Reformed... Again

Nehemiah 13 (NASB95)

1 On that day they read aloud from the book of Moses in the hearing of the people; and there was found written in it that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God,

2 because they did not meet the sons of Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them. However, our God turned the curse into a blessing.

3 So when they heard the law, they excluded all foreigners from Israel.

4 Now prior to this, Eliashib the priest, who was appointed over the chambers of the house of our God, being related to Tobiah,

5 had prepared a large room for him, where formerly they put the grain offerings, the frankincense, the utensils and the tithes of grain, wine and oil prescribed for the Levites, the singers and the gatekeepers, and the contributions for the priests.

6 But during all this time I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I had gone to the king. After some time, however, I asked leave from the king,

7 and I came to Jerusalem and learned about the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, by preparing a room for him in the courts of the house of God.

8 It was very displeasing to me, so I threw all of Tobiah’s household goods out of the room.

9 Then I gave an order and they cleansed the rooms; and I returned there the utensils of the house of God with the grain offerings and the frankincense.

10 I also discovered that the portions of the Levites had not been given them, so that the Levites and the singers who performed the service had gone away, each to his own field.

11 So I reprimanded the officials and said, “Why is the house of God forsaken?” Then I gathered them together and restored them to their posts.

12 All Judah then brought the tithe of the grain, wine and oil into the storehouses.

13 In charge of the storehouses I appointed Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah of the Levites, and in addition to them was Hanan the son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah; for they were considered reliable, and it was their task to distribute to their kinsmen.

14 Remember me for this, O my God, and do not blot out my loyal deeds which I have performed for the house of my God and its services.

15 In those days I saw in Judah some who were treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sacks of grain and loading them on donkeys, as well as wine, grapes, figs and all kinds of loads, and they brought them into Jerusalem on the sabbath day. So I admonished them on the day they sold food.

16 Also men of Tyre were living there who imported fish and all kinds of merchandise, and sold them to the sons of Judah on the sabbath, even in Jerusalem.

17 Then I reprimanded the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this evil thing you are doing, by profaning the sabbath day?

18 “Did not your fathers do the same, so that our God brought on us and on this city all this trouble? Yet you are adding to the wrath on Israel by profaning the sabbath.”

19 It came about that just as it grew dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut and that they should not open them until after the sabbath. Then I stationed some of my servants at the gates so that no load would enter on the sabbath day.

20 Once or twice the traders and merchants of every kind of merchandise spent the night outside Jerusalem.

21 Then I warned them and said to them, “Why do you spend the night in front of the wall? If you do so again, I will use force against you.” From that time on they did not come on the sabbath.

22 And I commanded the Levites that they should purify themselves and come as gatekeepers to sanctify the sabbath day. For this also remember me, O my God, and have compassion on me according to the greatness of Your lovingkindness.

23 In those days I also saw that the Jews had married women from Ashdod, Ammon and Moab.

24 As for their children, half spoke in the language of Ashdod, and none of them was able to speak the language of Judah, but the language of his own people.

25 So I contended with them and cursed them and struck some of them and pulled out their hair, and made them swear by God, “You shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor take of their daughters for your sons or for yourselves.

26 “Did not Solomon king of Israel sin regarding these things? Yet among the many nations there was no king like him, and he was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel; nevertheless the foreign women caused even him to sin.

27 “Do we then hear about you that you have committed all this great evil by acting unfaithfully against our God by marrying foreign women?”

28 Even one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was a son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite, so I drove him away from me.

29 Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites.

30 Thus I purified them from everything foreign and appointed duties for the priests and the Levites, each in his task,

31 and I arranged for the supply of wood at appointed times and for the first fruits. Remember me, O my God, for good.

INTRO: Are you familiar with the phrase, “When the cat’s away, the mice will play”?

If there is a substitute teacher at school, the chances are that there will be some extra mischief that day.

If the boss is out for the day, there might be a long lunch, an afternoon office chair race, and maybe a little less productivity.

If you have a barn and there is literally no cat around, the mice will not fear moving about, chewing wires, eating the feed, and just being gross little mice.

When strong, godly leadership is absent in a community, the natural wickedness of mankind rises up. And when this evil is tolerated, it quickly becomes normal and even celebrated.

It happened when Moses went to Mt. Sinai. It happened with the rise of Hitler and the Nazis in WWII. It has happened across several plains in America.

As we begin our final message in Nehemiah, it is helpful to note that there is a significant gap in time from chapter 12 to chapter 13. In fact, we know that Nehemiah was governor for 12 years before he retired from that role and returned to work for the Persian king. (6)

In his absence, evidently things went south in Jerusalem. We don’t have a specific timeline- Nehemiah just states “after some time...” (6b) he asked to return to Jerusalem… likely 5-10 years. No doubt he had caught wind of the mess they had made.

In this time, the prophet Malachi had been sent by God to call the Jews to repentance, yet to no avail. They had become hardened to the declaration of God’s Word. Indeed, Malachi called them out on all their abuses, but reformation requires a leader, not just a prophet.

Upon Nehemiah’s return, he finds that the people have failed in every area that they had covenanted in.

The temple was profaned

Worship was abandoned

The Sabbath was ignored

They intermarried with foreigners who worshiped false gods…

No doubt Nehemiah recalled their tears when they had heard God’s Word upon the completion of the wall, but now they were unmoved… His response would appear drastic to some, harsh to others. But Nehemiah’s concern was for God’s glory, and thus he immediately began to institute reforms that would address the culture of Jerusalem.

In our time together, we will look at Nehemiah’s specific aims in this reformation. May his aims become our aims as we evaluate our own culture. The sermon is titled, Reformed… Again.

I encourage you to use the sermon guide and follow along. We’ll notice the first aim of reformation is to:

Confront Evil (4-11)

(READ)

There is a certain amount of boldness required to condemn evil. Still, words only go so far.

Personally, I think Nehemiah knew very well that Eliashib the priest and others would be angered or offended by his actions. After all, he was calling them out.

Honestly, it makes you wonder why nobody had taken action like this before! Why had no one reacted when Malachi was around? I believe that it is because people would rather not enter into conflict, but folks you and I need to understand that evil demands confrontation. What business has darkness with light?

Truth carries with it confrontation... If our reflex action is always accommodation regardless of the centrality of the truth involved, there is something wrong.

Francis Schaeffer

There was indeed something wrong in Jerusalem… Nehemiah chose to confront this evil head on. And notice- he didn’t try to call in backup- he didn’t wait for the people to vote on what should be done here. No, Eliashib and Tobiah had profaned the temple so this confrontation was necessarily going to happen.

The text says that Nehemiah was displeased - this might be an understatement. I believe he was disgusted and angry, which is why he threw all of Tobiah’s belongings out in the street! He knew what was right.

How dare the priest to have so little respect for God that he would turn the temple into an air b&b for Tobiah!? But this was indicative of the bigger problems- worship had all but stopped in Jerusalem.

According to Malachi, the offerings that did take place were done without reverence or concern for God’s glory. In v. 10, we see that the tithes had stopped, so the temple servants had to return to working in the fields just so they could eat.

There was no more singing; the joy of the revival they experienced years earlier had long faded. Pragmatism and apathy had crept in.

Nehemiah took bold actions to confront the evil that had raised its head in Jerusalem. But listen, this confrontation was to facilitate reconciliation.

Just like the prophet Nathan who boldly confronted King David of his sin, Nehemiah’s actions opened the door for repentance and restoration. You see, this was not an action done in hatred and pride. He loved the people and wanted desperately for them to see the dangerous ground of their rebellion!

Nehemiah knew that it was necessary the he confront this evil in an attempt to reform Jerusalem, for if they remained disobedient and hardened, then they would invite God’s judgment upon them.

As we think about our church and community, we must also realize that to tolerate evil is to reject God’s lordship. Reformation means that we set up a culture or normal way of life that aligns with God’s desire for His people. That requires us to confront evil because evil simply does not align with God.

Is there gossip among God’s people? Confront it.

Are there sins of pride and arrogance? Confront them.

Perversion, drunkenness, idolatry, etc.? Confront them.

The first aim of reformation is to confront evil. The next aim of reformation is to:

Restore God’s Values (12-13, 15-22)

The first aim addressed the negative culture that had taken over in Jerusalem. The second aim seeks to replace the negative with positive culture.

(READ)

For Nehemiah, reformation meant that the things that God has commanded must be brought back into practice. It was necessary for him to put people in place to collect tithes as well as to enact laws and discipline regarding the Sabbath. These are structures upon which the people of Jerusalem would build their daily lives.

Without clarity, the people would wander about and eventually fall back into the same sinful patterns. They needed to have not only laws, but reminders of their duties under the laws. The prophet Malachi was probably very confused about why these people were being so stubborn. They needed a leader who would draw boundaries to help them see the way God says to live.

In the OT, they had some very clear-cut laws. You didn’t have to guess what God was asking of them. Still, several factors caused them to fumble - illiteracy, laziness, temptations, etc.

Nehemiah brought reformation as he appointed and empowered reliable men to carry out the collection and distribution of tithes. Further, he made sure there were clear laws for the merchants and traders about what was acceptable as well as clear consequences.

ILL: You know, one thing I’ve learned as a parent is that our kids need clear boundaries and clear and predictable consequences. They need to have the right values reinforced so that they can grasp the bigger picture as adults. That means we rejoice and celebrate them as they do the right things as well as correct them when they don’t.

Oh sure, they are still going to disobey from time-to-time, but they will see the consequence for what it is- an act of loving correction. The same is true in communities and churches. Remember, it’s all about God’s glory.

Now, all of these OT laws were for a purpose and we understand that they were fulfilled perfectly in Christ. But, that brings in other challenges for the NT church, which includes us. Many Christians and Christian churches try to apply grace without regard for identity.

What I mean is that some in the church today are attempting to embrace Christian freedom without embracing Christ.

The paradox of grace is that we are not held to the standard of the law because we have died to sin. Freedom comes from knowing we are in Christ- that He has freed us from the bondage of sin which includes its wages.

Because we are crucified with Christ and it is ‘no longer I who lives, but Christ in me’ we do not cling to and pursue the sinful desires of our flesh. This lifestyle requires a community that reinforces God’s values. That means that we celebrate what God celebrates. We are replacing the negative and sinful things with the things of God.

Philippians 4:8 NASB95

8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

Why? Because these things are valued by God.

Reformation aims first to confront evil and second to restore God’s values among His people. Finally, Nehemiah’s reform aims to:

Refocus Hope (1-3, 14, 23-31)

Practically, we see that foreigners were excluded from Israel and that the Jews were chastised for intermarrying with foreigners. The problem was not ethnicity, it was devotion. (READ 26-29)

In v. 28, we see that specifically Nehemiah calls out Eliashib and his son for breaking the commitment of priests to marry within their people. These laws were given to keep the nation focused on Yahweh alone. Was he harsh? Maybe. But was it necessary? I think so.

A classic example of this is King Ahab and Jezebel. Do you remember how her influence over Ahab led the nation into worship of Baal, the false God?

The point of Nehemiah’s reform was that there is one God and when Israelites took foreign wives, they would often adopt into their families the customs and worship of these idolators. The foreigners could add worship of Yahweh onto their many idols and not think anything of it, yet this is not how God commands us to worship.

You shall have no other Gods before Me!

The NT also warns against being unequally yoked in marriage and for the same reason. Sin is crouching at the door, waiting to devour you!

Reform meant that this temptation would need to be taken away and the hope of the one true God placed before the people. Baal cannot save. Buddha cannot save. Muhammad cannot save. Only Christ can save. He is our only hope.

Nehemiah clues us in on this hope, for on 2 occasions he prayed that God would remember him for good because of his reformative actions. For Nehemiah, he acted with confidence that God’s judgement upon him would be for the good.

Again, all leadership is about God’s glory. The nation of Israel in Jerusalem needed to return their hope to the God of creation. This meant refocusing and in some cases taking away the temptation to worship false gods.

Friends, that might need to happen in your life. Are there things in your life that have grabbed your eye and drawn you away from the Lord? Is there some idol- tv, sports, hobbies, etc. that is leading you astray? Are you secretly worshiping the idol of sex and pornography? Get rid of them and refocus you hope in the eternal Christ!

Teens, are there friends or boyfriends, girlfriends, crushes, or whatever pulling your eyes from the cross of Christ? Are you hoping in some sort of temporary fulfillment of your desires? Are you hoping in the next big thing?

Listen, you need to realize that you are on dangerous ground! You might not like it, but I’m pleading with you this morning - maybe you need to make some radical changes to place your hope in Jesus! You might think- ‘Pastor, that’s a bit much, don’t you think?’

I want to point you for a minute to the severity and seriousness of this in v. 25 (READ): Nehemiah was so concerned for God’s glory that he was willing even to come to blows with the people to wake them from their idolatrous stupor.

Yeah, it sounds harsh that he would be pulling hair and hitting some of these folks, but in Nehemiah’s view, it is better to offend them with his actions than allow them to continue in their ways and stand before God’s throne to receive His wrath.

Church, don’t allow the next generations to be condemned to hell because we have taken our eyes off of Jesus! Don’t settle for the glory of the world, but instead pursue Christ with everything you have! Be bold! Be radical in your devotion!

Listen here- There is a need for zeal in the body of Christ for God’s glory. We have sat too long on the sidelines; too long being passive. We must fix our hope on Jesus Christ.

Are we willing to confront that evil, restore God’s values, and refocus our hope on Christ?

Maybe you need to be re-formed in the image of Christ today. Would you respond to God’s Word this morning?

Discuss: Do you think Nehemiah’s response to the evil in Jerusalem was appropriate? Why or why not?

Discuss: What kind of structures exist in our community to encourage alignment of values?

Discuss: How can you intentionally keep your hope fixed on Christ?