Nehemiah

Nehemiah 10

There were 84 people who put their name on this document; comitting to the covenant.  The list of names starts with Nehemiah, the priests follow, then the Levites, followed by the leaders. 

Taking an oath was considered a pertinent part of making covenant.  The comittment to a covenant was more meaningful personally when an oath was taken and it accompanied a curse.  Consider Lev 26 and Deut 28.  The oath was:

• To walk in God's law
• To ovserve and do all the mcommandments, ordinances and statures
• Not give their daughters as wives to foreigners.
• Not buying on the Sabbath.
• To live by the stipulations of Exod 23:10-11, Lev 25:2-7 and Deut 15:1-3
• Agreed to pay a temple tax (Exod 30:11-16)
• They comitted to bringing in the firstfruits.
• To bring in the tithes of the land.

Within the oath is the comittment to operate the temple and support the priests and Levites who are doing the work there.

Nehemiah 11

Nehemiah 7:1-4 presented the problem of there being not enough people living in Jerusalem to fill it and defend it.  A large number of citizens offered to live in the city.  They cast lots so that the decision of who came was left up to the Lord and not any leaders.  A tithe of the people were selected to populate the city and defend it.  There were probably some who didn't want to move; so the those who volunteered were commended. 

The list of people in habiting Jerusalem is similar to that of 1 Chronicles 9.  The population etimates range from 4800 to 8000. 

Nehemiah 12

In this chapter, Nehemiah lists the priests and Levites from the time of Zerubbabel through the time of Nehemiah.  These are the spiritual leaders of the nation and those who operated and officiated at the newly rebuilt temple. 

Verse 27 picks up Nehemiah's narrative and memoir from where he left off at Nehemiah 7:5.  This dedication probaly took place within a month of the completion of the wall.  At the dedication of the wall the Levites were called to Jerusalem and two large choirs were on the top of the wall and to go in opposite directions.  The leaders joined them and they all praised God and sang to Him.  The obvious focus is the worshipful restoration of Jerusalem in conjuction with temple worship.  God had made them rejoice with great joy!  God is indeed good.

Nehemiah 13

Nehemiah 13:1-3

The Jews are learning again about God and his word.  They were re-learning about holiness and being set apart as God's special people.  They were reading in Deuteronomy 23:3-5; they didn't decide that this was an outdated law that didn't apply.  They took what they read seriously.  What they read moved them to action. 

This separation may have seemed like a racial arrogance; but it wasn't racial at all.  This was a separation to prevent God's people from falling into idolatry.  These foreigners worshiped false gods.  Foreigners who worshiped the God of Israel were welcomed in; consider Ruth the Moabite. 

Nehemiah 13:4-9

We know Tobiah was one of the enemies of Nehemiah and the work of the temple.  He was an Ammonite married to a Jewish woman.  Eliashib was over the store room at the temple.  He allowed Tobiah access to this room in the temple, giving him access and influence right in the middle of the temple activities.  The high priest had to be aware of this as well as many others.  This shows that something was wrong.  They weren't upholding the standards of God's law. 

Nehemiah had governed in Jerusalem for 12 years when he returned to King Artaxerxes.  It was some time later that he asked the king for permission to return to Jerusalem again.  This was when he found Tobiah was allowed in the storehouse.  Nehemiah set the priests straight and kicked Tobiah out.  He cleansed the rooms and set them in order.

Nehemiah 13:10-14

The Levites had not been provided for because Tobiah was stealing their provision.  This forced the Levites to go back to work and therfore took away from their ability to serve at the temple.  Nehemiah takes great exception to what has happened.  God had provided for the Jews and brought them back; allowed them to overcome many obstacles to return to Jerusalem.  Now they were squandering it; failing at their covenant promises. 

Nehemiah offers his prayer that all his previous work would not be allowed to waste away. 

Nehemiah 13:15-22

Nehemiah also discovered that they were profaning the sabbath.  They were buying and selling and working like it was any other day.  Nehemiah scolded the nobles for allowing this to happen.  He then went to the gates and instructed them to be closed during the Sabbath.  He placed guards at the gate to assure people weren't sneaking stuff in.  He even chased off a couple of vendors outsdie the wall.    

Nehemiah 13:23-31

The discovery that Jews had married foreign women must have been horifying to Nehemiah.  This was jeopordizing the future of the nation.  Nehemiah got rough with some of these folks.  He even found a son of the high priest had married Sanballat's daughter.  This marriage the most troubling of all. 

Nehemiah cleaned it all up and offered a prayer.  He had to wonder who would hold the standards when he was gone. 

©2017 Doug Ford