Topic: Danger Ahead, A Rabbit Trial (Nehemiah 6:1-14)
A man who bought a new hunting dog was eager to see how he would perform. So he took the dog out to track a bear. No sooner had they gotten into the woods than the dog picked up the trail. Suddenly, he stopped, sniffed the ground and headed in a new direction. He had caught the scent of a deer that had crossed the bear’s path. A few moments later he halted again, this time smelling a rabbit that had crossed the path of the deer. And so on and on it went until finally the breathless hunter caught up with his dog, only to find him barking triumphantly down the hole of a field mouse.
Like that dog, it is easy for us to get sidetracked. We can go chasing off into so many different directions that we miss the important things in life. Please, don’t let that happen to you. In your pursuit of God, don’t be sidetracked by the “rabbit trails” that can lead you away from God.
Read Nehemiah 6:1-14.
Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem the Arab requested a meeting with Nehemiah in a city about 25 miles from Jerusalem. Nehemiah spotted a rabbit trial. They intended to do him harm. After all, why would they want him 25 miles away from Jerusalem—a whole day’s journey? Why would they want him in a place that borders hostile territory? Besides, Nehemiah would waste precious time getting there and back, which would delay completion of the wall. No. Nehemiah was not about to stop work on the wall or risk getting himself killed.
Nehemiah stayed at the task God had given him to do and refused to be sidetracked by concessions that took him away from his primary mission. Nehemiah refused to compromise with the enemy, and that’s what we need to do. When the enemy comes calling:
- Don’t be sidetracked by compromise (Nehemiah 6:2-3).
- Don’t be sidetracked by slander (Nehemiah 6:5-7).
The third area may be the hardest to recognize yet the deadliest. Don’t be sidetracked by spiritual bullies. Don’t get off on the rabbit trail of disobedience to God’s Word. Don’t be diverted by actions which seem right at the time, but go contrary to what the Bible says is right. Nehemiah refused to disobey God even to save his own life (Nehemiah 6:10-11). Nehemiah refused to go into the Temple because it was contrary to God’s Law. God had made it very clear: only priests were allowed in the Temple (Numbers 3:10; 18:7). You see, Nehemiah feared disobeying God more than he feared losing his life.
Nehemiah feared nothing but sin and desired nothing but God. No one was going to force him to disobey God. In fact, Nehemiah spotted the rabbit trail as soon as someone pointed in a different direction.
See you Sunday (This is not a rabbit trail)!
Dr. Scott Kallem