For this reason he was hired, to frighten me so that I would act in sin, so that they would have a bad report so they could taunt me.
– Nehemiah 6:13
Basically, the picture here is Nehemiah sang that someone was hired, brought into his life, to interact with him, to frighten him and lead him to sin. Then the result of him sinning would be a bad report that others could spread about him that could affect all the work that he was doing on the wall.
Our sin never affects just us. Giving in to temptation can not only jeopardize our work and reputation, but even that of God.
Nehemiah 6:13 Urges Us to Reflect on the Temptation in Our Life
When I read that, I just think about my life. I think about any one of our lives. There are all kinds of temptations around us to sin that if we sin in these ways, that that could lead to yes a bad report about us. We would not be blameless before others, which is not good, not that we’re concerned ultimately about us because the picture is even greater than just what other people think about us. The whole picture of Nehemiah 6:13 is if Nehemiah falls into sin in this way, then that would jeopardize all the work that he is leading the people to do in rebuilding the walls.
There are temptations to sin that would affect not just us, it would affect the reputation of God in our lives. As we work in places surrounded by non Christians, temptations arise to sin in such a way that people would say, “Oh yeah. I just knew his God was not real. His faith was not real.” There are temptations all around us to sin. I think about my life that if I fall this way or that way, how that could just cause others to think negatively about God.
Nehemiah 6:13 Implores Us to Seek God to Resist Temptation
I think about ways that I’m tempted to sin that it would cause all kinds of affects. Not just on me but on my family, on my kids, on the work God has given me to do. Ministries entrusted to me, this is the case of all of our lives. Our sin, never just affects us, it affects people around us. Ultimately has affect on what people think about who God is, as we profess faith in him, so we pray God help us. God help us, help us to resist temptation. Help us to run from sin today. Help us to run from temptation today. That we would not sin in a way that brings disgrace to you in a way that brings harm to those around us. Obviously, in a way that brings harm to us.
God help us to run from sin today. Help us to resist temptation today. I pray for that in my own life, for those who are listening. God help us to be holy so that your holiness might be made known through our lives. Not just your holiness but your goodness. That your goodness might be experienced in our lives. Help us to resist sin just as you Nehemiah in Nehemiah 6:13. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
