Nehemiah 13 - Remain on Your Guard

Introduction: My love of roller coasters began in middle school. I love them all. The scarier the better. But we all know that there is one very big problem when it comes to riding roller coasters…the line. I hate long lines. And back then we didn’t have cell phones to entertain us. So I was on a youth group trip at the church I grew up in. And we were at the 6 flags in Bowie, MD. And we were in line to ride this brand new roller coaster. I want to say it was the batman but can’t really remember. What happened next is what I do remember. As we were getting closer and closer to the ride, I began to notice that not all was right. We were moving away from the ride. Weird. But then horror struck as we realized that after close to an hour in line, we weren’t in line for a roller coaster. We were in line for the teacups. You see they put the new ride in a crowded section of other rides and the signs were misleading. And concidering I waiting an hour for the teacups, we were the only one mislead.

It was a painful experience that taught me a valuable lesson.

Transition to Scripture: That is how Nehemiah must have felt in after waiting many years to return to Jerusalem only to find things certainly not the way that he left them. He was probably so excited to see these people that he had developed such a love for. But as he gets there, things are not good.

Transition to Big Idea: The people made some big promises only to God about what the future of Israel would look like. It’s easy to come out of the gate ready to go, but what happens when you don’t keep it up. We naturally get lazy and convince ourselves that one little compromise won’t affect anything. And before we know it, we’re back to where we started.

Transition to Big Idea: After all that talk about not neglecting the house of God and them promising that they wouldn’t, of course they did. It’s easy to come out of the gate ready to go, but what happens when you don’t keep it up. We naturally get lazy and convince ourselves that one little compromise won’t affect anything. And before we know it, we’re back to where we started.

Looking at our own lives, we have to:

Big Idea: Inspect What you Expect

And then we need to have other people we allow to inspect our lives and hold us accountable. And yes, we need to inspect others and hold them accountable.

As we look at , we can easily realize where the people went wrong. Without Nehemiah’s strong leadership, the people began to neglect certain things. Nehemiah states that they neglected 3 things:

Neglected the Worship of God including:

The house of God.

The people who led them in worship.

They neglected the Word of God, specifically

Observance of the Sabbath

Allowing their children to be unequally yoked with unbelievers.

They neglected their own personal holiness

He calls out Eliashib the High Priest specifically

He points out to God that at least he (Nehemiah) tried.

Nehemiah 13:7–11 ESV

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. 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.

Nehemiah 7:1–11 ESV

1 Now when the wall had been built and I had set up the doors, and the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed, 2 I gave my brother Hanani and Hananiah the governor of the castle charge over Jerusalem, for he was a more faithful and God-fearing man than many. 3 And I said to them, “Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot. And while they are still standing guard, let them shut and bar the doors. Appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, some at their guard posts and some in front of their own homes.” 4 The city was wide and large, but the people within it were few, and no houses had been rebuilt. 5 Then my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles and the officials and the people to be enrolled by genealogy. And I found the book of the genealogy of those who came up at the first, and I found written in it: 6 These were the people of the province who came up out of the captivity of those exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried into exile. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his town. 7 They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel: 8 the sons of Parosh, 2,172. 9 The sons of Shephatiah, 372. 10 The sons of Arah, 652. 11 The sons of Pahath-moab, namely the sons of Jeshua and Joab, 2,818.

Nehemiah 13:7–14 ESV

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. 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.

nehemiah 13:7-

1. Don’t neglect your worship. (1-14)

Explanation: Naturally the first thing that Nehemiah wanted to see when he arrived in Jerusalem was the House of God. The most important reforms he instituted were the restoration of Temple worship. It doesn’t record that he inspected the wall at all....that just shows you what the book of Nehemiah is really about.

Now as a quick reminder from:

Nehemiah 10:39 ESV

39 For the people of Israel and the sons of Levi shall bring the contribution of grain, wine, and oil to the chambers, where the vessels of the sanctuary are, as well as the priests who minister, and the gatekeepers and the singers. We will not neglect the house of our God.”

nehemiah 10:

Fail.

They didn’t do it. They failed. And Tobiah? seriously? Of all people? If you’ll remember Tobiah was a thorn in Nehemiah’s side.

As life goes about, there are ups and downs. Now, based on what we read in this, things are going really well. People are returning to Jersualem to set up shop. It seems that even Tobiah has seen fit to relocate his base of operations to Jerusalem.

But when things are good, we so often forget the God that got us there. And that seems to be what happened. They neglected the House of God. They neglected the worship of God. They neglected God’s ministers so much that they had to leave the city just to survive. Through their actions, the people had decided that worship was not important.

Illustration: I read this past week that Netflix is changing their model of releasing entire seasons at once. They are actually going to release a new episode one week at a time. What is this 1999? But it got me thinking. There are shows that people build their schedule around. Tuesdays at 7pm or Fridays at 9 or Sundays at 6. Nothing is going to get in the way of you watching your show. And you won’t be late either because they won’t wait for you. (I know they have DVR now so you don’t have to start right on time and some of you intentionally state late so you can fast forward through commercials, but that doesn’t fit with the point I’m trying to make).

But if we give that kind of scheduling to a TV show that doesn’t matter in the long run, why not give that to our worship of God. You always make time for the things that are important to you.

Application: You have to make a choice of whether you think that worship is important. And you have to guard that time for you and your family and let nothing get in the way of it. But guarding your worship means that you contribute financially to the work of God in this place. It means that you find a place to serve…and you serve. It means that you commit to being present at events. It means that while not to neglect your immediate family, you recognize that

Nehemiah 13:15–22 ESV

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.

Nehemiah 13:15–16 ESV

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!

neh 15-22

2. Don’t neglect the Bible. (15-22)

Explanation: The Sabbath was a big deal to the people of Israel. God said no work from sundown on Friday night to sundown on Saturday night. The rest that they were to observe was holy to the Lord. They were to gather to worship as well. Now, Saturday was a major day of commerce in the rest of the world. But God’s people were to trust in God’s provision and trust that he would take care of it.

You might ask why? Well the simple answer is because the Bible tells me so. That might not be enough for you or the world. But it is the truth. And there are some things that they were to be simply obey regardless of understanding.

We can easily see the benefits of resting and taking at least 1 day out of the week and not working. Giving our family a rest. In those days they gave their animals a rest. I have a dog that things every day is the sabbath.

Now we do not observe the sabbath today like they did back then. We don’t observe Saturday. As Christians, we celebrate the Lord’s day as a remembrance of the resurrection of Jesus. But the principle is the same. If it’s in the Bible we ought to obey it. Know what the Bible tells you to do and obey it.

Illustration: I have a confession to make. Last year, I was setting up my new iPhone. And it’s my 4th iphone so I know how these things work. But during the process, it asked me if I read and agreed to their terms and conditions. I had a choice to make. Those terms and conditions are really long. Ain’t nobody got time for that. So I checked yes and moved on. I have no idea what I just agreed to. Kinda scary actually.

This is exactly how so many of us approach being a Christian. We know we should read the Bible. But it’s so long so we just say....”yeah, yeah whatever it says.” And we don’t read it. And we don’t believe it. And we don’t allow it to be the guide of our life.

Application: You have to make a choice as to whether you will read and believe the Bible. And we won’t ignore that at times there are times when the Bible doesn’t make sense to us or even the world says it’s full of outdated rules that don’t apply today because we are more woke. We have to believe that God is bigger than our questions. That God is bigger than our doubts. That His word is worth the time to study and read.

Nehemiah 13:23–31 ESV

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. 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.

Neh

Nehemiah 13:30–31 ESV

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.

3. Don’t neglect your pursuit of holiness. (30-31)

Explanation: At the end of the day, Nehemiah did what was expected of him. He was faithful to God even when others weren’t. He did his part. You can’t control others. You can only point them in the right direction. Pray for them. And trust God with the results.

The people of Jerusalem proved that they weren’t all that serious about God. But they certainly loved the security and prosperity that the restored wall brought.

So often, we want the things that God can give us but we don’t actually want God. We want our prayers answers, but when things get tough is our desire for God enough to help us stand firm?

Illustration: One of my favorite events is one coming up on September 25 called See You at the Pole. Across the nation (and Canada) students will gather around their school flag poles to pay for their school, students, teachers, faculty and world. The school that I went to had hundreds of kids around the flag pole. Which I loved. But I love the pictures of those flag poles with 1 student defying the world, facing ridicule and praying even for those who will throw insults.

May we have that kind of steadfast devotion to God.

Application: Our faith is personal but never private, but at the end of the day, you have to decide whether you will stand firm even when no one else is.

Throughout this book, Nehemiah wanted God. And he wanted to please God because of his devout love for him. And from this story, we see a man standing for God no matter what it costs. May we be like Nehemiah in our everyday lives today.

Conclusion: Now, these are the last words of the Old Testament. And for 400 years, this is what they had to look back…failure. Nehemiah’s leadership was a beacon of light and hope, but Nehemiah was only playing his part. Their history was that of failure to guard what God had called them to be and do. Would the future be any different? But throughout all of the Old Testament stood a promise that would change the world.

Now, these are the last words of the Old Testament. And for 400 years, this is what they had to look back…failure. Nehemiah’s leadership was a beacon of light and hope, but Nehemiah was only playing his part. Their history was that of failure to guard what God had called them to be and do. Would the future be any different? But throughout all of the Old Testament stood a promise that would change the world.

That one day, God would send another prophet like Moses. Another Priest like Melchizedek Another redeemer like Boaz. Another King Like David. Another suffering servant like Joseph and Isaiah. A new Adam who would get it right. One that would turn the hearts of people back to God.

And they didn’t have a whole lot of national pride. There would be 400 years (and longer) of more pain and more suffering. But they clung tight to the promises of God and believed that God was going to do something amazing. And they could do nothing but wait and guard what God had called them to be....His people. They were not perfect, but they held fast to the word of God and waited and longed for the Messiah. And no this waiting would not be as dissapointing as me waiting in line for the teacups.

Luke 2:1–7 ESV

1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

In accordance with Scripture and the promises of God, God sent his son to be born in a stable in the little town of Bethlehem. And that little baby grew up, lived a perfect life and when the fullness of time had come, He died on the sins to rescue those people who for so long guarded who God had called them to be. And what’s amazing is that those of who are not Jewish, are invited to join the family of God.

And now we wait for His return, guarding still who God has called us to be.

The church

Those called out of darkness.

Those sent to make disciple of all nations.

Those called to share the name of Jesus.

Those called to change the world through the power of the gospel.

While the Jewish people were called to steward the promises of the coming Messiah, the church is called to proclaim the the coming judgement of God and proclaim that there is salvation in no one other than Jesus.

And we will be tempted to compromise our worship. We will be criticized if we believe the Bible. And even our desire to be holy will be offensive to the world around us.

Yet still we press on guarding our hearts and our minds as we await the day of Jesus’ return.

So for our reflection today...

Reflection: Are you guarding what God has called you to be?