One Holy Passion
Nehemiah 13:4-31
May 27, 2001
“Inching Away”
“All too easily, an ugly thing becomes tolerated, even viewed as the possibly useful thing, then the permissible thing, and finally the attractive thing. It does not happen in a moment. Standards are lowered gradually and imperceptibly. Sin becomes known by another name. We accommodate at one stage of life things which earlier would have been totally unacceptable.”
Raymond Brown
When we left the people of Jerusalem in chapters 9 & 10, they had separated themselves from the pagans in their midst, and humbly come before God in a solemn assembly to confess their sins and claim God’s forgiveness. More than this, they had pledged themselves to some very resolute and concrete promises, committing themselves to the observance of the Sabbath, the support of God’s work, purity in their marriages, etc. The temptation might have been for Nehemiah to end his book on this high note, with everything rolling merrily along as the people praise God and serve Him. But, as Raymond Brown says, “there is an obvious realism about Scripture.” We find little romanticism in it. Abraham attempts to deceive; Jacob cheats; Moses loses his temper; David commits adultery and murders; Peter lies. And the truth of the matter is that when we get to chapter 13, we find that the most spiritual of communities can find its standards subtly eroded as it accommodates to the pressures of contemporary worldliness. The people of Jerusalem did not exactly live happily ever after, but their experience is hardly uncommon.
I’m reminded of a story Tony Campolo tells of his experience in a church of the more Pentecostal bent. He tells of a man who, in the throes of spiritual involvement, began to call out in a loud voice, “Fill me, Lord! Fill me, Lord! Fill me, Lord!” To which finally an older woman in the congregation who could control herself no longer replied, in loud voice, “Don’t do it, Lord; he leaks!” But that is true for all of us: we leak. The analogies are many: like a top wound tight, we might spiritually run well for awhile, but due to the gravity force of our sin natures, we like tops naturally wind down. Sometimes we are ablaze with spiritual commitment, but fires burn down to embers over time. The people of Jerusalem had experienced real spiritual “highs”. Chapters 8-9 present such promise; Chapter 10 tells of bold promises made to God. Chapter 11 involves the determination on the part of the people that Jerusalem will truly be a holy city. In Chapter 12, the people dedicate the newly rebuilt walls, and pledge support for their spiritual leaders. Even in the first verses of Chapter 13, we see them taking a bold step on the basis of their fresh understanding of the Word. But later in Chapter 13 we see that they became guilty of “inching away” into a comfortable compromise with a pagan world. This past Wednesday in Business Conference I was happy to report the excitement I sense at FCC right now, but the message for us today is that we must be on our guards lest we give in to the natural tendency to do the same: to “inch away” into lives of compromise and complacency.
Would you stand with me as we read Nehemiah 13:4-31?
God has created for us a world of order, in which we bank on the certainty of certain physical properties and principles. One of these upon which we rely with dead certainty is the law of gravity. What goes up must come down, whether spinning wheels go round and round or not. Gravity, a difficult force to contend with. Let me suggest that worldliness acts as a spiritual gravity, always tugging downward on us even as we seek to “press on the upward way”. The forms that that spiritual gravity takes may vary from generation to generation in the specifics, but we feel it today as keenly as did the people in fifth century B.C. Jerusalem. Today, we deal with bugaboos of a different sort (if I keep using that word, I’ll win you over). They go by names like multi-culturalism and tolerance and relativism and pluralism. Packer said, “Relativism and pluralism are marks of cultural decadence”, and he is surely correct, the idea that there is no absolute truth, that we can be certain of nothing except that we can be certain of nothing, the preposterous notion that all roads lead to God. Elton John might say that “sorry seems to be the hardest word”, but in our culture, the hardest word to hear is the word “wrong”; it is politically incorrect and culturally gauche to suggest that others might just be this. How we feel this spiritual gravity, this pressure to assimilate ourselves into the pagan society by gobbling up its godless norms. The particulars might be different, but the generalities are the same today as in Nehemiah’s day. Let’s look at
Four Areas of Compromise:
Nehemiah had spent twelve years as governor of Jerusalem, from 445 to 433 B.C., and then returned to King Artaxerxes in Persia, his term complete. Now, in 13:4, we find him returning after a few years away to find things not the same as he had left them. We see the people having inched away from their commitments
1. In their Religious life :4-9
”Tobiah’s junk”
Now, understand that I don’t particularly care for that wording: “religious life”. All of us are religious people, every person in the world, and we cannot really segment our lives into neat compartments by any means. Nonetheless, I think you understand what I’m driving at: they had compromised specifically in their approach to God. How so?
Tobiah, nemesis of Nehemiah, had always had supporters and friends on the inside in Jerusalem (6:17-19). Now, we see that Eliashib, the high priest and probably a golfing buddy, had made this cozy arrangement with Tobiah whereby he could store his “junk” right in the Temple, in a room ostensibly devoted to storing the contributions of God’s people for the maintenance of the Levites. Now there’s a little bit of a chicken-and-egg scenario taking place here: did Eliashib see a room empty because people were not giving, and thus allow Tobiah to use it, or did Tobiah’s junk so crowd the room that the people saw there was no place for their gifts to be stored? I imagine the former, that the people failed in their obligations (which we’ll talk about later), but at any rate, it was highly outrageous that this enemy of Nehemiah should be allowed this privilege. We can imagine the evil Tobiah taking some perverse satisfaction in having his stuff right there in the Temple, imagining in his mind a measure of revenge against that old fuddy-duddy Nehemiah.
Contemporary Compromises
This religious compromise by the high priest is nothing new. How do we compromise today in our “religious life”?
a. Tickling the ears
Paul tells us that in the latter days, people will “heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears, and they will turn away their ears from the truth”.
1. Gutting the Word
We need not belabor the point here about those who would denude the Word of its authority by suggesting it to be a mere collection of stories, some true and some untrue, about God. Theological liberalism is a farce of the highest magnitude.
2. Fumbling the Word
Perhaps more pernicious, because it is less obvious, is the fumbling of the Word in preaching and teaching. It involves not really giving to God’s Word the pre-eminence it deserves in our services. Little attempt is made by the preacher to dig into the Word and uncover its truths for the hearers; rather, verses are plucked willy-nilly out of the Word and stitched together in a fashion some find more-or-less entertaining, but the preaching of the whole counsel of God is sorely lacking. Or it happens in Bible study groups (I hope it doesn’t happen here!). The leader will read a verse of Scripture, and then everyone takes turns giving their opinions about what that verse means, and there is no attempt made to say, “no, that really isn’t what Paul is driving at”. All options are equal in such studies. No, that is fumbling the Word of God instead of faithfully teaching it.
b. Glorifying the ears
Some want to tickle the ears; others would glorify them, in the sense of wanting to be hearers only. No, you have not worshipped God until you have responded to God, so never imagine that God is just tickled pink up in Heaven to merely see you seated here today, as though He leans over to Gabriel and says, “Oh, would you look, isn’t that just wonderful—ole’ So and So is in church!” I mean, it’s great that you’re in church, but folks, never imagine that hearing the Word is enough.
c. Other?
I’ll allow you to think and fill in others, but we must move on.
What does Nehemiah do about it? Notice his response in vv. 8-9. He comes in and cleans house. He knows that there are some things which simply cannot be compromised. Nehemiah might have been the first to act in this seemingly rash way, but hardly the last; we recall how Jesus’ zeal for the house of God caused Him to come in and clean house as well. And notice the sequence, for we see in it a pattern for our own lives as well when it comes to matters such as these: CLEAR-CLEANSE-REPLACE
He got rid of Tobiah’s junk; he purified the place; he replaced the junk with the stuff that was supposed to be there. Skip forward to the New Testament. We don’t worship God at the Temple in Jerusalem; what does Paul tell us? That God doesn’t dwell in temples made with hands, but rather that our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit. Question, Christian: what name does Tobiah go by in your life? Does your temple need clearing out, cleansing, and then being filled with the things of God? “Tobiah’s junk”, if you will, can fill our lives and our churches. Is it time to clean house, Christian?
2. In their Financial Dealings :10-14
“Robbing the preacher”
They had compromised by allowing Tobiah’s junk in. We read in the next few verses that they had compromised by failing in their commitment to support the house and the work of God. They had become gripped by materialism, much as we can so easily be. A grudging attitude toward freewill giving was a mark of the times. Malachi, a prophet contemporary with Nehemiah, records in Chapter 3 of his book that the people were “robbing God” by failing to tithe to support the work of God. The Levites, you see, were dependent upon the faithful support of God’s people, but now these Levites were having to seek a living elsewhere. Who knows but what some of these would have stood up to Eliashib’s compromise, had they been in Jerusalem, and perhaps Tobiah would never have been able to move his junk in. But the people of God had failed. And the ministry of the Word of God had fallen into neglect—again!
Nothing is truly new under the sun, is it? The average American churchgoer gives less than three percent of his income to the church. When giving freely becomes an irksome duty in our lives, we can be sure that something is wrong in our walks with God. When our attitude is “how much do I have to give?” instead of the kind of free-heartedness that the Bible encourages, we can be sure we need to take inventory. When we can lavish all sorts of amenities upon ourselves while our missionaries go without, we can be sure that something needs to change. And for most of us, it isn’t a “can’t afford it” issue. Can’t afford to give to God? Disconnect the cable TV. Drive an older car with a few less bells and whistles. Do without the new boat. Live with the old stereo system for a few more years. There is debate among good Christians on whether or not the tithe applies to Christians today, but at the very least, can we not agree that it represents a pretty good benchmark for faithfulness in giving? Especially given the fact that we have things so much better looking back at Calvary and the empty tomb? Given the fact that we live in the richest nation on earth, that the poorest among us is rich on a world scale, that we are so blessed? When God gets ahold of the hearts of His people, it will make a difference in the offering plate!
Contemporary Compromises
a. More, More, More!
We fall into the materialism trap so easily. Materialism is insatiable. Herbert Schlossberg, in Idols for Destruction, one of the best books I’ve read in the last decade, said, “All true needs—such as food, drink, and companionship—are satiable. Illegitimate wants—pride, envy, greed—are insatiable. Enough is never enough.”
And as the old adage goes, the rich man, when asked how much more money he needed, replied, “Just one dollar more!” Set your heart on the accumulation of the material, and satisfaction in life will continually elude you. Paul reminds us that there is great gain in godliness with contentment—but our lust for more will make such contentment impossible.
b. Oops, nothing left!
Then comes to us the same compromise as faced Nehemiah: the people, having set their hearts on the material, found themselves with little left to contribute to God’s work. Our giving is one of the most accurate indicators of our spiritual commitment, of the reality of our Christian experience. “How generous am I”” is a good question, but also, “do I give generously with a cheerful spirit?” If either of those elements is missing, then my Christian experience is less than God desires.
c. Other?
Nehemiah didn’t take this turn of events lying down either, but took aggressive action to bring the sinning people back to their senses.
3. In their Use of Time :15-22
“Too busy to slow down”
The prophet Amos, writing centuries earlier, could see merchants chafing at the weekly shutdown of business brought about by the Sabbath. By Jeremiah’s time, the merchants had their way, and the Sabbath was neglected. Upon his return to Jerusalem, Nehemiah found that the Sabbath was being treated just like any other day, and in the surrounding towns as well. This was to be a day of rejoicing in God’s goodness and rest in His presence. Now, the people were secularized and materialistic, and a utilitarian mindset had prevailed. With money and property their idols, they could ill afford to take a day off from buying and selling; the Sabbath was just an inconvenience which could no longer be tolerated.
Their witness suffered as well. The surrounding Gentiles could see that there was something different about these people because of the Sabbath. The Jews had been serious about their God, and the Sabbath gave witness to this. But no longer.
Contemporary Compromises
a. Convenience at all costs
This utilitarian approach which the people took has its counterpart today in an approach to life that values our convenience above everything else. The Sabbath was inconvenient for their materialistic pursuits, and so they junked its observance. We Americans have bought the idea that everything should be convenient, or instant, or at our fingertips. But sanctification can’t be microwaved; there is no instant godliness; the fruit of the Spirit takes time to grow.
b. Compartmentalization
We want to segment off our lives into different compartments; we assign time segments to each part of our lives, including our “religion”. But let’s keep our “religion” a healthy distance from other aspects of our lives; we’ll give God an hour-and-a-half on Sunday morning, but that’s a-plenty.
c. Other?
We must see all time as a gift from God, and use it to glorify Him, not merely in functional ways to gain advantage for ourselves. Sunday is the Lord’s Day; I do not believe it is the Christian Sabbath, though good people differ with me on that point. At the same time, perhaps we ought to consider, not from a legalistic standpoint, but out of a desire to honor God, treating Sunday differently than other days. The Puritans, from whom we could learn a lot, called Sunday “the market-day of the soul”, when the soul’s business was to be done, with that taking precedence over all other business. We could do worse.
Nehemiah again forcefully acts, and notice in verse 22 that the Sabbath is hallowed not merely by the ceasing of labor, but also by consecrating it as a day to the Lord, a day for feasting and enjoying God.
4. In their relationships :23-29
“Multi-culturalism run amuck”
What’s the problem with the mixed marriages mentioned here? Was God sanctioning racism? No, not at all. The main danger was syncretism, an undermining of Jewish identity as a people set apart for God. Nehemiah says that the kids were speaking other languages. What’s so wrong with the Ammonites? Well, these wonderful folks worshipped a god of their making they called Molech, and their worship involved sacrificing their young children in the fire to this so-called god. Archaeological work has produced evidence of thousands of children being burned in Carthage, for instance. The Moabites worshipped Chemosh the same way. Interestingly, just a few years earlier, Ammonites and Ashdodites were lined up outside the walls of Jerusalem as enemies to oppose the wall’s rebuilding. Now, yesterday’s enemies were today’s marriage partners. Satan will use more than one means to destroy a people!
Why did these men marry foreign women, often divorcing their Hebrew wives in the process? Likely, financial gain was the reason. Nehemiah cannot stand for this, of course, taking some means we might consider drastic in order to stop the practice in its tracks. He appeals to the example of Solomon, who had been the wisest man to live, but who had made the tragic mistake of marrying foreign wives, and his heart had been turned from God.
Contemporary Compromises
a. Mixed marriages
It still happens today, and it is no small transgression. Young people, never for any reason date an unbeliever, that is if you intend to have any seriousness about your walk with God. Emotions will begin to cloud your judgment, overriding your common sense and your witness and in some ways your life will suffer ruin. Wise Solomon couldn’t get away with it, and neither are you likely to. If you plan to marry an unbeliever, don’t bother coming to ole Harvey to perform the ceremony; I’ll not, for the sake of friendship or whatever, join in the mocking of God’s standards. It is a tragic mistake!
b. Eroded Identity
There is a balance to draw; we need to have caring relationships with unbelievers if we ever hope to influence them toward Christ. At the same time, we had better be very careful to know which direction the primary influence is moving.
It’s also important for churches to be places that welcome everyone but admit to membership only those who give profession and evidence to having born again by the Spirit of God. Vance Havner had this to say: “Today the world has so infiltrated the church that we are more beset by traitors within than foes without. Satan is not fighting churches—he is joining them!”
c. Other?
And so we come back to us. I’m excited about what I see God doing in our midst right now, answering prayer in a variety of ways. I’m thrilled to see people hungering for the Word and joining in wholehearted worship. I love the fact that we can almost sense that there is a fire burning here; our youth went and “acquired the fire!” But there’s this thing about fires, folks: if they aren’t tended, they burn down and then out! It happened in Jerusalem, and it can happen here. And so I finish by saying today, if you’ve acquired the fire of God, stoke that fire. Don’t allow what happened to the Jerusalemites to happen to you. Live for God. Trust His grace. Immerse yourself in His Word, and then obey it. Do what God would have you to do!
