Nehemiah 13:4-9

We will look for help, inspiration, encouragement and correction in the book of Nehemiah. One of the frightening things in the Bible is the speed with which people can change their mind about the things of God and the speed at which they allow their relationship with the Lord to deteriorate.

We don’t know much of Nehemiah’s personal history but we can learn some things about him from the pages of his diary which have been preserved for us in the book bearing his name in the Bible. His office, as cup-bearer at the Persian Court, was an important one. He was evidently held in high regard by the king. He was a man of wealth and influence. He was also a man of profound faith who connected everything, large or small, with the will of God. There is no better example in Scripture of complete dependence upon God, united with personal, practical effort.

The people living in Jerusalem had returned from exile in Babylon and had been back in Jerusalem for thirteen years before we meet Nehemiah. They were the first of the returnees from Babylon. They had been led by Ezra but it seems highly probable that Ezra was not present in Jerusalem when Nehemiah arrived with the authority of King Artaxerxes but returned soon afterwards. Nehemiah had learned of the plight of the Jews in Jerusalem from one of his brothers who was one of a party who had reason to visit the city where Nehemiah was serving the king at that time. The news from of the Jews from Jerusalem was not good.    

Neh 1:3-4 They said to me, "The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire." 4 So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.                                                             

After much prayer, he got the opportunity to ask for the king’s permission to go to Jerusalem to see for himself the situation there and to assist the Jews with their problems. He arrived in Jerusalem with a definite purpose, but he judged it prudent to keep it secret until he had time to size up the situation for himself. The first six chapters contain an account of his arrival in Jerusalem; his discovery of the condition of the city wall; his successful plan for restoring the wall; the resistance to his plan, and the skilful way in which he overcame the opposition. 

The key to making Jerusalem secure from those who regularly pillaged and robbed it was to rebuild the city walls. Everyone in Jerusalem cooperated in the project but, after overcoming opposition from their enemies, internal problems among the Jews became evident and many complained about the way some of the nobles were treating the poor.

Nehemiah 5:2 Our families are larger than we can provide for; we are obliged to go in debt; and our richer brethren take advantage of our necessitous situation, and oppress us.                                                                                                            Nehemiah 5:3   God may have sent a judicial dearth upon the land, as we learn from Haggai, for the people it seems were more intent on building houses for themselves than on rebuilding the house of the Lord. This effect of this dearth might have continued to be felt, but it could be that there was a new dearth owing to the great number of people and t he land that had been brought into cultivation was not sufficient to support them.

 Nehemiah 5:6 Some of the nobles were charging the poor interest. This was expressly contrary to the law of God; and was doubly cruel at this time, when they were just returning out of the land of their captivity, and were suffering from the effects of a dearth. Some think that it was about the time of a Sabbatical year, when their land must have lain at rest without cultivation, and during which they were expressly commanded not to exact any debt.

Nehemiah brought all these offenders before the rulers of the people and received a good response from them.                     Then said they, We will restore them, and will require nothing of them; so will we do as thou sayest. Then I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they should do according to this promise. Nehemiah 5:12

Nehemiah himself had set an example. Nehemiah 5:14

Moreover from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even unto the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that is, twelve years, I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor.

From what is related here, and in the following verse, we find that the table of the governor was always supplied by the people with bread and wine; and, besides, they had forty shekels per diem for their other expenses. The people were also greatly oppressed by the servants and officers of the governor; but, during the twelve years that Nehemiah had been with them, he did not take this salary, and ate none of their bread. Neither did he allow his servants to take or exact anything from them. Having such an example, it was scandalous for their chiefs, priests, and nobles to oppress an afflicted and distressed people.

From the eighth chapter Ezra is associated with Nehemiah, and the influence of Ezra is especially marked in chapters eight to the end of the book. These two men shared a love for the Lord and a desire to faithfully serve Him.

In chapter 9v38ff they cooperated in leading the people into a new covenant with God which demonstrated that the people were determined to honour God’s Word and desired to please God. The Covenant was subscribed to by people of all ranks and classes.    

Neh 10:28-29 Now the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the Nethinim, and all those who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, everyone who had knowledge and understanding. These joined with their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse and an oath to walk in God's Law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the Lord our Lord, and His ordinances and His statutes:

They would obey carefully; they built booths;                       they confessed their sins ;they worshipped the Lord their God; they gave as God prospered them. Money, bread, grain, wood, first-fruits, tithes.    "We will not neglect the house of our God." 10:39

Following the rebuilding of the wall around Jerusalem, and the rejoicing that accompanied it, Nehemiah had to return to the Persian Court. After some years, he returned to Jerusalem to find many abuses had grown up during his absence. The religious revival had passed. The reforms were overturned. Life returned to normal and God was again relegated to the back seat in most people’s lives.

The building of the walls and gateways of the city were followed by a religious revival symbolised by the signing of a covenant. Two noticeable absentees among the signatories were Eliashib, the high priest, and his son Jehoiada. As soon as Nehemiah has gone Eliashib became the head and ruler of the city and he swept away many of the reforms that Nehemiah had introduced. Perhaps Nehemiah’s return was unexpected. Maybe his enemies thought that his duties would keep him at the court of the king in Babylon for the rest of his life. Nehemiah's indignation was especially roused by the desecration of the House of God. He faced Eliashib on his own ground, and with his own hands, throws out the "household stuff" of Tobiah, and has the Temple chambers cleansed from the defilement.

When Nehemiah returned he found the people were living as though there was no God. The Sabbath day was ignored and the people treated it as an ordinary day. Wine presses were trodden, burdens were carried and the donkeys were kept busy. Traders from Tyre entered the city with their fruit and fish for sale. Foreigners filled the streets with their cries of bargains to be had. These strangers brought with them their evil ways and their idolatries.

It may seem strange that the religious life of the nation could go from one of self interest and discouragement to one of commitment and enthusiasm and then just as quickly back to the pursuit of pleasure and business while the things of God are largely ignored. The Christian life is difficult. Compromise offers an easy alternative. Its effects are all round us. This is the most popular form of Christianity at this present time.

This passage reminds us that it is possible to start well and to finish badly. It also reminds us that if we go astray it is possible to make a new start. A new start for us as with people in Nehemiah’s day begins with the reading and applying of God’s Word. Remind yourself of what sin is and what its consequences are. Confess it to God as sin. Get back on course and run your race with your eyes steadfastly focused on Christ.