Nehemiah 6 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study
Nehemiah 6 Short Summary:
Seeing that the walls of Jerusalem were nearly finished, and their threats of violence hadn’t worked, Sanballat and Tobiah attempted to lure Nehemiah out of the city under friendly pretenses. Nehemiah rejected their invitations, choosing instead to press forward with the wall project. After 52 days, Nehemiah and his men finally finished the wall, and the news quickly spread through the neighboring nations.
Nehemiah 6 Summary
WHEN:
538-537 BC – Cyrus the Great of Persia frees the Jews from their Babylonian captivity.
516 BC – The rebuilding of the Temple is completed in Jerusalem.
457 BC – Ezra arrives in Jerusalem.
445-444 BC – Nehemiah arrives in Jerusalem.
KEY CHARACTERS:
Nehemiah – The former Jewish cupbearer to the king of Persia. He motivated the Jews to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. He was appointed governor of Judah.
Jews – They joined Nehemiah to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
Sanballat and Tobiah and Geshem – Enemies of Nehemiah and the Jews who opposed the rebuilding of Jerusalem.
WHERE:
Jerusalem – The capital of the Kingdom of Judah and the location of God’s Temple.
OUTLINE:
BLACKMAIL AND BRIBERY (6:1-14):
When Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem heard that the wall of Jerusalem was almost complete, they sent messengers to Nehemiah asking him to meet with them, perhaps under pretense of setting aside their differences.
But Nehemiah saw through their deception, he knew their true intentions were to harm him.
They sent messengers to him 4 times, but he refused every invitation.
The 5th time, they threatened to blackmail Nehemiah by telling the King of Persia the people of Jerusalem intended to rebel, and that Nehemiah was planning to set himself up as their king.
Nehemiah wrote them back and told them they were inventing lies, he knew they were trying to frighten him into stopping the work, but God gave him strength to continue.
Sometime after these events, Nehemiah visited a prophet named Shemaiah. Shemaiah advised Nehemiah to hide in the Temple because Sanballat and Tobiah were coming to kill him.
Nehemiah rejected this advice and discovered that Shemaiah had been paid off by Sanballat and Tobiah.
Nehemiah was facing opposition from the inside and the outside, but God was with him.
THE WALLS OF JERUSALEM ARE COMPLETED (6:15-16):
Persevering through the many trials, Nehemiah and his men finally finished the walls of Jerusalem after 52 days of work.
When the nations surrounding Judah heard the news, they perceived that God was on Nehemiah’s side and had helped him complete the city.
TOBIAH’S INFLUENCE (6:17-19):
The chapter concludes with a statement about Tobiah, Nehemiah’s enemy. Tobiah apparently had many connections amongst the Jews, and he had many allies who spoke well of him in Jerusalem.
Tobiah continued to send Nehemiah threatening letters even after the walls were finished.
APPLICATION
One of the things I’ve admired about Nehemiah in the last few chapters is his perseverance.
He set his mind to completing a task that he believed had God’s blessing, and he was going to plow through any opposition he encountered.
He faced opposition from the outside and the inside, but his resolve was unbreakable.
Sometimes, I find myself nearly getting knocked off course when I hit the slightest roadblock. One little friction point can cause me to question my whole direction, even when I believe I started down that path with God’s blessing.
Reevaluating our course in life is good, but there are times when we just need to put our heads down and plow though the obstructions.
It’s important to remember that not every hinderance we face is God trying to redirect us, sometimes those hinderances come from the devil, from modern day Sanballats and Tobiahs, who are trying to keep us from finishing the work we started for the Lord.
