Joy in the Joint

“Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons” (v1).

Ever find a letter from an inmate in your mailbox? I’m not exactly sure how I would react if received an envelope from somebody I know and love and the return address was some far away correctional facility. I would expect to read about horrible conditions. I would expect to read about mistreatment by the guards. I would expect to read about bad food. I would NOT expect to read about joy. I would NOT expect to read about Jesus. 

Well, that’s EXACTLY the kind of letter a little group of Jesus’ followers in Philippi receive from the one who first told them the very Good News. Back in the first century, Philippi was Roman colony and seaport in what is now modern day Greece. It was the first place in Europe to hear about Jesus’ invitation into God’s kingdom. Dr. Luke had a front row seat and wrote all about it in his sequel called Acts (Acts 16:11-40). In 51-53 AD, the Apostle Paul was on his second tour telling people around the Mediterranean rim about Jesus when he hit town. God used the man formerly known as Saul to radically change lives. First, a fashionista named Lydia. Next, a demon-possessed girl who was subject to human trafficking. Finally, the warden of the local jail and his family. Through Paul, Jesus builds His church through these very different people.

About 10 years later, these Philippian Christ followers get a letter from the Apostle Paul. He’s in prison. This comes as no shock to them. They’ve already sent their pastor Epaphroditus to Rome with a care package (Phil 2:25-30). But don’t miss the fact that this is a REAL letter from a REAL person to a REAL church in a REAL place. The Bible isn’t a book of myths and legends that point us to a greater good. It is a collection of ancient documents which God inspired to tell us about Himself. What we’ve come to call the book of Philippians is a letter from a prisoner under religious persecution to his friends. And when they open it up, they don’t read about how tough their founder has it. While life behind bars is never fun, first century Roman prisons were awful. Paul may be in the joint, but this letter is all about joy. 

Our man Paul has quite a story. He’s the famous Pharisee everyone used to know as Saul of Tarsus. One of the best and brightest of Judaism. He shares a bit of his rather impressive resume later in the letter (Phil 3:5-7). One minute he’s tossing the followers of Jesus in the slammer, the next minute he’s one of them. It’s a crazy story that Luke writes all about in the last half of Acts. But the apostle is not alone. There’s a second name at the top of the letter: Timothy. Originally from Lystra in what we now know as Turkey, Tim is the product of a mixed marriage. His mom is Jewish while his dad is Greek (Acts 16:1-4). Once Tim hears about Jesus, he gains a spiritual father in Paul and joins him on his mission to tell the world about the radical Rabbi from Galilee. He was right there with his mentor when they rolled into Philippi for the first time. Timothy goes on to become one of the most dependable members of Paul’s posse, eventually pastoring the mega-church in Ephesus (1Tim 1:3).

Interestingly, Paul and Tim don’t throw their religious weight around when writing to their Philippian friends. Instead of playing the we-founded-your-church-so-you’d-better-listen-to-us card, they’re incredibly humble. They refer to themselves as “servants of Christ Jesus” (v1). This is the Greek word doulos, which describes a slave. It’s someone in unquestioning obedience to another. One devoted to to another to the disregard of one’s own interests. Think of being completely controlled by someone or something. That’s Paul and Tim. Because of all our Savior Jesus has done for the dynamic duo, they are totally devoted to Him in willing obedience. Not because they have to. But because they want to. Do you willingly obey Jesus? Or is it begrudging compliance? True joy is only found in following and obeying the One who died for you. Just ask Paul. 

Paul and his sidekick readily admit they serve “Christ Jesus” (v1). Don’t blow past the beauty and weight of these incredible words. Christ isn’t Jesus last name. It’s His title. It means “Anointed One.” He’s the Messiah, the long-promised and long-awaited One. God first hinted at His arrival back in the Garden of Eden (Gen 3:15). Yahweh has continually promised through folks like Abraham, Moses, David, and His prophets that He was sending the ultimate Hero who has come to our rescue. That Rescuer is Christ.

In the Gospels, we find out exactly who He is. Jesus, the resurrected Rabbi/Carpenter from the boondocks of Nazareth. Jesus lives the perfect life that we fail to live. He died the death for our sin that we should have died. He rose to a glorious new life that we don’t deserve. It’s this risen Jesus who personally appears to Paul on the expressway outside of Damascus (Acts 9:1-19). If you want to know the truth, it was actually more of a divine mugging. We see throughout the Bible that Jesus is actually the fulfillment of all of God’s promises and blessings. And He’s using Paul to throw open the door to God’s kingdom to people of every race, culture, people group, gender, social status, and economic position.

On the receiving end of Paul’s letter are “saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons” (v1). He calls them “saints” (Gr. hagios). That little word means holy one, someone or something set apart for God’s purpose, or a person or thing that is pure and without flaw or blemish. The best way to understand the idea of holy is something or someone who is completely different from everything around it. These Philippian Jesus followers aren’t like every other resident of the city. There’s something different. There’s something about them that stands out. How about you? Do you stand out from the rest of the people in the workplace? In your neighborhood? And notice that this does NOT say “From St. Paul and St. Timothy to lowly, garden variety followers of Jesus in Philippi.” That’s because every follower of Jesus is a saint. It’s not some special title reserved for someone who’s life is subject to a special investigative panel. You and I aren’t saints because of anything we’ve done. We’re saints because of what Jesus has done for us that we could never do. 

Paul makes a point of mentioning “the overseers and deacons” (v1). These are the leaders who are serving the saints of Philippi. That’s probably the apostle’s point in listing them last. Leadership in God’s kingdom isn’t about rising to the top. It’s about bending over to the bottom. Bill Hybel’s calls it “descending into greatness.” It’s the kind of servant leadership that Jesus continually preached and demonstrated to His closest followers. The King of Kings made it clear that He’s actually the Servant of Servants. It’s not about being the grand marshal but walking behind the parade with a bucket and a shovel. That’s the role of these leaders in the church of Philippi.

Cleaning House

As we read the closing verses of Nehemiah, let’s take just a moment to realize these are the last words of the Old Testament to be written before Jesus comes back. When the author puts down his pen, God won’t utter one word for almost 400 years until His Son arrives in a feed trough in Bethlehem. Many scholars believe God hangs up the phone of the OT at the end of Nehemiah. With that in mind, what do we do with these final verses (Neh 13:30-31)? Are these simply the closing sentences from Nehemiah’s personal journal? Or do they give us a sneak preview of something (or should we say Someone) to come? 

A lot has happened in Nehemiah’s life over the past couple of decades. It all started that day he was working as the royal wine steward to King Artaxerxes of Persia. His brother Hanani was fresh back from Jerusalem and told him about the crisis in the Promised Land. The once glorious city on a hill is in crisis. The people are in shame. The walls are piles of rubble. God uses the breaking news about the broken walls breaks Nehemiah’s heart. The LORD tweaks the heart of the pagan dictator to not only allow his cupbearer to return as governor of Judah but to bankroll the entire revitalization project. Despite a series of setbacks and major opposition, God’s chosen people have refurbished the walls (Neh 6:15), repented of their sin (Neh 10:28-39), repopulated the city (Neh 11:1-36), and rejoiced at what God has done on their behalf (Neh 12:43).

After serving 12 years as governor, Nehemiah heads back to his job at the Persian palace (Neh 13:6). At some point, the cupbearer checks back in on his friends in Jerusalem. He returns to find an absolute hot mess. He immediately gets to work. Nehemiah evicts one of Israel’s enemies from his apartment in the temple (Neh 13:4-9). He restocks the food pantry for those serving at the house of the LORD (Neh 13:10-14). He shuts down the massive market that had stolen the people’s focus and energy on their divinely ordained day off (Neh 13:15-22). He goes all MMA on the Jewish men who’ve not only shacked up with local pagan hotties but fathered children with them as well (Neh 13:23-29). Yeah, that’s probably not exactly the vacation to Jerusalem Nehemiah originally planned. 

As he wraps up his trip, Nehemiah ties a bow on his latest reforms. “Thus I cleansed them from everything foreign, and I established the duties of the priest and Levites, each in his work; and I provided for the wood offering at the appoint times, and for the firstfruits. Remember me, O my God, for good” (v30-31). He goes down the list of all he’s gotten done. Foreign influence purged? Check. Job descriptions and assignments for the priesthood and Levites? Check. Firewood for the burnt offerings? Check. Delivery of the first and best? Check. 

While each of these is certainly a big deal in the context of Nehemiah’s journal, there’s something much bigger going on. Let’s back up and take a look at this text from 50,000 feet. Let’s see how this fits into what some people call the Meta-Narrative, or the Big Story of the Bible. Nehemiah’s last words actually point us to One who was to come. Way back at that extremely bad day in Eden, God promised to send Someone who would come to the rescue (Gen 3:15). That’s the first of endless promises of the Hero who will save the world. For centuries, God’s chosen people understood that He would send Messiah through them to bless every person on the planet. We have the blessing of biblical perspective to know just who He is. Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus Son of God. Jesus Christ. God loves us so much that He personally gets involved in our rescue (Jn 3:16).

So just how does this Big Story fit into Nehemiah’s final words? While Nehemiah makes sure to purify the priesthood of the mess of their own making, Jesus returns as the ultimate High Priest (Heb 4:14-16). Instead of simply mopping up the temple and spraying Fabreze around the joint, Christ cleans up the priesthood by becoming the priesthood. While Nehemiah hands out priestly assignments, Jesus transforms His followers into a “royal priesthood” (1Pet 2:9). The governor makes sure there’s enough firewood for the sacrifice, but our Savior carries the wood of a Roman cross for the ultimate sacrifice. And the king’s cupbearer restores the giving of the firstfruits, Jesus offers God’s first and best on our behalf. He’s the one and only Son of our Heavenly Father (Jn 3:16). He’s the sinless Lamb of God who takes away our sin (Jn 1:29).

Jesus does for us permanently what Nehemiah could only do for Jerusalem temporarily. We experience His rescue when we place our complete trust in what He’s done for us that we could never dream of doing for ourselves. He lived the perfect life that we completely failed to live. He died the death for our sin that we should have died. He rose to new life that we don’t deserve. That’s the hint of Who’s to come as Nehemiah closes out his diary. If you think the governor cleaned things up, just you wait and see what the radical Rabbi/Carpenter from Nazareth is going to do!

Cutting Out the Cancer

Sometimes surgery is the only option. Sometimes cutting out the cancer is the only road to recovery. Slicing open the patient is never pleasant. But here in Nehemiah 13:28-29, we read of the governor becoming a spiritual surgeon. It seems that a malignancy is growing deep inside the spiritual leadership of God’s people. The grandson of a former high priest has married one of Israel’s sworn enemies. His in-laws are the outlaws. When it’s clear that this dude refuses to acknowledge his sin, Nehemiah’s only option is surgery. The sole hope for the longtime health of God’s people is to carve him out and kick him out. It’s time to cut out the cancer. 

Nehemiah’s been super busy since returning to Jerusalem from his full-time job as the cupbearer to the king of Persia (Neh 1:11; 13:6-7). King Artaxerxes gave him a 12-year leave of absence to serve as governor and rebuild, restore, and repopulate God’s holy city (Neh 2:5-8). What would make a pagan dictator not only give his slave the time off but pay for the entire project? Well, that would be God. As the governor likes to say, our God has a firm grip on him and this project (Neh 2:8, 18). Despite tons of opposition both inside and outside Jerusalem, God uses Nehemiah to lead His people to get the job done. 

At some point, the governor gets the idea to make 1,000-mile trip back to Judah and see how things are going. What he finds is a four alarm hot mess. Nehemiah personally evicts a known terrorist from actually using a temple storeroom as an apartment (Neh 13:7-9). He restocks the empty pantry with supplies for those serving at the temple who’ve left to look for second jobs (Neh 13:10-13). He shuts down the flea market local vendors have set up on the Sabbath as they distract God’s people from His gift of a holy day off (Neh 13:15-22). The governor goes all one-man wrecking crew on a slew of Jewish dudes who are sleeping with local pagan hotties and fathering children (Neh 13:23-27).

Nehemiah then describes one specific and very painful example of a Hebrew man hooking up with a heathen family. “And one of the sons of Jehoiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was the son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite” (v28). Yup, you read that right. A member of the priestly line has actually married the enemy’s daughter. Think of Billy Graham’s grandson walking down the aisle with Osama bin Laden’s little girl. That’s jacked up! 

Just in case you’ve not been keeping track, let’s quickly review Sanballat’s rap sheet. The Horonite is the archenemy of God’s people and a chronic pain in Nehemiah’s backside. Sanballat wasn’t a happy camper when the governor hit town to help the Hebrews (Neh 2:10). He laughed at Nehemiah when he planned to rebuild the city walls (Neh 2:19; 4:1-2). This thug plotted terrorist attacks to stop the project (Neh 4:7-8). Sanballat and his toadies tried five different times to lure the governor away from the worksite to assassinate him (Neh 6:1-5). He started a whisper campaign against Nehemiah by spreading false rumors that the rebuilding of the walls was a thinly veiled plot to secede from the Persian empire (Neh 2:19, 6). He even greased the palm of a prophet in order to ruin the governor’s reputation (Neh 6:10-13). And now this guy will be hosting a priestly grandson at Thanksgiving. I’m telling you, this is jacked up!

But this kid comes from a family that puts the funk in dysfunction. There’s little doubt that these are the consequences of poor spiritual parenting. His grandpa Eliashib set a horrible example for his family. Paw Paw actually gave away one of the holy storage units in the temple to Sanballat’s buddy Tobiah the Ammonite to use as his deluxe apartment in the sky (Neh 13:4-7). Nehemiah’s already had to evict that evil from the temple. If that’s not bad enough, here’s one of the high priest kids marrying the enemy. Talk about looking for love in all the wrong places.

This is a clear rejection of God’s rules for marriage for His people (Ex 34:15-16; Dt 7:3). Over and over in His law, the LORD tries to protect us from our own sinful selves. This has been a long-running problem for God’s people. Ezra the scribe had to put his foot down on such goings-on just a few years ago (Ez 9-10). Nehemiah made folks serving at the temple break up with their lovers before he left town the first time (Neh 10:28-31). This is the same sin that took down King Solomon (1Ki 11:1-8). God knows that intimate relationships with folks who don’t worship Him will eventually lead us away from Him. That’s why the Apostle Paul tells his Corinthian friends that the followers of Jesus should avoid being “unequally yoked with unbelievers” (2Cor 6:14). This has nothing to do with racial, cultural, or religious prejudice. It has everything to do with protecting our relationship with Jesus.

Once Nehemiah realizes the depth of the cancer, he gets out his scalpel. It’s time to do some spiritual surgery. It’s the only hope of survival for both the priesthood and the people of Jerusalem. “Therefore I chased him from me” (v28). The governor didn’t just politely ask Eliashib’s grandson to leave the room. The Hebrew verb here is barach, which means run away, drive out, cause to flee, or banish. Nehemiah ran this knucklehead out the door in a big hurry. He beat feet. He had probably already seen the governor kick butt and take names with some of his buddies (Neh 13:25). My guess is that he didn’t let the door hit him where the dog should have bit him. 

Once again, the governor turns to God in prayer after this crazy confrontation. “Remember them, O my God, because they have desecrated the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites” (v29). After each of his reforms here in chapter 13, Nehemiah prays to the One who laid it on his heart to come to Jerusalem in the first place (Neh 13:14, 22, 29, 31). One of the things that breaks his heart is the damage done to those men who should know better. The priests have completely trashed their privileged position. If you want more on this dumpster fire at the holy temple, flip over and read what God had to say through the prophet Malachi (Mal 2). It gets so bad that the LORD promises to give these sinful priests a fecal face wash (Mal 2:3). I’m telling you, you really need to read your Bible. There is some wild stuff in the pages of God’s Word.

Nehemiah demonstrates how a leader must take radical measures when faced with radical problems. Like a surgeon removing a cancer, a leader must sometimes cut out those causing the problem. You might think that Jesus would never kick anybody to the curb. Well, you might want to read what He has to say to His crew in Matthew 18:15-17. We’re to do everything we can to lovingly show them where they are wrong and restore them. But if they don’t, they must go. Paul talks about the need to protect the church from blatant sin (1Cor 5:6). The goal isn’t simply to kick somebody out. The ultimate goal is their ultimate restoration (Gal 6:1). But there are times when a leader must do surgery. There are times when they must cut out the cancer.

Local Pagan Hotties

Shacking up. Sex. Cursing. Fist fights. Hair pulling. It sounds more like a scene out of “Road House” than a passage in the Bible. But that’s exactly what’s going down here in Nehemiah 13:23-29. Despite God’s commands to the contrary, His people are jumping in the sack with local pagan hotties. The result is a boatload of mixed race children who are so confused on their heritage that they can’t even speak Hebrew any longer. Once Nehemiah takes one look at this train wreck, he starts kicking butt and taking names. You may think that Jerusalem is the buckle of the Bible belt but its pants are unzipped. And some people say the Bible is boring. Please.

After making a return trip to Jerusalem to get an update (Neh 13:6-7), Nehemiah’s jaw hits the floor over the hot mess in the holy city. A former high priest has transformed one of the holy storage units in the temple into a deluxe apartment in the sky for one of Israel’s sworn enemies (Neh 13:4-7). The people stop supporting the members of God’s house band who lead worship, so they leave the temple and get a second job (Neh 13:10-11). Instead enjoying God’s gift of a weekly day off to worship, the citizens of Jerusalem spend the day hunting bargains at the mall (Neh 13:15-18). The governor systematically confronts the people in their sin and cleans house (Neh 13:8-9, 15-21). And don’t miss the fact that Nehemiah knows there’s no way he can do this without God. He never forgets to pray along the way (Neh 13:14, 22). 

We pick up the latest crazy scene with God’s chosen people shacking up with local unbelievers. “I saw the Jews who had married foreign women of Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab” (v23). A closer look at the original language gives us a good hint that these aren’t marriages in the normal sense. The Hebrew word here is yashab, which actually means to live with, dwell, or inhabit. Folks are simply living with their boyfriends and girlfriends. If that’s not bad enough, their cohabiting with folks from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. A quick check of the Old Testament throws up a HUGE red flag. Ashdod is a key Philistine city. Yeah, the Philistines weren’t exactly chummy neighbors to folks living in the Promised Land. Check out the family trees of the Ammonites and Moabites. Ammon and Moab were the daughters of Lot. These two young ladies don’t think there’s any way they’ll ever find a husband so they get their dad drunk and sleep with him. I’m telling you, the Bible is loaded with wild stories. You ought to read it when you get a chance! The result of this incestuous slumber party are the nations of Ammon and Moab (Gen 19:38-38). They’ll be a pain in the Hebrew backside for centuries. 

It doesn’t take a brain scientist or a rocket surgeon to see these relationships aren’t going to end well. That’s why God gave commandments to avoid such hookups (Ex 34:15-16; Dt 7:3). As so often is the case with His commands, He’s trying to protect us from our own sinful selves. This has been a long-running problem for God’s people. Ezra the scribe had to put his foot down on such goings-on just a few years ago (Ez 9-10). Nehemiah made folks serving at the temple break up with their lovers before he left town the first time (Neh 10:28-31). It didn’t take long for people to forget their promise to never do this again. But these sinful sexual escapades go back even further than that. More on that in a moment.

It’s no surprise that one result of these illicit relationships are children. Apparently, 50% of kids from these mixed marriages can’t speak their native Hebrew (v25). This is less about losing a language than forgetting a rich heritage of faith. And this took just one generation! It’s important to remember your spiritual heritage. What has God done in and through the previous generations of your family? Maybe yours is the first generation He’s gotten ahold of. Discover what God has done in your family and pass it along. As you can see, it doesn’t take long for things to get sideways.

So what does Nehemiah do? How does he deal with the problem? Does he call a meeting? Does he gently suggest that they consider the consequences? Does he write them an email? Shoot them a text? Not exactly. “I confronted them and cursed them and beat some of them and pulled out their hair” (v25). In the words of Ron Burgundy, that escalated quickly. Before you think Nehemiah is some hotheaded bully, remember that these people know they’re in the wrong. God has made it VERY clear in His Word. Both Ezra and Nehemiah called them out on it not long ago. The time for talk is over. The governor becomes a one-man wrecking crew. This is the third of three confrontations Nehemiah has to deliver once he returns (Neh 13:11, 17, 25). There comes a time when talk has to be backed up with action. 

At this point, Nehemiah makes them renew their oath to stop this sinful bed-hopping. Just in case they needed to be reminded, the governor gives them a quick lesson in the history of Israel’s sexual sin. “Did not Solomon king of Israel sin on account of such women?” (v26). An attacking army didn’t take down Solomon. It was his own libido. Solomon had 700 wives plus a personal harem of 300 women (1Ki 11:1-8). If that’s not stupid enough, a large percentage of these lovely ladies didn’t worship the LORD. He allowed his own sexual hunger to steal his heart from the One who had given him everything. “Among the many nations there was no king like him, and he was beloved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel” (v26). God is the only reason that Solomon was such a great king! But before you could watch an episode of “Sister Wives,” Solomon’s kingdom was falling apart at the seams. “Nevertheless, foreign women made even him to sin” (v26). The king threw it all away because of his sexual escapades If the wisest person (other than Jesus!) who ever walked the planet fell to sexual temptation, why should we think we can play with snakes and get away with it?

God Gives You the Day off

Did you realize that God is very serious about you taking a day off? He knows you need the rest. He knows you need to pump the brakes of your busy life. And a big part of getting this rest is resting in Him. That’s why He created the Sabbath. He’s so serious about the Sabbath that He put it in His Top Ten. So when Nehemiah returns to Jerusalem and finds the people ignoring God’s divinely decreed day off, he hits the roof (Neh 13:15-22). What should be a day kick back and focus on the LORD is a day devoted to looking for bargains. Jerusalem’s gates are open and the city is open for business. But the governor shuts the gates and shuts it all down. This isn’t about rule-keeping but about remembering just how much God faithfully loves His people. He loves you so much that He gives you a day off. 

The scene is Jerusalem. The time is somewhere around 430-420 BC. God has worked to bring home about 60,000 of His chosen people in three waves. First under Zerubbabel (Ez 2:1-2). The second under Ezra the scribe (Ez 7:6). The third under a cupbearer-turned-governor named Nehemiah (Neh 1:11-2:11). Nehemiah serves God and His people for a dozen years in Jerusalem (Neh 5:14). His supervision of the city walls reconstruction project is at the top of his resume (Neh 1:3; 6:15). At the end of his 12-year leave of absence, Nehemiah heads back home to his job as the royal wine steward under the king of Persia (Neh 13:6). But he makes a return trip to the Promised Land to check up on things. 

Nehemiah quickly discovers the situation in the city is falling apart. One of the priests has turned over one of the temple storage units to one of Jewish enemies as his deluxe apartment in the sky (Neh 13:4-7). The angry governor personally kicks Tobiah’s stuff to the curb (Neh 13:8). Because there’s no room to store their food supplies, the Levites and singers leave the temple and head home to get a second job (Neh 13:10). Nehemiah appoints new supervisors over the storerooms and restocks the pantry (Neh 13:11-14).

After all the the chaos at the temple, you can bet Nehemiah was looking forward to kicking back on the Sabbath and setting his heart on the goodness of God. But as the sun goes down Friday night, he notices vendors setting up. “In those days I saw in Judah people treading winepresses on the Sabbath, and bringing in heaps of grain and loading them on donkeys, and also wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of loads, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day” (v15). Just when God’s people should be winding down, business starts picking up. 

Nehemiah is serious about the Sabbath because God is serious about the Sabbath. He uses the word describing this weekly day off (Heb. shabbat) 10 times in verses 15-21. This holy day goes back to Creation week when God wrapped up His six-day work week to enjoy His supernatural handiwork. “So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all His work that He had done in creation” (Gen 2:3). It’s not like our Creator needed the time off. He certainly wasn’t tired. But He gives a pattern to follow. God takes the day off to rest. We’re to take day off to rest.

Fast forward from Creation week to the Exodus. For 400 years, the Egyptians made sure that the Jews never got a day off. Seven days a week, the Israelites went to work as slaves. Generation after generation of God’s people knew nothing of a day off. Ever. Once Yahweh springs the Hebrews from captivity in Egypt, He graciously gives them Saturday off every week. It’s a key part of the Big Ten chiseled in stone for Moses on Mount Sinai (Ex 20:8-11). Just as God took the day off at the end of Creation, He gives His people a day off each week after working 400 years without one. 

He declares each Sabbath Saturday to be holy. The best way to understand this is that is should look VERY different from the other six days of the work week. We’re to rest from our work. We’re to rest in Him. God loads the Bible encouragement to find our rest in Him and Him alone (Ex 33:14; Ps 4:8; Ps 23; Ps 37:7). Jesus makes it clear that we can experience a level of relaxation in Him that can’t be found anywhere else. “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light” (Mt 11:28-30).

Back in Jerusalem, Nehemiah warns the sellers to back off (v15). He also gets in the grill of the movers and shakers of Jewish society, “the nobles of Judah” (v17). They had better realize that they are trashing their God-given day off. “What is this evil thing that you are doing, profaning the Sabbath day?” (v17). He uses the Hebrew verb chalal, which means to pollute, defile, desecrate, or dishonor. What should be a wonderful and restful day set aside for setting our hearts on God and His goodness has become a clogged toilet of selfish consumption and consumerism. For Pete’s sake, they had already made a covenant promise not to be Sabbath breakers with local vendors (Neh 10:31). The governor reminds folks that this is exactly one of the reasons God sent them into Babylonian exile in the first place (v18; (Jer 17:19-23, 27).

Things come to a head one Friday night at sunset. Since the Sabbath officially starts when the sun goes down on Friday (Lev 23:32), Nehemiah gives the order to shut the city gates to keep out all the Gentile vendors from setting up shop (v19). And nobody gets in until sunset Saturday. The next thing you know, sellers start lining up and camping out just outside the walls (v20). At this point, the governor has had enough and makes it clear that this stops right here, right now. “Why do you lodge outside the wall? If you do so again, I will lay hands on you” (v21). Just in case you’re wondering, Nehemiah is not offering to pray over these merchants. He warns them that he will personally kick some booty if they don’t pack up their junk and hit the road. He’s more than happy to engage in a little Sabbath sundown showdown. In the words of the great prophet and theologian Elton John, Saturday’s alright for fighting. Message delivered loud and clear. These local vendors wanted no piece of that action. This was not a problem any longer. 

The crisis ends with Nehemiah telling the Levites to guard the gates and keep the Sabbath (v22). Once things settle down, the governor prays to the One who loves His people so much that He provides this day of rest. “Remember this also in my favor, O God, and spare me according to the greatness of Your steadfast love” (v22). At the end of each of his specific reforms here in chapter 13, Nehemiah humbles himself before God (Neh 13:14, 22, 29). Here he sets his focus on the LORD’s loyal and long-lasting goodness toward His people. This is the awesome Hebew term chesed. It describes God’s faithful, lovingkindness, and unfailing love. It’s the active and never-failing love connected with God’s covenant promise to His people. This love is based on God’s faithfulness not our obedience. His undeserved goodness. The term we see in the New Testament for this very same idea is grace. Tullian Tchividjian likes to call it God’s descending, one-way love. We worship God not because we’re good but because He is. Nehemiah prays to the ever-loving, ever-faithful God who’s behind everything that’s happened in the resettlement and rebuilding of Jerusalem. 

You might get the idea that Nehemiah is some sort of religious fanatic and bully when it comes to keeping the Sabbath. But this is NOT about following the rules. This is about knowing that God wants His best for us. He made us and knows we need rest. He made us for a deep relationship with Him. Observing the Sabbath is a huge part of that. A little more than 400 years later, Jesus would make it clear that God created the Sabbath for man, not the other way around (Mk 2:27). He tells the religious police that they are totally missing the point if they think rule-keeping on the Sabbath and temple worship is the big idea. “I tell you, something greater than the temple is here…For the Son of Man is the Lord of the Sabbath” (Mt 12:6, 8). What’s even better, there’s an ultimate Sabbath in our future (Heb 4:9-11). 

God loves you so much that He gives you a day off. He loves you so much that He wants you to spend that day off with Him.

Abandoning God's House

“When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” Legendary Notre Dame coach Frank Leahy may have said it first but thousands of coaches and leaders have used it to inspire their teams ever since. There’s just one little problem. The tough really aren’t so tough. Too many times, when the going gets tough, the tough get going…in the opposite direction. We walk away. We bail. We punk out. That’s what Nehemiah finds when he makes his return trip to Jerusalem (Nehemiah 13:10-14). Once the governor’s gone, times get tough in Judah. The Jewish people stop providing for the folks serving at the temple. The lead worshipers walk away and head home to feed their families. When the going gets tough, the tough get going…in the opposite direction. 

On the other hand, when the going gets tough, God gets going. That’s the big idea behind the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. How tough is the situation when we pick up the story? Pretty stinkin’ rough. The Hebrew people are almost 1,000 miles away in Babylonian exile. And that’s where they’ve been for 70 years. But before and during their captivity, God uses His prophets to remind His chosen people that He not only won’t forget about them but will bring them back home when the time is right. When the curtain rises back at the beginning of Ezra, the LORD taps a pagan king on the shoulder and tells him it’s time to send the Jews back to the Promised Land. If that’s not crazy enough, Yahweh has these unbelieving dictators pick up the tab for everything! God clearly has not bailed on His people. 

Zerubbabel leads the first of three expeditions from Babylon. He’s followed by Ezra and then Nehemiah. As governor, Nehemiah leads God’s people to return home in 446 BC (Neh 2:9-11). They rebuild the walls (Neh 3:1-4:23; 6:15-16). They read from God’s Word (Neh 8:1-18). They repent of their sin (Neh 9:1-38). They repopulate the city (Neh 11:1-24). They rejoice at all God has done (Neh 12:1-43). Around 434 BC, Nehemiah heads back to Susa as he had promised his boss (Neh 13:6). At some point, the governor comes back to check on the city and the people he’s poured his life into. While the situation wasn’t perfect when he left, it’s not the dumpster fire he finds when hits town. That’s when God uses Nehemiah to lead a series of reforms. (Neh 13:7-29).

After Nehemiah kicks Tobiah to the curb (Neh 13:8), the governor discovers the temple storage units are empty. “I also found out that the portions of the Levites had not been given to them” (v10). God provides for His house band through the giving of His people (Num 18:8-32). When the going gets tough, the people stop giving. When the pantry is empty, the folks serving at the temple hit the road. The generosity of the Jewish people allows them to work without worrying about where the next meal is coming from. When the fridge is empty, the Levites and singers “fled each to his field” (v10). A dude’s gotta feed his family, right?

The crisis here in Nehemiah 13 is so bad that God actually writes another entire book about it. That’s where Malachi comes in. God uses Malachi to speak some very hard truth to His people at this very same time. Through His spokesman, Yahweh charges the Jews with robbery for failing to bring their tithes and contributions (Mal 3:8-9). But if the people start giving the LORD is not only willing to drop the charges but throw “open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need” (Mal 3:10). The big idea: We can’t out-give God. The way to God’s true abundance is through generosity. Go ahead. Test God. Get into a giving contest with Him and see who wins. Let me know how that goes.

Meanwhile back in Nehemiah, the cupbearer/governor gets up in the grill of those in charge of temple. “So I confronted the officials and said, ‘Why is the house of God forsaken?’” (v11). Nehemiah describes this difficult conversation with the Hebrew term riyb. It means to contend, argue, make a complaint, quarrel, plead, or make a case. The idea is to engage in verbal combat, debate, or fight with words. Nehemiah will confront two other groups of people here in chapter 13. Next up, he wrangles with the best and brightest of Judean society for failing to observe the Sabbath (Neh 13:17). After that, he goes after Jews who’ve hooked up with local pagan hotties (Neh 13:25). Nehemiah uses the same verb when he pokes his finger in chest of the Hebrew bigwigs for their payday lending tactics to their own people. “I brought charges (Heb. riyb) against the nobles and officials” (Neh 5:7).

Before we get the idea that Nehemiah is one of those guys who loves to mix it up, let’s slow our roll just a bit. When you love God and His people, confrontation is never fun or easy. But there are times when it’s necessary. A firm but necessary conversation is actually an act of love. When you want God’s best for somebody, there are situations when you must speak up. It’s been said that hard words make for soft hearts. We see it at key points throughout the Bible. A classic instance is when Paul had an incredibly difficult conversation with Peter in Antioch (Gal 2:11-14). He didn’t do it because he was looking for a fight. Paul wanted God’s best for his buddy. So does Nehemiah.

The governor wants to know “Why is the house of God forsaken?” (v11). And by “house of God,” he means the temple. He uses the Hebrew verb ‘azab, which means to leave, depart from, abandon, or neglect. When times got tough, folks stopped giving. This is not so much about obeying some rule about percentage giving. While that is important, the people have turned their backs on their friends who’ve dedicated their lives to serve at the temple. When God’s people stop dropping off their tithes and offerings, they leave the Levites and singers swinging in the breeze. It wasn’t that long ago that the people spit shook and pinkie swore to make God’s temple and those who serve there a top priority. “We will not neglect (Heb. ‘azab) the house of God” (Neh 10:39). That didn’t last long now, did it?

It’s at this point that Nehemiah gets to work. He gets all of the temple staff and supervisors back on the job in their proper positions (v11). Under his leadership, the people start giving again. “Then all Judah brought the tithe” to the temple again (v12). You might want to step back. God is about to unleash His waterfall of blessing on His people (Mal 3:10). He handpicks treasurers to make sure the storehouses stay stocked (v13). Nehemiah actually did this before he leaving for Persia (Neh 12:44). At least one of his appointments, Eliashib the priest, not only dropped the ball but rented out one of the temple storage units to one of Jerusalem’s biggest enemies (Neh 13:4-7). The governor does some serious background checks on these new hires, “for they were considered reliable” (v13). They could be counted on. They had great reputations. How ‘bout you? Do people turn to you when the chips are down because of your rep?

Nehemiah raps up this first round of reforms with a prayer. “Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and do not wipe out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God and for His service” (v14). The gov is a man of prayer. We’ve read six prayers prior to this one (Neh 1:4-11; 2:4; 5:19; 6:9, 14; 9:6-38). As a matter of fact, he prays after each of his reforms here in chapter 13 (Neh 13:14, 22, 29). It’s his humble way of relying on God in each crisis. Do you turn to Him and seek His ultimate authority before, during, and after making hard decisions or having hard conversations?

When restoring the situation at the temple, Nehemiah turns to the One who will never turn His back on us. God promises to never ditch us. It wasn’t that long ago that Ezra prayed and thanked the LORD, “Our God has not forsaken (Heb. ‘azab) us in our slavery” (Ez 9:9) despite the fact that “we have forsaken (Heb. ‘azab) Your commandments” (Ez 9:10). It’s never bad to want to do the right thing, but these are often promises that we can’t keep. God is the only one who is truly faithful. God never bails. He never walks away. He never punks out. We see it all throughout Scripture. When the going gets tough, the Tough gets going. And He still does.

Evicting Evil

Picture yourself walking down the street when suddenly you hear CRASH! What in the wide world of sports was that? You come around the corner and you see a pile of broken furniture in somebody’s yard. And here comes some more! Some dude flings another chair out the front door! This is what happens landlord evicts a tenant that doesn’t belong. Maybe they’re behind on their rent. Maybe they’ve made themselves at home without paying a dime. One way or the other, they and their stuff is out. Kicked to the curb. 

We see a very similar scene in Nehemiah 13:4-9 when the governor gets wind of one of Israel’s sworn enemies using a holy storeroom as his apartment in the city. Nehemiah doesn’t waste a New York minute in giving Tobiah and his furniture the old heave-ho from God’s temple. The LORD has reserved His temple for His glory. Anything that doesn’t meet that criteria gets tossed. So when Nehemiah finds this enemy of God kicking back in the house of God, he takes things into his own hands. He takes Tobiah’s stuff into his own hands and throws it out. Nehemiah evicts evil. It’s also sneak preview of the coming attraction starring Jesus.

After giving us a quick look at some of the eventual repentance of the people when confronted with God’s Word (Neh 13:1-3), Nehemiah flashes back to something that happened setting the stage for Tobiah’s eviction. The author raises the curtain by writing, “Now before this” (v4). “This” would be the day when God’s people cut ties with those non-Jews who don’t worship Yahweh. For centuries, the LORD warns His chosen people against hooking up with folks who reject Him (Ex 34:16; Dt 7:3). It’s what brought down Solomon’s kingdom (1Ki 11:4-8). It’s what eventually led to God shipping the Hebrews into 70-year time out in Babylonian captivity. Despite the hot mess of their own sin still fresh in their minds, the Jews do it all over again once He brings them back from exile to Jerusalem (Ez 9-10). Believe it or not, Nehemiah has to deal with it during his term as governor (Neh 10:28-30). 

It seems a dude by the name of Eliashib is up to no good. Does his name sound familiar? Well, it should. He’s the third of six high priests who served after the return from captivity (Neh 12:10). Chances are he’s a very old man at this point. Nehemiah has given Eliashib the job of supervising some of the temple storage rooms (Neh 12:44). These are used like pantries for those serving at the temple. That’s when this particular priest decides to go rogue and rent one of the rooms under the table. It’s a painful reminder of the impact of integrity failure in leadership. I know this sounds super simple but leaders lead. They set the standard with their choices. Despite knowing better, Eliashib makes a horrible choice, allowing evil into the holy place. God has made it blatantly clear that when it comes to Ammonites and Moabites, His temple is a no-fly zone (Neh 13:1). In case you’ve missed it, our boy Tobiah is an Ammonite (Neh 2:10, 19; 4:3).

This is probably a good time to look back at Tobiah’s rap sheet. He’s a buddy of Sanballat the Horonite and Geshem the Arab (Neh 2:19). These three thugs do everything they can to taunt and terrorize God’s people (Neh 2:10; 4:1-3, 7-8). He’s one of the masterminds of the plot to assassinate Nehemiah when it becomes clear the walls of Jerusalem are just about rebuilt (Neh 6:1-9). Tobiah and Sanballat go so far as to grease the palm of prophet in an attempt to trash the governor’s rep (Neh 6:10-14). 

Why in the world would someone with Eliashib’s resume make such a bonehead decision? He is “related to Tobiah” (v4). Let’s take a little closer look at the original language and see what’s going on here. The author uses the Hebrew adjective qarob, which can mean near, neighbor, next to, kinsmen, or some sort of close personal relationship (Dt 30:14; 32:35; Ps 75:1). It describes coming into the most intimate proximity of someone or something. No surprise that it can even describe intimate sexual relations (Gen 20:4; Is 8:3). Moses drops this term drawing near to God in worship (Ex 3:5; Lev 4:11; Dt 5:23; Num 16:9; 18:4). 

So are Eliashib and Tobiah cousins? In-laws? Do they attend the same family reunions? Some translators believe they’re related (NASB, NRS, NLT, YLT, AMP). Others simply point to a very close friendship (KJV, NKJV, NIV, BBE, The Message). Apparently this out-law is an in-law. Check back and see what happened when the wall was finished. Some of the top Jewish families are actually passing notes with this thug like kids in study hall. “The nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters came to them. For many in Judah were bound by oath to him, because he was the son-in-law of Schecaniah the son of Arah; and his son Jehohanan had take the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah as his wife” (Neh 6:17-19). Tobiah’s tentacles reach deep into the Jewish people. Is it any surprise he leverages his influence for a penthouse in God’s house? 

You might wonder where Nehemiah was when Tobiah was backing up his U-Haul and moving into the temple. “While this was taking place, I was not in Jerusalem” (v6). Nehemiah had gone back to work as the wine steward for the king of Persia (Neh 1:11). “In the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon, I went to the king” (v6). He served as governor of Judah for 12 years, from 446-434 BC (Neh 5:14). He told his boss that he would return once the job was done (Neh 2:6). The cupbearer made good on that promise. We don’t know if someone tipped off Nehemiah about Eliashib’s shenanigans or he simply had the urge to check in on the situation in Judah. One way or the other, he “asked leave of the king and came to Jerusalem” (v6-7). You don’t invest a dozen years of your life leading, caring, and serving folks without giving them a special place in your heart. Nehemiah cared deeply about Jerusalem before (Neh 1:1-11). He cares even more now.

Once Nehemiah hits town, he hits the roof. That’s when he “discovered the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, preparing him a chamber in the courts of the house of God. And I was very angry ” (v7-8). The governor blows his stack when he finds out about the Ammonite’s apartment. How mad is he? Nehemiah uses the Hebrew verb yara’, which literally means to tremble, shake, or quiver. Ever been so furious about something that you shake? That’s how hot Nehemiah is. He can’t believe what’s going on in God’s house! He’s fuming over the evil that Eliashib has allowed inside! It’s at this point Nehemiah begins personally handling the eviction process. “I threw all the household furniture of Tobiah out of the chamber” (v8). Chairs. Tables. Beds. Lamps. Clothes. The governor sends it all flying out the door.

It’s a preview of what Jesus would do 500 years later! When He arrives at the temple, Christ cleans house of everything that has nothing to do with His Father’s glory (Jn 2:13-17). He has such a passion for the temple that He does it not once, but twice! In the days just before His crucifixion, Jesus turns over tables again (Mt 21:12-13). This does NOT belong in His Father’s house! Our Savior evicts evil. He gets rid of the stuff that doesn’t belong. 

Would you believe me if I told you that Jesus is still cleaning house? The temple in Jerusalem doesn’t exist anymore. The Romans bulldozed it in AD 70. But there’s another temple that Christ has a passion for. You and me. Once God saves us, He sends His Holy Spirit to live inside each one of us (Jn 16:13; Rom 8:11; Gal 4:6; 2Tim 1:14). The Apostle Paul told his friends in Corinth that we are now each temples of God’s Spirit (1Cor 3:16-17; 6:19-20). Jesus wants to clean house of the sin we still hide in the closet. He knows the damage that having this crap around does to the ones He loves. We need to let Him evict the evil from inside His temple. 

Curses and Blessings

There are just some things that are stupid to even try. Tugging on Superman’s cape. Skipping through the lion cage wearing a pork chop necklace. Challenging LeBron to a game of one-on-one. But those are a piece of cake compared to trying to outfox God. Let’s be frank. Anytime you get cocky enough to think you can pull a fast one on Almighty God, you’re gonna lose. Every. Single. Time. Oh, there may be a brief moment when you actually believe you’ve come out on top. But God wins. Every. Single. Time.

Here in the opening verses of Nehemiah 13, we see God’s people digging into the Old Testament for a group Bible study. To be honest, they didn’t call it the Old Testament back in the day. It was the ONLY testament! They hear how the LORD told the Israelites through Moses to keep certain non-Jews who refused to worship Him out of their assembly. They hear the story of how locals refused to give their Hebrew ancestors supplies on their way to the Promised Land. They hear the story of how a for-profit prophet refused to cash an easy check by cursing God’s people. They hear once again how the LORD continually takes something evil and turns it upside down into blessing. Once they’re reminded of God’s ridiculous and unrelenting grace toward His chosen people, the Israelites immediately apply what they’ve heard and break up with their pagan lovers. They hear God’s law. They hear God’s Gospel. They willingly obey.

Before we drill down on this passage, let’s get a few things on the table. There’s disagreement on when the events of this chapter go down. It sure seems that these three verses combine with Nehemiah 13:30-31 to form brackets around the rest of the chapter. In other words, the chronology of the story actually begins in verse 4 with the crazy story of Eliashib the priest turning one temple storage rooms into an apartment for Tobiah the Ammonite, who just happens to be one of the sworn enemies of God’s people. We read of an avalanche of scandals and sin occur once Nehemiah returns to Persia (Neh 13:6). He hightails it back to Judah put out the series of dumpster fires burning in Jerusalem (Neh 13:7). The governor uses a flashback describing how he extinguishes each of them in Nehemiah 13:8-29. So what we read here in verses 1-3 is actually the result of his ultimate reforms.

Smart dudes also believe that Nehemiah 13 is the last chapter of the Old Testament written chronologically. Malachi is the final book of the OT in our Bible. Most of what that prophet describes occurs right here in Nehemiah 13 somewhere between 433-424 BC. Folks a lot smatter than me think Ezra the scribe wrapped up writing the book of Nehemiah no later than 400 BC. When the author put down his pen and rolled up the scroll, the people didn’t hear from God for four centuries. Nothing but crickets from heaven until the Father sent His Son on the most breathtaking rescue mission the universe has ever seen.

As we pick up the action at the beginning of chapter 13, Nehemiah is back in town. He kept his promise of returning to King Artaxerxes of Persia. But he soon got word of Big Trouble in Little Judah (my apologies for anyone who didn’t catch the random Kurt Russell movie reference). The governor returns to Jerusalem and returns the people to God’s Word. Just as they had done right after rebuilding the city walls (Neh 8:1, 2, 8, 13, 18; 9:3), “they read from the Book of Moses in the hearing of the people” (v1). Once again, they hear the law. Once again, they hear of God’s impossible standard of perfect obedience. Once again, they hear the story of God’s amazing goodness to a repeatedly rebellious and ungrateful people. Once again, they hear of how He promises to personally come to their rescue.

As part of this Bible study, the come across Deuteronomy 23:3-6. “And it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God” (v1). These are two of the people groups that went out of their way to get in the way of God’s chosen people and their trip into the Promised Land. Because of their intentional opposition, the LORD made it perfectly clear that they’re on His naughty list. A couple important points. First of all, it doesn’t mean that an Ammonite or Moabite could never, ever turn from their idols and turn to the God of Israel. Don’t believe me? Flip over and read the story of Ruth. She’s an immigrant from Moab who eventually becomes the great-grandmother of King David (Ruth 4:17) and the ancestor of King Jesus (Mt 1:5). This is great news for just about everyone of us. If you’re like me, you’re a Gentile. We were originally on the outside looking in when it comes to God’s Kingdom. But we can thank Jesus for inviting us to His party.

On the other hand, God’s Ammonite/Moabite ban is important to remember because of what we’re about to read in the following section (Neh 13:4-9). It seems that Jerusalem’s arch-enemy Tobiah the Ammonite has weaseled his way into the temple. The author tips us off that a high priest named Eliashib is related to him in someway and has let him move into a room reserved for the supplies for the people serving on the worship team. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. 

Back at the big Bible study in Jerusalem, the people read the story of how the Moabites and Ammonites once “hired Balaam to curse them” (v2). Moses spends three whole chapters in Numbers going into detail about the time King Balak of Moab feels threatened by the massive posse of Israelites rolling into his country (Num 22-24). Balak throws a boatload of Benjamins at a guy named Balaam to curse the Hebrews. Balaam is a profitable prophet who’s made a reputation for giving you the prophecy you want if you’re willing to pony up the dollars. But a funny thing happens on the cursing. God happens. It’s a CRAZY story that involves a talking jackass (you really should read your Bible!). The next thing you know, Balaam isn’t cursing God’s people but passing along God’s blessing on them. I told you it was whack! 

It’s another incredible example of how “our God turned the curse into a blessing” (v2). That’s just about the same thing Joseph said to his brothers who sold him into slavery. “You mean evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Gen 50:20). They thought they were getting rid of their pesky kid brother once and for all. Little did they know that God would use their underhanded scheme to be the vehicle to save them from a famine back in Palestine. Turning curses into blessings is one of God’s specialties.

Over and over we see stories of people who are just goofy enough to think they can outfox God. It didn’t work for Satan. The Pharisees look like morons when they try to fool Jesus. And don’t try to trick yourself into thinking you and I don’t do the same thing. We pretend to worship God but we’re really treating Him like some supernatural vending machine. We don’t really want Him. We really don’t want a relationship. What we’re really after are His blessings. We need to wake up and smell the coffee. Oh, we may have a brief moment when we think we’ve pulled it over on Him. But it’s fool’s gold. You see, God wins. Every. Single. Time.

God's House Band

If you’ve ever played in a band, you don’t do it for the money. For every U2, Rolling Stones, and Maroon 5, there are tens of thousands of bands who come out on the short end of the bar bill at the end of the gig. But God has a plan to take care of the house band at His temple. That’s what we read here in Nehemiah 12:44-47. Each member of God’s chosen people will regularly contribute to the support of the folks who play on the worship team. They’ll stock storerooms full of food and supplies for every person who serves at the temple, all of the priests, Levites, singers, and gatekeepers. Who says there are no miracles mentioned in the book of Nehemiah? When the people give what God commands, His band doesn’t struggle to eat. 

Remember the setting of the story. It’s 445 BC. After His people spent 70-plus years of captivity in Babylon, God orchestrates their return to the Promised Land in three waves. First, under Zerubbabel (Ez 2:1-2). Second, with Ezra (Ez 7:6-10). Third, Nehemiah led the way (Neh 2:9-11). It’s important to remember the R’s of story. The people return. They rebuild the temple (Ez 6:14-15). They refurbish the walls (Neh 6:15). They repent of their sin (Neh 10:28-39). They repopulate the city (Neh 11:1-36). And ultimately they rejoice and praise God for all He’s doing (Neh 12:31-43).

The very same day as the twin parades on top of the walls and massive party at the temple, Nehemiah took very specific steps to provide for everyone serving in worship. “On that day men were appointed over storerooms, the contributions, the firstfruits, and the tithes, to gather them the portions required by the Law for the priests and for the Levites” (v44). You see, God’s plan to provide for those on the worship team isn’t anything new. He’s had that on the books for centuries (Lev 7:34-36; 18:21-24; Dt 18:1-5). God has given every other Jewish family a specific inheritance in the Promised Land EXCEPT for the descendants of Levi. No, He has a VERY special blessing for them. God Himself will be their inheritance (Dt 18:2). He’s handpicked Levi’s family “out of all your tribes to stand an minister in the name of the LORD, him and his sons for all time” (Dt 18:5). In return for their service, God “has given every tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service that they do” (Lev 19:21). 

The LORD blesses His band through the generosity of His people. That’s a perfect example of how He uses us to bless others. God graciously allows us to be part of His process of blessing. Our God is a Lover. Our God is a Giver. In fact, there’s no greater giver in the universe. A couple of chapters back, the people praise Him for placing them under His waterfall of grace (Neh 9:6-37). That’s not just limited to the Old Testament. Jesus tells Nicodemus how His Dad continues to keep on loving and giving. “For God so loved, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (Jn 3:16). God is also conforming us into the image of His Son (Rom 8:29; 2Cor 3:18), conforming us into givers as well. He blesses the band by turning His people into givers. He blesses those around us by turning us into givers too.

The people are still stoked over the epic party God has just thrown. In particular, the band rocked! “For Judah rejoiced over the priests and the Levites who ministered” (v44). The LORD used these men to lead the celebration over the completion of the walls. As an expression of thanks to God for His blessing through His band, people take the time to stock the storerooms at the temple. Along with the singers and gatekeepers, these servants at the house of God are doing everything “according to the command of David and his son Solomon” (v45). This is really nothing new. They simply went back to the way things worked under the musical direction of King David and his worship leader Asaph (v46). Consider it classic rock. 

Nehemiah reminds us of the power and importance of music. God continually commands us to use music as means to praise Him. Why else would He include Psalms, an entire book of the Bible to contain the lyrics of some of the greatest songs of all time? Music has a mysterious ability to touch our hearts like nothing else. Notice how God provides the lyrics but never gives us sheet music. It’s the words that set our minds on the goodness of our God. There’s no form of music that is inherently evil apart from the lyrics. There’s no requirement of certain instruments to be used in church (just do a search in Scripture for pianos and organs and see what you come up with). And when volume is discussed, it’s always loud. VERY loud. But the big point here is God’s gift of music. Crank it up.

Nehemiah wraps things up by describing how the temple staff divvy up the people’s offerings. Since the days of Zerubbabel up until Nehemiah’s era, all of Israel have been dropping off their stuff daily (v47). That’s how things have been done for almost 100 years since the Big Z first started bringing worship back. Once the supplies arrive at the temple, they divide them for each of the singers, gatekeepers, Levites and priests. When God’s people give, His house band isn’t broke. Who says there are no miracles in the book of Nehemiah?

Party People

Because I’m happy! Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof.

Because I’m happy! Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth.

Because I’m happy! Clap along if you know what happiness is to you.

Because I’m happy! Clap along if you feel like that’s what you wanna do.

“Happy” by Pharrell 

Not exactly the first thing pops into your head when somebody mentions the Old Testament. Usually it’s the wrath and judgment of an angry God. Strange wars between the Israelites and people with weird names like the Moabites, Ammonites, and Mosquito Bites. How ‘bout long lists of crazy laws and rules? But when you actually open up the OT and read it for yourself, you’ll see plenty of parties and parades. God’s people are a party people. And that’s because the LORD gives us plenty to party about. I think Pharrell is onto something. God and His blessings sometimes make you feel like you’re living in a room without a roof. Sometimes it means a party ON the roof!

That’s the scene here in Nehemiah 12:1-43. After 70-plus years of Babylonian exile, God’s chosen people are back in the Promised Land. It’s taken a while but they’ve rebuilt the temple (Ez 6:14-15), refurbished the walls (Neh 6:15), repented of their sin (Neh 10:28-39), and repopulated the city (Neh 11:1-36). Now it’s time to rejoice! If ever there was a time for the Jewish people to whoop it up and throw it down, it’s now. They’re not celebrating what they’ve accomplished but what God is doing through them and for them. And we’re going to see that He even is the One behind this big bash. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Nehemiah spends the first 26 verses of the chapter going over the roster of all of dudes who served as chief priests, priests, Levites, and gatekeepers since the Hebrews began their series of returns from exile. We start by blowing the dust off the page with a list that goes back to the “priests and Levites who came up with Zerubbabel” (v1). That’s 538 BC, some 93 years ago before Nehemiah’s return to Jerusalem. Zerubbabel led the expedition while Jeshua was the high priest. The roster goes on to break down those folks serving at the temple under the next two high priests, Joiakim (v12-21) and Eliashib (v22-26). 

So just who are these fellas? Well, they serve at the temple. So does that mean they’re stodgy party poppers who serve as the local fun police? I mean, aren’t people who work at the church supposed to make sure nobody gets anywhere close to having a good time? It’s sure how I remember things back where I grew up. But there’s just one little problem. That couldn’t be anymore wrong. These priests, Levites, and gatekeepers do everything they can to pull back the curtain on the joy we can only find in the LORD. They’re not party poopers but party starters!

The people of Judah were ready to get this party started a couple of thousand years before Pink. The Levites are just the folks they seek out when it comes to celebrating the completion of the rebuilt city walls. “And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites in all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness with thanksgivings and singing, with cymbals, harps, and lyres” (v27). In other words, every great party needs a great band. Bust out the sound system, boys. Crank that bad boy up to 11. This is gonna get loud! Every member of the worship team hightails into town for this spectacular hootenanny (v28). 

The governor decides to crank up this party with not one but two parades. “Then I brought the leaders of Judah up onto the wall and appointed two great choirs that gave thanks” (v31). Remember, Nehemiah’s mission all started when God broke his heart with breaking news about the broken walls of Jerusalem (Neh 1:2-11). Less than one year later, the walls up so it’s time to party down and thank the LORD for all He’s done to make this a reality. Curiously, the original language here doesn’t say anything about a choir. Nehemiah uses the Hebrew word towdah. It literally means thanksgiving or praise. These aren’t two big choirs of singers wearing robes and carrying hymnals. We’re talking about two huge teams of thankers and praisers. Are folks singing? You betcha. But don’t forget the musicians who’ve joined them (v27). This is less like a church service and more like Mardi Gras (minus the beads and debauchery!).

This shindig actually starts ON the walls! Talk about a room without a roof! Ezra leads parade number one which “went to the south on the wall to the Dung Gate” (v31). Nehemiah follows parade number two which “went to the north” (v38). These two rolling celebrations head in opposite directions with the plan to meet at the temple and whoop it up together (v40). Once at the house of God, lead singer Jezrahiah and the rest of the vocalists really cut loose (v42). This bash just keeps getting louder and louder and louder. 

Just in case you’re not buying the idea of this massive shindig the people are throwing in thanks to God, Nehemiah invites you in for a closer look. “And they offered great sacrifices that day and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and children also rejoiced. And the joy of Jerusalem was heard far away” (v43). Did you catch all that rejoicing? Happen to notice all that joy? The people rejoice. God made them rejoice. They have great joy. Women and kids rejoice. And their joy is LOUD! The governor drops two closely related Hebrew terms here. One is a noun, simchah, which means joy, gladness, pleasure, happiness, and jubilation. The other is a verb, samach, and it means to rejoice, be glad, celebrate, take pleasure, and revel. This isn’t some boring and stuffy reception in the church basement. Nehemiah gives us a glimpse of unbridled joy and jubilation in Jerusalem!

This is one of those shindigs where one of the neighbors calls the cops because of the volume. “And the joy of Jerusalem was heard far away” (v43). Imagine what’s going through the minds of Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem, and the other thugs when they hear the cheers from Jerusalem ringing in their ears. They’ve done everything they could to frighten and confuse the Jews and shut down the wall project (Neh 2:10, 19; 4:1-3, 7-8; 6:1-19). The noise level from the city reminds everyone of One behind their success. 

Because God is epic, this party is epic. This party has the heavenly stamp of approval. We see that “God had made them rejoice” (v43). All along, Nehemiah tells everybody who would listen that God has a firm grip on the process (Neh 2:8, 17; 4:20; 6:16). When the truth of God’s Word reveals their sin and rebellion, the people cry their eyes out. That’s when the governor lets them know that this is no time for tears. “For the joy of the LORD is your strength” (Neh 8:10). This a HUGE reminder that God is more committed to your joy than you are. So instead of thinking of He’s a cosmic killjoy, we should realize God wants His best for us. He wants His joy for us. Hard as it is for most of us to believe, that happens when we embrace a willing obedience to His commands. He didn’t give them to us to keep us from having fun, but to protect us from ourselves. Our obedience brings Him glory. Our obedience unlocks our joy. Pretty cool how that works out, huh?

Don’t get me wrong. Life is not one big bash with a hot cover band. Not even close. That’s because we’ve jacked up God’s perfect creation through our own sin and rebellion. As a result, we’ve opened the door to death, disease, and decay into the world. But God sent His Son to our rescue to save us from all that we’ve done. And in the end, He’s inviting us to greatest party the universe will ever see called the “marriage supper of the Lamb” (Rev 19:9). If you think things got loud in Jerusalem that day, the wedding reception for Jesus and His church is going to blow the doors off the place. The crowd is so loud, it will be “like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder” (Rev 19:6). That’s because they’ve cranked the music all the way up. I’m not sure Pharrell is going to be on the playlist, but the music will be blasting. As Tony Campolo likes to say, “The kingdom of God is a party.” God’s people should be party people. Because God is epic, His party is epic. 

The Draft Lottery

Jerusalem is a ghost town. You can just picture tumbleweeds blowing around. Hear the whistling wind. It looks more like the set of some dystopian movie than God’s holy city. Only a handful of hearty souls make their home here in 445 BC (Neh 7:4). It’s been almost 150 years since Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylonian blitzkrieg bulldozed the shining city on a hill into a pile of bricks. The enemy didn’t just destroy the city walls and buildings but hauled just about everyone living there back to Babylon as slaves. 

Just as God signed off on their captivity, He’s orchestrating the return of His chosen people to the Promised Land under the leadership of men like Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah. The walls are rebuilt (Neh 6:15). The people have repented (Neh 9:1-37). The temple is up and running (Ez 6:14-15; Neh 10:32-39). Now it’s time to resettle the city. Before the walls and gates were back up, it wasn’t safe to live there. Jerusalem was a sitting duck for attack from thugs like Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem, and the like (Neh 2:10, 19; 4:1, 7; 6:1-2). The other big reason the city is desolated is because it’s become a local joke (Neh 1:3; 2:19; 4:2-3). Who wants to live in a city that’s nothing more than a punchline? 

It’s times like these when God raises up leaders to make tough decisions. Leaders who lead by example. Nehemiah is just that dude. The LORD broke his heart with breaking news of broken walls (Neh 1:3-11). One minute he’s the wine steward to a pagan king in Persia, and the next he’s governor of Judah (Neh 1:11; 5:14). That’s the kind of crazy stuff that happens when God has His kung fu grip on you (Neh 2:8, 12, 18). Nehemiah and the people are staring a beast of a decision in the eyes. Who’s going to move back into Jerusalem? Who’s going to get out of their comfort zone for the good of the people and the glory of God’s kingdom? While life isn’t exactly easy in the ‘burbs outside the city walls, it’s a whole lot better than moving into the city and starting life all over again.

It’s no surprise that the first people to pack their bags and make the move are the leaders. “Now the leaders of the people lived in Jerusalem” (v1). Leaders lead. It’s what they do. Leaders never ask anybody to do something they wouldn’t do themselves. And in this case, the leaders lead the way in resettling the city. Nehemiah and his leadership team give the people a very practical example of what sacrifice for the good of the kingdom looks like. Leaders lead.

When Nehemiah asks for volunteers to join the lead team in town, he gets nothing but crickets. Okay, I realize the Bible doesn’t exactly say that, but why else would the governor need to hold a lottery to repopulate the city? “And the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to live in Jerusalem, the holy city, while nine out of ten remained in the other towns” (v1). My guess is that you didn’t want to be a lottery pick in this draft. It’s kind like being the number one pick of the Oakland Raiders (if you’re a fan of the silver and black, you have my sympathies). And just in case you think that shooting craps isn’t a very godly way to make this decision, you see it all throughout the Old Testament. King Solomon even includes the practice in the book of Proverbs. “The lot is cast in the lap, but its every decision is form the LORD” (Prov 16:33). Interestingly, the practice disappears from the pages of the Bible after the Holy Spirit arrives in Acts.

One out of every ten people are chosen to move into the city. One out of ten. Hmm. Does that ring a bell? The people have just finished offering their tithes to maintain the temple (Neh 10:37-38), and now they offer their tithe of people to resettle the city. Just as giving God back ten percent of what He gives us is a sacrifice, so is the tithing of these Jewish families. But it’s a reminder that we are not our own (1Cor 6:19-20; 7:23). God is looking for hearts that are attentive to His call and available for His service. 

Things apparently change after the draft lottery. It appears that volunteers stepped up to join the resettlement of the city. “And the people blessed all the men who willingly offered to live in Jerusalem” (v2). Nehemiah makes the difficult decision to move into the city along with the other leaders. He institutes a lottery to select more people to repopulate God’s city. This sets the stage for others to join them. Has moving into Jerusalem now become the trendy and hip thing to do? Is this like getting one of those funky lofts in the rebuilt warehouse downtown? Well, I’m not sure about that. But through the God-inspired leadership of Nehemiah, the number of people living in Jerusalem is rising rapidly. 

Don’t miss the fact that “the people blessed all the men who willingly” relocated inside the city walls. While many didn’t move, this was a community decision. What does it mean that they blessed their brothers? Undoubtedly, they pray for them. They ask God to bless them and protect them. They probably provide them with food and supplies. There’s not exactly a Food Lion or Piggly Wiggly around every corner. And chances are they helped them move. Is there any greater blessing than when a friend shows up to help you load and unload the U-Haul? I think not.

Taking Care of the House

Owning your own home is the American dream. But being a homeowner quickly becomes a nightmare if you fail to take care of the house. Instead of a blessing, it’s a burden. During their 70 years of exile in Babylon, God’s chosen people have dreamed worshiping again at the house of God in Jerusalem. The LORD has orchestrated their homecoming to the Promised Land, the rebuilding of the temple, and the reconstruction of the city walls. Their dream has come true. In Nehemiah 10:32-39, the Jewish people totally commit themselves to provide everything needed to support worship at the rebuilt temple. With God’s house ready to go, they commit to its maintenance and operation.

The Jewish people make this pledge of maintaining the house of God as part of the covenant promise just a few verses back (Neh 9:38-10:27). God’s Law has exposed and diagnosed their rebellion and disobedience (Neh 8:1-9:37). They turn to God, the only One capable of treating their disease. As they have done so many times before, God’s people repent and promise perfect obedience from this point on (Neh 10:29). They’ll stop shacking up and sleeping around with unbelievers (Neh 10:30). They’ll stop defiling the Sabbath and doing business with their pagan neighbors on Saturday (Neh 10:31). If you’re wondering how that works out, allow me to give you a sneak preview. They keep their covenant about as well as I kept every one of my New Year’s resolutions.

Just like there’s a cost in home maintenance, there’s a cost in the daily operation of God’s house. “We also take on ourselves the obligation to give yearly a third of a part of a shekel for the service of the house of God” (v32). Some smart dudes have sharpened their pencils and determined this is about ten percent the annual income of the Jewish family. This is the first time that God’s people have committed to pay what amounts to a temple tax. Back in Moses’ day, God did command His people to give a one time offering of half a shekel to cover the costs of tabernacle sacrifice (Ex 30:11-16). While Zerubbabel led the reconstruction of the temple 70 years ago in 515 BC, a huge focus of Nehemiah’s return is restoring proper worship at the rebuilt temple.Just like any new enterprise, there’s a cost to reboot of temple worship. This is a great reminder that worship costs something. No, I’m not saying that there’s a price of admission. You don’t buy a ticket. Worship involves sacrifice. Worship comes at a cost. The people pledge to pony up one third of a shekel to make that happen.

We see an itemized list of what this money will buy in verse 34. Think of it as a scriptural Excel spreadsheet. Nehemiah runs down the various various offerings and dates for regularly scheduled temple worship. God had given these specifications to Moses just after they hit the road from Egypt (Lev 24:5-9; Num 28-29). This money will provide “for all the work of the house of God” (v34). And if you’re going to make burnt offerings, you’re going to need wood. We see Isaac schlepping the wood for his own sacrifice back on Mount Moriah (Gen 22:6). They don’t have gas grills at the temple. So they hold a lottery to see who’s bringing the charcoal (v35). 

The people of God make a commitment “to bring the firstfruits” as an expression of their love for the LORD (v35). They’re bringing the first and best of every harvest to the temple (Ex 23:19; 34:26; Num 18:12-13; Dt 26:1-11). They’re bringing the first and best of their livestock as an act of worship (v36; Num 18:15-18; Dt 15:19-23). They’re bringing their first and best of their baking, their wine, and their oil (v37). They are even pledging to bring their oldest sons for service to God in His temple (v36; Ex 13:13; 34:20). First and best? Oldest sons? This sure sounds awfully familiar. I feel like I’ve heard something like this before. 

God’s people promise to bring “the tithes” to the Levites at the temple (v37). The Hebrew word here is ma’aser. It means ten percent or a payment of one tenth. This is the idea of that God owns it all but graciously allows us to keep the other 90 percent. He asks His people to return one tenth back to Him as an act of worship. In this case, we see that it’s being used to cover the operational costs of the temple. Then we see something interesting. The folks working at the temple aren’t exempt from contributing. “The Levites shall bring up the tithe of the tithe” (v38). In other words, the worship team is to give ten percent of what they receive from the ten percent of what the people give to pay their salaries. Does this mean that we’re still under the idea of tithing in the New Testament? Paul writes of percentage giving in one of his letters to Corinth (2Cor 9:5-7). Does that mean 10 percent? It’s not a bad place to start. Giving back to God one tenth of what He’s given you from the very start is an expression of faith that He’ll provide everything you need.

They sum up their entire pledge to provide for the temple workers by proudly proclaiming, “For the people of Israel and the sons of Levi shall bring the contribution of grain, wine, and oil to the chambers where the vessels of the sanctuary are, as well as the priests who minister, and the gatekeepers and the singers. We will not neglect the house of our God” (v38). I mean, who could ever disagree with this heartfelt promise? They’re totally committed to support worship at the temple and all those who serve there. There’s just one little problem. This all goes straight down the toilet just 12 years later in 434 BC (Neh 13:4-13). 

Four centuries later, God will provide absolutely EVERYTHING needed for sacrifice. Jesus came as our ultimate High Priest (Heb 4:14-16). He’s the ultimate firstborn Son (Jn 3:16; Col 1:15). He’s the ultimate sacrifice as the Lamb of God (Jn 1:29). He’s ultimate of the First and Best. He’s even the ultimate Temple (Jn 2:19). He offers such an over-the-top and amazingly perfect sacrifice on our behalf that He completely shuts down temple worship (Heb 7:27; 10:10-12). There’s no sacrifices left to make. There’s nothing left to pay. That’s why Jesus screamed for everyone to hear, “It is finished!” (Jn 19:30). Paid. In. Full. The cost of maintenance for God’s house has been covered.