Reading for December 12th

Read Nehemiah 6.1-14. In 6.1-14: Nehemiah's life is threatened. While the account of ch 4 deals with threats against the whole community, this section continues a focus on Nehemiah as an individual, revealing a series of plots by the "adversaries" to destroy him. Nehemiah's persistance in directing the rebuilding effort preserved him from being entrapped by their plots. In verse 2: The plain of Ono lay to the northwest of Jerusalem. It may have been in a boundary area between Sanballat's district and Nehemiah's. The intended to do me harm: The account provides no reason forthis conclusion. In verse 6: You and the Jews intend to rebel: In general, walled cities were not built in the Persian empire. The refortification of Jerusalem would provide an opportunity to defy the empire. Sanballat uses the threat of reporting this to the king (v. 7) to draw out Nehemiah out. In verse 10: Shemaiah ... was confined to his house: Though the accound is not clear on the timing, there seems to be some time between Sanballat's efforts to get Nehemiah to meet with him, and this plot. It is not certain why Shemaiah was closed in his house, nor why Nehemiah went to see him. Tonight they are coming to kill you: Perhaps Shemaiah had sent word to Nehemiah thathe had an important message to convey. His advice to meet in the Temple and close the door because the adversaries were coming to kill Nehemiah would have made the governor look cowardly. In verse 13: He was hired for this purpose: It takes Nehemiah time to see through the plot, but Shemaiah may have been a reputable prophet, making the deception difficult to detect. In verse 14: Remember ... O my God: One of Nehemiah's direct appeals to God to keep something before him. Here Nehemiah wants his opponent to be repaid according to their deeds, as well as the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets whomay have engaged in the same kinds of deceit as Shemaiah. Comments or Questions..