Rumor Has It
Rumor Has It
Nehemiah 6: How to Keep Building When Opposition Changes Tactics
The Wall Is Nearly Finished
The wall is rebuilt with no gaps left, but the gates are not yet restored. That is exactly when the opposition changes its strategy.
Nehemiah 6:1
The Opposition's Playbook and Nehemiah's Answer
Distract
Nehemiah 6:1-4
The tacticAn invitation to meet in the plain of Ono that sounds harmless but is a trap.
Nehemiah's answer
"I am engaged in a good work, so I cannot come down."
Consistency protects the calling.
Discredit
Nehemiah 6:5-8
The tacticAn open letter with a public rumor: "You plan to be their king."
Nehemiah's answer
Clarify the lie once. Do not live in defense. Return to the work.
A rumor only has to make you feel you must respond.
Discourage
Nehemiah 6:9
The tacticFrighten the builders so their hands grow weak and the work stops.
Nehemiah's answer
"Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands."
The real target was never his reputation. It was his hands.
When the Accusation Becomes the Announcement
Scandalon (Greek): a trap or stumbling block, something placed in your path to make you fall.
What was meant as an accusation became a proclamation.
5 Ways to Keep Your Hands on the Wall
- 1Name your wall. "I am engaged in a good work; I cannot come down."
- 2Audit your week. Decline at least four non-essential invitations.
- 3Answer once. Clarify a rumor one time, then return to work.
- 4Pray daily. Seven days: "Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands."
- 5Let the work testify. Finished tasks speak louder than arguments.
"The enemy may change tactics, but God has not changed your calling."
DR. RICHARD PRICE | SCHRADER LANE CHURCH OF CHRISTBarry's Bureau | Inspired by Dr. Richard Price's sermon at Schrader Lane Church of Christ
Nehemiah: Building What Matters | "Rumor Has It" | September 20, 2026
When opposition changes tactics just as your work nears completion, Nehemiah 6 shows how to discern distractions, answer rumors once, and keep building. In this message, Dr. Richard Price reminds us that the real target is never our reputation but our hands, so the prayer we need is, "Strengthen my hands."
Have you ever walked into a room and sensed the conversation stop? Someone said something about you, something you never said and never did, and now it is traveling faster than the truth ever could. You want to correct it. You want to explain. You want to set the record straight before the sun goes down. But what if the rumor was never really about your reputation at all? What if it was aimed somewhere else entirely?
Keep Building When the Opposition Changes Tactics
Dr. Richard Price took the church to Nehemiah 6 for a message titled "Rumor Has It." The wall had been rebuilt with no gaps left in it (Nehemiah 6:1), though the gates had not yet been restored. That is exactly when the opposition changed strategy. First they tried to distract Nehemiah, then to discredit him, then to intimidate him. Through it all, one prayer stands at the center: "Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands" (Nehemiah 6:9, NKJV).
As Dr. Price put it, "The enemy may change tactics, but God has not changed your calling."
Discern the Invitation That Is Really a Distraction
Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem invited Nehemiah to meet them in the plain of Ono (Nehemiah 6:2). It sounded harmless, even reasonable. Nehemiah, however, realized they were plotting harm. "Not every invitation is an opportunity," Dr. Price observed. Some invitations are traps designed to pull you off the wall.
Notice Nehemiah's answer in Nehemiah 6:3: "I am engaged in a good work, so I cannot come down." He did not say, "I am too busy." He named his assignment, then asked a searching question: why should the work stop because someone else wants his attention? The same message arrived four times, and four times Nehemiah gave the same answer (Nehemiah 6:4). Dr. Price's principle is simple: consistency protects the calling.
That is a word for mothers, fathers, grandparents, caregivers, and students alike. Some of us are burned out because we say yes to every call, every email, and every sub-assignment. Sometimes love sounds like this: "I love you, but I cannot come down." Dr. Price recalled an old song from his childhood with that very refrain, and he urged college students in their first semester to make it their saying: you could go to the party, but you must protect what you have been called to.
Answer the Rumor Once, Then Get Back to Work
When distraction failed, the rumor began. Sanballat's servant arrived with an open letter, a public accusation that Nehemiah planned to rebel and to become king (Nehemiah 6:5-7). The strategy is clear: when the enemy cannot stop you privately, he will try to damage you publicly. "A rumor does not have to be true to become a distraction," Dr. Price said. "It only has to make you feel like you have to respond."
Dr. Price connected this to the Greek word scandalon, a trap or stumbling block placed in the path to make someone fall. Nehemiah was falsely accused of wanting to be king. Jesus actually is King, and the charge posted on His cross, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews" (John 19:19), became a declaration of His identity. What was meant as an accusation became a proclamation.
So how did Nehemiah respond in Nehemiah 6:8?
- He corrected the lie, saying there was no truth to any part of the story.
- He did not write another letter or organize a press conference.
- He let the work speak for itself.
There is a difference between clarifying a lie and living in defense of yourself.
Guard Your Hands, Because They Are the Real Target
Here is what the rumor mill missed: the real target was never Nehemiah's reputation. It was his hands (Nehemiah 6:9). When the enemy cannot destroy the assignment, Dr. Price explained, he tries to exhaust the person carrying it. Notice what Nehemiah did not pray. He did not ask God to make everyone like him, understand him, or expose his critics. He asked for strength.
The result? The wall was finished in fifty-two days (Nehemiah 6:15). Their enemies were frightened and humiliated, and they recognized that the work had been done with the help of God (Nehemiah 6:16). The finished wall answered every rumor. Jesus, too, was accused, misunderstood, and crucified, yet the accusation, the cross, and the grave did not have the final word. The resurrection did. And there is a rumor out on every believer: that you are heaven-bound, blood-washed, and redeemed. The question is what you will do to uphold what God has placed on your life.
"You don't have to win every argument, you don't have to answer every rumor, and sometimes you simply have to keep building."Dr. Richard Price | Rumor Has It
5 Ways to Keep Your Hands on the Wall
- Name your wall. Write one sentence: "I am engaged in a good work; I cannot come down."
- Audit your week. Decline at least four non-essential invitations, calls, or tasks.
- Answer once. Clarify a rumor or hostile message one time, then return to the assignment.
- Pray daily. For seven days, pray, "Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands."
- Let the work testify. Track your progress and let completed tasks speak louder than arguments.
Students, attend every class this week, even when others do not. Caregivers, set one boundary that protects your rest.
Listen, Watch, and Learn More
Hear the full message, "Rumor Has It" (35:56), preached by Dr. Richard Price on September 20, 2026: Watch the sermon on YouTube. Then test what you learned with the interactive quiz and study game, and catch up on last week's lesson, "Leadership That Doesn't Take Advantage," in the Nehemiah series at BarrysBureau.org.
Living This Out This Week
Where is the enemy trying to weaken your hands right now? Is it a distraction, a rumor, or plain exhaustion? Choose one thing you will stop answering this week and one thing you will keep building. Then pray what Nehemiah prayed. If you have not yet given your life to Christ, Dr. Price's invitation is the same: hear the gospel, and hear the resurrection. Share your thoughts in the comments, and pass this lesson along to someone who needs to keep building.
Join us for worship at Schrader Lane Church of Christ or visit BarrysBureau.org for more resources.
Rumor Has It
Nehemiah 6: Overcoming Opposition
"The enemy may change tactics, but God has not changed your calling."Dr. Richard Price
Test what you learned from this Sunday's sermon. You will answer 7 questions, see right away whether you were correct, and learn why. Ready to keep your hands on the wall?
Your Results
Rumor Has It: Sort the Wall
Nehemiah 6: Overcoming Opposition
- You will see 12 cards, one at a time. Each one is a moment or lesson from Nehemiah 6.
- Tap the category where the card belongs: The Distraction, The Rumor, The Real Target, or The Outcome.
- A correct answer on the first try earns a point. A wrong tap costs you nothing but a lesson, so try again.
- Sort all 12 cards to finish the wall!
Where does this belong?