Threats: "We will protect your life."

8/19/2011 8:15:20 AM

SPIRITUAL DIARY

My Worship Time                                                                                             Focus:  Threats:  “We will protect your life.”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                         Reference:  Nehemiah 6:10-14

                Message of the verses:  “10 ¶  When I entered the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, who was confined at home, he said, "Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you, and they are coming to kill you at night." 11  But I said, "Should a man like me flee? And could one such as I go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in." 12  Then I perceived that surely God had not sent him, but he uttered his prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13  He was hired for this reason, that I might become frightened and act accordingly and sin, so that they might have an evil report in order that they could reproach me. 14  Remember, O my God, Tobiah and Sanballat according to these works of theirs, and also Noadiah the prophetess and the rest of the prophets who were trying to frighten me.”

                One can surely see that the book of Nehemiah is about leadership for Nehemiah is seen as a great leader throughout this entire book.  How Nehemiah handles these threats and conflicts that came his way shows all who read this book how a good leader should handle these types of problems.

                The portion that I have highlighted from verse twelve is remarkable to me in that Nehemiah could perceive that this was a set up.  The question arises as to how did Nehemiah perceive that this was a set up and the answer is really very clear.  Let’s take a look at two different verses from the book of Deuteronomy to help understand the answer to this question:  “1 ¶  "If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, 2  and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, ’Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,’ 3  you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God is testing you to find out if you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4  "You shall follow the LORD your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him. 5  "But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has counseled rebellion against the LORD your God who brought you from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to seduce you from the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from among you (Deuteronomy 13:1-4).”  20  ’But the prophet who speaks a word presumptuously in My name which I have not commanded him to speak, or which he speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.’ 21  "You may say in your heart, ’How will we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?’ 22  "When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him (Deuteronomy 18:20-22).”

                One of the characteristics of a good leader is that he will not run in the face of trouble and this is demonstrated by what the Lord Jesus said in John 10:12-13 “12  "He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13  "He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep.”  Nehemiah had a great responsibility as governor of Judah and Jerusalem and he would not be intimidated by these false prophets, but just the same this had to weigh on him as these kind of things began to build.  His strength came from the Lord and we cans see the sixth of his telegraph prayers to the Lord in verse fourteen. 

                Spiritual meaning for my life today:  In order to have a good prayer life one must know the Word of God and Nehemiah did know the Word of God.  I have a desire to be able to perceive things like Nehemiah did and one of the ways that he could do this was his knowledge of the Word.  I have a desire to have a better and more accurate prayer life, one like Nehemiah and also Daniel and Ezra had for they are great examples for me to learn from.

My Steps of Faith for Today:

1.       Continue to learn contentment.

2.       Know more about the Word so my prayer life will get better.

8/19/2011 9:19:01 AM