Sent the Fifth Time - Nehemiah 6:5

In the book of Nehemiah, Nehemiah said, “Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me, saying, Come, let us meet together in some one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me mischief. And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, while I leave it, and come down to you? Yet they sent unto me four times after this sort; and I answered them after the same manner”, and in chapter six and verse five of Nehemiah, Nehemiah said, “then sent Sanballat his servant unto me”, where we read,

Then sent Sanballat his servant unto me in like manner the fifth time with an open letter in his hand;

The verse reads, “Then sent Sanballat his servant unto me in like manner the fifth time ...” Nehemiah began with the words, “then sent Sanballat” or “at that time Sanballat whose name means strength and was a Moabite of Horonaim and the opponent of Nehemiah and the returned exiles in their goal of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem” “his servant unto me” which means “his, Sanballat's, man of servile condition, slave and bondman to me, Nehemiah” “in like manner the fifth time” or “in a similar and like way for the fifth occasion”. Nehemiah shared how “Sanballat” dispatched his bondman to him for the fifth occasion.

The verse goes on to say, “... with an open letter in his hand.” Nehemiah continued with the words, “with an open letter” or “accompanied by an engraved missive or epistle” “in his hand” which means “within his, Sanballat's servant's, physical hand”. Nehemiah shared how “Sanballat's bondman” had an engraved epistle within his physical hand. 

When we consider the words in this verse, we learn through Nehemiah that “Sanballat” continued to pursue a meeting with him, and this “fifth time” he dispatched his personal bondman with an engraved epistle within his physical hand. What a persistent man this wicked one was. This is much like Satan himself who is persistent in attempting to draw us away from a personal relationship with God. (See John 10:10), however, “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”. (See John 3:16) God loves us, and He will protect us from the attempts of the enemy even when he dispatches his associates to attempt to cause us to stay away from a relationship with Him.

Next time Nehemiah tells what, “was written” in the letter, 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".