Discerning the Hearts of Men (3/12/23)

Nehemiah 6:1-14

NEHEMIAH

4/2/2023

Image by Hatice EROL from Pixabay 

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Read: Nehemiah 6:1-14 (AMP)
Biblical Lesson…

In this passage, Sanballat, Gresham and the enemies of Nehemiah and the rebuilders of the wall try again to disrupt the completion of the refortification of Jerusalem. Though the walls have been rebuilt, the doors to the gate have yet to be hung. So the enemies try to remove what they see to be Nehemiah's guiding hand from the total refortification of Jerusalem.

Through Nehemiah's work done hand-in-hand with the Lord and his obedience and understanding Israel's dependence on Adonai, Nehemiah was given wisdom and discernment to understand Israel's enemies were trying to do through their creation of a narrative where they said Nehemiah was trying to grab power and become "the King of Judah".  The enemies wanted to create a sense of fear and threaten Nehemiah with death. Sadly, the enemies were not just those "outside", but also those within the faith, such as the prophet Shemaiah, the prophetess Noadiah as well as others aided Sanballat and the outside enemies to stop Nehemiah from completing his God-given assignment.

This lesson of discerning the hearts of man, who are of faith or not, is seen throughout the Bible:

  1. The unnamed prophet who prophesied to King Jeroboam of Israel (1 Kings 13);

  2. Elisha after Elijah was taken away (2 Kings 2);

  3. Jesus throughout his ministry dealing with his own disciples and the Pharisees or Sadducees. 

Today's Version…

Does the Biblical lesson hold true today? Consider the "news", do you take it at face value or do you look into it a little deeper? Do you pray about what you hear? Do you trust the Lord to speak truth to you? When you hear from God, do you receive it? What are the spiritual causes and results behind what is seen? How good are you at "reading" people?

What to do…

As God created beings, the Lord endowed every person with varying levels of abilities and skills.  Some skills and abilities require constant practice, so try the following:

  1. Pray each day for wisdom and discernment from God when interacting with individuals.

  2. Note the facts of every situation, listen to the varying viewpoints and make up your own mind about a person, situation, or story.

  3. Hone your knowledge about God and other people.