Today is October 11th. Do you know what that means? It means that there are only 74 shopping days till Christmas. Now, for me, that’s not really that big of a deal because I have been known to do my Christmas shopping on Christmas Eve. But for many of you, that’s a big deal. The question is, why? Have you ever noticed how we tend to associate celebrations with spending money? When we have birthday celebrations, we always spend money on presents, don’t we? When we celebrate anniversaries, we’d better spend money on something, or we’re going to be in trouble. And I think that the biggest one of all is Christmas. Sometimes we get all “religious” and rail against the commercialism of Christmas. And don’t get me wrong, it is excessive. But the reason for all the commercialism is that we like to spend money when we celebrate. And if we celebrate Christmas more than any other day, it only makes sense that we’re going to spend more money in celebrating that day. I don’t know what it is that makes us like that. But the bottom line is, it’s the way we are. Whenever we celebrate something, our tendency is to spend money in connection with that celebration. I have to tell you—over the past few weeks, as I’ve looked at this passage, I didn’t see how it fit. As a matter of fact, some of the commentaries even say that it doesn’t fit. They say that these verses were added later by a person they call “the Chronicler.” They say that person added these verses to justify the practice of getting money from the people. Well, they’re wrong. As we’ve said all along, Ezra is the one who wrote this book. He wrote Ezra and Nehemiah as two parts of the same book. And I believe that it’s in the same order and in the same words that he wrote it in. So, if that’s the case, then this passage has to be in the right place. And if it’s in the right place, then it has to fit exactly the way that the Holy Spirit intended it to when He inspired Ezra to put it there. That’s what got me to thinking about the way that we tend to celebrate big events. Remember that the remnant was in the process of celebrating some huge accomplishments. Years ago, they had rebuilt the temple. Then, under Nehemiah’s leadership, they had completed the impossible task of rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem. They immediately followed that up by organizing the people and coming up with a plan for how they were going to rebuild the city itself. Two huge projects down and plans in the works for how to accomplish the final project. And because of all that, the people were engaged in a huge celebration. Remember that the celebration started on top of the wall as a witness to the watching world. Then it ended up in the house of God with singing and shouting and sacrifice. But what’s amazing is what the immediate result is. And when we look closely, it’s not even really a result. Because look at the first four words of verse 44. “And at that time.” That indicates that what’s going on in our passage tonight is going on as a continuing part of the celebration that we talked about last week. The remnant was acting just like we do when we want to celebrate a big occasion. They were going to spend their money. And Nehemiah knew that they were going to spend their money. So what he did was set some parameters on how they were to spend their money. He gave them the proper avenue. He channeled their desire to spend their money by giving them the right thing to spend it on. And what was that right thing? Was it on themselves? Was it on wasteful things? Was it on personal comfort? No—the direction that they channeled their celebration spending was in the direction of supporting God’s work. They continued their celebration in the way they supported God’s work. And in this passage, specifically in the way they supported God’s workers. This passage brings out three aspects of supporting God’s workers. The first aspect is the means of supporting God’s workers. Look back at verse 44 again.
NEHEMIAH 12:44
What means are used to support God’s workers? It’s understood that God’s work is to be financially supported by the tithes and offerings of God’s people. That’s a given. It’s a fact that’s assumed here in this passage. But what’s unique here is the emphasis on organizational structure. That’s a key observation we can make. There was indeed an organizational structure. The financial aspect of God’s work wasn’t done haphazardly. The way that God’s people supported God’s work and God’s workers was done in an orderly fashion. It was done with accountability. It was done with oversight. And apparently it was done with transparency. Notice that Nehemiah appointed certain people to handle the money. And notice that he wasn’t one of them. And Ezra wasn’t one of them either. The text doesn’t say who they were, but you can rest assured it wasn’t either one of them. There should always be a separation in place. God’s workers who are supported by the tithes and offerings of God’s people should always be separated from the money. The way that verse 44 is written indicates that there was a separation between those who kept track of the resources in the chambers… and those who gathered the resources from the people. There is a principle we can take from there. Those who collect the money in the church should not be the ones who administer the money. In other words, our ushers and counters shouldn’t be writing checks. And they don’t. The way that Nehemiah set up things for the remnant, the only ones who could possibly know what individuals were giving were the ones who went into the fields to collect the tithes and offerings. More than likely, those tithes and offerings were collected from central locations rather than directly from individuals. And if that was the case, then nobody knew exactly who gave what. And the ones who are charged with administering and spending the money are far removed from the ones who collect it. That’s a principle we follow in the local church. That’s why our treasurer is not a counter. That’s why any money that’s spent in the church has to go through the treasurer. And any money that’s spent in this church has to be accounted for. That’s why we have things like budgets and financial reports. That’s why we encourage everybody to use envelopes so we can track things. It’s not to see how much people are giving. It’s to hold ourselves accountable. It’s to provide oversight. It’s to be completely transparent with the money God entrusts us with. Sometimes people might think that God’s house is not the place to set up bureaucracies and organizational systems. But in reality, those are the means that God intends us to use to support His work and His workers. Just like the remnant did. This passage not only shows us the means of supporting God’s workers, it shows us the reason for supporting God’s workers. Look back again at verse 44 but this time let’s keep reading through verse 45:
NEHEMIAH 44-45
What is the reason for supporting God’s workers? There are a couple of things I want you to notice here. Notice the attitude of the remnant toward the financial support they were providing. They rejoiced. They knew what their money was going for. This passage indicates that the vast majority of their tithes and offerings were going to pay people who worked in the temple. And that was a lot of people. They weren’t just paying the priests. They were also paying the Levites. I guess that would be expected, but look who else they were paying. They were paying singers. They were even paying the porters, or the doorkeepers. In other words, everyone who worked in the full time service of the temple was provided for. So does that mean that they were paid for their services? That’s a tricky question, so I want you to hear me. They were not being paid for their services. Now, what I’m about to say might just seem like a matter of semantics. But it’s not. It’s a concept that we need to fully understand. Even though Nehemiah set up this elaborate accounting system… the remnant was not paying God’s workers for their services. Verse 44 says that Judah rejoiced for the priests and Levites that did what? They waited. Who were they waiting on? Verse 45 clears it up a little bit. What were the singers and porters doing? They “kept the ward of their God.” And they kept the “ward of the purification.” In other words, who were they answering to? They were answering to God. Their responsibility was to Him. Their responsibility was to wait on God and to concern themselves with their own purification. When the doorkeepers were keeping the floors clean and keeping the doors open, were they doing it for the remnant? No—they were doing it for God. Same with the singers and the Levites and the priests. They were wards of God, not of the remnant. So when the remnant gave their money and when the people administered the money, they weren’t doing it to pay for services rendered. This wasn’t a contract they entered where one person agrees to pay for a list of certain services. If there would have been a contract, the contract would have been with God. God’s workers work for Him. And we give our tithes and offerings to Him. And He has designed for His workers to be provided for out of those tithes and offerings. Now, what happens if God’s workers abuse those tithes and offerings? That means that they have broken faith with God and He will deal with them. It really has nothing to do with the way we give our tithes and offerings. Because if we quit giving our tithes and offerings and quit administering God’s funds in the right way, that’s on us. And God will deal with us. The reason for supporting God’s workers is not to pay them for services rendered. God’s workers are not our hirelings. 1 Peter 5 is very clear about that. The reason we support God’s workers is because we rejoice in the fact that they don’t work for us. We rejoice in the fact that they work for God. We support them because they are God’s workers and in supporting them, we are honoring Him. Our passage shows us the means of supporting God’s workers, the reason for supporting God’s workers and the legacy of supporting God’s workers. Look at verses 46-47
NEHEMIAH 12:46-47
What is the legacy of supporting God’s workers? It’s interesting to me that Nehemiah makes an appeal to history here. As he is setting up the organizational structure for the finances of the temple, he takes the remnant back in history. He reminds them of how the temple singers were provided for in David’s day. Now, remember, that’s before there even was a temple. The temple didn’t get built until Solomon’s day. But even before there was a temple, there was an organizational structure, because Asaph was designated as the CHIEF of the singers. There was an organizational and financial structure. And it didn’t stop with David. It carried on through the times when Solomon built the temple and all the years that it stood. But the need for organizational and financial structure didn’t end when Solomon’s temple was destroyed. It picked back up when the temple was rebuilt. That’s why verse 47 brings Zerubbabel into it. So the need for organizational and financial structure continued through Zerubbabel all the way until Nehemiah. There was a legacy of supporting God’s workers organizationally and financially. And Nehemiah was telling the remnant that they were just continuing on with that legacy. And that legacy isn’t something that went away when the temple went away. It is something that continues in the New Testament church. People are quick to point out the fact that Paul was a bivocational tent maker. Well, if you read Scripture carefully, you’ll see that he only did that while he was in Corinth. And the only reason that he did it in Corinth was because the church there was very mixed up about the way that they financially supported God’s workers. They were under the impression that they were paying people for services rendered. So if they weren’t satisfied with the services they received, they would use the money to try to manipulate or control God’s worker. Paul didn’t give them that opportunity. In every way, he came to them opposite of what they expected. Including in the way he received his support. The point is, even in the New Testament church, Paul at Corinth was the only exception to the local church fully supporting God’s workers. It is a legacy that has gone on since before the first temple. And it is a legacy that will continue until Jesus returns.
Now, for the rest of our time this evening, I want us to take a step back. One of the difficulties with preaching systematically through the text is that sometimes you come to a passage that doesn’t really seem to apply to where we are in our church right now. I don’t think that we have any problems with the way we support God’s work or His workers. I think that we have the right organization in place. I think that we have the right people in place. I think that we are transparent in our finances and that we are appropriately accountable to the church as a whole. I don’t know how much money individual people give and I shouldn’t. We have counters who count and are separate from our treasurer. I think we are well protected from financial impropriety. So, what does that mean? I think that it means that Brushfork Baptist Church has done a good job of applying the principles found in this passage. So, since we’ve done such a good job, does that mean we can pat ourselves on the back and go home? Probably not. There is no doubt that we can and should be pleased. But just because we’re pleased, doesn’t mean we should be satisfied. Because remember back to the context of this passage. All of this technical organization and financial responsibility was a natural outgrowth of what? It was all a continuation of the mighty celebration that was going on. God had accomplished impossible things through His people. And as a result, they were humbled and they were full of joy. They weren’t celebrating because of what they had done. They were celebrating because of what God had done through them. And now, they were carrying over that same joyous attitude into some of the most mundane, everyday things of God’s work. What kind of attitude do we bring into doing God’s work? Every month during the business meeting, do you realize what a miracle it is that we’re able to do the things we do with the money that we have? I don’t know if you realize it or not, but do you realize that lives are being touched by the Gospel all over the world because of Brushfork Baptist Church? So if that’s the case, why aren’t we jumping for joy when we see our treasurer’s report each month? Why aren’t we praising God when we see how much He’s doing with so little? Isn’t it about time that we start celebrating a little bit? Are there things that need to be done? Of course there are. Are there things that need to be improved? Of course there are. Could we use some more resources? Would we love to see every seat in this place full? Of course we would. But do you know what? Look back at the remnant for a second. Was their temple everything that Solomon’s temple had been in its glory days? Not even close. Was Jerusalem anything close to what it had been in David’s day? Not remotely. Did the spot of land that they had, come anywhere close to all the territory that God had promised them in the Abrahamic covenant? Not even a tiny percentage. As a matter of fact, they were still technically under the control of the king in Susa. When they looked around Jerusalem what did they see? They still saw buildings that were down and crumbled roads and rubble. But what were they doing? Were they looking at all the things they didn’t have? No—they were looking at the mighty things that God was doing. And those were some tremendous things. But if they had sat back and compared a wall and a tiny temple to everything else, they might have gotten gloomy. But they didn’t do that. What did they do instead? They celebrated—loud and hard and rowdy! So much so that verse 43 says that the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off. Do we need to be realistic about where we are as a church? Of course we do. But do we need to be defeated and negative and gloomy about it? No—because God is accomplishing some incredible things through us if we just open our eyes. And when we open our eyes and begin to celebrate some of those things, guess what? The world will hear—even afar off. Let’s stand on top of our wall and shout the praises of what our God is doing through us. And when we do, they’ll hear. And when they hear, they’ll come. And when they come, we’ll grow. And in all things, God will be glorified.
