“Come, let us meet together in some one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me mischief. And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down…” (Nehemiah 6:2-3).
The enemies who wanted Nehemiah to fail tried to lure him away from the work of the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem. They actually wanted to do him harm. Here’s the take away from these verses. First, the request actually sounded logical. Nehemiah was the governor, and surely he met with other people. Second, the request actually sounded friendly. Let’s have a meeting, a friendly get-together. Third, the request actually appeared to be convenient. The plain of Ono wasn’t far away, and it wouldn’t be hard to get there. Doesn’t that just sound like our spiritual enemy? Sometimes from a human perspective sin can seem to be logical, friendly and even convenient. Nehemiah was very wise when he refused to come. I hope that you and I will be as wise when confronting sin and sinful situations.
For today: When Nehemiah was invited to come to the plains of Ono, he wisely said, “Oh, no!”