“Then I perceived that surely God had not sent him, but he uttered his prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 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. 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.” (12-14)
Nehemiah is one of my favorite characters in the bible because he was an ordinary man sent to do an extraordinary thing that only God could accomplish. Of course, only God can accomplish a “God-sized” task, but Nehemiah never thought he would be commissioned to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the wall. He was, after all, in exile and a slave to the King. Yet, when he heard the deplorable condition of the city of God, he prayed and fasted that God would do something to restore Jerusalem. Four months later, still mourning, God opened a door for him to petition the King and be the one to return and fulfill the very vision he prayed that God would accomplish through someone else.
It’s funny how God works sometimes. He gives us a burden for something, and we look in every corner and talk to every person hoping that they will take up that burden while failing to realize that it was given to us because God intends to use us to address it. Nehemiah’s task was not easy by any standard, but it was made more complicated by all the opposition he got from the people around him. Tobiah and Sanballat were two local leaders who opposed him at every turn. They were not Jewish, and they feared what would happen to them if the Israelites were restored to power in Jerusalem. So, to protect their own interests, they used every tool at their disposal to thwart the people’s progress. They spread lies and fear, tried to appeal to the King who sent Nehemiah, and even tried to get Nehemiah out into the countryside so they could harm him.
Their last-ditch effort was to pay a Jewish prophet to mislead Nehemiah. Thankfully, God gave Nehemiah the insight to recognize the deception. This incident is an essential lesson for us as we serve the Lord. We will always have supporters and detractors. It is important to listen to wise counsel and consider it when attempting great things for God. However, at the end of the day, you must be very careful to judge every voice by the Spirit and the word of God. Not every so-called “counselor” or “prophet” is from God. Sometimes there are false brothers sent by the enemy to confuse us and get us off course, and sometimes they’re well-meaning believers with the best intentions but who are guided by worldly or cultural wisdom instead of God’s word. We must have discernment to know the difference. Listen to Godly counsel, but stay true to what God has told you and confirmed through His word. Not every voice is His, and His is the only voice that matters.
