Nehemiah 6:5-7

Nehemiah 6:5-7 Then sent Sanballat his servant unto me in like manner the fifth time with an open letter in his hand; Wherein was written, It is reported among the heathen, and Gashmu 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. Yesterday we read that Sanballat tried to lure Nehemiah out of the city so that he could do Nehemiah mischief. That didn’t work. So in our verses for today, the wicked Sanballat went one step worse. He sent an open letter to Nehemiah for everyone to read where he accused Nehemiah and the Jews of rebellion against King Artaxerxes. Sanballat threatened to tell Artaxerxes that Nehemiah was rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem in order to become the king of Judah. Then Sanballat repeated his request for Nehemiah to come out and discuss things. But once again, Nehemiah didn’t fall for Sanballat’s trick. Once again, Sanballat didn’t want to discuss anything. He wanted to get rid of Nehemiah and keep the Jews under his control. Sanballat didn’t want anyone to help the Jews. Sanballat wanted to be the big boss. But God had other plans. God wanted to re-establish Israel and bless His chosen people once again. God had a plan for them. And that plan would one day include the Messiah, Jesus Christ, Who would be the Savior of all mankind!