Today in God’s Word

Today in God's Word—April 2023

East Tallassee Church of Christ

April 26, Nehemiah 13

Thus I cleansed them from everything foreign; and I established the duties of the priests and Levites, each in his work; and I provided for the wood offering at appointed times, and for the firstfruits. Remember me, O my God, for good. - Nehemiah 13:30-31

Were your elementary school classmates like some I remember from those long ago days? Some kids would wait for the teacher to leave the room before misbehaving and breaking the rules. I wonder if those rascals grew up to be the people who do not think any traffic laws apply to them unless a law enforcement officer is there to see them breaking the law.

The sweeping reforms that Nehemiah put in place didn't last very long after he left Jerusalem to visit Artaxerxes. We're not sure how long he was gone, but we know his travel time for the round trip alone would have been at least eight months. Add however long Nehemiah stayed during his visit, and it's likely that he was gone more than a year. But while he was gone, the people in and around Jerusalem quickly slipped back into disobedience and disregard for God's commands. Israel had a long history of good leaders rescuing them out of trouble. Those leaders would restore the people to worship God and God only. But the people would fall away again, usually soon after the death of the influential leader. The whole book of Judges is based on a recurring cycle of reform and apostasy.

When Israel didn't continue in the reformed ways Nehemiah taught them, they lost their last chance to turn from their hardhearted rebellion. No more prophets would come to warn them. There would never be another king, and the priesthood was so corrupt that there would be no call for revival. Instead, the priests led the people into apostasy. Nehemiah was their last chance for lasting reform or repentance.

While Nehemiah was away, the high priest Eliashib cleared the equipment and vessels

used in the temple service out of a room, and gave the room in the temple to an enemy of God and his people. Tobiah’s new home didn't last very long when Nehemiah got back. He threw Tobiah's furniture (presumably along with Tobiah himself) out of the temple and brought the vessels and incense back to their rightful place in the temple room.

Also in the governor's absence, the people had stopped bringing the support for the priests and Levites to the temple. The Levites had to leave Jerusalem and go to the fields to make money and get food for their families. Nehemiah confronted the leaders of the people about this neglect of God's house, and the offerings were reinstated after Nehemiah returned and addressed the problem.

The people lost all respect for the Sabbath while Nehemiah was gone. They were working and buying and selling on the Sabbath in direct violation of the Law. Again, Nehemiah the enforcer confronted the disobedient and put the city under lockdown to keep the merchants from coming in on the Sabbath day. He put the Levites in charge of guarding the gates to stop the people from profaning the Sabbath.

Marriages with pagan women had been the express route to apostasy throughout Israel's history. When Nehemiah returned, he learned that the people were once again intermarrying with the pagans who would draw them away from God. He dealt roughly with the offenders and made them take an oath that they nor their children would intermarry with the heathen people around and among them. The problem was so prolific that the high priest's son had married the daughter of Sanballat, one of the archenemies of the people during the wall- building project. Nehemiah chased those disobedient priests out of his sight.

Nehemiah was able to do these things because of his upright character. He also had authority as the governor representing the king of

Persian. His zeal for God was effective, and he used his authority to discipline the disobedient.

Four times in this chapter, Nehemiah asked the Lord to remember him for all the good he had done for his people. But he did not present his good deeds as some meritorious work. He still prayed that God would spare him according to the goodness of his steadfast love.

Nehemiah was an encourager, and when necessary an enforcer of God's law. This godly man was so grieved to learn of the poor condition of his people when he first heard about the ruin in Jerusalem. He did not want to see his people make the same sinful errors that caused their destruction as a nation in the first place. He called them not to himself as their great ruler and lawgiver, but to God and God's commands.

But the people of Judah were too far gone to turn back and stay faithful. Like Isaiah had prophesied, their hearts were hard and their ears were deaf to God. Despite what might be seen as a failure in his campaign to restore godliness in Judah and rebuild the people as well as the wall, Nehemiah was a great man and a faithful servant of God.

Let’s remember and imitate Nehemiah. Let’s encourage and bless people. Let’s stand for God and his word when the tide of popular practice is against us. Let’s live and behave so we can pray that God will remember us for good, but never stop relying on his mercy.

Copyright © 2023 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.