Acquiring Discernment: Part I

In Nehemiah, Chapter 6, Nehemiah’s enemies shifted their strategy from ridiculing and threatening the Jewish people to personal attacks on Nehemiah. On four occasions, Sanballat tries unsuccessfully to lure Nehemiah into a trap.

On one occasion, Sanballat uses rumors and lies to try to snare Nehemiah, and next, he hires prophets to deceive Nehemiah. Most men would have succumbed to at least one of these traps, but not Nehemiah. The reason for his success was his discernment.

In Nehemiah 6:12, when Nehemiah realizes Shemaiah has been hired to deceive, he writes, “I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had prophesied against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.”

Shemaiah had told Nehemiah there were men coming to kill him and he should hide in the temple and bar the doors. Shemaiah had been stirring up trouble with false accusations against Nehemiah and the Jews of a revolt that could well have caused a militant retaliation.

However, Nehemiah was careful and untangled the lies and rumors Shemaiah was spreading, preventing a real conflict from occurring.

In this series, we will discuss three important elements for becoming people with discernment like Nehemiah.

Questions for Reflection

• What is discernment? Who would you call discerning? What is the opposite of discernment? In what do you need to practice more discernment?
• Have you ever had to combat false rumors? How did you handle them? How is discernment useful in tumultuous situations?
• What might you do to become more discerning?