Ennathinks

Sanballat is a typical villain character. When Nehemiah decided to rebuild the wall and arrived in Jerusalem with the king’s letters and cavalry, “When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard this, it displeased them greatly that someone had come to seek the welfare of the Israelites.” (Neh. 2:10)
His displeasure turned into anger, and then into “he was angry and greatly enraged, and he mocked the Jews.” (Neh. 4:1)
Displeasure → anger → greatly enraged. But nothing worked. The wall construction was going on.

So Sanballat tried another strategy: distraction.
“Okay Nehemiah, you win! We accept defeat. Come and let us meet together in one of the villages in the plain of Ono.” (Neh. 6:2)
A peace summit! Jerusalem to the plains of Ono was 42 kilometres—around 13 hours of travel. This invitation was not sent once but four times. (Neh. 6:4)
When Sanballat’s angry confrontations didn’t work, he chose the famous route of distraction. It looked very genuine.
As a full-time minister of God, I have learned that not every invitation I get to preach or teach is God’s will—some are simply distractions.

How Did Nehemiah Know It Was a Trap?

The text says of the Ono invitation, “But they intended to do me harm.” (Neh. 6:2)
How did he conclude that? How did he find it out?
I think it is God-given common sense. After all, good common sense comes from God, and it is available to all who are willing to listen and learn. Nehemiah had a listening heart, a discerning mind, and a clear calling—so he could sense the danger behind the politeness. Sometimes wisdom is both spiritual and practical; God gives us quiet warnings and clear eyes if we will pay attention.

Nehemiah’s Response

Nehemiah’s reply—four times—was simple and profound:
“I am doing a great work, and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it to come down to you?” (Neh. 6:3)
Two convictions:

• The work I am doing now is a GREAT WORK.
• Why should that work stop because of your invitation?

What a lesson!
So many times we think the work we are doing is insignificant or not producing results. So when we get an invitation from outside, we immediately shift, thinking that the “other work” will produce more fruit. But have a strong conviction that whatever work God has currently assigned to you is a GREAT WORK.

Satan’s Barrage of Distractions

Satan always discourages us so that we will give up. For Nehemiah, Ono was an invitation to distraction. For us it could be:

• Oh no, you are too young.
• Oh no, people will not accept you.
• Oh no, in this office your ideas will not work.
• Oh no, you are too old to do this.

Even Jesus faced these tones. His own brothers said:
“Leave this place and go to Judaea… show yourself to the world!”
But Jesus said, “My time isn’t here yet,” and He stayed behind in Galilee. (Jn. 7:3–9)

Reflect

What are the plains of Ono—the distractions—in your life?
For many in Gen Z (aged 8-23), the distraction is reels.
A study at MSU, Gujarat, reports that Gen Z watches 450 reels in three hours daily.
An IPSOS study commissioned by Meta revealed that 97% watch short-form videos every day.
For many, reels become the first “invitation” in the morning—and instead of having time with God, they accept the invitation to scroll.

Conclusion

When Sanballat couldn’t stop Nehemiah through anger, he tried to stop him through distraction. The devil still uses the same trick—if he cannot frighten you, he will try to divert you. The plain of Ono always looks polite, peaceful, and harmless, but its purpose is the same: to pull you away from the great work God has already placed in your hands.

So guard your calling. Guard your time. Guard your focus. Stand where Nehemiah stood and say:
“I am doing a great work, and I cannot come down.”
And every time distraction calls your name—whether through pressure, people, or even your phone—look at it and say:
No to Ono.

Watson Selvasingh