What do you Fear

Nehemiah 6

Have you ever been afraid? I mean where you were just so scared that you stopped in your tracks and could not continue? The definition of fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat. I know I have been afraid before. I hate heights and especially when it comes to climbing something. I am actually quite funny to watch and after the fact I make fun of myself but at the moment I am afraid of it. I know some people fear spiders or insects or weird things like snow, but fear makes it so we are unproductive and controls us.

In this chapter we see how the enemy is trying to cause Nehemiah to be fearful of them and attacks. They want to make him afraid and not finish the wall. The enemies want to dominate over them so they wall would make it so they could not.

Nehemiah and Threats

We know from previous chapters in Nehemiah that he was threatened but with this chapter we see a new tactic from the enemies of Nehemiah. They first asked Nehemiah to meet with them. Their intentions were to kill him but Nehemiah was given wisdom by God and did not meet them. He responded to their bad invitations by saying, he could not go because there was work to be done. As that did not work we see that they tried a different way and that was to have someone within to act.

Shemaiah asked Nehemiah to come into the Temple so he could be safe from his enemies. This request seems good until Nehemiah responds. He called him out and said, you are just as bad because you intended me harm too.

With all these threats we see Nehemiah always going to God. In verse 9 he said, “For they all wanted to frighten us, thinking, ‘Their hands will drop from the work, and it will not be done.’ But now, O God, strengthen my hands.” They never stopped working and even after the wall was built they still threatened Nehemiah’s life.

Satan has the same tactics with Christians. He wants fear to be cast over them. He wants to make us inactive because we are so afraid of other people, what they may say, do, or even think of us. Satan wants us to be nothing for the kingdom. But as we read about fear, it is a belief. Nothing has happened we just are afraid something will. As it says in Hebrews 13:5, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” If Nehemiah gave into that fear, the wall would not have been accomplished. He could not afford to be afraid. We can not afford to be afraid in this life of other people. We have work to that needs to be done and we have time that we can not waste. If we are fearful, we take for granted what Christ did on the cross and we do not realize that Jesus conquered death and sin. Satan is powerless against Christ. 

Do not fear people, whom Satan will use to make you afraid and make you inactive for the kingdom.