In Nehemiah 6:10-13 we read of the plot by Shemaiah, working with Tobiah and Sanballat, to discredit Nehemiah. They tried to scare him into fleeing into the temple for his safety. This apparently was a tradition in Israel (see 1 Kings 2:29 for another example of this). However, Nehemiah caught on, explaining, "he had been hired to intimidate me so that I would commit a sin by doing this, and then they would give me a bad name to discredit me."
What sin would Nehemiah have been committing? First, only priests were to enter the sanctuary of the temple. In addition, fleeing would be neglecting his duty to protect others as part of his position as governor.
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