
1 Now when Sanballat and Tobiah and Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies heard that I had built the wall and that there was no breach left in it (although up to that time I had not set up the doors in the gates), 2 Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come and let us meet together at Hakkephirim in the plain of Ono.” But they intended to do me harm. 3 And I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” 4 And they sent to me four times in this way, and I answered them in the same manner. 5 In the same way Sanballat for the fifth time sent his servant to me with an open letter in his hand. 6 In it was written, “It is reported among the nations, and Geshem also says it, that you and the Jews intend to rebel; that is why you are building the wall. And according to these reports you wish to become their king. 7 And you have also set up prophets to proclaim concerning you in Jerusalem, ‘There is a king in Judah.’ And now the king will hear of these reports. So now come and let us take counsel together.” 8 Then I sent to him, saying, “No such things as you say have been done, for you are inventing them out of your own mind.” 9 For they all wanted to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will drop from the work, and it will not be done.” But now, O God, strengthen my hands. 10 Now when I went into the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, who was confined to his home, he said, “Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple. Let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you. They are coming to kill you by night.” 11 But I said, “Should such a man as I run away? And what man such as I could go into the temple and live? I will not go in.” 12 And I understood and saw that God had not sent him, but he had pronounced the prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13 For this purpose he was hired, that I should be afraid and act in this way and sin, and so they could give me a bad name in order to taunt me. 14 Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God, according to these things that they did, and also the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who wanted to make me afraid. 15 So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. 16 And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God. 17 Moreover, in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters came to them. 18 For many in Judah were bound by oath to him, because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah the son of Arah: and his son Jehohanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah as his wife. 19 Also they spoke of his good deeds in my presence and reported my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to make me afraid. —Nehemiah 6
Intro: In Nehemiah 6, we see Nehemiah facing intense opposition as he works to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls. The enemy’s tactics shift from external force to subtle manipulation. The enemy’s goal is clear: to distract, discredit, and ultimately defeat Nehemiah. But Nehemiah’s responses offer a model for us in spiritual battles today. Spiritual battles can be exhausting and disorienting, but losing sight of who we are in God only amplifies the struggle. In this passage, we learn three critical ways not to lose ourselves in these battles.
Big Idea: Fear of God provides
1. Fear of God helps
(6:1-4)
- a. Leaders are always a strategic target (6:1-2)
- b. The enemy’s object was for him to leave the work (6:3)
Spiritual victory comes by fixing your eyes on the
- c. Nehemiah is polite but firm (6:3)
- d. The enemy will be persistent (6:3)
- e. Nehemiah didn’t let his ego or fear sway him; he stayed focused on his calling (6:4; Luke 2:49)
And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” —Luke 2:49
2. Fear of God helps us
against fear and manipulation (6:5-9)
- a. The enemy will use fear to try and control you, but God’s truth sets you free. (6:5-7; Ezra 4)
- b. Nehemiah knew the enemy’s tactic: intimidation & slander (6:8)
- c. Nehemiah denounced the lies and continued his mission (6:8)
- d. But instead of succumbing to fear, he sought God’s strength. (6:9)
- e. “If we take care of our character, we can trust God to take care of our reputation” -W. Wiersbe
Don’t forget God’s
3. Fear of God helps our
(6:10-17)
- a. Nehemiah discerned that God had not sent this deceptive “prophet” (6:12)
b. Prophets do not contradict the word of God. (Deut 18:20; Isa 8:19-20)
But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.’ —Deuteronomy 18:20
19 And when they say to you, “Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,” should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living? 20 To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn. —Isaiah 8:19-20c. Nehemiah refuses to hide in the temple, recognizing it would discredit him as a leader. (6:13)
- d. His enemies tried to manipulate him into sin, but Nehemiah’s integrity was non-negotiable.
- e. Nehemiah’s refusal to compromise his character was a powerful testimony of his trust in God, not human schemes.
- f. Nehemiah credits God for the completion of the work. (6:16)
Our spiritual battles can only be won with
Small Group Questions
What did God teach you through this passage and message? Share the work of God in your heart with the group.
What questions did this passage and sermon raise in your mind?
Why do you think spiritual battles can be so disorienting and exhausting? How can we develop our spiritual discernment?
What are some ways the enemy has tried to distract, manipulate, or cause you to fear? What helps you refocus?
What spiritual battles are you currently facing, and how can Nehemiah’s example encourage you to depend on God’s strength?