Devotional Nehemiah 6:10-19: False Prophecies and the Finished Work Reflection on Nehemiah 6:10-19: how to identify false prophecies with discernment, resist attacks on your reputation, and the miracle of the wall in 52 days. Topics: Devotional, Old Testament.

Devotional Nehemiah 6:10-19: False Prophecies and the Finished Work

My devotional today continues in the same chapter as the previous devotional, in chapter 6, verses 10–19 of the book of Nehemiah. This is what happened.

Synopsis: In this chapter, Nehemiah visits Shemaiah at his home, and Shemaiah recommends that Nehemiah hide in the Temple of God with him, because according to his prophecy, Nehemiah’s persecutors (Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem) are going to try to kill him. But Nehemiah discovers the truth behind that prophecy. The work on the reconstruction of the wall of Jerusalem is completed, and everyone (including the enemies) ends up realizing that it was God who blessed the work.

Observations

These were my observations.

1. Pay attention to false prophecies. When Nehemiah went to Shemaiah’s house, Shemaiah told him a prophecy foretelling Nehemiah’s death. Because of this omen, he recommended that Nehemiah hide with him in the Temple of God. But Nehemiah was shrewd and realized that this was not a true prophecy. For Shemaiah was confined to his house (that is, he had been hired/bribed), and even more importantly, only priests were allowed to enter the Temple. In other words, anyone else who enters is sinning against God and disobeying His religious directives. But if Nehemiah had not possessed spiritual discernment, he would have easily fallen into this trap. Therefore, we must be careful, pray to God, and ask Him for spiritual discernment so as not to fall for false prophecies, interpretations, or religious suggestions that do not come from God, but rather from Satan.
2. Persevere faithfully to God even under threat of death. Nehemiah gives us, in verse 11, an excellent example of faithfulness to God even if it costs him his life: “Should a man like me run away? Or should someone like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in!” (Nehemiah 6:11). This is an example we see frequently in the Bible. True believers in God and Christians are willing to accept the consequences (good and bad) that come from faith and walking with God. This continues to be for us one of the greatest challenges, if not the greatest.
3. The enemy will try to denigrate our character when we faithfully do God’s will. In verse 13, Nehemiah realizes this when he meditates on this trap of the enemy: “He had been hired to intimidate me, so that I would commit a sin by doing this, and then they would give me a bad name to discredit me.” (Nehemiah 6:13). We must also be very alert to the people around us, because the enemy will try to bribe and corrupt them to damage our reputations and confront our authority as well.
4. When we do God’s will faithfully, things finish faster than expected. The reconstruction of the wall was supposed to take much longer due to the magnitude of the work. But with God’s blessing, the work was completed in 52 days—even with the enemy’s repeated attempts to stop it. “So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days.” (Nehemiah 6:15).