Leadership Principles From Nehemiah – 6

Leaders Resist Underhanded Politics (Nehemiah 6:5-9).

HAVING failed to intimidate Nehemiah into stopping the work, Sanballat and his followers tried smear tactics to shut the project down (Nehemiah 6:5–7). Frustrated opponents often resort to that approach when other methods have proven useless.

The Bible does not explain why Nehemiah so easily dismissed their accusations (Nehemiah 6:8) and apparently took no steps to prevent their letters from reaching the king. However, it seems plausible that he was relying on his years of trustworthy service as the king’s cupbearer. He might have known that he had the full trust of King Artaxerxes, who would quickly see through the deception of anyone who accused Nehemiah of sedition. He also knew the process by which letters such as those Sanballat had written would be read and evaluated.

In short, Nehemiah had a clear conscience and an impeccable reputation. Therefore, no amount of “mud” could cause him to lose heart. He knew that none of it would stick. Further, Nehemiah did not resort to slinging mud himself. He probably could have come up with plenty of counter-accusations against his adversaries. But rather than waste time on a verbal exchange that would have distracted him from the wall, he prayed and ignored the politics swirling outside the city.

Courtesy of Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.