Nehemiah
chapter 6 reminds me of how easily we can get side-tracked by
distractions. Nehemiah faced multiple attempts, but he never lost
sight of his goal. The chapter begins, “When
word came to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab and the rest of our
enemies that I had rebuilt the wall… sent me this message: ‘Come,
let us meet together in one of the villages’… But they were
scheming to harm me“.
These three names are mentioned repeatedly through the chapter, and
every time they are trying to get Nehemiah to stop. I love the
reply. He does not beat around the bush or make pathetic excuses,
nor does he just go along to be friendly.
“I
am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the
work stop while I leave it and go down to you?”
He reminds us that distractions will keep coming, but when we are
focused on our ultimate goal, we can avoid wrong turns. “Four
times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the
same answer“.
What are the distractions in your life?
We
also face tremendous pressure to conform. When we do not, we can
face forms of retaliation. Nehemiah next had to deal with false
rumors. “It
is reported among the nations… that you and the Jews are plotting
to revolt… Moreover… you are about to become their king… Now
this report will get back to the king; so come, let us confer
together.”
Once again he was direct in his reply, “Nothing
like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out
of your head“.
Let’s be clear, these were slanderous charges. Each of us have
skeletons in our closet, things we regret. The only way I know to
keep the past in the past is to turn away from the old patterns. I
do not deny my errors, but I plan not to repeat them. It is
interesting that one of the criteria for being a leader in the church
according to 1 Timothy 3:7 is to have a good reputation. “He
must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not
fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap“.
I believe a good reputation does help insulate us from every rumor
that might circulate. What is your reputation?
Distractions
can come from all sides, even those “religious” people around us.
“I
went to the house of Shemaiah… who was shut in at his home. He
said, ‘Let us meet in the house of God, inside the temple, and let
us close the temple doors, because men are coming to kill you‘.”
Nehemiah recognized the house of God is not a place to escape from
the world. He said flatly, “I
will not go!“.
In a way the church is like a hospital where people come to be
healed. After the healing, we need to get up and share the lessons
we have learned with those around us. We can even bring hurting
people to find the same comfort we experienced. The chapter ends
with an important reminder. “So
the wall was completed…in fifty-two days… When all our enemies
heard about this, all… were afraid… because they realized that
this work had been done with the help of our God“.
Completing the wall was not Nehemiah’s ultimate goal. It was just
another opportunity to see God work through His people. Nehemiah’s
desire was for Israel to be reunited in the Promised Land. Romans
12:2 was written to those of us bombarded with distractions. “Do
not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind“.
God’s Word has transforming power for your life today.