A Catalytic Event

Recap

Chapters 11 and 12 ended on such a high note. I wish chapter 13 wasn’t written, but it was and it isn’t a happily-ever-after ending.

But it is important and has a powerful message for us all to play close attention to.

First we have to do a little work with the timing of chapter 13 in relation to chapter 12.

Nehemiah 13:1 ESV

1 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,

The phrase “on that day” likely means “during this time frame” or “following these events”, meaning the people continued to read the word, listen to it, and pursued purity for a time after the events of chapter 12.

But we learn that Nehemiah at some point leaves Jerusalem and goes back to King Artaxerxes.

We don’t know how long he goes for or the exact timing in relation to chapter 12, but he is gone for what seems like an extended amount of time.

In vs 6, Nehemiah returns to Jerusalem and he finds out things have not gone well.

Nehemiah leaving was a catalytic event, or an event that started a transformation or transition.

We have started watching Christmas movies after the girls go down.

We started with Christmas at the Kranks, which you must watch if you haven’t already seen it.

But then we watched Home Alone 1.

You remember when they wake up the morning they are supposed to go to the airport? Uncle Frank says to Peter “There is no way we are going to make it, our flight leaves in 45 minutes.”

If you have flown in the last 19 years you know why that statement is crazy today.

Since 9/11/2001 the idea of getting to the airport with any less that 1 hour before your flight is ridiculous.

But in 1990, when “Home Alone” was made, the TSA didn’t exist, you could keep your shoes and your belt on the whole time you were at the airport, and you could literally walk your family members right up to the gate without any problems.

But the tragic events of 9/11 changed that.

Events BIG and SMALL have these kind of effects on us and on our cultures as a whole.

I don’t want to overstate the effects Nehemiah leaving had on the Israelites, there were likely other factors in that led to the problems,

But, it seems his leaving was a catalyst that gave the opportunity for the people to wander away and not stay faithful to the commitment they had made.

Nehemiah leaving Jerusalem didn’t CAUSE the people to wander from the Lord, it revealed what really was already there.

I was struck by verse 6 as I read this passage.

It isn’t a prominent verse (not like later when he talks about cursing, beating, and pulling out people’s hair).

But it reminded me of something that was said early on in this whole pandemic we have been in for the past 8 months.

In reference to all the struggles and issues so many people were facing in and around us. And in reference spiritual battles we are facing in our own lives and the lives of our friends, family, and church family, it was said “Covid-19 hasn’t caused many of the issues we are seeing, it has only revealed the things that were already there.”

How We Wander

We stop LISTENING to the LORD.

There was so much excitement, so much energy in chapters 10-12, and even the beginning of 13:

Nehemiah 13:3 ESV

3 As soon as the people heard the law, they separated from Israel all those of foreign descent.

They were reading Word together, hearing and responding to it. There was an eagerness to follow God’s ways and submit to Him.

But then there was compromise represented in one of the key leaders letting his family member take over one of the storage chambers as his own apartment.

But this wasn’t any old guy, it was Tobiah the Ammonite, one of the biggest trouble makers for Nehemiah all the way back in the beginning of the rebuilding project.

Tobiah really is a representation of the way we let the voices of others begin to infiltrate our thoughts, our emotions, and ultimately our decisions and way of life.

Tobiah wasn’t just a loud voice outside the walls anymore, he had made his home inside the Temple complex.

He had influence, the kind of influence that was reserved for God alone.

I know this is true of so many of us during this season and maybe it was even true before Covid-19 became a regularly used term in our vocab.

Many of us have stopped listening to the Lord, or at best we His voice is muffled by the constant sensationalism of the cable news channels, the mind-numbing scrolling on social media feeds, or the perpetual binging of the useless TV.

None of those things are bad, but if we take a serious look at what we are feeding on, it wouldn’t be a surprise how much more we are struggling with anxiety, fear, depression, anger, frustration, sadness, confusion, and so many other emotions.

So many of us have slowed down or altogether stopped attending a church service on Sunday mornings, either online or in person.

It is easier to sleep in and catch it later, only that later doesn’t come.

So many of us have stopped carving out time daily to read the Word, opting instead for some form of escape or to make sure we don’t miss the latest numbers or the newest cultural crisis.

I read a blog post this week comparing reading the Word to showering.

She makes the connection that some times she just doesn’t want to shower, but after she is finished she feels so much better.

She makes this awesome statement: We are painfully mistaken and deluded if we don’t think days on days of scrolling and comparison, of hearing the thoughts and views of our culture, and tv shows filled with worldly ideals and agendas are affecting us. It does to us spiritually, what public restrooms and yard work and thrift stores and working out does if we refuse to shower. It makes us stinky. And in time, makes us comfortable in our stank.

I know this has been my story many times throughout this season.

And I have battled helplessness, frustration, apathy, anger, fear, and so many other emotions.

I have struggled to find motivation, become overwhelmingly discontent, have doubted my calling, and even doubted the Lord’s goodness.

And no amount of news, social media, netflix, or any other thing outside of the Living and Active Word of God is going to speak truth, hope, and love into my stanky thinking.

But Covid didn’t cause that in me or in you. It was already there, but now that it is revealed, what are you going to do about it?

Nehemiah 13:8–9 ESV

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.

It is time to kick that compromise to the curb and reestablish the voice of the Lord in our ears and in our heart.

We become APATHETIC to the MISSION of God.

This is related to the first, actually everything is related to the first one.

There is a reason the chamber Tobiah was shacked up in was empty:

Nehemiah 13:10 ESV

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.

The people had stopped supporting the Temple and the priesthood.

This is a big turn from the passionate commitment they had made back in 10:39

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.”

The mission hadn’t changed, the hearts of the people had wandered away from the mission.

This isn’t just about money, though it is also not NOT about money.

How we give of our money says something about how we understand our role in the mission of God.

In the same way, how we serve the church, connect in community, minister to our neighbors and coworkers, and family members speaks to how we understand our role in the mission of God.

The people of Israel had wandered away from the mission of God likely focusing instead on their own wants and needs.

This has been a hard season for most of us, and particularly in regards to finances for many of us.

But the mission of God hasn’t changed.

This isn’t about meeting budget, we are likely going to be well into the black at the end of 2020.

But our budget does represent what we as a faith family believe God has called US to do together.

Much of this struggle of staying connected to the mission has to do with how we understand our place in the church.

If you understand the church to be something that PRIMARILY serves YOUR needs, then your support, involvement, and participation is likely dependent on whether you feel like you are being SERVED.

But if you understand the church primarily as an identity you posses and a family you are a part of then your support, involvement, and participation isn’t affected by whether we are having children’s ministry serves or not, or whether doing a community group on zoom is as fulfilling as in person.

Your offering is likely not dependent on whether you are attending services or feeling connected.

It has been incredibly challenging for all of us to stay connected, to feel a part of the body as we would if we were able to do what we had been pre-covid.

But the mission has not changed and we are ALL in this together.

We need each and every person to give cheerfully and sacrificially for the good of the church and the glory of Jesus.

We need each and every person to commit to pray for our church and our community, and to be engaged in ministry in all the places God has you.

We need each and every person to stay connected in community, by attending online or in person on Sunday mornings, and to get connected to a group throughout the week.

This isn’t about strategy, it is about being a part of the mission of God in our world and we are ALL in this TOGETHER.

We become INATTENTIVE in our FOLLOWSHIP.

I don’t really like that word, it sounds kind of corny, but if I put spiritual discipline there some of you are going to get legalistic and start making lists, and others are going to tune me out as some overzealous religious dude that wants them to pray more everyday.

Well I do want you to pray more everyday, but because you desire to communicate with your father in heaven, not out of some obligation you have to meet.

Nehemiah found that the people also had stopped protecting the sabbath day.

They were treading the winepresses, bringing in grain and other loads into Jerusalem. They were letting outsiders bring stuff into the city.

So Nehemiah confronts the leaders, and reminds them of how God had judged their forefathers because of their lack of discipline.

The sabbath was important for the Jewish people because observing it as God had called them emphasized God’s ownership of their time, and ultimately all of their lives.

It also communicated their neediness, since if God saw fit to rest on the 7th day, why would we as humans see ourselves as in less need that God (though He didn’t NEED to rest).

It is submission that ultimately benefited them, and us.

Their inattentiveness toward the sabbath revealed that they didn’t feel like they needed God or His ways.

They didn’t see the value in following God, likely seeing His ways as too restrictive and burdensome.

It also translated into their family life.

Nehemiah 13:23–24 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.

They had become inattentive to discipling their own children.

Their compromise in marrying women who were outside of the Jewish faith led them to neglect teaching their children the language that would have been necessary for them to hear, read, and know the Word of God.

It might seem weird that Nehemiah gets bent out of shape over language, but he understood how deeply important it was that the children in Jerusalem know the Lord and how are they to know Him if they don’t even know the language.

The inattentiveness to their children reveals the hearts of the Jewish people.

Their lack of followship was not just on the sabbath, it was everyday.

As they valued their own agendas above walking closely with the Lord.

It likely wasn’t something that happened overnight, but it was the slow, progression of compromise made one decision at a time.

This ought to be a challenge to all of us

What we give attention to will determine what we become.

If we give attention to work and entertainment alone then we will become selfish workaholics that long for the weekend and live for retirement.

If we give our attention to making sure our kids are successful athletes and active in everything that is offered then we will be busy doing a lot of fun stuff and might get them a scholarship to college, but it won’t get them into heaven.

Here the thing. When life get hard and things seem to be out of whack in life we often stop doing the things that are actually the most important things.

We can’t physically gather like we were able to before, and yes digital gatherings are not as good, but when our hearts are eager for community why would would not lean into that opportunity.

Our hearts are empty and we feel distant from God, so we don’t desire to spend time with Him, so we don’t. But isn’t the thing we need the most to spend time with the Father?!?

We can visit our friends, but we can write a letter… We can’t serve in the church, but we can bake cookies and drop them on someone’s porch.

Just because life is out of whack doesn’t mean, IT CAN’T MEAN, that we give up the very things that bring us LIFE.

I go back to what my buddy said several weeks ago.

We must continue to do the things that God has deemed good even if they aren’t what they once were, or don’t seem as fruitful as before.

That is what it means to be a follower not just a fan of Jesus.

Who knows what the weeks and months will bring.

This week for many is going to be vastly different with T-giving.

But God has not changed, His grace is still sufficient, and His love is abundant.

The Church is still His beloved bride and we are still family.

And you are still called to follow Jesus with your whole self, and that is the best life you can live.

Covid will not change us because God is God and He will win.