Appointed Prophets to Preach - Nehemiah 6:7

In the book of Nehemiah, Nehemiah said, “Then sent Sanballat his servant unto me in like manner the fifth time with an open letter in his hand. Wherein was written, It is reported among the heathen, and Gashmu said it, that you and the Jews think to rebel: for which cause you build the wall, that you may be their king, according to these words”, and in chapter six and verse seven of Nehemiah, Nehemiah shared how the letter said, “you have also appointed prophets to preach of you at Jerusalem”, where we read,

And you have also appointed prophets to preach of you at Jerusalem, saying, There is a king in Judah: and now shall it be reported to the king according to these words. Come now therefore, and let us take counsel together.

The verse reads, “And you have also appointed prophets to preach of you at Jerusalem, saying, There is a king in Judah:”Nehemiah began with the words, “and you have also appointed prophets” or “and you, Nehemiah, have even so and indeed set up inspired spokesmen” “to preach of you” which means “to proclaim and cry out about you, Nehemiah” “at Jerusalem” whose name means “teaching of peace and is the chief city of Palestine and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split”, “saying” which means “uttering, declaring and proclaiming”, “there is a king in Judah” or “there exists a royal ruler and leader within Judah whose name means praised and was the kingdom comprised of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin which occupied the southern part of Canaan after the nation split upon the death of Solomon”. Nehemiah shared how the letter accused him of setting up inspired spokesmen to cry out about him within “Jerusalem” that he was proclaiming a royal ruler and leader exists within “Judah”.

The verse goes on to say, “and now shall it be reported to the king according to these words. Come now therefore, and let us take counsel together.” Nehemiah continued with the words, “and now shall it be reported” or “and at this time will the following come on the scene, stand forth, appear and rise up” “to the king” which means “to the royal ruler and leader” “according to these words” or “in keeping with this uttering, declaration and proclamation”. “Come now therefore” which means “walk, proceed, lead forth and depart then, wherefore and on this account”, “and let us take counsel together” or “and allow and permit us, Nehemiah, Sanballat and Geshem, consult, plan and deliberate with each other”. Nehemiah shared how the letter sent to him by Sanballat and Geshem also told him that the royal ruler would be notified in keeping with the statements made by them, and this should cause them to be allowed to deliberate with one another. 

When we think through the words in this verse, we learn through Nehemiah more about the letter that was sent to him by “Sanballat and Geshem”. They told Nehemiah that he assigned a spiritual spokesmen to speak about him, and they said he was proclaiming that a royal ruler existed within the city of “Jerusalem”. They said these proclamations would be told to the true royal ruler, and that he should consult with them because of it. Oh how desperate “Sanballat and Geshem”were, and the same may be said of our enemy “Satan” who attempts to destroy us with lies and made up stories. God loves us, and His desire is to save us from our sins and to have a personal relationship with us through His Son Jesus who died on the cross and was raised from the grave three days later. When we believe and trust in Him as our “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and put within us wisdom and discernment when our hating foes desire to cause our destruction. (See John 10:10)

Next time Nehemiah says to Sanballat, “there are no such things done as you say”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".