Distractions

Day three hundred twenty-six

Today I prayed with gratitude for answered prayers.  I survived yesterday and I am feeling better today. I am so grateful that He hears me!

Nehemiah 6

So far in our study of the rebuilding of the wall in Jerusalem we have seen some tactics of the enemy at work.  In chapter 4 the work on the wall was threatened by discouragement, in chapter 5 it was strife and division, and in chapter 6 the enemies choice of tactic is distractions.

For me this is the biggest reason my projects remain unfinished. There are just too many distractions.  I get pulled away by this or that and the next thing I know time has flown by and I never got back to the original project!  This can lead to frustration and discouragement and the vicious cycle begins. 

So let's see what Nehemiah can teach us about dealing with distractions.

For Nehemiah the distractions come in three different forms: Invitation, Insinuation, and Intimidation. In each case the enemy is trying to distract Nehemiah from the work of finishing the wall.  We are going to see that Nehemiah doesn't get distracted because of discernment.  Discernment is the ability to judge matters according to God's view of them and not according to their outward appearance.

Invitation (vv 1-4)

"That Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me, saying, Come, let us meet together in some one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me mischief." (v 2)

At first this might appear as a friendly invitation to meet and talk about the concerns of all parties involved.  But Nehemiah shares his inner thoughts about this when he says, "But they thought to do me harm."  Nehemiah realized they were trying to isolate him to get him by himself so they could hurt him.  Satan tries to do the same thing to us: Get us alone and try to harm us.  And he does it by placing things in our lives that appear so inviting sometimes. 

Satan is persistent here; notice the invitation comes 4 times (v 4).  Nehemiah responded with the same answer each time: 

"I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?" (v 3) 

Nehemiah knew that what he was working on was God's work.  He had the proper perspective.  How do I view my work?  If I knew that what I was doing was God's work would I be less likely to be distracted? Even the tasks like cleaning the house can fall under God's work, but if I don't see it that way it makes it less appealing and I allow myself to be distracted.  Remember God sees our work as a great work; it is part of His great plan.  If He sees it that way why shouldn't we? 

Insinuation (vv 6-7) 

"It is reported among the heathen, and Gashmy saith it, that thou and the Jews think to rebel: for which cause thou buildest the wall, that thou mayest be their king, according to these words.  And thou hast also appointed prophets to preach of thee at Jerusalem, saying, There is a king in Judah: and now shall it be reported to the king according to these words. Come now therefore, and let us take counsel together." 

Here is what is going on here.  A messenger shows up with an open letter, this means that it was to be read in the hearing of everybody. 

The key phrase is "it is reported among the heathen ".  In other words, the surrounding nations are all saying this is true. The rumor is that Nehemiah wants to be king.  This is pure insinuation. It is suggested that this is the reason he is rebuilding the walls and why he is so eager to get these walls built.  

What is the big deal about that? Well if that got back to the king in Persia and he believed it, it would cost Nehemiah his head and the people of Israel would be squashed again. 

The enemy wants to get Nehemiah side tracked by trying to defend himself against rumors.  This rumor was meant to hurt Nehemiah and to make the people afraid and weaken their resolve. 

As a Christian, people will watch you.  They pay attention to what you say, how you act, and even what you have.  It is part of the price we pay for our beliefs; it is life in a fish bowl.  Because people are watching, they are also going to talk about us, it comes with the territory. 

How does Nehemiah deal with this attack?  He knows the accusations are not true and this is not what is in his heart.  He doesn't mount an elaborate defense trying to prove that these accusations are false.  He understands that you don't satisfy men like Sanballat with facts, explanations, and evidence. You can only satisfy them by giving in to their demands, and Nehemiah would not do that!  Instead he basically says, "You are lying, that is not my heart and I trust that the people know that."  And then he says a short prayer, "Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands." (v 9) 

That's all we can do when we find ourselves in this situation.  We let God be our defense.  Nehemiah was wise enough not to get caught up in this distraction; he realized that it would be a complete waste of time and energy.  There were more important things to be concerned with.  How much better would our lives be if we approached this distraction in the same manner? 

Intimidation (v 10) 

"Afterward I came unto the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabeel, who was shut up; and he said, Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple: for they will come to slay thee; yea, in the night will they come to slay thee." 

Since the others didn't have any effect on Nehemiah, Shemiah who was of the priestly line takes a turn.  He is trying to set Nehemiah up by getting him to run to the temple for safety. 

Notice Nehemiah’s response: 

"Should such a man as I flee? and who is there, that, being as I am, would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in." 

It was forbidden for a layman to go beyond the altar of burnt offering at the temple (Num 18:7).  Now it was at this point that Nehemiah realized that something was wrong. Something wasn’t right; Shemiah is contradicting God’s word. 

There is a great lesson for us in this: Anytime someone has a word for you that doesn’t line up with scriptures – Reject it!  God is not going to give a command that is going to contradict the written word. 

Nehemiah rejected it. He was not distracted because he clung to the what he knew was in the scriptures.  He would not compromise. Having right priorities gave Nehemiah the courage to do what was right.  

This part of the story really made me appreciate the fact that we have the scriptures so readily available to us today.  We have so many opportunities to learn God's word and to prepare ourselves for intimidation battles.  In Nehemiah's case knowing the scriptures allowed him the gift of discernment.  We could all use such a gift in our lives! 

There are two things that I took from this chapter that I need to work on: 

Practice saying, “yes” to God’s priorities. The best way to not be distracted is by being attracted to those things that are on the heart of God. 

Practice saying, “no” to the devil’s distractions.  I need to read my scriptures, say my prayers, and ask the Spirit to help me identify those things that are distracting me from God’s priorities.  Then I need to not waste my time on them, but put them behind me and move forward.

I am excited to put these things into practice and see how much more productive I can be without all the distractions!