Dealing with Rabble Rousers
Then Sanballat sent his servant to me as before, the fifth time, with an open letter in his hand. In it was written: It is reported among the nations, and Geshem says, that you and the Jews plan to rebel; therefore, according to these rumors, you are rebuilding the wall, that you may be their king. And you have also appointed prophets to proclaim concerning you at Jerusalem, saying, “There is a king in Judah!” Now these matters will be reported to the king. So come, therefore, and let us consult together. Then I sent to him, saying, “No such things as you say are being done, but you invent them in your own heart.” For they all were trying to make us afraid, saying, “Their hands will be weakened in the work, and it will not be done.” Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands. – Nehemiah 6:5-9
We have seen the way Nehemiah dealt with the different detractors that threatened his leadership and project. Today, we will also meditate on how he dealt with rabble rousers. The Oxford Dictionary defines a rabble-rouser as “a person who speaks with the intention of inflaming the emotions of a crowd of people, typically for political reasons.” Nehemiah contended with his own fair share of such persons.
Sanballat was no stranger to Nehemiah as he kept changing from one form of detractor to another in an attempt to frustrate and weaken Nehemiah’s hand from the work he was doing. Having failed at previous attempts, he changed his tactics to rumor and blackmail. He sent a letter to Nehemiah where he accused him of fostering an insurrection to blackmail him into succumbing to his overtures for a meeting. He accused Nehemiah of building the wall of Jerusalem in order to declare Judah a republic and himself as king over the land, thus rebelling against the imperial rule of King Artaxerxes.
If it was true, this was an offense punishable by death. So it was a serious allegation to make against anyone. Nehemiah knew this too. However, in dealing with this latest dart, he neither panic nor engage in a heated argument with his opposition to prove his innocence. All he did was to simply refute the allegation and continue his work. “No such things as you say are being done, but you invent them in your own heart.” He said. End of discussion.
A leader who desires to make a good progress must be smart in dealing with distraction in any guise. But in order to deal with them, she must first identify a distraction for what it is, as that is the first step in dealing with it. Also, a distraction does not necessarily have to come in a hostile form. It can come even from friendly sources, but that would not allay its devastating effect if not well handled.
Nehemiah was adept at recognizing distractions as they kept coming at him from different sources. He was also efficient in dealing with them; hence, the success he recorded in his tenure and on the projects he undertook. We all ought to learn from him.
You Will Succeed in Jesus Name!
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