In the book of Nehemiah, Nehemiah said, “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 you; yes, in the night will they come to slay you. 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. And, lo, I perceived that God had not sent him; but that he pronounced his prophecy against me: for Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him”, and in chapter six and verse thirteen of Nehemiah, Nehemiah said Shemaiah, “was hired, that I should be afraid”, where we read,
Therefore was he hired, that I should be afraid, and do so, and sin,
and that they might have matter for an evil report, that they might reproach me.
The verse reads, “Therefore was he hired, that I should be afraid, and do so, and sin, ...” Nehemiah began with the words, “therefore was he hired” or “wherefore, then and on this account was he, Shemaiah, temporarily purchased for wages”, “that I should be afraid” which means “so I, Nehemiah, ought to be in fear and dread”, “and do so, and sin” or “and perform and act in the manner Shemaiah suggested, and miss the mark, err and do wrong”. Nehemiah shared how “Shemaiah” was temporarily purchased by “Tobiah and Sanballat” to cause him to be in fear and act according to his words and thereby miss the mark before God.
The verse goes on to say, “... and that they might have matter for an evil report, that they might reproach me.” Nehemiah continued with the words, “and that they might have matter” or “and so they, Tobiah and Sanballat, could own and possess cause and reason” “for an evil report” which means “on behalf of a disagreeable, malignant, displeasing and wicked fame, reputation and glory”, “that they might reproach me” or “so they, Tobiah and Sanballat, could taunt, defy, upbraid and defame me, Nehemiah”. Nehemiah said the reason “Tobiah and Sanballat” hired “Shemaiah” was so he would follow “Shemaiah's” instructions and they would have a cause to taunt and defame him because he was wicked.
When we think through the words in this verse, we see how Nehemiah discerned the motive behind “Shemaiah's” words and “Tobiah and Sanballat's” temporary purchase of him. They wanted to tarnish Nehemiah's reputation so they could taunt and defame him. These relentless enemies are very much like our accuser “Satan” who is constantly making accusations before God against us. (See Revelation 12:10). God sent His Son Jesus into the world to save us from our sins, and when we yield to Jesus who died on the cross and was raised from the grave three days later, our sins will be forgiven, we will inherit everlasting life and be provided with God's Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth and empower us to live as witnesses of that truth in the world. (See John 16:33; Acts 1:8)
Next time Nehemiah prays, “my God, think upon Tobiah and Sanballat”, 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".
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