Nehemiah 6:1-4

Nehemiah had solved the problem that caused the poor people to complain. The people had built the wall, but they had not finished the gates. But the enemies of the people did not give up. They still tried to stop the work.

Sanballat and his friends sent messages to Nehemiah. They invited him to meet them. They pretended that they wanted to make peace with the *Jews. If that had been the truth, then it would have been good news for the *Jews. But Sanballat and his friends did not really want to make peace with the *Jews. Instead, they wanted to attack Nehemiah. Perhaps if they hurt him, he would be unable to continue to lead the people. Although the people had built the wall, they still needed Nehemiah to lead them. He would help them to become a proper nation again.

Nehemiah knew that his enemies were telling lies. He found out that they wanted to hurt him. He also knew that it was not wise for him to go to the meeting with his enemies. Ono was near to the land of his enemies, so it was a dangerous place. He would have to walk for a day to get there. After the meeting, he would have to walk for another day to get back to Jerusalem. While he travelled, he would not be able to lead the people. And the work was too important to permit any delay. Nehemiah knew that it was essential to finish the work on the gates of the city. So Nehemiah told his enemies that he was too busy to meet them. They sent the same message 4 times and he gave them the same answer.

v5 Then Sanballat sent his servant to me again. This was the 5th time that he came with the same message. The servant was carrying a letter in his hand. Sanballat had not closed the letter. v6 The letter said, ‘There is a report that you and the *Jews are plotting a revolution. That is why you are building the wall. This report is well-known in the nations round you. And Geshem says that it is true. People are also saying that you want to become the *Jews’ king. v7 They say that you have appointed *prophets. And these *prophets will declare the news about you in Jerusalem. These *prophets intend to say, “There is a king in *Judah.” People will tell the king about this. So come and let us discuss this.’

v8 I sent this reply to Sanballat, ‘What you are saying is not true. You are making it all up.’

v9 Sanballat and the men with him were all trying to frighten us. They thought, ‘The *Jews will be so afraid that they will stop the work. Then they will be unable to complete their task.’

But I prayed to God, ‘Make me strong.’