Sanballat and Gershom sent me a message: “Come, let’s meet together in the villages of the Ono Valley.” But they were planning to harm me.
So I sent messengers to them, saying “I am doing a great work and cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?”  Four times they sent me the same proposal and I gave them the same reply.
Nehemiah 6:2-4 HCSB

I love this Scripture passage. To understand the context, we must read all the verses in Nehemiah that precedes this one, but I will condense it for you. Nehemiah is in Babylonian exile after being captured and taken there by King Nebuchadnezzar. His heart is burdened when he learns of the destruction of the wall of Jerusalem. He is cupbearer to King Artaxerxes who allows him to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall. As Nehemiah and his fellow Jews begin working to rebuild the wall, they face opposition by Sanballat and Gershom. Sanballat and Gershom feel threatened by the fact that they are being allowed to rebuild the wall. In turn they threaten Nehemiah and his men.

In our Scripture passage, Sanballat and Gershom send a message trying to convince Nehemiah that they just want a friendly chat with him. Nehemiah however is in close relationship with the Lord. He has been given wisdom and discernment and knows full well that they intend to harm him.  He tells them he is doing a great work and cannot come down to them. He goes on to say why should this work cease while he comes down to them?

To apply this to our lives today, consider any time that you are doing something you consider to be really important. Think about how you set yourself up to do it. Maybe you have a quiet place in your office or your home where you can go and work and not be disturbed. Maybe you turn your phone off or put it in another room. When we are doing something important, we often put ourselves in that “Do not disturb” mode. I want you to take a minute to consider what types of things you may put yourself in the “Do not disturb” mode for. I am sure there are work projects that require your complete attention. I’m sure you have projects where you don’t want any distractions.

There were two problems with Sanballat and Gershom’s request. The first one being that Nehemiah knew they intended him harm. The second one is meeting with them would have delayed completion of the wall. In our lives today what do we consider so important that we block out the distractions?

Is your Bible study so important that you pick a quiet place? Is your prayer life so important that you pick a time and place where you can avoid distractions? Is Sunday School or your church service so important that you forego checking your phone or your watch? Are you willing to block out all distractions to spend time with the Lord? Do you consider spending time in praise and worship as a great work? Do you serve the Lord and dedicate that time to Him free of distractions? When others taunt you and try to discourage you from serving the Lord are you willing to stand up to them? Are you willing to refuse to stop the work you are doing for the Lord to come down to their level?

These are the things we need to consider. In our day to day lives we must choose whether we will serve the world or serve the Lord. If we intend to serve the Lord, we must do it wholeheartedly. We must choose not to come down to the level of those who intend to cause us harm. We must do all we can to avoid distractions.

Because they were under threat of attack Nehemiah and his men worked with their swords on their sides. As Christians, our sword is God’s Holy word. We need to keep it by our side. We need to familiarize ourselves with it and be ready to swing if necessary. We must remain alert. 1 Peter 5:8 tells us to be sober and alert because our enemy the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. If we aren’t dedicated and committed and focused on God’s work, that someone could be me and you.

We will never do anything that is more important than loving, praising and serving the Lord. Don’t let the work stop because of the enemy’s distractions. Refuse to come down to their level.

Have a great day!