Nehemiah 6:10-13 Afterward I came to the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabeel, who was shut up; and he said… We may consider this blending of faith, courage, and prudence in Nehemiah as worthy of admiration and imitation. 1. Sometimes we find a brave man who lacks both faith and prudence. In this case his courage is very apt to degenerate into a foolish bravado; and possibly he may do more harm than good by his unwise daring. 2. When prudence is the marked feature of a character it is apt to degenerate into selfish cunning and calculating cowardice. 3. Even when courage and prudence are found united, the character is still sadly defective if there be no spiritual faith — it is apt to fall into an unbecoming and dangerous self-sufficiency. 4. On the other hand, faith without prudence may degenerate into fanaticism, or into a "quietism" which cultivates the passive to the neglect of the active virtues. (I. Campbell Finlayson.) Parallel Verses KJV: Afterward I came unto the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabeel, who was shut up; and he said, Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple: for they will come to slay thee; yea, in the night will they come to slay thee. |
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