Nemiah, chapter 6. This is where it gets interesting and has parallels in "this week's news"
By this time, there was no breach left in the wall. The bad guys ("Sanballat and Tobiah and Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies") were still around; and they used tactics that are still around today.
1) Distraction.
"Come and let us meet together at Hakkephirim in the plain of Ono."
The bad guys were sounding like they wanted to "make nice" and get together. Nehemiah knew that "sounding like" didn't mean that these guys actually had any intention of meeting with him in order to get along.
Four times they sent this invitation and four times Nehemiah answered, "I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?"
2) The fifth time, they sent an "open letter" (yes, we do see this tactic today).
In the same way Sanballat for the fifth time sent his servant to me with an open letter in his hand. In it was written, "It is reported among the nations, and Geshem also says it, that you and the Jews intend to rebel; that is why you are building the wall. And according to these reports you wish to become their king. And you have also set up prophets to proclaim concerning you in Jerusalem, 'There is a king in Judah.' And now the king will hear of these reports. So now come and let us take counsel together."
Normally, these letter would have been sealed so that the person that the letter were meant for would see them before the recipient. Nehemiah was very specific: Sanballat sent his servant with an open letter. This was meant for "everybody" to see.
3) The world was meant to see these false accusations.
People who make false accusations generally don't care about what the accused actually says, much less care about what is meant. When they are called on their sin of false accusation, many times these false accusers respond with more accusations and/or claim victim status of their own. Nehemiah was clear about what he thought about the false accusations. I love his response (I think I'll remember it):
"No such things as you say have been done, for you are inventing them out of your own mind."
Why did Sanballat use this tactic? Nehemiah tells us, "For they all wanted to frighten us, thinking, "Their hands will drop from the work, and it will not be done."
4) Intimidation is still attempted today.
5) We read in verse 10 that Sanballat also had "hired guns" - false prophets who spoke lies, saying that they were from God, in order to put fear into Nehemiah.
Despite false accusations, despite people writing "open letters", despite lies spoken behind his back, despite "hired guns" ganging up on him - Nehemiah persevered.
The wall was rebuilt in 52 days. Fifty-two!
Keep in mind that Nehemiah didn't have cranes, bulldozers and power tools. I don't know how long Nehemiah's wall was, but Israel is planning a security fence around Jerusalem that would be 32 miles.
That is a big wall for men without gasoline or electricity to build in 52 days.
Does this apply today?
Absolutely!
I can apply it in a couple of different ways.
1) A few of us are familiar with the term "watchblogger". Bloggers that keep an eye on blogs who disagree with them - and then visit that blog for the express purpose of disagreement and/or keep to their own blog and post negatively about the blogs they are watching.
Yes. They are out there.
2) More to the point today is a topic I posted about a few days ago: Mark Driscoll. This is not part of the "blog world", but it has certainly been written about on blogs.
People have doctrinal disagreements. Deal with it - if you have a belief, there is somebody who has a belief that is just as strong as yours - but different.
In Seattle, we have a woman pastor. Earlier on her blog she clearly states that she believes that complementarian theology is oppressive to women, rather than being a Biblical creation order.
She states that she has an agenda and that she will not stop - to make a place for women in leadership in the church.
Like Sanballat, Madrid-Swetman wrote an "open letter" (published it on her blog). And folks are taking it and running with it. There is going to be a demonstration outside of Driscoll's church in early December.
People are planning of folks showing up for a show of "strength in numbers". My guess is that Driscoll won't be intimidated.
Are there more parallels? Accusations? Yes, there are.
Misogyny is one accusation. As one who has been falsely accused of hatred toward another person, seeing a brother in Christ accused of hatred by on who claims to be a Christian is glaring to me.
Make no mistake.
Nehemiah's critics wanted him silenced.
Watchbloggers want posts that disagree with them silenced.
Those who organized the protest want Driscoll silenced.