Back to Square One Nehemiah 13:1-31

INTRODUCTION And they all lived happily ever after. It would be nice if that was how the last verse of Nehemiah 13 read. But instead we find an ending to this book that is all together different. It’s unlike most Hollywood movies. It doesn’t resemble most paperback novels. It’s anticlimactic. It has nothing of the predictable storyline that runs throughout most Lifetime movies. Having experienced a revival of great proportion, the people of take ten steps backwards and revert to their old ways. Whereas they has experienced a spiritual renewal, the book ends with the people of God once again in spiritual decay. What we’re going to see in this chapter is that all of the promises and all of the commitments that were made in chapter 10 have now been broken. They are, in a very real sense, back to square one.

But how does something like this happen? How did the people of God move from renewal and revival to spiritual decay? And that’s an important question because the experience of the Israelites is not foreign to us. In fact, you don’t have to be a Christian very long before you become familiar with the ups and downs. The Lord may bring a season of renewal in your life. You’ve committed to live according to his Word. You’ve begun to see old habits put to death. But before you know it, the very things you said you would never do again…well, you’re doing them again. The reality is that even when we experience seasons of great revival, either personally or corporately, ew haven’t made it home yet. And there is an ever present need for us to persevere until the coming of our Lord . J.I. Packer rightly puts it this way, “Where God has sent reformation, Satan will work, behind the scenes if not overtly, for deformation of all that was made new.”

So as we read chapter 13, I want us to not view it as a disappointing end to the story. Instead, let’s look at it as a sobering warning about the nature of sin. A reminder that we are a people in constant need of revival. A reminder that we are prone to drift. And yet, a people whom God has been very gracious too.

READ NEHEMIAH 13:1-31

TRANS: The key to understanding this last chapter is Nehemiah’s absence. He had been the governor of Jerusalem for about 12 years. And it was during his leadership that the people of God experienced great revival and reform. Not only was the city rebuilt, but worship was restored as the centerpiece of Jerusalem. The Word of God took it’s rightful place once again among God’s people. But after 12 years, Nehemiah left. You remember he had been cupbearer to the King of Persia. And so he returns, probably not by his own choice. But then he requested that the King let him go back to Jerusalem. Perhaps he caught wind of some of their problems. And so he returns only to discover that things are not the way he left them. And it’s from this we learn two realities that will help us so that we find ourselves back at square one less and less. First….

1. Spiritual Decay Begins with Compromise The reason why I say compromise is because the people of Israel are now dealing with the same problems they dealt with before. It’s not as if these are new sins, or new areas obedience and disobedience, these are re-occuring problems. And for us, that’s normally the case. It’s not as if we are unsure about what God’s says regarding a particular issue, but rather we begin to compromise in certain areas. And it’s that compromise, that sets us down a path of unfaithfulness.

Now, you’ll notice that the first three verses begin with the phrase, “On that day…” What you need to know is that these verses really belong with the end of chapter 12, and are not occurring at the same time as the rest of chapter 13. These first three verses happened during the period of renewal. And it’s an illustration of the kind of attitude they began to stray from. Here’s what happened: they found what was written, particularly in Deuteronomy 23:3-5, and they do what is says. Is that not a simple approach? Wouldn’t life in a fallen world work much better if everyone did this? They came across what Scripture says and decided to do it.

In the case, Moses had excluded the Moabites and the Ammonites from the religious assembly of Israel because of their historical opposition to Israel, as well as their blatant idolatry. We’ve come to this issue before when we’ve read about the prohibitions of interracial marriage and it’s worth repeating. The is by no means racist. The other nations were welcome to believe in Israel’s God, like Ruth the Moabite, and say, “Your people are my people, and your God is my God,” but for those who refused, they were to be removed so as to protect the people from falling into idolatry.

But then we come to the decay several years later. And it’s all because they have begun to compromise. What they know to be true from the Scriptures, they disregard. Verse 4 begins with, “Now before this…” And that is a reference to these events as having happened with Nehemiah was away. He says in verse 6 that, “While this was taking place, I was not in Jerusalem.” We don’t know how long he was gone per se, but it was long enough for things to get out of hand.

In many ways, chapter 13 should be read alongside chapter 10. Because it is in chapter 10 that we read of the specifics areas in which the people promised to be obedient. After all, they had said in chapter 10 that they would do all the Lord commanded. And with that they had committed to only marrying believers, honoring the Sabbath, and supporting the temple. The very things they compromise on in chapter 13. Chapter 10 ends with “We will not neglect the house of our God.” Chapter 13, verse 11 read, “Why is the house of God forsaken?”

And it wasn’t as if they didn’t know any better. If you remember they had begun reading the Scriptures - at times for hours on end. And it’s helpful to know that Malachi was a contemporary of and Nehemiah. He likely preached to the people during the absence of Nehemiah. And if you know anything of the content of Malachi, you know he rebuked the people for their lack of genuine worship, for marrying those outside the faith, and for robbing God by failing to maintain the tithe.

To put it another way, the people were not sinning in ignorance. Their sin was a compromise of what they knew to be true. This illustrates a danger that is as true now as it was then. Conformity to the world is a constant temptation. Just like in the , you and I live with the constant temptation to be like everyone else. To do what everyone else does. To buy into whatever cultural idea and pattern is laid before us. And as Christians, were called to not be like everyone else.

And so often, spiritual decay starts as small steps. If you can visualize a person’s descent into sin, often times its more like taking a step or two down a stair case than it is plunging head first into a pit. It might begin by saying, “You know, it’s not that big of deal if I read and study the Word less. Sure, I’ve gotten out of the habit of doing it regularly. But, hey lets not be legalistic.” And next thing you know, days turn into weeks, and weeks turn into months. And the word of

God has lost it’s place. You’re no longer being nourished by it. You’re no longer being instructed by.

Our perhaps, that first step of compromise is not in terms of discipline, but a habit. You’ve said you’re not going to drink anymore because of the havoc it was creating in your life. Because it wasn’t a drink or two, but drunkenness. But after a long period of sobriety you think, “I can handle being around the bar. I can handle one drink. It won’t be a problem if I have only two. But the next thing you know, you’ve traveled right down that familiar path in which drinking is a problem again. But this is how sin deceives us. Small steps of disobedience slip past the consciousness.

If you think of the history of the Israelites and their constant problem with idolatry, it wasn’t as if they woke up one morning and said, “Hey, let’s commit idolatry. That sounds like a good idea. We’ve been very faithful, let’s just completely break our oath to God. Sounds like a plan?!” No! It started with an innocent treaty with what they called a “very distant nation.” Of course in Joshua 9 we see that it was neighboring Gibeon. That was one step. Another small step came in Judges 1:27 when Manasseh failed to drive out the Canaanites as God had commanded. And the next thing you know, in Judges 2, the Israelites were serving Baal - a pagan god.

If you’re wondering how all this applies to you, let me be clear. We must be vigilant about our sin. And we need to be serious about doing that which we know honors the Lord. I’ve been a pastor long enough to see people who make small, innocuous steps in the wrong direction, only to find themselves back at square one. They compromise in relationships, their finances, in their devotion to corporate worship….and before you know it they find themselves in a place that can only be labeled rebellion.

Trans: But hopefully, someone loves them enough to correct them. Hopefully when we wander from the path of faithfulness, someone loves us enough to confront us. We know the Lord loves us enough to discipline us. And Nehemiah, while at first read seems like an angry old man, cares enough about the people of God to do something. Spiritual decay begins with compromise, but…

2. Spiritual Renewal Begins with Correction I think we would do well to view everything that Nehemiah does as godly correction. And so here’s how he responded to the spiritual decay he found upon coming back to Jerusalem. First, he cleanses the temple (4-9). In verses 4 and 5 we meet once again. If you remember from our study he isn’t an Israelite, but rather he’s an Ammonite. And he’s not to fond of God’s people. He hates them. But in chapter 6 he married a an Israelite and so did his son. Which again, we see encounter the problem of those marrying outside of the faith.

But it seems that he’s become buddy buddy with Eliashib who is the priest over the chambers of the house of God. And it’s that relationship that leads Eliashib to compromise in a big way. Look what happens in verse 5. [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.

Eliashib gives Tobiah a motel accommodation in the temple! I mean, he could have paid for a room at the Red Roof Inn, but for some reason he thought it would be better to desecrate the temple by letting Tobiah live there. Tobiah tried to kill Nehemiah if you remember. But Eliashib ignores those facts. “Well” he thinks, “I guess it wouldn’t be a big deal for him to live in the

temple. After all, I’m related to him and don’t want to make the family mad.” We can only speculate what Eliashib was thinking - but either he blatantly disregarded the Word of God. And maybe he was afraid of offending someone by saying no, but the reality is that you and I will be faced with choices by which we will either offended people or God. And here he offends God and he hinders others from worship because Tobiah’s new suite can’t be used for its intended purpose.

Now in verses 6 and 7 Nehemiah mentions this happened when he was away. He comes back from the king and notice what he calls what just happened between Eliashib and Tobiah in verse 7: evil. Evil. He doesn’t label it as a momentary lapse in judgment or a well intentioned mistake. He calls it was it is. And sometimes the best thing that can happen to us is when another brother or sister labels our sin. There are things that are right and wrong. There are things that are good and evil.

But he doesn’t just label the sin, Nehemiah does something. [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.

Nehemiah cleans house. Can you imagine the scene for a moment. Coffee tables flying, clothes being thrown out of the temple. Posters being torn off the wall. I just no I wouldn’t want to be in the room when all of it was happening. But all of it sounds vaguely familiar if you’ve read the gospels. There was a time when Jesus cleansed the temple. He saw how the temple was being defiled - how it turned into a marketplace - and he flips the tables over and drives everyone out. He said, “My house will be called a house of prayer.”

Now that picture, both of Nehemiah and Jesus, doesn’t fit well with the current worldview. It seems not so nice and insensitive. It seems intolerant. But if God is utterly holy, why would he be obligated to tolerate sin and evil. And Nehemiah, because he has a burning passion for the holiness of God, he can’t stand it either. After all, God hates sin. And the anger shown by Nehemiah is that of a righteous anger because it’s directed towards unrighteousness.

In the New Testament, we find that this kind of response is akin to what is called church discipline. And church discipline is not always something practiced or practiced well. Because if there is sin that is unrepentant, destructive, and divisive - but it’s not being dealt with - how much do we have to not care for someone to ignore it. How much do we not care about the glory of God, if we ignore it. You see, a close reading of Matthew 18 instructs us on how to discipline in the church. But the goal is not to shame someone or even prove someone wrong. The goal is to bring a sinning brother or sister back on the path of faithfulness. The goal is to protect the purity, unity, and witness of God’s church.

Not only does Nehemiah cleanse the temple, but he renews the tithes as well. In verse 10, we discover that the people had stopped making provision for the clergy. The tithes had stopped and so those who worked in the temple had to leave Jerusalem. And when they left, the worship of God suffered. Again, we saw in chapters 10 and 12 that God intoned for these tithes to be in place for the purpose of worship. Without the tithe, you didn’t have the teaching or those leading the music. It simply lead to spiritual decline among the people.

I think there’s two implications here. One, stewarding our money is a big deal. I’m only bringing it up because its in the text. When we fail to trust God with our wallets, and support the work of ministry - that’s an issue of the heart. Secondly, corporate worship matters. For believers,

corporate worship is not an option. Regularly gathering with the people of God is important, and despite the fact we think it has no bearing on our spiritual lives, we’re mistaken.

And so Nehemiah responds by doing a few things. In verse 11 he confronts them. “Why has the house of God been forsaken?” He says. I mean, they signed resolutions. They made a commitment. You know, one of the reasons why I think church membership is important if for the purpose of church discipline. So that when someone wanders from the faith we can say, “Hey, you remember this covenant you signed. You remember your commitment?”

Then in verses 11 through 13 Nehemiah sets things in order, he reinstitute the tithe, and he appoints some faithful men to oversee the whole matter. So not only does he rebuke, but he cares enough to help the people obey. And we should see it as the Lord’s grace when he sends people are way that will help us obey.

And then he prays in verse 14: [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. At first I couldn’t understand why this prayer, which is one of four in this chapter, came where it did. But the more I thought about it, the more it became clear that Nehemiah has a passion for the glory of God that leads him to make difficult decisions. I doubt he was winning any popularity contests by cleansing the temple and restoring the tithe. Right? But Nehemiah has firmly fixed in his mind that he’s going to live for the glory of God alone. And so he asks God to remember him for the difficult things he’s doing for God.

Thirdly, Nehemiah enforces the Sabbath in verse 15 through 22. In chapter 10 the people basically promised to not do business on the Sabbath. But here in 15 and 16 we have two offenses: (1) working on the Sabbath, bringing loads of food into Jerusalem and selling them (15); (2) foreigners, the Tyrians, who could care less about the Sabbath, sold fish and all kinds of good on the Sabbath (13:16).

Now, you have to understand how the Sabbath functioned. It was intended to create space each week, whereby the Israelites could worship. A time when they could meditate on Scripture and rehearse the mercies of God. It was essentially a time for them to enjoy God. And in addition to that, it displayed their deep trust in God by saying, “hey, even though there’s work to be done, the Lord’s going to take care of us.”

But here we see that money, work, and property all replace the Sabbath. Instead of seeing the Sabbath as an opportunity to rest and enjoy God, they see it as a burden and a hurdle to business. And so you’ll notice what Nehemiah does. He has all the gates shut before the Sabbath and orders that they are not to be opened until after the Sabbath. And when all the merchants and sellers camp outside the gates Nehemiah says in verse 21: [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.” I don’t know about you, but that sounds like a threat to me. Scholars think Nehemiah was about 60 years old by this time. But I’m guessing he was one of those in shape, you don’t want to mess with 60 year old kinda guy because it worked! Because it says from that time on they did not come on the Sabbath.

Fourthly, he cleanses the people in verses 21-31. Despite the promise that was made in the first three verses of this chapter, the people once again have intermarried. And again, keeping in mind that the problem is not the intermarrying of ethnicities or cultures, but the marrying of different faiths. And here they’re marrying those from Ashbod, Ammon, and Moab - the very people who are their enemies. The very people who have tried to stop the Israelites.

And you have to realize the devastating affect this can have in a single generation. Think about it: through intermarriage the people would be unable to speak the language of God. Because of that they wouldn’t then be unable to pass on the faith. Because of that they wouldn’t know the worship of God, the word of God, or even God!

It’s incredible how quickly things decline. How fast spiritual decay can set in. Not just for them, but for us. You see, you and I make promises all the time. Promises to serve Him, and love Him. Promises to read his Word. Promises to live in a way that glorifies Him. But before we know it, those promises are broken. And I think, in part, Nehemiah 13 ends this way to bring us to the reality that very often we don’t follow through. And it is only the grace of God at work persevering us, sanctifying us, and keeping us. Now, what’s interesting is how Nehemiah responds to this. First, he cruses them. He doesn’t curse them out. He isn’t using foul language. He pronounces judgment upon them. But really, they asked for it. Remember 10:29? “If we don’t do this, let curses come down on us!” But look at the second thing he does in verse 25: [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.

Monday morning I was sitting at my desk thinking….what am I’m going to say about verse 25?! He beat them and pulled their hair out! Well, the best scholars tell us that Nehemiah wasn’t flipping off the handle. But instead, he was administering a prescribed punishment. A beating is less than a stoning, and a stoning is prescribed in some instances. And when he pulled out their hair, most likely it wasn’t a random yanking of whoever was in his closest reach. It was most likely a public shaming ritual and would have been carried out in a formal ceremony where people were publicly rebuked. So all this to say, this text doesn’t give you a license to beat someone up this week. But it is a sobering reminder that we shouldn’t ignore the shame that sin brings. It’s yet another reminder that we shouldn’t take our sin lightly, and that sin has very real consequences.

And if you skip down to verse 30 to 31, Nehemiah essentially summarizes all that he has done for Jerusalem by saying, “So I purified them from everything foreign.” That’s an interesting way to summarizes his work. He doesn’t even mention the wall. But the wall was just one piece of the puzzle…and that was restoring the worship of God. The very thing they continue to struggle with.

CONCLUSION Why do you think Nehemiah ends this way? I mean, the book ends on a bit of a sour note doesn’t it? Why? Perhaps because it causes us to lean into the future. Because in spite of all their efforts, and all the changes, and all their promises - they still fail. You and I still fail. Sure, we have periods of renewal and change and growth - that’s good! But at the end of the day we live in this cycle decay and renewal.

Yet Nehemiah pushes us forward to a hope beyond this cycle. He pushes us to Jesus. You see, There’s only one who will keep the covenant perfectly. Nehemiah points forward to the ultimate way in which our sins can be atoned for. Nehemiah points forward to not a physical temple in Jerusalem, but Jesus himself as the temple; not an imperfect priesthood, but the Jesus Himself our Great High Priest; not a sacrifice of animals, but Jesus Himself as the Lamb of God.

Listen, we will experience moments of renewal and revival, but while we live in this fallen world, we will also experience failure. And so that doesn’t mean we give up or throw in the towel. No, it means we fight sin, we persevere, we do what needs to be done to live for the glory of God. We take action steps. If there’s sin in our lives, root it out. If we have addictions, we get help. If we aren’t growing we get involved in a small group or discipleship group. We get accountability. We do whatever we need to do to work out our salvation with fear and trembling as Paul says. But it also means we await the Second coming of the Lord Jesus, who will once and for all, make all things new, and we his redeemed will live in a New Jerusalem, apart from sin and shame forever.