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- Preaching the Living WORD through
the Written WORD - 2 Tim 4;:2 - |
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NEHEMIAH’S REFORMS: FOREIGNERS AND TITHING Nehemiah
13:1-14 9/26/10 Grace
Bible Church, Gillette, Wyoming Pastor
Daryl Hilbert I. INTRODUCTION A. In regard to Nehemiah’s
reforms, chapter 13 includes the reforms after his twelve years of service as
the governor of Jerusalem. B. Nehemiah began his mission in the
twentieth year of Artaxerxes (Ne 2:1) which was about 444 B.C. According to
Ne 13:6, Nehemiah had gone back to serve as cupbearer to the Persian King
Artaxerxes in his thirty second year (432 B.C.) as he promised (Ne 2:6). C. Nehemiah had served as governor for over
twelve years before returning to Persia. However, “sometime” after serving
the king, Nehemiah asked permission to return to Jerusalem. D. There are some that attempt to match the
phrase “on that day” (Ne 13:1) with the Day of Dedication (cp. Ne 12:44 - “on
that day”). However, Nehemiah records that “during all this time” he was not
in Jerusalem. The phrase then, “on that day,” refers to a time twelve years
later than the day they dedicated the wall. Most likely, it was a special day
because on that day, they removed foreigners from their worship service. II. NEHEMIAH RECORDS THE
EXCLUSION OF FOREIGNERS FROM WORSHIP (13:1-3) A. [Ne 13:1] - Sometime after
Nehemiah had gone back to serve the King, the Jews in Jerusalem read the law
of Moses on one of their regularly scheduled readings. They read De 23:3-5
where it states, “…no Ammonite or Moabite shall enter the assembly of the
LORD.” B. [Ne 13:2] - The reason God had said this,
was because the Ammonites and Moabites did not seek the welfare of the sons
of Israel. Not only did they refuse them bread and water, but they also hired
the prophet Balaam to curse Israel (Nu 22-24). But like many other times God
had turned a curse into a blessing for His people (Nu 23:8-11). C. [Ne 13:3] - Upon hearing the word of God,
the people were convicted and excluded all foreigners from Israel. During
Israel’s revival at least twelve years earlier, they “separated themselves
from all foreigners” (Ne 9:2). Obviously they slipped back into their old
ways and allowed foreigners to participate in worship. III. NEHEMIAH REMOVES TOBIAH
THE AMMONITE (13:4-9) A. [Ne 13:4] - However, the
Jews did not make a complete separation. Nehemiah records that Eliashib the
high priest (Though the text only says, “priest” {cp. Ne 3:1, 20, 13:28} and
some suggest this is a different Eliashib, Eliashib the high priest had his
inconsistencies cp. Ne 13:28. ) was related to (qarob
- come near, possibly kinsman) Tobiah, “the Ammonite” (Ne 2:10, 19, 4:3).
B. [Ne 13:5-7] - Eliashib had provided a
large room for Tobiah in one of the chambers of the household of God.
Previously, the room was reserved for temple storage of priestly utensils and
supplies. Obviously, even the priesthood had been neglected under Eliashib’s
watch. Had Nehemiah been present, it is very doubtful that these compromises
would have taken place. It may also suggest that Nehemiah’s return to Persia
may have been quite lengthy. However, when Nehemiah visited Jerusalem, he
learned about Eliashib’s disobedience and evil. C. [Ne 13:8-9] - It is at this point we begin
to see Nehemiah’s more forceful responses. Sometimes a little more aggressive
responses are required when repeated attempts to correct a situation have
failed. Nehemiah was “very displeased” which carried the connotation of
mightily or forcefully (meōd cp.
“might” in Dt 6:5) displeased. Nehemiah’s displeasure caused him to
“throw” (shalak,verb
in hiphil or causative aspect) all of Tobiah’s
goods out of the room. It is an instance of righteous indignation and is very
similar to Jesus’ response in cleansing the Temple (Jn 2:14-17). D. [Ne 13:9] - According to Law, the room in
the courts of the house of God had been defiled by an Ammonite. Therefore,
Nehemiah had the room ceremonially cleansed (tahêr
- to be clean or pure). This was the same word used in Ne 12:30 when the
priests purified themselves along with the people. After which, Nehemiah had
the room restored to its original purpose and once again stored utensils,
grain offering, and frankincense in the room. IV. NEHEMIAH REESTABLISHES
TITHING (13:10-14) A. [Ne 13:10] - Nehemiah also
learned when he returned that the provisions for the Levites and the singers
had been neglected. It was so bad that instead of being able to dedicate
themselves full time to the ministry, they had to go back to their fields and
provide for themselves. B. [Ne 13:11-2] - As a result, Nehemiah
reprimanded the officials for not making sure that provisions were made for
the ministry. In fact, he made it clear that they no longer had God and His
house as their first priority. They no longer has the spirit they had some
twelve years earlier (Ne 12:44-45). He asked them quite poignantly, “Why is
the house of God forsaken?” On an interesting note, the prophet Malachi, who
was a contemporary of Nehemiah, wrote of the same problems of Jerusalem at
that time (Mal 3:8-15).So Nehemiah restored the Levites and the singers to
their posts. Under Nehemiah’s leadership Jerusalem was once again reformed
and “all Judah then brought the tithe of the grain, wine and oil into the
storehouses.” C. [Ne 13:13] - Nehemiah, as he had done
years prior, appointed and delegated faithful men to various positions to
oversee that these tasks were carried out. He appointed men who were
“reliable.” The word is aman (same root
as amên transliterated into our English “Amen")
means to be trustworthy, dependable, and faithful. This word had the same
root as the “faithful” appointees in Ne 7:2. They were faithful because they
feared God. It is in the same spirit as 2Ti 2:2. D. [Ne 13:14] - Nehemiah adds his prayer of
God’s remembrance. The expression is used some six times in the book. It is a
cry of faith, priority, and service in which Nehemiah prays that all his
labor would not be in vain (cp. Ga 4:11; Phil 2:16; cp. 1Co 15:58). V. OBSERVATIONS AND
APPLICATIONS A. Leadership is faithful in
keeping their word and bringing promises to fruition (Ne 13:6). 1. A
person’s word is a reflection upon their character and reputation. 2. For believers, it also becomes a
reflection upon God’s truth. Otherwise our words about God’s Word and truths
may be dismissed to the same degree as our word. B. Leadership understands
that unbelievers cannot be a part of worship and ministry (Ne 13:8). 1. Unbelievers
do not have the Holy Spirit and are unable to understand the things of God
(1Co 2:14). 2. Therefore they do not have a heart for
God’s Word or the welfare of His people. C. Leadership understands
that reforms must be checked periodically (Ne 13:10-11). 1. It is
one thing to experience a move of God in one’s life or church. 2. But it is a completely different thing to
make sure those reforms stay intact. 3. Lethargy is not only the road to
forsaking reforms but the road to sin as well. D. Leadership promotes
faithful individuals, faithful support, and faithful ministry (Ne 13:13). 1. Faithfulness
is an attribute that is precious to the saints in regard to His promises. 2. Faithfulness is an attribute precious to
God which He desires to be reflected in His children. 3. Furthermore, without faithfulness,
support and ministry suffer. |
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