Year 2, Week 28, Day 4 Bible Reading Observations

Year 2, Week 28, Day 4

I have a brief observation for today’s reading of Nehemiah 12-13.

Today’s reading completes the Book of Nehemiah. After the walls are repaired under the leadership of Nehemiah, Ezra reemerges in Nehemiah 7 to play a key role in leading the people to renew their covenant with the LORD. In yesterday’s reading, the people officially renewed their covenant to the LORD, which concluded with a commitment to the House of God: “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” (Nehemiah 10:39). The first segment of Nehemiah 12 continues the issue of repopulating Jerusalem as the lists of priests and Levites who relocated is provided: “These are the priests and the Levites who came up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel” (Nehemiah 12:1). Nehemiah 13 is a sad ending to the Book of Nehemiah as it records that every promise that the people made in renewing their covenant with the LORD was broken, leaving Nehemiah with another round of effort to renew the people: “Thus I cleansed them from everything foreign, and I established the duties of the priests and Levites, each in his work; and I provided for the wood offering at appointed times, and for the firstfruits. Remember me, O my God, for good” (Nehemiah 13:30-31). And yet, the events recorded in Nehemiah 13:4-31 seem to have taken place before the events recorded in Nehemiah 12:44-13:3. So, it seems that Nehemiah’s faithful efforts seem to bring about a good outcome: “On that day they read from the Book of Moses in the hearing of the people. And in it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God…As soon as the people heard the law, they separated from Israel all those of foreign descent” (Nehemiah 13:1-3).

One of the things that struck me from today’s reading was how the specific examples of the people’s unfaithfulness corresponded to the specific commitments they made in their covenant renewal: “Now before this, Eliashib the priest, who was appointed over the chambers of the house of our God, and who was related to Tobiah, prepared for Tobiah a large chamber…and I then discovered the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, preparing for him a chamber in the courts of the house of God” (Nehemiah 13:4-5a,7). A large room had been cleared out, no longer to be used for the purposes of the priests, so that Tobiah, an influential enemy with Ammonite connections, could move into that room. Tobiah’s presence brought immediate defilement to the Temple. When Nehemiah arrived back in Jerusalem, he immediately removed Tobiah from the Temple area: “And I was very angry, and I threw all the household furniture of Tobiah out of the chamber. Then I gave orders, and they cleansed the chambers, and I brought back there the vessels of the house of God” (Nehemiah 13:8-9).

Nehemiah also learned that the Levites were not receiving what was due them: “I also found out that the portions of the Levites had not been given to them, so that the Levites and the singers, who did the work, had fled each to his field” (Nehemiah 13:10). Out of something of a necessity, the Levites were leaving Jerusalem in order to secure their own resources. With the worship that was to take place at the Temple being threatened, Nehemiah immediately dealt with this matter: “So I confronted the officials and said, “Why is the house of God forsaken?” And I gathered them together and set them in their stations. Then all Judah brought the tithe of the grain, wine, and oil into the storehouses” (Nehemiah 13:11-12). Nehemiah then prays that his efforts would be effective: “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” (Nehemiah 13:14).

Next Nehemiah discovered that the Sabbath was being violated: “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. And I warned them on the day when they sold food” (Nehemiah 13:15). Once again Nehemiah immediately dealt with this matter: “Then I confronted the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this evil thing that you are doing, profaning the Sabbath day?” (Nehemiah 13:17). And as he previously had done, Nehemiah seeks the LORD concerning that he had done: “Remember this also in my favor, O my God, and spare me according to the greatness of your steadfast love” (Nehemiah 13:22b).

Still another matter that Nehemiah ran into was the practice of mixed marriages: “In those days also I saw the Jews who had married women of Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab” (Nehemiah 13:23). Nehemiah’s intervention in this matter involved actions meant to shame the participants, particularly in reference to one of the priests: "And I confronted them and cursed them and beat some of them and pulled out their hair. And I made them take an oath in the name of God, saying, “You shall not give your daughters to their sons, or take their daughters for your sons or for yourselves…And one of the sons of Jehoiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was the son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite. Therefore I chased him from me.” (Nehemiah 13:25,28). Even in light of these actions, Nehemiah prayed: “Remember them, O my God, because they have desecrated the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites” (Nehemiah 13:29). While Nehemiah’s actions may seem over the top to us, his motivation to purify the LORD’s house and the LORD’s people previews the holy actions of One who was yet to come: “And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables” (John 2:15).

What struck you in today’s reading? What questions were prompted from today’s reading?

Pastor Joe