Wednesday
Read: Nehemiah 6:10–14; Psalm 119:9–16
SOAP: Psalm 119:10–11
With all my heart I seek you. Do not allow me to stray from your commands. In my heart I store up your words, so I might not sin against you.
Into the Text
The enemies of the Jews continued in their attempts to stop the rebuilding of the temple. They paid a prophet of God, a man named Shemaiah, to give Nehemiah false instructions. Shemaiah told Nehemiah to run and hide in the temple of God because his life was in danger. He tried to frighten Nehemiah to discredit him and stop the work of rebuilding.
But Nehemiah knew God’s Word. When God gave Israel the law, He gave them specific instructions on how the temple was to be treated because it was the place where God’s holy presence would dwell. Only a priest could enter the Most Holy Place, and only after he had been ritually purified. For Nehemiah to enter the temple without being a priest and without properly preparing himself was a direct violation of God’s law. Not only that, but because of His holiness, to enter God’s presence in this way meant Nehemiah would die.
Nehemiah immediately recognized his enemy’s attempts to discredit and kill him. Because he knew God’s law he was able to recognize the deception. When Shemaiah counseled Nehemiah to do something that was a direct violation of God’s law, Nehemiah knew it was not God who was speaking, but his enemies. Nehemiah didn’t need to wait for a sign or confirmation about whether or not the instructions from Shemaiah were from God because he knew God’s Word.
If we ever receive counsel that contradicts God’s commands we should not follow that instruction, no matter how sound it may seem. God will never give us instructions that violate His Word. But for us to know if the counsel we receive is from God or not, we need to know His Word. We must store up God’s Word in our hearts, committing it to memory so that when the test comes, we will be ready.
