The Rumor Mill

Today's Reading: Nehemiah 6:1-14

Have you ever been the subject of rumor or gossip? Regardless of whether the story being spread around is true or not, the fact that people would talk about it behind your back is just plain hurtful. Not to mention that often when the story gets back to you, it doesn't even remotely resemble the truth. Remember the old game we used to play, "Telephone"?

Nehemiah comes up against some more serious opposition in chapter 6. When Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem, and the rest of the enemy gang heard that Nehemiah had rebuilt the wall, they requested a meeting with him. In fact they requested a meeting four times! And four times, Nehemiah said no.

Finally, Sanballat sends a sixth request in the form of an unsealed letter. In these days letters that were sent were usually sealed so that no one could open them along the way and discover the contents and so that the recipient would know the letter actually came from the sender. So isn't it just a little bit odd that Sanballat sent an unsealed letter to Nehemiah? Here's what the letter said, from verses 6-7,

"The word is out among the nations—and Geshem says it's true— that you and the Jews are planning to rebel. That's why you are rebuilding the wall. The word is that you want to be king and that you have appointed prophets to announce in Jerusalem, 'There's a king in Judah!' The king is going to be told all this—don't you think we should sit down and have a talk?"

Sanballat has taken one grain of truth - that the Israelites have rebuilt the wall - and turned it into several big lies (the Jews are planning to rebel, you want to be king, and you have anointed prophets in Jerusalem). He's even talked Geshem into corroborating his story. And he sent it in an unsealed letter so who knows how many people may have read it before Nehemiah?

And isn't that what we do sometimes? We hear some thing that has a small amount of truth in it and we share it with someone else. You know, "just so they can pray about it"..."or they can help us figure out how to handle the situation." And before you know it, that person has told someone in confidence, and that person has told someone in confidence, and on and on it goes.

What I love about Nehemiah in this chapter is his response. He simply tells them they have made up the story and that it is not true. And then he prays. Nehemiah knows that his work is more important than responding to every untruth spoken about him. So he asks God to not let Sanballat and Tobiah get away with their mischief and for his confidence to not be undermined (verse 14).

What about you? If you've been the subject of the rumor mill, how do you respond? Do you pray for God to work in the situation and then let Him handle it while you return to work?

If you have been the recipient of the latest stream from the rumor mill, do you pass it on down the line? Or do you stop it dead in its tracks and encourage others to do the same?

Let's encourage one another to follow Nehemiah's example before anyone else gets hurt...

- Holly Barrett