And I came to the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabeel, who had shut himself 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 are coming to kill thee; even in the night are they coming to kill thee.
Nehemiah has survived mockery, threats and a slanderous letter from outside the city. Now it comes from inside, from a friend whose advice sounds holy but asks him to run and hide.
Every earlier assault came from outside the city. This one comes from inside it. A commentator marks the change of plan, and what it cost Nehemiah.
Sanballat found these attacks from outside useless. So next he tried to conspire against Nehemiah from within… Nehemiah was the one obstacle to the enemy's success, and so the object of all his hatred. While others were unfaithful, he was faithful. The grace of his God held him in his path, and for that very reason his path was lonely. He knew there were enemies outside. Now he has to discover that professed friends were among his foes.
The ESV says Shemaiah was "confined to his home"; older translations read that he "was shut up." The text never says why, and commentators differ. One takes it as uncleanness under the law, which barred Shemaiah from the very place he was recommending.
It seems that Shemaiah was unclean under the law. That is probably the meaning of "shut up." In that condition he was not fit to be in the house of God, within the temple. And Nehemiah too, not being a priest, would have sinned if he had followed Shemaiah's suggestion. This was the cunning scheme.
Another writer reads the shutting-in as an act. On his reading, the offer left Nehemiah no innocent choice.
Shemaiah here takes the role of a prophet and speaks to Nehemiah as one. "He had shut himself up" when Nehemiah came to his house, pretending fear when there was nothing to fear. Tobiah and Sanballat had hired this man: the love of money had made him a traitor… He presses Nehemiah toward one of two options. He must either run away in fear, or hide in the temple, where only the priests could go, to escape his would-be assassins. Now, if he had run away, people would have accused him of a bad conscience. If he had hidden in the temple, they would have accused him of profaning it by disobeying God's direct command. Either way, Nehemiah would have started down a path of sin that would have shamed him.
Nehemiah's refusal guarded two things at once: the people he led and the honour of God's house.
Nehemiah utterly refuses… Where would his faith have been? How could a man leave the children and show that all he cared about was his own personal safety? Besides, it would have been a blatant defiance of the glory of God. It was against God for an Israelite to use the sanctuary of the LORD as the pagan nations did. They made their sanctuaries places of refuge when their lives were in danger. God never allowed such a thing in His temple. His temple was for His worship, according to His word.
The threat comes twice in one breath. The hired prophet wanted panic, not a fight.
The next efforts came from within. Their aim was to draw Nehemiah into fear, and to make the house of God a physical refuge. But here again the godly leader spotted the profane and unbelieving snare… Fear is the chief weapon of false religion, whatever it claims to be. But a single eye was enough to keep Nehemiah clear of their influence.
Nehemiah did not unmask Shemaiah and then say no. He said no, and the mask fell off.
It is a remarkable thing. The moment Nehemiah refused the temptation, he saw the whole character of the enemy's plans. He saw through every disguise, and found the evil and hypocrisy at work to trap his feet. It is always so. The temptation blinds us only as long as we do not resist it. Refuse it, and all concealment is gone, and Satan stands fully exposed.
The proposal was not to leave God's house, but to lock its doors. The same temptation lives on.
Doesn't this look very plausible? Surely it is right to meet together in the house of God. But to shut the doors of the temple would be, for us, to put the light under a basket. The temptation is to give up the testimony… let us seek, in shut-up selfishness and fear of man, to enjoy that sacred place of blessing and fellowship among ourselves, and take care of ourselves.
- Inside. Mockery, threats and slander all failed from outside. So the attack came through a professed friend inside the city, and faithfulness turned lonely.
- Bait. The bait looked holy: meet in God's house, lock the doors. Yet for a man who was not a priest, going in was sin.
- Fear. The hired prophet wanted Nehemiah frightened, not dead. Fear is the chief weapon of false religion, and a single eye disarms it.
- Refusal. Nehemiah refused before he understood. Only then did he see the hypocrisy. Resistance, not analysis, strips the disguise.
- Doors. Locked doors would have been light hidden under a basket. Safety at the cost of the testimony is still on offer, and still worth refusing.
And I said, Should such a man as I flee? and who is there, that, being as I am, could go into the temple, and live? I will not go in.
Nehemiah is rebuilding Jerusalem's wall when a man named Shemaiah, posing as a friend, tells him to hide inside the temple because killers are coming that night. His short answer raises two questions: why was running away beneath him, and why did he refuse the safest building in the city?
The suggestion looked like rescue, but it was built so that either response would ruin him.
He pushes Nehemiah toward one of two choices: either to flee, driven by fear, or to hide in the temple, where only the priests could go, to escape the men who wanted to kill him. Now, if he had run away, people would have accused him of having a bad conscience. If he had hidden in the temple, they would have accused him of profaning it by disobeying God's direct commandment. Either way, Nehemiah would have started down a path of sin, which would have given him a bad reputation and put him to shame.
The aim was never simply to scare him. It was to get him to act on the fear.
It was a cleverly laid plan, not only to frighten Nehemiah, but to make him sin, so that they might have something against him.
Nehemiah's two questions sound very different from each other, and that is the point.
The answer of this man of God is an example both of dignity and humility. He asserts his dignity before these men, his enemies: "Should such a man as I flee?" Had he not engaged the people in the work? Had he not courageously armed them? Had he not intervened authoritatively when conflicts erupted between his brothers? Did they think that he would deny his own character before these lying accusations? But Nehemiah also speaks a word of humility, which is more important than the first expression: "And who is there, that, being as I am, could go into the temple, and live?" He uses the same phrase as in his first reply in order to humbly place himself in the presence of God. In the first case, one might accuse him of pride; in the second case, he shows that pride is very far from his heart.
The shut doors of the temple would have kept the killers out. They would also have turned God's house into something it was never meant to be.
He proposed to Nehemiah that he hide himself in the temple. Nehemiah refuses outright… Where would his faith have been? … Besides, it would have been an open defiance of the glory of God. It was against God for an Israelite to use the LORD's sanctuary as the pagan nations did. Those nations made their sanctuaries a place of refuge when their lives were in danger; but God never allowed such a thing in His temple. His temple was for His worship, according to His word.
Nehemiah asks whether a man like him could go in "and live." Israel's past held a warning.
How could he go into the temple, which God allowed only the priests to enter? A king of Judah had dared to do this, setting himself, as king, above the priesthood; for this God punished him with leprosy (2 Chr. 26:16-21). Did Nehemiah dream of repeating that profane act? Did a man like him have some value before God, or some right to break His commandments?
Beneath the legal issue lay a deeper one. A leader running from the work God had put in his heart would have been announcing that he no longer trusted God to keep him.
For Shemaiah suggests that Nehemiah — the leader in the work — should flee from the work that God has put into his heart to do. Like David long before him, he could say, "In the LORD I take refuge; how can you say to my soul, 'Flee like a bird to your mountain'?" (Ps. 11:1). … With the plain directness of this simple-hearted man, Nehemiah says, "I will not go in."
Notice the order of events in the chapter. Nehemiah says no first, and only then sees who was behind the message.
It is a remarkable thing that the moment Nehemiah refused the temptation, he saw the whole character of the enemy's plans. He pierced through every disguise and found the evil and hypocrisy at work to trap his feet. It is always so. We stay blind only as long as we leave the temptation unresisted. Once we refuse it, all concealment is gone.
- The bait. Shemaiah offered safety. Both roads — running away or hiding in the temple — led into sin and a ruined name.
- The dignity. With "Should such a man as I run away?" Nehemiah refuses to deny the character he had shown before the people he had armed and led.
- The humility. His second question puts him under God's law, not above it: a man like him had no right to enter where only priests could go.
- The faith. To flee would have been to abandon the work God had placed in his heart, instead of taking refuge in the LORD as David did.
- The clarity. Saying no came first; seeing through the disguise came after. Resisting the temptation is what stripped the concealment away.
And I perceived, and behold, God had not sent him; for he pronounced this prophecy against me; and Tobijah and Sanballat had hired him.
Nehemiah has just refused to hide in the temple, and only then does he see the plot: the man who spoke in God's name was paid by Tobiah and Sanballat. How can a prophet end up working for the enemy, and how does a servant of God tell a real message from a bought one?
The earlier attacks came from outside. This one wears a friendly face. The danger here is not a weapon but a welcome.
He sees that Shemaiah, though a prophet, was not sent from God. He was paid by the enemy, and so he was working for the enemy while pretending to be Nehemiah's friend. Joined with Shemaiah were "the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets." To the claim of friendship they would add the weight of a message that claimed to come from God. What trick could be more terrible? A man on the enemy's side comes to a godly man, claiming to be a warm friend with a message from God.
The word "hired" is the hinge of the verse. Gold reached the one group that should have been helping the work.
By means of gold the enemy gains an unholy hold over the very men who should have been the first to help in the Lord's work. Their prophetic office was to pass on the Lord's mind.
Another writer names what the bribe cost the prophets themselves.
They could not serve God and money. The moment they took a bribe from money, they were bound hand and foot in its service, and they also disqualified themselves as the Lord's messengers.
Nehemiah calls it a prophecy "against me." The advice was meant to harm him, not protect him. Whichever way he moved, the same end waited.
He pressures Nehemiah into one of two courses. Either he must flee, driven by fear, or he must hide in the temple to escape the men who wanted to kill him — and only priests could enter there. Now, if he had run away, people would have accused him of a bad conscience. If he had hidden in the temple, they would have accused him of profaning it by disobeying God's direct commandment. Either way, Nehemiah would have started down a path of sin. It would have given him a bad reputation and put him to shame.
The message aimed at Nehemiah's nerves, not his conscience. What kept him steady was not cleverness but one undivided aim.
The next efforts came from within. Their aim was to draw Nehemiah into fear and to turn the house of God into a physical hiding place. But here again the godly leader saw through the profane and unbelieving trap. He would no more go into the temple to save his life than he would stop the work he was devoted to. The "prophecy" of Shemaiah carried no more weight than "the prophetess Noadiah," or "the rest of the prophets." Fear is the chief weapon of false religion, whatever it claims for itself. But one undivided aim was enough to keep Nehemiah clear of their influence.
Notice the order in the chapter. Nehemiah says "I will not go in" before he says he saw through it.
It is a remarkable thing. The moment Nehemiah refused the temptation, he saw the enemy's whole plan. He saw through every disguise and found the evil and hypocrisy at work to trap his feet. It is always so. We stay blind only while we leave the temptation unresisted. Once we refuse it, all concealment is gone, and Satan stands out in full view.
What exposed the lie was not clever detective work. Nehemiah held to what God had already said, and that was enough.
What schemes, what devices, trying if possible to drag the people, and to drag a servant of God among the people, out of the path of faith! So all these things were detected by simplicity, by holding fast to the word of the Lord.
- Hired, not sent. Two words in the verse stand opposed. God had not sent Shemaiah; Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. Gold bought the very men whose office was to speak the Lord's mind.
- Friendship as disguise. This attack came from inside the city. It wore the face of concern for Nehemiah's safety, and it claimed to speak for God.
- Fear as the lever. The advice was built to frighten him into fleeing or trespassing. Either way he would sin, and the shame would stick to him.
- Refuse, then you will see. Nehemiah saw clearly only after he said no. While you keep a temptation open, it keeps its disguise.
- The word decides. Nehemiah weighed the proposal, not the prophet's reputation. It clashed with God's own command, and that simple test exposed the whole plot.
Therefore was he hired, that I should be afraid, and do so, and sin, and that they might have wherewith to spread an evil report, that they might reproach me.
Nehemiah has just refused to hide inside the temple. Now he names the real plan behind the friendly warning. Money had bought a prophet, and fear was meant to push him into an act his enemies could use against him. The verse exposes how opposition changes shape — from open threat to a whispered word in God's name.
The hired prophet offered Nehemiah two options, and both would have damaged him:
He pressures Nehemiah to take one option or the other. He must either flee in fear, or else hide himself in the temple to escape his would-be assassins. Only priests could enter there. Now, if he had run away, people would have accused him of having a bad conscience. If he had hidden in the temple, they would have accused him of profaning it by disobeying God's direct commandment. Either way, Nehemiah would have started down a path of sin. It would have given him a bad reputation and put him to shame.
The verse runs in order: afraid, then the act, then sin, then the report. What the enemies wanted first was not a scandal but a frightened man.
They wanted to make him afraid by destroying his trust in God, and so to lead him into sin, "so they could give me a bad name in order to taunt me." This one faithful man was the target of all Satan's attacks and tricks. Satan spread the most subtle snares around his feet. If he could overcome this one man, his victory was assured.
The charge the enemies had thrown at Nehemiah turned out to describe themselves.
In the earlier scheme the enemy falsely charges Nehemiah with using prophets for an evil purpose. In this scheme the enemy does in fact use the prophets for his own evil ends. With gold he gains an unholy hold over the very men who should have been the first to help in the Lord's work. Their prophetic office was to pass on the Lord's mind.
A bribe does more than buy one bad message. It changes who the man belongs to:
They could not serve God and money. The moment they took money's bribe, it bound them hand and foot in its service. They also disqualified themselves as the Lord's messengers.
"Matter for an evil report" is the payoff the hirers were after. A leader who panicked over a danger that was never real would lose the people's confidence.
Their wickedness went this far. They wanted to tell the people that Nehemiah was afraid of a danger that was never real, and so was unfit to be a leader. But Nehemiah had "the shield of faith" which always quenches the fiery darts of the wicked one (Eph. 6:16).
Notice the order. Nehemiah says "I will not go in," and only then does he see who is behind it.
It is a remarkable thing. The moment Nehemiah refused the temptation, he saw the whole character of the enemy's plans. He saw through every disguise and found the evil and hypocrisy at work to trap his feet. It is always so. We stay blind only as long as we leave the temptation unresisted. The moment we refuse it, all concealment is gone, and Satan stands fully exposed.
Having seen it all, Nehemiah does not hit back. He takes the names to God instead.
He makes no open attack on the enemy, and he seems to take no action against his tools. Instead he spreads the matter before God. He names the enemies outside and the woman inside who is working behind the scenes. As one has said, "Many forms of evil cannot be attacked openly without damage to ourselves and to others, and many evil workers in the church of God must be left alone. To attack them would only serve the cause of the enemy. Our resource in such circumstances is to cry to God against them."
- Hired — money, not God, stood behind the message; once a man takes the enemy's gold he is no longer free to speak for God.
- Afraid — fear was the first lever. It aimed to destroy his trust in God, and sin would follow from there.
- Sin — either answer was a trap. Fleeing or hiding in the temple would each have given the enemies a fault to point to.
- Report — his character was the real target. A leader who panicked over a danger that was never real would look unfit to lead.
- Refusal — "I will not go in" kept him clear and opened his eyes. What he saw, he carried to God instead of into a fight.
My God, remember Tobijah and Sanballat according to these their works, and also the prophetess Noadiah, and the rest of the prophets who would have put me in fear.
A prophet named Shemaiah, paid by the enemy, had urged Nehemiah to hide inside the temple. Nehemiah refused, and verse 14 shows what he does next: no counter-attack, only a short prayer that leaves the whole affair with God.
Nehemiah could have proved his case in public. What he chose not to do teaches as much as what he did.
This man of God could have stirred the people up against Shemaiah. He could have accused him of being a false prophet. He could have proved in public that he was a traitor. He could have exposed the shameful conduct of Sanballat and Tobiah. But he did nothing of the kind! He commits their judgment to God... The names of the adversaries who were enemies of the people come first. Shemaiah's name does not appear here at all. What a lovely example of a heart that refuses personal resentment against a man who had wronged him so badly!
Paul met the same kind of harm, and answered it the same way.
He avoided all open conflict as useless. He commits the matter to God, like Paul, who says, "Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds." (2 Tim. 4:14.) It would be well for us to pay special attention to these examples. We cannot attack many forms of evil in the open without damage to ourselves and to others. And we must leave alone many evil-workers in the church of God. To attack them would only serve the cause of the enemy; but our resource in such circumstances is to cry to God against them.
These prophets came to Nehemiah as friends. Their office should have made them his best helpers, but money had changed their side.
What could be worse than someone in league with the enemy coming to a godly man, claiming to be a warm friend with a message from God? In the earlier trick the enemy falsely charged Nehemiah with using prophets for an evil purpose. In this trick the enemy does in fact use the prophets for his own evil ends. With gold he gains an unholy influence over the very men who should have been the first to help in the Lord's work. Their prophetic office made it their task to pass on the Lord's mind.
The danger was not only from outside the walls.
We must note verse 14. It records a distressing fact. Certain men who were prophets among the people, and even a prophetess, were in league with the adversaries and acting with them. Some enemies of God's work are of a more secret sort, and are even among the professed people of God. They are more dangerous to the work of God than open opponents.
Nehemiah names their aim: they wanted to make him afraid.
The "prophecy" of Shemaiah carried no more weight than that of "the prophetess Noadiah," or "the rest of the prophets." Fear is the chief weapon of false religion, whatever it claims to be. But a single eye was enough to keep Nehemiah clear of their influence. How sad to hear that Shemaiah was in touch with Tobiah and Sanballat! Here again he finds relief in prayer.
The verse names one woman among them.
Noadiah appears only here: a true prophetess who had lent her hand to this plot with the other prophets. This woman had no excuse, and neither did her companions. We must point out wrongdoing that hides under the cloak of the prophets!
Nehemiah prays like this more than once.
It is another of the brief prayers of Nehemiah shot up to God. There are seven of them in this book: chapters 2:4; 4:4-6; 5:19; 6:14; 13:14, 22, 29... He cast himself wholly upon God.
The same deceit still works today.
How terrible is the deceit that claims to be speaking for God while giving messages from Satan! Are there such prophets today? Sad to say, yes! They can speak in a very subtle way, and they do not see how deceitful they are. Satan deludes them into thinking they are wise.
- The weapon: fear is the chief weapon of false religion, and here it comes dressed as a prophecy from God.
- The hire: gold bought men whose office should have made them the first helpers of the work. They carried a message from Satan in God's name.
- The danger: secret enemies among God's professed people harm His work more than open enemies.
- The refusal: Nehemiah could have exposed the traitor in public. He did not, and even left Shemaiah's name out of the prayer.
- The resource: we must leave some evil-workers alone, because attacking them only serves the enemy. We cry to God instead, as Nehemiah does here in one of his seven short prayers.