Nehemiah 13: Prone to Wander

On that day

Now, which day are they talking about?

Normally, if you read things in context, you would assume that chapter 13 is just continuing on from where chapter 12 started

And that when it says “on that day”, it is talking about the same day in which the dedication of the wall occurred.

But what we actually find out as we read this chapter is that this “day” is sometime much later.

Here is a bit of a timeline for what takes place

So, as we know, Nehemiah had led great reforms among the people

He had led them in the rebuilding of the wall,

Spiritual revival

The dedication of the wall

All of this had happened under the leadership of Nehemiah

Now, what was Nehemiah’s position?

He was the governor.

We read back in chapter 5 that Nehemiah says

“I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes, the King, 12 years”.

And when that 12 years was up, apparently Nehemiah said, “Adios, folks. I’m heading back to Susa the capitol of Persia”

And he left and went back.

Now, why would he do that?

We aren’t sure exactly, although a clue may be found in chapter 2 of Nehemiah

You remember when Nehemiah heard the news about the state of things in Jerusalem, and was very sad, and the king called him and said, what is going on? And Nehemiah told him what was happening and what he wanted to do

And then the king and queen asked him, “How long will you be gone and when will you return”

It would make sense that this was part of the deal.

If Nehemiah had said to him, “O, King, if you would let me go back there for about 12 years, I think that I could do everything that I need to do.

And after that, I will return and serve you”

We don’t know for sure, but my guess is that is what happened

And so at the end of 12 years, after the dedication of the wall, Nehemiah had gone back to Susa, the capital of Persia

Meanwhile back in the land of Judah, in Jerusalem, things aren’t going so well

We don’t really know who was governor over the land at this time, but

It does seem that when the cat is away, the mice do play.

When Nehemiah, who is the spiritual and civil leader, a leader who loves and fears God, when he leaves, things start to disintegrate pretty quickly.

And so, Nehemiah once again takes leave from his position as cubearer to the king of Persia, and makes the 1000-mile journey back to Judah

In order to set right what had gone wrong

Now, I have to warn you all

Up to this point, Nehemiah has been a guy that you kind of have to like and admire

His organizational skills

His spiritual leadership skills, all of that

And you think, yeah, he’s quite a model of cool, calm, leadership

But when he comes back, this time in chapter 13, we see a somewhat different a kind of shocking side of Nehemiah

So, let’s get into chapter 13

and See some of these things that needed to be addressed

Ammonites and Moabites were worshiping with and mixing with the Jewish people

Verses 1-3 On that day they read from the Book of Moses in the hearing of the people. And in it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God, 2 for they did not meet the people of Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them—yet our God turned the curse into a blessing. 3 As soon as the people heard the law, they separated from Israel all those of foreign descent.

We know the story of Balaam pretty well, don’t we. I won’t take time to recount that story

But because they had refused to help the Israelites, God decreed in Deuteronomy 23 that the Ammonites and Moabites were not allowed to enter into the place of worship

God said, you shall not make peace with them or have anything to do with them because they sought to curse you instead of bless you while you were on the way into the Promised Land

And now, here in Nehemiah, they discover what God had said in Deuiteronomy and they respond to the Word of the LORD

Dealing with Tobiah

Oh no, not Tobiah again. I mean, what a pain in the neck this guy is!

Before the events of the first 3 verses took place, this happened:

Nehemiah 13:4–9 “4 Now before this, Eliashib the priest, who was appointed over the chambers of the house of our God, and who was related to Tobiah, 5 prepared for Tobiah a large chamber where they had previously put the grain offering, the frankincense, the vessels, and the tithes of grain, wine, and oil, which were given by commandment to the Levites, singers, and gatekeepers, and the contributions for the priests. 6 While this was taking place, I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I went to the king. And after some time I asked leave of the king 7 and came to Jerusalem, and I then discovered the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, preparing for him a chamber in the courts of the house of God. 8 And I was very angry, and I threw all the household furniture of Tobiah out of the chamber. 9 Then I gave orders, and they cleansed the chambers, and I brought back there the vessels of the house of God, with the grain offering and the frankincense.”

This kind of just makes me shake my head

Here you have Eliashib the priest (we read in verse 28 that he was actually the high priest)…a guy who you would think would have a little better judgement and discernment

But Eliashib for some inexplicable reason decides to invite Tobiah, who happens to be related to him, but who is one of the most forceful critics of this whole rebuilding Jerusalem thing

To live in the Temple of all places!

And in order to make room for him he takes all the items of worship out of one of the store rooms and says, “Here Tobiah. You can live here”

Nehemiah says, “I was very angry”. I’ll bet that was a bit of an understatement

I imagine that he is distressed beyond belief.

I mean, there is just so much wrong with this picture!

And he storms into Tobiah’s room and he grabs hold of the furniture and starts chucking it out in the streets

Get this stuff out of here! What are you thinking

And then he calls in the fumigators and has the place sprayed down (sort of)

He has it cleansed. The stench of sin and offense against God is so strong here

And he brings back all the items of worship that belong in there:

The vessels of the house of God

The grain offerings,

The frankinsense

This kind of reminds you of someone else, doesn’t it? Someone else who cleansed the Temple

Jesus also quite vigorously cleansed the Temple

His disciples remembered what it said in Psalms 69, “Zeal for your house will consume me”

Do you and I have that same zeal?

Remember, this is not just a zeal for the house of worship, this is a zeal for holiness

It’s not just a passion or zeal against the things that offend us, and offend God

It is a passion, a zeal for holiness

The third thing that Nehemiah has to address is Levites are being treated. Nehemiah 13:10–14 “10 I also found out that the portions of the Levites had not been given to them, so that the Levites and the singers, who did the work, had fled each to his field. 11 So I confronted the officials and said, “Why is the house of God forsaken?” And I gathered them together and set them in their stations. 12 Then all Judah brought the tithe of the grain, wine, and oil into the storehouses. 13 And I appointed as treasurers over the storehouses Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah of the Levites, and as their assistant Hanan the son of Zaccur, son of Mattaniah, for they were considered reliable, and their duty was to distribute to their brothers. 14 Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and do not wipe out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God and for his service.”

So, here’s another issue. The Levites who were supposed to work full time in the Temple were not being taken care of

And it says that because of this, each of the Levites had gone off to work in their fields to support themselves

Instead of being supported and being able to dedicate their full time and attention to taking care of the Temple and the worship of God

Remember, these are all things that the people had written down in a covenant, and had signed and sealed, not too much earlier

And here, already, they were letting these things slide

The keeping of the Sabbath: Nehemiah 13:15–22 “15 In those days I saw in Judah people treading winepresses on the Sabbath, and bringing in heaps of grain and loading them on donkeys, and also wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of loads, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And I warned them on the day when they sold food. 16 Tyrians also, who lived in the city, brought in fish and all kinds of goods and sold them on the Sabbath to the people of Judah, in Jerusalem itself! 17 Then I confronted the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this evil thing that you are doing, profaning the Sabbath day? 18 Did not your fathers act in this way, and did not our God bring all this disaster on us and on this city? Now you are bringing more wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath.” 19 As soon as it began to grow dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut and gave orders that they should not be opened until after the Sabbath. And I stationed some of my servants at the gates, that no load might be brought in on the Sabbath day. 20 Then the merchants and sellers of all kinds of wares lodged outside Jerusalem once or twice. 21 But I warned them and said to them, “Why do you lodge outside the wall? If you do so again, I will lay hands on you.” From that time on they did not come on the Sabbath. 22 Then I commanded the Levites that they should purify themselves and come and guard the gates, to keep the Sabbath day holy. Remember this also in my favor, O my God, and spare me according to the greatness of your steadfast love.

Man, Nehemiah is not one to be messed with. You get the sense that his patience for these shenanigans is just about at the end

Here there were all kinds of things going on on the sabbath day, a day that was supposed to be a sacred and holy day, a day on which no work was to be done, no buying or selling

And Nehemiah did not just politely ask to speak with the nobles privately

He confronted them.

Why in the world are you guys profaning the sabbath day

Meaning, why are you making the sabbath day into just a common day

Isn’t this what our forefathers did, and isn’t this why disaster was brought on this city? What in the world are you thinking?

And so some people said, Oh, ok. Well, we won’t buy and sell on the Sabbath, but we will park ourselves right outside the city gates, so as soon as the gates open the next day, we can rush inside and get started

And Nehemiah basically says, “Don’t mess with me. And don’t mess with God. If you keep that up, I’m going to beat you up”

Intermarriage: Nehemiah 13:23–31 “23 In those days also I saw the Jews who had married women of Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. 24 And half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod, and they could not speak the language of Judah, but only the language of each people. 25 And I confronted them and cursed them and beat some of them and pulled out their hair.

My goodness, how do you like Nehemiah now?

And I made them take an oath in the name of God, saying, “You shall not give your daughters to their sons, or take their daughters for your sons or for yourselves. 26 Did not Solomon king of Israel sin on account of such women? Among the many nations there was no king like him, and he was beloved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel. Nevertheless, foreign women made even him to sin. 27 Shall we then listen to you and do all this great evil and act treacherously against our God by marrying foreign women?” 28 And one of the sons of Jehoiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was the son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite. Therefore I chased him from me. 29 Remember them, O my God, because they have desecrated the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites. 30 Thus I cleansed them from everything foreign, and I established the duties of the priests and Levites, each in his work; 31 and I provided for the wood offering at appointed times, and for the firstfruits. Remember me, O my God, for good.

And thus the book of Nehemiah closes.

It is believed that these very well could be the last words of the Old Testament before the 450 years of silence in between the Old and New Testaments

What are you feeling as this book closes? What are you thinking

For me, I’m left with this feeling of sadness and feeling very introspective, like I need to do some soul searching

Because, while the book closes on a fairly good note—Nehemiah cleanses everything and gets things put back into order,

You have to wonder

You know, they had just gone through all of that not too long before, and now here they are doing it again

And now long will it be until everything just slides back away from God again

They stop supporting the Levites, and the Levites have to leave their work in the Temple to support themselves, and the worship of God in the Temple is neglected

The Sabbath day becomes just a day like any other day because it’s more handy that way

Temple space gets rented out for other things because it raises a little bit of much-needed revenue

They start marrying foreign women again because they are way cuter

Basically: EVERYTHING BECOMES A MATTER OF HUMAN REASONING AND CONVENIENCE

And we know from history that this is indeed what happened

And you and I know from experience that this is so quickly what happens to us

I think about it every time I sing that song “come thou fount”

The words of that song, “Prone to wander, LORD I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love”

There are some who would say, Hey, that song is unbiblical because God’s Spirit seals you to the day of salvation. You can’t wander away.

And I respect my brothers who believe this way

But I always come back to what I have experienced and what I feel in my heart

Because for me, it’s not always a matter of salvation that this song speaks to me about

It is a matter of faithful discipleship

And I know that after 43 years of following Jesus

How many times has it happened that I have made a new covenant with Jesus, and re-affirmed that I have given everything to Him

And then life goes on, and sometime down the road, I’m brought up short, and I realize, “What happened to that covenant that I made with Him”

What happened to being faithful in this area?

What happened to being completely holy and set apart in this area

Because the thing is

The thing that often happens, (again, in my life)

Is that I maybe don’t fall completely away. I’m not completely unfaithful

But I’m kind of like these guys who would camp outside the walls of Jerusalem so that they could be the first ones in

So, yeah, technically, they are keeping the sabbath

At least, they aren’t buying and selling on the sabbath

But they are just seeing how close they can get without going over the line

Yeah, they are following the letter of the law, but definitely not the spirit.

And Nehemiah told them, “Don’t even do that!”

Be holy even in your intentions.

It’s like, how much can I get away with?

Yeah, I read a verse this morning, and i breathed a quick prayer

But I didn’t spend any quality time really being quiet and expectant before HIm

It’s like how much can I look at on the internet and not “go over the line”

How much money can I keep for myself and still be considered obedient to God?

God is concerned with the holiness of His people

Yes, through Christ we have been declared holy and righteous based on what He has done for us

But God is also concerned VERY much with a holiness of life

A walk that is pure and set apart for Him

and that includes your thoughts and intentions

That’s why Jesus, in Matthew 5-7 talked so much about your heart.

You’ve been told not to kill. but I say unto you if you even are angry and falsely accuse your brother, you are the same as a murderer

You’ve been told not to commit adultery. but I say to you that even if you lust after a woman, you are the same as an adulterer

And when I read this chapter, It makes me think:

Have I fallen away from Him?

Are there areas in which I am just sort of living on the line? I’ve become lackadaisical and casual in my attitude?

And my thoughts and intentions need to be purified

And if these things are exposed to me and the holy spirit reveals these things, what is my response?

Do I have a zeal for the holiness of God’s temple?

You know, I don’t really reccomend pulling out beards and beating people in our zeal

But Jesus did say, “Does your hand offend you? Cut it off! Does your eye cause you to sin? Pluck it out!”

Do something about it!! Don’t just excuse it. Don’t just ignore it

Do something about it!