Durruck
Pirate!
From Nehemiah 6:5-9 (NIV)
Sanballat and his cronies were threatened by Nehemiah's rebuilding of the wall. They attempted to lure him away repeatedly so they could attack him (as they couldn't do it in the witness of hundreds of people). The first four times, Sanballat sent sealed letters, hoping to goad Nehemiah. The fifth time, Sanballat sent an unsealed letter.
But why is an unsealed letter important? Because Sanballat was making some rather serious accusations about why Nehemiah was rebuilding the wall. He claimed that Nehemiah was attempting to usurp authority and take over Judah. But he didn't want to confront Nehemiah about something he believed. Sanballat wanted the letter to be read by messengers along the way. Sanballat wanted to spread discontent and get people talking, hoping it would either trick Nehemiah away from town (where he could be attacked) or the word would get back to King Artaxerxes.
There are two main lessons I wanted to share from this:
1) Be on guard for tricks from the Enemy. Don't just react when you are taunted, but be prayerful and mindful to respond carefully and appropriately to all situations.
2) Be persistent and prayerful about completing your work. Nehemiah knew that his people were facing some significant adversities, but he never let his adversaries scare him off the job. He just prayed that God would give them a little help in persisting.
Sanballat and his cronies were threatened by Nehemiah's rebuilding of the wall. They attempted to lure him away repeatedly so they could attack him (as they couldn't do it in the witness of hundreds of people). The first four times, Sanballat sent sealed letters, hoping to goad Nehemiah. The fifth time, Sanballat sent an unsealed letter.
But why is an unsealed letter important? Because Sanballat was making some rather serious accusations about why Nehemiah was rebuilding the wall. He claimed that Nehemiah was attempting to usurp authority and take over Judah. But he didn't want to confront Nehemiah about something he believed. Sanballat wanted the letter to be read by messengers along the way. Sanballat wanted to spread discontent and get people talking, hoping it would either trick Nehemiah away from town (where he could be attacked) or the word would get back to King Artaxerxes.
There are two main lessons I wanted to share from this:
1) Be on guard for tricks from the Enemy. Don't just react when you are taunted, but be prayerful and mindful to respond carefully and appropriately to all situations.
2) Be persistent and prayerful about completing your work. Nehemiah knew that his people were facing some significant adversities, but he never let his adversaries scare him off the job. He just prayed that God would give them a little help in persisting.
