The Surprise Ending of Nehemiah

INTRO

This is our last lesson in Nehemiah. We have just studied how God moved through the people to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem and how the people rejoiced and praised God when the work was completed (Nehemiah 12). Between chapter 12 and chapter 13, Nehemiah served as governor of Judah for 12 years (Nehemiah 5:14). Nehemiah then returned to Persia as he had promised King Artaxerxes, probably for about a year. Nelson’s commentary explains, “On the day after [Nehemiah’s] return, he discovered what became the surprise ending of his book; namely, that those devoted and dedicated people had tripped over temptation, fallen into sin, and lain down in disobedience.”¹In chapter 12, the people celebrated what God had done in their lives and worshipped in praise and thanksgiving. In the absence of Nehemiah for one year, the people had completely lost their way. General William Booth of the Salvation Army said, “I want you young men to bear in mind that it is the nature of a fire to go out; you must keep it stirred and fed and the ashes removed.”²

TEACHING

Nehemiah 13:1–3– In the first two verses, the assembled priests read from the Book of Moses before the people. They discovered that Ammonites and Moabites (the people descended from Lot) should never be allowed to be part of the congregation of God because they had not welcomed the children of Israel, shared food with them, but instead hired Balaam to curse the Israelites (Numbers 22:1-24:25). When the Jews heard the law, they separated out all foreigners from their midst (v. 3). They were returning to what was instructed in the Pentateuch (Deuteronomy 23:3–4).

According to the Abrahamic Covenant God made with Abraham, God would bless those who blessed the Israelites and curse those who cursed the Israelites (Genesis 12:3). The Ammonites and the Moabites had cursed the Israelites. This act is a foreshadowing of Jesus’ teaching on the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25:31–46). I believe there will be a judgment on the nations that do not support Israel. We must seek nations that will support Israel.

Nehemiah 13:4–9- Eliashib the priest was related to Tobiah, who with Sanballat, had opposed the work on Jerusalem’s wall (Nehemiah 2:19, 4:3, 6:10-14, 13:4). Eliashib had prepared a large space for Tobiah (the enemy) to stay within the temple (v. 5). While Nehemiah was away from Jerusalem, Eliashib, the high priest, allowed the enemy to dwell in several rooms in God’s temple. Nehemiah did not find out about Eliashib’s actions until he received leave from Artaxerxes to return to Jerusalem (vv. 6–7). Nehemiah threw all of Tobiah’s possessions out of the temple and ordered the rooms to be purified and the things of God’s house to be restored back to those rooms (vv. 8–9). Nelson’s Commentary explains the purification would have included “washing, scouring, and sprinkling with blood.”³

Nehemiah 13:10–14- Nehemiah also discovered the Levites and singers had not been given their portions to live on, so they had returned to their own fields (v. 10). Nehemiah rebuked the temple officials for not taking care of the temple servants, gathered the servants together, and put them back to work (v. 11). This was obviously a spiritual issue. Today, the church needs to be rebuked for withholding from God what belongs to Him! Nehemiah called for the people to bring their tithes, which had not been brought to the temple earlier. He appointed trusted men who would accept and then distribute those tithes to the temple servants (vv. 12–13). Nehemiah prayed to God and asked that his actions be remembered (v. 14).

Nehemiah 13:15–22: Then Nehemiah saw the disobedience of the people—working in the vineyard, transporting stores of grain to sell, and purchasing fish and merchandise from the Tyrians––all on the Sabbath (vv. 15–16). This becomes a theme in Nehemiah. In order to bring about reformation, a season of rebuke was necessary.

Nehemiah rebuked the nobles of Jerusalem who had allowed this and profaned the Lord’s day (vv. 17–18). Nehemiah ordered that the gates of the city be closed just before the Sabbath began and not reopened until after the Sabbath ended. He also posted guards at all the gates so that no goods could enter the city (v. 19). Some merchants tried to camp outside the wall, but when Nehemiah threated them with force, they did not return on the Sabbath (vv. 20–21). Nehemiah instructed the Levites and the guards to be purified in order to keep the Sabbath holy. Nehemiah again ended his actions with a prayer that God would remember his work (v. 22).

Nehemiah 13:23–31– The next issue Nehemiah encountered was intermarriages with pagans. Half the children born as a result of the marriages could not speak Hebrew, which meant they could not read Scripture and did not know the Lord (vv. 23–24). Nehemiah rebuked and cursed them, beat some of the men and pulled out their hair, forcing them to take an oath that they would not allow their sons and daughters to marry foreigners (vv. 25–27). Even one of the grandsons of Eliashib the high priest had become son-in-law to Sanballat, another one of Judah’s enemies (v. 28). Nehemiah prayed God would remember those who had defiled the priesthood and God’s covenant (v. 29). Nehemiah then purified everything and assigned specific duties to each priest and Levite (v. 30). Nehemiah led the people in a time of giving the firstfruits—the best of the best—back to God (v. 31).

CLOSING

God used Nehemiah, and Nehemiah was completely obedient to God in the process. God wants to use each of us as well. When we begin to function as the builders of the church of the Lord, not even the forces of Satan will be able to overpower it (Matthew 16:18b).