What role does fear play in Nehemiah's response in Nehemiah 6:10? Setting the Scene • The wall of Jerusalem is almost finished, and hostile neighbors feel the pressure. • Sanballat, Tobiah, and their allies shift from open opposition to covert schemes. • Nehemiah 6 records their last-ditch tactics: slander, intimidation, and the manipulation of fear. Nehemiah 6:10 in Focus “Later, I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, who was confined to his home. He said: ‘Let us meet at the house of God inside the temple and let us shut the doors of the temple— for they are coming to kill you; by night they are coming to kill you!’” Fear as a Weapon of the Enemy • The proposal sounds spiritual—hide in the temple—but its motive is terror: “They are coming to kill you.” • Fear is intended to: – Paralyze Nehemiah’s leadership. – Discredit him by tempting him to break God’s law (Numbers 18:7 forbids a non-priest from entering the sanctuary). – Sow panic among the workers so the wall remains unfinished. • Proverbs 29:25 reminds: “The fear of man is a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is set securely on high.” Sanballat’s team sets the snare; fear is the bait. Nehemiah’s Discernment of False Fear • Nehemiah answers in 6:11: “Should a man like me flee? Should someone like me enter the temple to save his life? I will not go!” • He discerns two realities: – The proposal violates clear Scripture, so it cannot be from God. – Fear rooted in deception contradicts the character of the God who appointed him. • Verse 13 exposes the plot: “He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would sin…” Fear would have led to sin; discernment keeps him faithful. Courage Rooted in the Fear of the LORD • Scripture presents two kinds of fear: 1. Fear of man—crippling, deceptive, enslaving. 2. Fear of the LORD—reverent awe that liberates and emboldens. • Nehemiah chooses the latter, echoing Psalm 27:1: “The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?” • Because God’s word is trustworthy, Nehemiah treats it as the final authority, not his emotions. Lessons for Today • Expect schemes that leverage fear whenever God’s work advances. • Measure every fearful suggestion against clear Scripture; God never contradicts His own word. • Replace the fear of man with the fear of the LORD; Isaiah 41:10 and 2 Timothy 1:7 supply the confidence to do so. • Walk in obedience even when threats feel urgent; Nehemiah’s steadfastness in verse 15—“the wall was completed in fifty-two days”—proves that fear loses its grip when faith holds fast. |
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