Sermon Tone Analysis

Forgetting and Returning

neh 13.7-8

For 12 years Nehemiah served as governor of Judah, from Artaxerxes’ 20th year to his 32nd year (5:14; cf.

13:6), that is, from 444 b.c. to 432 b.c.

For 12 years Nehemiah served as governor of Judah, from Artaxerxes’ 20th year to his 32nd year (5:14; cf.

13:6), that is, from 444 b.c. to 432 b.c.

Other than his rebuilding and dedicating the wall, getting the people to agree to keep the Law, and organizing the work of the priests and Levites in the temple, little is known about Nehemiah’s 12-year rule.

Undoubtedly that was a successful period of time in his life.

When the 12 years were up Nehemiah returned to Persia (perhaps to the city of Susa; cf.

1:1; or to the capital, Persepolis), evidently once again to serve King Artaxerxes (cf.

2:6).

Two year return ....

How long he remained in this position is not known.

Perhaps it was two years or so.

While he was gone some rather startling changes took place in Judah, changes involving serious violations of the Mosaic Law.

When Nehemiah once again returned to Judah (perhaps around 430 or later), he faced a task that in some respects must have been even more difficult than rebuilding the wall.

what did he find

Oh my

Tobias is in the temple living it up

The sacrifices are being abused

The temple priest are not being taken care of and have fled to the countryside.

How son they forget

it did not take long to return to the state they were once in ....

very very discouraging

AS long as Nehemiah was present they would act the part.

In his absence the true heart of man is revealed

That’s why true Christianity is not behavior modification but a hear change

It is dangerous and tempting to change behavior without also changing heart and mind.

Behavior modification has to do with “religion,” not with Christianity, and it leads to judgmentalism.

Confession and repentance will not happen in a judgmental community.

Gospel community calls people out of their bondage, out of their lies, and out of their mess, but gospel community members are willing to walk with their brothers and sisters through their exodus rather than simply being cheerleaders across the Jordan, hoping they make it to the promised land.

This means that when someone confesses sin, they are loved.

The Bible tells of this being the kind of love God has for us: “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” ().

Here is where our thinking can high-center, and we can get stuck from truly making disciples.

We run to the love of God because it creates a safe place for sinners to confess and repent, and God is quick to forgive those who come broken.

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” ().

God is also quick to discipline his children, that we may experience righteousness through its training:

The difference between behavior modification and sanctification is one of false and true change.

Apart from Holy Spirit-enabled repentance, we can only modify behavior and are unable to reform the heart/worship.

The Pharisees were an extreme form of behavior modifiers:

I .

The Sin Passed over

neh 13.1-3

On that day refers not to 12:44 but to the time after Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem to be governor again, as indicated in 13:4–7.

The portion of the Law (the Book of Moses) that was read is .

The Ammonites and Moabites had resisted Israel’s march to Canaan, and the Moabites had hired Balaam to curse Israel but God … turned that attempted curse into a blessing ().

Therefore Ammonites and Moabites were to have no part in Israel’s temple worship.

Being reminded of this the people in Nehemiah’s day eliminated those foreigners (as stated in , ).

Interestingly once again the reading of God’s Word had an effect on the people (cf.

8:1–6, 13–17; 9:3).

After hearing the Law read they obeyed again ....

it changes

II The Seduction by an Enemy

13:4, 5 In expelling the foreigners, they were finishing the job they started in 9:2.

Eliashib the priest had made a home for the wicked Tobiah in the forecourt of the house of God, using a storeroom which should have been full of tithes for the Levites and priests.[1]

13:4–5.

When Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem he was shocked to find that Eliashib, the high priest in Judah (cf.

3:1, 20; 13:28), had prepared a large room in the temple for Tobiah.

Eliashib and Tobiah were closely associated, which may mean family ties (cf.

Tobiah’s relationships by marriage with several Jews, 6:17–18).

[1] MacDonald, W. (1995).

Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments.

(A.

Farstad, Ed.) (p.

491).

Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

13:4–5.

When Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem he was shocked to find that Eliashib, the high priest in Judah (cf.

3:1, 20; 13:28), had prepared a large room in the temple for Tobiah.

Eliashib and Tobiah were closely associated, which may mean family ties (cf.

Tobiah’s relationships by marriage with several Jews, 6:17–18).

Tobiah had been an enemy of Nehemiah, opposing the wall-building (2:10–19; 4:3, 7; 6:1, 12, 17, 19); but now that Nehemiah was gone (13:6) Tobiah the Ammonite (cf.

comments on vv.

1–3) moved into the temple!

The room he occupied had been one of the temple storerooms (v.

4; see comments on 12:44), a side room for storing grain offerings (13:4–5).

There Tobiah could oppose God’s work while posing to assist it!

read this scripture

13:6–9.

Artaxerxes is called the king of Babylon because his rule over the Persian Empire included Babylon.

13:6–9.

Artaxerxes is called the king of Babylon because his rule over the Persian Empire included Babylon.

How did this happen ....

Nehemiah’s return to Artaxerxes (at either Persepolis, the capital, or Susa) was in 432.

Some time later (perhaps two years or more) Nehemiah asked to return to Jerusalem.

How long he stayed this second time is not stated.

Malachi may have ministered about that same time (see the chart “Chronology of the Postexilic Period,” near ).

Hearing what the high priest had done for Tobiah (Nehemiah called it an evil thing; cf. ), Nehemiah was deeply distressed.

Eliashib had been involved in restoring the walls (3:1), but now inconsistently he had allowed an opponent to reside inside the temple complex!

Understandably Nehemiah was so angry that he went into the temple room and tossed out all Tobiah’s household goods.

He then had the rooms (apparently Tobiah had also occupied some rooms adjacent to the large chamber) purified, either ceremonially or by fumigation or both, and restored the temple articles and offerings that belonged there.

III The Scantness of the Offering

neh 13.10-13

3. nehemiah’s encounter with the officials in judah (13:10–14)

13:10.

Nehemiah’s next task pertains to why Tobiah was able to occupy one of the temple storerooms.

They were empty because the people had failed in their commitment to bring their tithes and offerings to the Levites.

As a result the Levites and others who were to live off these offerings as they performed spiritual services for the people had to work in the fields caring for their livestock (cf.

).

This meant they had less time to work in the temple.

13:11–14.

Nehemiah reprimanded the Jewish officials for neglecting this aspect of the work of the temple (the house of God; cf.

vv. 4, 7, 9, 14).

mal

Malachi addressed this problem too ().

The officials had failed to make sure the people of Judah obeyed the Lord in these matters.

What made this problem even more distressing for Nehemiah, and difficult to believe, is that these leaders had previously signed a document promising before the Lord and the people that they would never again let this happen (; , , , ).

They had even said specifically, “We will not neglect the house of our God” (10:39b).

Besides rebuking the leaders for their neglect, Nehemiah took action to correct the problem (cf.