophets. This gives us reason to mourn the wickedness of such people, who betray God’s cause and their country while pretending to care for both. It also shows the danger faced by good people like Nehemiah, because lies seem most convincing when they come with a religious voice.

Their warning sounded believable. They told Nehemiah that the enemies were coming to kill him, and that they would do it by night. That may well have been a real danger, since they would have done it if they could. They acted very concerned for his safety and urged him to hide in the temple until the danger passed. The temple was a strong and holy place, and there he would be under God’s special protection (Psalm 27:5).

If Nehemiah had given in, the people would likely have stopped working and dropped their weapons. Each person would have rushed to save himself, and then the enemies could have destroyed the wall with little effort. So even though self-preservation is part of human nature, advice based on that principle is not always wise or right. A person can be tempted to save his life in a way that destroys his duty.

Nehemiah answered this temptation with courage. He immediately decided not to yield (Nehemiah 6:11). He reasoned, "Should a man like me run away? Should I abandon God’s work, or discourage the workers I have gathered and encouraged? Should I be ruled by rumors and become overly worried about my own life? I am the governor, and many eyes are on me, both friend and foe. Another man might flee, but I must not. Who, in my position of honor, authority, and trust, would go into the temple and hide when work needs to be done, even if it cost him his life?" When we are tempted to sin, we should remember who we are and what our calling requires, so we do nothing unworthy of our place. It is not fitting for kings to act that way, O Lemuel (Proverbs 31:4).

He made up his mind: "I will not go in." He would rather die at his work than live by cowardly retreat from it. Holy courage and strength of spirit will help us, whatever it costs, never to turn away from a good task or choose a bad one.

Nehemiah also quickly saw where this advice came from (Nehemiah 6:12). He understood that God had not sent Shemaiah. This was not divine guidance, whether ordinary or special, but a plot against him. In time, the evil of such hired deceivers will always come to light. Nehemiah says he was afraid of two things in this advice: first, that he should be afraid, do this thing, and sin. Sin should be our greatest fear, and one of the best protections against sin is to fear nothing so much as sin itself. Second, he feared the shame it would bring, because they would have mocked him. Beside the sinfulness of sin, we should also fear its disgrace.

Finally, he humbly asks God to deal with them according to their works (Nehemiah 6:14). "My God, remember Tobiah, and the rest of them." When Nehemiah spoke of his own service earlier, he did not demand a reward from God, but simply prayed, "Think on me, my God" (Nehemiah 5:19). In the same spirit, he does not call down a particular punishment on his enemies. He leaves the matter with God, who knows their hearts and judges truth and wrong. God will take notice of this case, judge between them, and deal with them in his own time and way. Whatever wrongs are done to us, we must not take revenge ourselves, but leave our cause with the one who judges fairly.