Lesson Material

Phase #7 PROTECTION

How to Practice Godly Self-Defense

Nehemiah 6:1-14

On October 15, 2019, in a small in Alabama, Pastor John Smith of Faith Community Church was brutally assaulted by a group of criminals. The attack occurred late at night when Pastor Smith was closing the church after a prayer meeting. As he walked to his car in the parking lot, he was ambushed by three masked individuals who demanded money and valuables. When Pastor Smith explained that he had nothing to give, the assailants became violent, beating him severely and leaving him unconscious on the ground before fleeing the scene.

The news of Pastor Smith’s assault spread quickly throughout the town, sparking outrage and fear among the congregation and the wider community. Many church members rallied together to support their pastor, praying for his recovery and holding vigils outside the church in solidarity.

Following the attack, Pastor Smith was hospitalized with serious injuries, including a fractured skull and broken ribs. His family and friends were devastated by the senseless violence, struggling to understand why anyone would target a man of such faith and kindness.

Law enforcement authorities launched an investigation into the assault, but the perpetrators remained at large. Community leaders condemned the attack, calling for justice and increased security measures to protect religious leaders from harm.

Spiritual leaders are always under attack. Normally, it is not physical in nature, but regardless of its form, it is vicious. Satan often attacks leaders first and with more vehemence believing that their downfall will demoralize followers and cause God’s work to cease.

“PRAY FOR YOUR PASTOR,” advises Victor Marx on victormarx.com, “97% of pastors have been betrayed, falsely accused or hurt by their trusted friends. 70% of pastors battle depression. 7,000 churches close each year. 1,500 pastors quit each month. 10% will retire a pastor. 80% of pastors feel discouraged. 94% of pastors’ families feel the pressure of ministry. 78% of pastors have no close friends. 90% of pastors report working 55-75 hours per week. Pray for your pastor.”

If you are in spiritual leadership, you will face attacks. Nehemiah 6 demonstrates strategies for practicing godly self-defense.

The enemy is now using last-ditch efforts to stop this God-given task. Their opposition was not new, but now it had a different approach. This time, they put their sights on the leader. They felt that if they could blow him out of the saddle, his followers wouldn’t have the strength or unity to complete their mission. In this passage, we see Nehemiah’s foes trying to destroy, discourage, and discredit him.

God protected him through all of this, but he needed to learn the art of godly self-defense. Let’s examine the enemy’s attacks one by one.

THE ENEMY’S STRATEGY IS TO DESTROY THE LEADER (6:1-4)

6 1When word came to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left in it—though up to that time I had not set the doors in the gates— 2 Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono.”

But they were scheming to harm me; 3 so I sent messengers to them with this reply: “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?” 4 Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer.

The Appeal (6:2)

In the guise of friendship, they said, “Nehemiah, how about just meeting us for a talk? We’ll meet at a neutral location – the plain of Ono – and discuss the common interests that our provinces share.”

The Response (6:3)

Nehemiah said, “Oh, no” to the Ono meeting and went on to say that he couldn’t leave the project that God had given him.

David Livingston voiced the same determination when people urged him to leave Africa and return to his homeland. He stated, “No, it must not, will not, cannot be. I must finish the work I started.”

The schemers were persistent. Four different times, they invited Nehemiah to join them.

In each case, they were unsuccessful. Nehemiah wouldn’t budge. Out of this love for God, he determined to let nothing pull him away from God’s project. His persistent refusals always followed their persistent appeals. He wouldn’t leave the great project that God had given him.

Ray Stedman said, “One of the most helpful things that we can do to resist temptation is to remember that God has called us to a great task. This is true of every believer in Christ. I do not care how young or how old you are in the Lord, you are called to a tremendous work today.”

Stedman illustrated his quote with this story:

“I read years ago of a missionary in China, a capable young man who did a great job as a linguist and diplomat in his work for the Lord. His abilities were so outstanding that one of the American companies in China tried to hire him. They offered him an attractive job with a salary to match, but he turned them down. He told them that God had sent him to China as a missionary and that was what he was going to do. He thought that would end the matter, but instead they came back with a better offer and an increase in salary. He turned that down too, but again they came back, doubling the salary that had originally been proposed. Finally he said, It’s not your salary that is too little. It’s the job that’s too small!” [i]

Satan will be equally persistent with you. He will try to get you to leave your ministry project to come to “neutral ground.” Do you know why Humpty Dumpty had a great fall? Because he was foolish enough to sit on the wall. Christians who wonder how close they can get to the edge without sinning are in great danger.

Satan isn’t just trying to distract you from doing God’s work; he intends to destroy you. Nehemiah recognized the guise of his enemies and declared, “they were scheming to harm me” (2). May God give you the same discernment when wolves in sheep’s clothing approach you.

THE ENEMY’S STRATEGY IS TO DISCOURAGE THE LEADER (6:5-9)

5 Then, the fifth time, Sanballat sent his aide to me with the same message, and in his hand was an unsealed letter 6 in which was written:

“It is reported among the nations—and Geshem says it is true—that you and the Jews are plotting to revolt, and therefore you are building the wall. Moreover, according to these reports you are about to become their king 7 and have even appointed prophets to make this proclamation about you in Jerusalem: ‘There is a king in Judah!’ Now this report will get back to the king; so come, let us meet together.”

8 I sent him this reply: “Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head.”

9 They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.” But I prayed, “Now strengthen my hands.”

The Appeal (6:5-7)

Sanballat’s fifth attempt to sway Nehemiah involved sending him an unsealed letter containing a harmful rumor in a desperate effort to intimidate him and deter his progress. This escalating desperation shows the lengths Sanat was willing to go to sabotage Nehemiah and his efforts to rebuild Jerusalem.

Sanballat said, “Come on, let’s get together,” but this time, he added the threat of blackmail. “We’ve heard the rumor – and it’s been confirmed – that you are starting a revolution and are scheming to become the king. We wouldn’t want this to get back to Artaxerxes, so we better discuss it.” This open letter, including a charge of treason, was meant to weaken Nehemiah’s backbone. If King Artaxerxes heard and believed it, Nehemiah’s life would be history. It was also a charge of impure motives meant to make Nehemiah look bad. These conspirators believed that this scheme would discourage Nehemiah and weaken his resolve.

The Response (6:8-9)

Nehemiah called their bluff and said that they were fabricating their story.

It reminds me of a pastor who got a letter from a parishioner filled with false accusations. Instead of wasting his time engaging in an argument, he simply sent a card back saying, “Thank you for your note.” He then signed his name and put a scripture reference below it—Nehemiah 6:8!

I wonder if the man who read the card looked up the Scripture. Ha!

Nehemiah had said “Oh, no” to Ono four times before, and he said it again this time.

Sometimes, it is not a negative thing to say, “No.”

On one occasion, Winston Churchill was the commencement speaker at Harrow School in England. He surprised everyone by giving a speech consisting of only ten words. He shouted, “Never Give In! Never, never, never, never. Never give in!” And with that, he sat down.

Satan’s attacks will continue to come, but you must never give in! That is easier said than done. There are times when the work is too hard, when your mind and body are exhausted, and when the temptation is too strong. Can you hold up under these circumstances? No, probably not. There is a limit to your endurance. You are not strong enough. But God is.

Nehemiah knew that, so under the pressure of their threats, he prayed, “O God, strengthen my hands” (Nehemiah 6:9). God did strengthen him and protect him.

Pray his prayer. Recognize your insufficiency, lift your hands up to God, and say, “strengthen my hands.”

The Lord God Almighty always comes through for godly people who rely on Him.

1. God’s provision of the ark saved Noah and his family from the flood.
2. Daniel was delivered from the lion’s den by God’s angel.
3. God’s presence saved Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the fiery furnace.
4. David was protected from Goliath’s and Saul’s attacks.
5. During a drought, Elijah was fed by ravens and protected from Jezebel’s threats.
6. Esther was protected from Haman’s plot to destroy the Jews.
7. Joseph was saved from slavery and prison, eventually becoming a ruler in Egypt.
8. Moses was protected as a baby and later led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt.
9. Joshua and the Israelites were protected during the conquest of Jericho and Canaan.
10. Gideon and his few men were victorious over a much larger army.
11. Jeremiah was protected from his enemies who sought to kill him.

• Your life is also filled with such stories. What threats have you faced? How did God protect you? We often thank God for His provisions. Let us also appreciate His protection. He is constantly guarding us from perils we aren’t even aware of.

THE ENEMY’S STRATEGY IS TO DISCREDIT THE LEADER (6:10-14)

10 One day I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was shut in at his home. He said, “Let us meet in the house of God, inside the temple, and let us close the temple doors, because men are coming to kill you—by night they are coming to kill you.”

11 But I said, “Should a man like me run away? Or should someone like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go!” 12 I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had prophesied against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13 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.

14 Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, my God, because of what they have done; remember also the prophet Noadiah and how she and the rest of the prophets have been trying to intimidate me.

The Appeal (6:10)

This time Shemiah, the prophet, brought the appeal. He said, “Nehemiah, there’s a contract out on your life. Men are going to try to kill you. So, I want you to come and hide with me in the temple.”

Can you imagine Nehemiah’s fear? How would you feel if you knew people were trying to kill you? Every noise would scare you…

The Response (11-14)

Nehemiah rejected the invitation. The thought of sheltering himself away in cowardly fear went against his character. “Should a man like me run away? Or should someone like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go!” Such an act would have blemished his reputation and discredited him (13).

There were two other reasons for his refusal. First, as a leader, he didn’t want to let down the people. If he had surrendered to fear, what would have happened to the courage of the people he was leading? Second, if he had said “yes,” he would have sinned (13). Going into the prohibited parts of the temple would have been sinful, and yielding to intimidation would have also been wicked.

This third attack was the saddest because some Israelite prophets aided it. The text says that the prophetess Noadiah and the other prophets tried to intimidate Nehemiah.

We live in a day when many wearing the “Christian” label reject biblical convictions and even oppose those who do. I tire of watching the media trot out these liberals to tout the world’s false values and use them to be critical of those who stand strong for the principles of God’s Word.

And then there are those who share our convictions but still, for one reason or another, oppose the leaders God has given them. Satan regularly uses Christians to help pull down other Christians.

Several years ago, Ed Nelson, a modern-day Caleb, had a “Heart to Heart” session at a Pastor’s retreat where he shared both the bright spots and the dark blots of his previous forty-five years of ministry. The room became quiet when he shared the incident that almost forced him out of the ministry. In his third year of pastoring a little church, he was ambushed by a deacon he respected and trusted. Behind Ed’s back, this deacon started secret prayer meetings to pray for the pastor’s faults. He used “holy” means to “wholly” destroy the pastor’s credibility. This went on for a year without Ed knowing about it. During this time Pastor Nelson couldn’t understand why his ministry had become so stale and fruitless. When he discovered what was going on, he was crushed. For three nights, he didn’t sleep, and he came close to dropping out. But then God showed him Matthew 9:37-38, and he noticed the words, “His harvest field.” He saw that it wasn’t his ministry; it was God’s ministry. So, Ed determined to work for God’s approval, not the approval of others, and place his confidence in God and not in people. Ed Nelson returned to the work, and God reversed the situation, revived the church, and brought victory.

Opponents will come from within and without. When that happens, follow Nehemiah’s example and give the battle to God (14).

The enemy tried to destroy, discourage, and discredit Nehemiah, but God gave him victory. In verses 15-16, we see God bringing victory to Nehemiah and his fellow workers.

15 So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days. 16 When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.

Mission Impossible was now Mission Accomplished. Why? Because it was God’s Mission! Nehemiah had stood firm against:

1. Attack 1 and had kept working because it was God’s task.
2. Attack 2 and had kept working because he had God’s strength.
3. Attack 3 and had kept working because it was God’s battle.

The victory belonged to God, and not only did the Israelites see this, but so did the enemy, and they were the ones who became intimidated. They lost their self-confidence.

I want you to recognize that: 1) God has given you the task; 2) He will give the strength; and 3) He will win the battle. You can stand firm.

“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” (1 Corinthians 16:13)

No matter what spiritual task you are now working on, remember a Mission Impossible becomes a Mission Accomplished when it is God’s Mission!

[i] https://www.raystedman.org/daily-devotions/nehemiah/a-great-work