Nehemiah 6:1-4 – Don’t compromise

Under the able leadership of Nehemiah, the Jews diligently rebuilt the wall of Jerusalem despite encountering opposition. Nehemiah 6:1-4 tell us that the walls were now up, and all gaps were bridged. What remained to be done were the doors at the gates that must be put up. Since it was now more difficult to reach the Jews, Sanballat and Geshem resorted to getting rid of Nehemiah instead. So they invited Nehemiah to meet them at Chepihirim in the plain of Ono. What they were doing reek of suspicion. Without a doubt, they were seeking to remove him so that the Jews would be left without a capable leader.

Nehemiah was of course not so foolish to allow himself to be caught in an untenable position. Wisely, he declined their invitation and refused to engage them personally. He sent words to them saying “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?”  What to make of Nehemiah’s response? He was making known two things: firstly that he was signaling to the enemies where his primary focus was. The job he was doing was far more important to him than taking time away to meet with them. Secondly, he would not want to waste time by being away from the great job He was doing.  Four times the enemies sent the invitation to meet, and all four times he gave them the same answer. In so doing Nehemiah frustrated their plan.  

Sanballat and Geshem were seeking to lure Nehemiah away from the task and eliminate him. They knew that removing him would leave the Jews without a capable leader. But he was too smart to be outwitted by their deception. He stayed focused and refused to leave his task. Despite the repeated invitation, he stoutly refused to compromise. Why should he trade their national security to gain some needless approval?  

Compromise is nothing but trading your character for something lesser. People usually concede then they no longer have the will to fight. In a compromise, we may gain some acceptance, but we will always lose some personal standards. Psalm 15:4 said that an uncompromising person  is one who would swear to one’s own hurts, but will never change. This is the kind of man or woman God is looking for. What is worth living for must never be compromised.