Nehemiah’s Final Instructions
Nehemiah 12:44 – 13:31
Introduction
- This week we finish this exciting journey into one of God’s greatest leaders
-- But more than that, one of God’s servants whose example we can follow
- Nehemiah is a great study of leadership; shows faithful obedience to God
- Last week we discussed the population of Jerusalem and the importance of:
• Each person is valuable to God (names listed specifically)
• Everything done for His kingdom is remembered (He never forgets)
• Spiritual growth requires time to pass, and for people to be led
• God, no matter is happening, should always be praised
- APP: When you read God’s word, we ought to be able to ask the “whys?”
-- This leads us to understanding of where we need to change/apply change
- Pray
∆ Point 1 – An Overview of Judah
- Read Nehemiah 12:44-13:3
- This section breaks up into two parts, the first can be called, “Levitical Protocols”
- After wall dedication, we come to a summary of the events taking place (v44)
-- Men were selected to be in charge of various activities of the city
-- Especially the storerooms in temple: for contributions, first fruits, and tithes
-- These storerooms were chambers attached to the temple as holding areas
- Contributions (prime produce) were meant to be given to the priests for services
-- Tithes were for the Levites for their services at the temple also
-- As Nehemiah writes it, the people were “pleased” to bring these to the temple
- The entire community had a sense of coming together and commitment
-- Each was done according to the Law, according to David’s earlier commands
- Nehemiah says (v47) that all Israel contributed to the harmony of the city
- It is notable that everything is not perfect, but these people had a purpose
-- Their purpose was to honor God because of what God had accomplished
-- Re: The reading of His word was a reminder, it served to convict them
-- From this, they (in shortest terms) … “got their act together”
- Even the Levites were committed, setting aside portions for other Levites
-- APP: Their own greed and need to thrive took a back seat to provide
- Next, we see there is a “Purification” time, or a setting aside to read God’s word
- The book of the Law was read aloud to all the people in the land
-- Now, there is something to note here that we should just take a moment
- Re: Israel was a peculiar people, and told not to mingle with the nations
-- Matthew Henry writes, “The benefit of publicly reading the word of God; when it is duly attended to, discovers to us sin and duty, good and evil, and shows where we have erred. We profit, when we are impressed to separate from evil.”
- For the Israelites, the preference to not intermingle allows them to focus inward
-- We know that converts to Judaism have always been allowed into the city
-- But in this time, in this place, there is separation from those on the outside
-- Why? They have enough problems at home and need to correct those FIRST
- APP: What a great sense of acknowledgement they have about themselves
-- They know who they are; what they need to fix: more imp: WHY it’s needed!
- TRANS: This brings us to our last passage of Nehemiah
∆ Point 2 – Final Instructions
- Nehemiah then gives three final instructions on how the people should live
-- Note: This happens later, after Nehemiah is back with King Artaxerxes
- He talks about the temple chambers, the Sabbath, and foreign influence
- Read Nehemiah 13:4-31
The temple chambers (4-14)
- Eliashib was put in charge of the chambers; he was the administrator
-- Remember though, one of the anti-wall builders was Tobiah
-- Eliashib and Tobiah were in cahoots of sorts; for what we are not sure
- But more than likely, they had some sort of political alliance together
-- Re: All of this happened while Nehemiah was out of Jerusalem
- This would’ve been a blasphemous use of what was ordained for God
-- Consider it like this: Tobiah was renting a storage locker in the church
- Nehemiah gives orders that this should not be (v8) and cleans house!
-- He says that these rooms are for God, and should be purified immediately
-- The rooms were then put back to use for God’s purposes in His temple
- What Nehemiah learns (v10) also is that Levites were not given their portion
-- In fact, the Levites had moved out and went back home
-- This infuriated Nehemiah and he sought to remedy this situation
- In v11, he asks … “Why is the house of God neglected?” (see: 10:39)
-- APP: Remember their oath and covenant? They had back-tracked on it all!
-- IMP: Sometimes, it takes a little house cleaning to put things back in order
- Nehemiah sets up a new storage procedure, and new officials to oversee it
-- He then (v14) offers a prayer that God would remember what was done
-- IMP: Nehemiah’s actions are intentional … that God would have mercy
The Sabbath (15-22)
- In addition, Nehemiah noticed that men were working on the Sabbath!
-- “What is this wicked thing you are doing?” (v17) is his question
-- While they may not have been doing the offense, they were responsible
-- They are in charge of the temple, and this is a violation of God’s command
- Then, v18 is really to the heart of their memories: Don’t you remember …???
-- Didn’t we already have these problems where we forgot about God?
-- Remember how that worked out for us then? (wall destroyed, death, etc.)
- Therefore, Nehemiah sets up doors to be locked (v19) in the evening
-- Then put men that he trusted to keep people from their own sin
-- Even so, people still showed up to be the first in line (v20) after Sabbath
- But, Nehemiah’s rebuke to them is to knock it off; to quit gaming system
-- APP: It’s like sleeping outside for store opening to get an advantage
-- Once again, Nehemiah offers a prayer that God would remember this
Foreign influence (23-31)
- Finally, he addresses the issues in Jerusalem about foreign influence
-- More specifically, about marriage (v23) outside of the community
- IMP: This is NOT an indictment of us today … this command is not ours
-- However, there is a meaning here that we’ve got to see, it’s critical here
- While these marriages were happening, something unexpected happened
-- The people, who pledged themselves to God, began to change focus
-- Not only focus, but they began to change their beliefs and practices
-- To stress how serious Nehemiah is, look at his reaction in v25 …
- Solomon was one of Israel’s greatest kings and wisest kings
-- But in spite of this, he was still led astray by foreign women with diff intentions
-- Nehemiah is saying: If it can happen to him, why not you as well? (v27)
- But more so, Nehemiah finds an even more severe sin in the church (v28)
-- One of the priest’s sons (in line to be high priest) had broken this covenant
-- Lev 21:14-15, “He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, or a woman defiled by prostitution, but only a virgin from his own people, so that he will not defile his offspring among his people. I am the Lord, who makes him holy.”
-- Not only had he defiled himself, but made an alliance with Sanballat (detractor)
- And once more time, Nehemiah asks God to remember this and have mercy
- TRANS: But, why is this important? Why such a fuss over marriage?
∆ Big Idea
- Nehemiah purifies the priests (v30) so they would serve only the Lord
-- His focus was one thing: To bring the people under the rule of God’s covenant
- Jesus taught us the very same thing (next series): John 14:31, “he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me.”
- The example we have in Nehemiah is one of complete devotion to God
-- Jesus too, lived that example for you and to see that obedience IS possible
-- Even to death, obedience to God is possible and our faithfulness is critical
- Summary: When we think of all the events in Nehemiah, one thing is clear:
- Renewal and reform are constant in the life of faith
-- Yet … we always lend towards compromise, failure, and disobedience
-- It is imperative that we keep vigilant not only what we’ve been taught
-- And also: that we keep watch over one another as well as we do life together
- Nehemiah was willing to give up his life of comfort for a burden
-- Mission: To see Jerusalem returned and willingly serving God’s glory
- Do we live the same way? Do we surrender ourselves to see His glory?
- Pray
