Nehemiah was tried by his enemy trio—Sanballat, Tobiah, and their allies—through different methods to stop the great work he had started. They invited him to the plains of Ono (distraction), and they sent an open letter (defamation). But Nehemiah responded wisely and never gave up his work or gave in to their pressure.
When these methods failed, the trio tried another approach. We read it in Nehemiah 6:10–14.
Nehemiah went to the house of Shemaiah, a prophet. Shemaiah had confined himself, giving the impression that he had been in isolation receiving a word from God—a perfect display to convince Nehemiah that the counsel he was about to give was divine.
He then announced an urgent escape plan: there was a plot to kill Nehemiah that very night.
“Let us go into the temple, inside, and shut the doors.”
The advice seemed genuine and spiritual. It sounded caring, as if he truly wanted to safeguard Nehemiah. But if Nehemiah had obeyed this “God told” advice, two serious problems would have followed.
First, while the city was under threat, the leader would be hiding. News would spread quickly that Nehemiah had locked himself inside the temple to save his life. What kind of leader hides? His credibility would collapse.
Second, how could he enter the inner part of the temple? He was not a priest. That would “make me sin by acting in this way, and so they could give me a bad name, in order to taunt me” (Neh. 6:13). God’s law restricted that sacred space to priests alone.
It was a perfect trap—discredit his leadership among the people by portraying him as a coward, and at the same time provoke God’s anger by making him break God’s law. Then they could trumpet, “See, he is not a chosen leader.”
But Nehemiah sensed it immediately. He asked:
“Should a man like me run away?
And what man such as I could go into the temple and live?
I will not go in!” (v. 11).
As a leader he knew: if there is an attack, he must stand in the forefront, not hide in the sanctuary. And he also perceived that Shemaiah was a hired prophet—paid off by Tobiah and Sanballat.
Shemiah’s very name means “Hear, O God,” yet he threw away his calling to please the powerful and to profit from them. He stands as a warning for all of us. In a materialistic, consumeristic, power-pleasing society, let us not discard the divine gift and calling on our lives for profit or popularity.
Nehemiah escaped this trap mainly because of his knowledge of the Law—he knew he should not enter the inner temple—and because he understood leadership: a leader must lead from the front, not hide. This common sense and deep grasp of Scripture shielded him from the snare.
And, of course, the short arrow prayer in verse 14 strengthened him once more:
“Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God… and also the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who wanted to make me afraid.”
He lists prophets who should have stood with him to rebuild the wall but instead gathered with the enemy to halt the work. Racially they were Israelites, but intentionally and mentally they belonged to the enemy camp.
Nomenclature-wise, I may be a Christian—but am I helping to build God’s kingdom, or am I siding with the enemy camp that is destroying and discrediting God’s work?
Be on alert. When people give advice or prophecies with the tag “The Lord says…”, be careful. As we near the close of another year, many “prophetic” meetings and predictions will come.
Conclusion
Nehemiah teaches us that not every “word from God” is truly from God.
Test every voice by Scripture, by common sense, and by the character of Christ.
Any message that pulls you toward compromise, hiding, or sin is not God’s voice—even if it comes from a prophet’s house.
As many voices surround us, let us quietly ask:
Does this counsel make me step away from obedience, or does it help me stand firm and keep building?
Like Nehemiah, may we learn to say,
“I will not go in.”
And then lift our eyes and pray,
“Lord, strengthen my hands.”
Ennathinks 
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