Nehemiah 6:12
And, lo, I perceived that God had not sent him; but that he pronounced this prophecy against me: for Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. And, lo, I perceived that God had not sent him; but that he pronounced this prophecy against me: for Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.
This verse belongs to the account of a proposed conference between Nehemiah and his adversaries. The false counsel was to meet in the house of God and shut the temple doors, urging Nehemiah to flee and hide in the temple to save his life. Nehemiah perceived that the warning pronounced as prophecy against him was false, that God had not sent the speaker, and that Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.
Nehemiah discerned the fraud and refused to flee to save his life, reasoning that a man in his position should not flee and enter the temple. The plot was meant to frighten him into sinful flight and hiding in the temple so his enemies could trap him and gain matter for an evil report to accuse, discredit, reproach and disgrace him. The plot was also meant to make the builders afraid and to weaken their hands from the work.
A message presented as prophecy and apparent religious counsel can be a deceitful scheme used as a tool of intimidation and deception. The incident illustrates that God's workers may face treachery from supposed friends as well as open enemies. Counselors who urge God's workers to compromise or unite with determined opponents are not sent by Heaven, even if they claim piety or once held a faithful position, and because their present course can unsettle faith they should be firmly shunned.
The falsehood and treachery of Sanballat and Tobiah contrast with Nehemiah's devotion and self-sacrifice, showing that people must choose between evil and holiness, with disobedience bringing suffering and obedience bringing blessing. A work similar to this hired intimidation and deception will be done again and will have to be met by Seventh-day Adventists.