Nehemiah 13: “Nehemiah Returns Some Years After His 12 Year Reign As Governor And Again Causes Revival”
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1. TIMELINE:
These graphs depict the timeline of the Old Testament, and note that the book of Nehemiah is written about a period of history after the Babylonian captivity and beginning in 445 BC.
Graph of Persian kings & Jewish companies sent out by them to Judea:
1.1. In our last study, we looked at chapters 12 of the book of Nehemiah.
1.1.1. We have seen in our study that in 445 BC that Nehemiah, a cupbearer to King Artaxerxes I, heard that the people in Jerusalem were in great distress and reproach, and the city wall was still broken down and its gates burned. This caused him to mourn, pray, and fast for four months that God might move the king’s heart and allow him to go and to rebuild Jerusalem’s wall. Finally, the Lord moved in the king’s heart and he allowed him to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the city’s wall. The king gave Nehemiah all that he requested to successfully complete the job and even bankrolled the operation.
1.1.2. The last study dealt with the celebration of the Judeans upon the completion of the wall around Jerusalem. All of those in Judea got up on the wall and walked around the city in two different groups going in opposite directions, one being led by Nehemiah and the other by Ezra.
1.1.3. We talked about the importance of celebrating with a thankful heart and in the joy of the Lord as Christians. We saw that thankfulness and joy are really key central components of our worship as God’s people. Plus, living like this helps our witness as Christians.
1.2. In our study today, we are going to look at chapter 13, and then also finish up the book.
1.2.1. Nehemiah had been granted permission to reign as governor over Judea for a period of twelve years. After the twelve years were over he had kept faithful to his commission and returned to the king of Persia, whom he once had served as cupbearer. Chapter 13 tells us what happened upon Nehemiah’s return and how he once again brought about revival in Judea.
1.2.2. We don’t know how long it was after Nehemiah’s return to Persia that he came back to Jerusalem, but people have speculated it was anywhere from perhaps a year and a half to fifteen years.
1.2.3. There were six primary commitments that the Judeans had made to the Lord in the oath of obedience that they had signed in chapter 10 of the book, and when Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem he discovered that virtually everyone of those same promises they were violating at this time (a possible exception might be number 5 here):
1.2.3.1.They had promised not to intermarry with the people of the land.
1.2.3.2.They had promised to do no work on the Sabbath.
1.2.3.3.They had promised to regularly give the required temple tax.
1.2.3.4.They had promised to take care of the provisions for the temple, such as gathering the wood that was needed for the sacrifices.
1.2.3.5.They had promised to continue to give the firstborn of all to the Lord (their sons could be redeemed according to the law).
1.2.3.6.They had promised to be faithful to give the tithe that the Lord commanded of them.
1.2.4. The prophet Malachi was the last writer of the Old Testament, and he prophesied some years after Nehemiah had resigned as governor of Judea. Malachi’s writing may have been contemporary to the events found here in chapter 13. In Malachi’s book, he condemns the people of Judea for these same sins that Nehemiah finds in chapter 13 that the people have been committing, including:
1.2.4.1.Worship:
1.2.4.1.1.Mal 1:8-14: the Judeans were sacrificing the blind and lame animals instead of the one’s without spot or blemish as the law commanded.
Malachi 1:8-14: “8 “But when you present the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you present the lame and sick, is it not evil? Why not offer it to your governor? Would he be pleased with you? Or would he receive you kindly?” says the Lord of hosts. 9 “But now will you not entreat God’s favor, that He may be gracious to us? With such an offering on your part, will He receive any of you kindly?” says the Lord of hosts. 10 “Oh that there were one among you who would shut the gates, that you might not uselessly kindle fire on My altar! I am not pleased with you,” says the Lord of hosts, “nor will I accept an offering from you. 11 “For from the rising of the sun even to its setting, My name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense is going to be offered to My name, and a grain offering that is pure; for My name will be great among the nations,” says the Lord of hosts. 12 “But you are profaning it, in that you say, ‘The table of the Lord is defiled, and as for its fruit, its food is to be despised.’ 13 “You also say, ‘My, how tiresome it is!’ And you disdainfully sniff at it,” says the Lord of hosts, “and you bring what was taken by robbery and what is lame or sick; so you bring the offering! Should I receive that from your hand?” says the Lord. 14 “But cursed be the swindler who has a male in his flock and vows it, but sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord, for I am a great King,” says the Lord of hosts, “and My name is feared among the nations.””
1.2.4.2.Married life/Marriage and Divorce:
1.2.4.2.1.Mal. 2:14-17: the Judeans were divorcing the wives of their youth, thus dishonoring them, and it was probably the case that they were doing this in order to intermarry with the foreign women that lived in the land.
Malachi 2:14-17: “14 “Yet you say, ‘For what reason?’ Because the Lord has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. 15 “But not one has done so who has a remnant of the Spirit. And what did that one do while he was seeking a godly offspring? Take heed then to your spirit, and let no one deal treacherously against the wife of your youth. 16 “For I hate divorce,” says the Lord, the God of Israel, “and him who covers his garment with wrong,” says the Lord of hosts. “So take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously.” 17 You have wearied the Lord with your words. Yet you say, “How have we wearied Him?” In that you say, “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and He delights in them,” or, “Where is the God of justice?””
1.2.4.3.Giving.
1.2.4.3.1.Mal. 3:8-11: the Judeans were not giving to the Lord of their required tithes.
Malachi 3:8-11: “8 “Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. 9 “You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you! 10 “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. 11 “Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes,” says the Lord of hosts.”
1.2.5. When a shepherd leaves his sheep, that is the time that the wolf strikes them. Tobiah, the governor of Moab, had been allowed by the high priest to have a room inside the temple to both keep his gear in the temple as well as sleep. Also, Sanballat, the governor of Samaria, his daughter had married an Israelite, and his son-in-law from this marriage was involved with the Judeans in the highest levels of their leadership These evils had occurred and been tolerated after Nehemiah had left his post as governor and returned to Persia.
1.2.6. Also, in our lives as God’s people, when we have been God’s people for some time and have matured some in Him, the thing that we now need to be careful of in our life is compromise. It is so easy for us to begin to compromise in areas that we once had victory in, one at a time. We may for instance begin to loosen our tongue every now and then and utter a curse word. Next, we might begin to be a little dishonest in our dealings with others. Then, we might begin to cheat on our taxes. One compromise at a time we begin to walk further and further away from the Lord until our lives are being in such a way that we no longer have a vibrant testimony and witness for Christ that we once had. The Judeans had made one little compromise with sin after another since Nehemiah had left them as their governor.
1.2.7. The last thing that Nehemiah wanted to see at this time was the compromise he finds in the lives of the Judeans when he returns. He is also now an elderly man, and thus he could have been tempted to just not deal with the sin in the Israelite’s lives, and just accept the status quo. However, Nehemiah’s finest hours came at this time in the way that he dealt with the Judeans and their rebellion.
1.2.8. We will see that Nehemiah again demonstrates the characteristics of an effective leader when he gets to Jerusalem:
1.2.8.1.As an effective leader Nehemiah perseveres in the calling that the Lord has for him (he not only starts a good race or fight, he finishes well).
1.2.8.2.As an effective leader Nehemiah is decisive and direct in facing even hard decisions.
1.2.9. When Ezra had first come to Jerusalem to enforce the law and help in getting the wall and the houses in Jerusalem rebuilt, when he finally realized that there was a tremendous spiritual problem because the Judeans had broken God’s laws by intermarrying with the foreign peoples in the area, here was his response in Ezra 9:3: “When I heard about this matter, I tore my garment and my robe, and pulled some of the hair from my head and my beard, and sat down appalled.” Ezra was so horrified and grieved at the sin of the people of Judea for their transgression and disregard of God’s law that he was not able to function, and it was his response that caused the people to gather together and begin to confess their sins and repent. Ezra then told them to put away their foreign wives as well as the children born to them. Here though, we see that Nehemiah’s response was the total opposite of Ezra’s. Nehemiah went ballistic for God in correcting the sins of the people and getting them to repent. Charles Swindoll describes Nehemiah’s response as going after the throats of the offenders in Judea. Nehemiah revealed that he was a no-nonsense type of guy as he dealt with the offenders directly and forcefully, even physically smacking around some of the offenders. Again, Nehemiah was used to bring revival to Judea as the people were now too afraid to go against him.
1.2.10.When Nehemiah said, “Come over here I want to lay hands on you,” he wasn’t talking about prayer!
1.2.11.It has been said that in America today that we have devolved so much morally that the only virtue that is recognized is that of tolerance. As we begin this chapter, I want to ask you a question: Do you think that sometimes we Christians in the church are too polite and nice when it comes to how we deal with those who threaten to destroy what is sacred and holy in God’s sight?
2. VS 13:1-9 - “1 On that day they read aloud from the book of Moses in the hearing of the people; and there was found written in it that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God, 2 because they did not meet the sons of Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them. However, our God turned the curse into a blessing. 3 So when they heard the law, they excluded all foreigners from Israel. 4 Now prior to this, Eliashib the priest, who was appointed over the chambers of the house of our God, being related to Tobiah, 5 had prepared a large room for him, where formerly they put the grain offerings, the frankincense, the utensils and the tithes of grain, wine and oil prescribed for the Levites, the singers and the gatekeepers, and the contributions for the priests. 6 But during all this time I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I had gone to the king. After some time, however, I asked leave from the king, 7 and I came to Jerusalem and learned about the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, by preparing a room for him in the courts of the house of God. 8 It was very displeasing to me, so I threw all of Tobiah’s household goods out of the room. 9 Then I gave an order and they cleansed the rooms; and I returned there the utensils of the house of God with the grain offerings and the frankincense.” – Nehemiah discovers that the high priest had allowed Tobiah, the governor of Moab, a place to stay inside the temple and that a room that was designed for the storing of the offerings and tithes had been given to Tobiah to keep his stuff in: Nehemiah threw Tobiah out of the temple along with his stuff
2.1. After Nehemiah had returned to Judea, we read here that just as happened under Ezra when revival broke out: ‘they read aloud from the book of Moses in the hearing of the people.’
2.2. During their reading they discovered that the law had forbidden that any ‘Ammonite or Moabite’ should ever enter the assembly of God. These two nations came about as a result of the incestuous relations that Lot had with his daughters after being driven out of Sodom, when the daughters had gotten their father drunk on successive nights. They had always been thorns in Israel’s side.
2.3. In Nehemiah 6:17-19, we previously observed that Tobiah had sent letters back and forth to various people in Jerusalem, and that Tobiah himself had come about as a result of an intermarriage with the foreign women of the land of Canaan: “17 Also in those days many letters went from the nobles of Judah to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters came to them. 18 For many in Judah were bound by oath to him because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah the son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah. 19 Moreover, they were speaking about his good deeds in my presence and reported my words to him. Then Tobiah sent letters to frighten me.”
2.4. We learn later that Eliashib is the high priest in Israel at this time.
2.5. Eliashib had taken one of the rooms in the temple that was really a warehouse for the tithes of ‘grain offerings, the frankincense, the utensils and the tithes of grain, wine and oil’ collected by the priests, and he cleared it out and allowed Tobiah to bring his gear into the room and also to sleep there.
2.6. These offerings were according to the law to be the sustenance of those who served in the temple: ‘prescribed for the Levites, the singers and the gatekeepers, and the contributions for the priests.’
2.7. In verse 6, we read about how that it was after Nehemiah had left Judea after his twelve year rule as governor, that he returned and discovered these things, ‘But during all this time I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I had gone to the king. After some time, however, I asked leave from the king, 7 and I came to Jerusalem and learned about the evil.’
2.8. Nehemiah could have just taken the attitude that many have today that we just need to be tolerant of different people and then just sought to accept Tobiah and the fact that he, as a Moabite, was living in the temple. But no, Nehemiah threw Tobiah and his gear out of the temple, and then to show the priests how significant allowing Tobiah to live and keep his stuff in the temple, he ordered that they cleanse or fumigate the room. That was serve as a reminder to those priests that their allowing Tobiah in the temple was a horrible stench in God’s nostrils.
3. VS 13:10-13 - “10 I also discovered that the portions of the Levites had not been given them, so that the Levites and the singers who performed the service had gone away, each to his own field. 11 So I reprimanded the officials and said, “Why is the house of God forsaken?” Then I gathered them together and restored them to their posts. 12 All Judah then brought the tithe of the grain, wine and oil into the storehouses. 13 In charge of the storehouses I appointed Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah of the Levites, and in addition to them was Hanan the son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah; for they were considered reliable, and it was their task to distribute to their kinsmen.” – Nehemiah discovers that the people of Judea had not been paying their tithes and thus because the Levites had not been receiving these they had gone back to work in their own fields: Nehemiah gathered the Levites together and restored them to their posts, and he appointed some men to be over the distribution of the tithes to the Levites
3.1. Here we learn that ‘the officials’ in Jerusalem had quit giving the tithe ‘portions of the Levites’ to them and that as a result they had to provide for their own financial support and ‘had gone away each to his own field.’ You might ask how the Judeans could have gotten to the place of this drastic departure from the worship of the Lord, and the answer is that it was just one small compromise at a time that caused it.
3.2. Nehemiah could have taken the attitude that now he would just have to be tolerant and live with the consequences of the people’s actions and accept that the Levites would no longer receive tithes and be employed in the service of the Lord.
3.3. Nehemiah says how he first responds to this situation: ‘I reprimanded the officials.’ In other words, Nehemiah rebuked the officials for not taking care of the Levites and their financial support, as was their responsibility. Nehemiah was direct and dealt with problems head on. He went straight to the officials and reprimanded them.
3.3.1. We as Christians need to learn that sometimes we need to face evil head on if we are going to protect our family, our church, and even our country.
3.4. Second, Nehemiah’s response to the Levites and singers is listed: ‘I gathered them together and restored them to their posts.’
3.5. The Judeans themselves responded to Nehemiah’s rebuke of their officials, for ‘all Judah then brought the tithe of the grain, wine and oil into the storehouses.’
3.6. Nehemiah also appointed men to be ‘in charge of the storehouses’ and their names were ‘Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, Pedaiah of the Levites,…Hanan the son of Zaccur.’ Nehemiah was careful in who he selected, for these ones ‘were considered reliable.’
3.7. These appointed men were trusted with the responsibility of distributing the tithes to the Levitical priests to whom they belonged.
4. VS 13:14 - “14 Remember me for this, O my God, and do not blot out my loyal deeds which I have performed for the house of my God and its services.” – Nehemiah for the first of three times in this chapter asks the Lord to remember him for his good deeds, and here he asks the Lord not to blot out his royal deeds which he had performed for the house of the Lord and its services
5. VS 13:15-21 - “15 In those days I saw in Judah some who were treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sacks of grain and loading them on donkeys, as well as wine, grapes, figs and all kinds of loads, and they brought them into Jerusalem on the sabbath day. So I admonished them on the day they sold food. 16 Also men of Tyre were living there who imported fish and all kinds of merchandise, and sold them to the sons of Judah on the sabbath, even in Jerusalem. 17 Then I reprimanded the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this evil thing you are doing, by profaning the sabbath day? 18 “Did not your fathers do the same, so that our God brought on us and on this city all this trouble? Yet you are adding to the wrath on Israel by profaning the sabbath.” 19 It came about that just as it grew dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut and that they should not open them until after the sabbath. Then I stationed some of my servants at the gates so that no load would enter on the sabbath day. 20 Once or twice the traders and merchants of every kind of merchandise spent the night outside Jerusalem. 21 Then I warned them and said to them, “Why do you spend the night in front of the wall? If you do so again, I will use force against you.” From that time on they did not come on the sabbath.” – Nehemiah discovers the people from the city are doing business on the Sabbath, including some who were buying and selling outside the gates of the Sabbath: Nehemiah reprimanded the nobles of Jerusalem for profaning the Sabbath, and then he commanded that the gates of Jerusalem should not be opened at all during the Sabbath, and he stationed some of his servants on the gates to make sure that they stayed closed
5.1. The next thing that Nehemiah realizes is that in Jerusalem there was all kinds of business that was being transacted on the Sabbath. In the oath that the Judeans had made to the Lord and signed in chapter 10 they had promised that they were going to keep the Sabbath holy and do no work on the Sabbath: Neh. 10:31, “As for the peoples of the land who bring wares or any grain on the sabbath day to sell, we will not buy from them on the sabbath or a holy day; and we will forego the crops the seventh year and the exaction of every debt.” Now, the Judeans were violating the terms of that oath regarding the Sabbath.
5.2. How could the Judeans have gotten to the place where now they were just totally desecrating the Sabbath laws of the Lord? It occurred just one small compromise at a time.
5.3. Notice what it says here that Nehemiah discovered that the Judeans were doing: ‘some who were treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sacks of grain and loading them on donkeys, as well as wine, grapes, figs and all kinds of loads, and they brought them into Jerusalem on the sabbath day…Also men of Tyre were living there who imported fish and all kinds of merchandise, and sold them to the sons of Judah on the sabbath, even in Jerusalem.’
5.4. Nehemiah at this point could just have given up on seeing the Judeans truly keep the Sabbath laws before the Lord and accepted their lives as they were, but he would not and could not allow this compromise in the life of the nation, for the consequences for such a thing would have been devastating.
5.5. First, we read about how Nehemiah dealt with this problem head on. This is his forceful reprimand that he gave to the officials in charge in Jerusalem: ‘Then I reprimanded the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this evil thing you are doing, by profaning the sabbath day? 18 “Did not your fathers do the same, so that our God brought on us and on this city all this trouble? Yet you are adding to the wrath on Israel by profaning the sabbath.”.
5.6. Next, we read about how that Nehemiah commanded the people people manning the gates to close the doors on the Sabbath: ‘It came about that just as it grew dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut and that they should not open them until after the sabbath.’ The Jewish Sabbath was to begin at sundown on Friday evening, so that was when Nehemiah required that the doors be closed.
5.7. Knowing that he probably couldn’t trust the people at the gates to do what he commanded them to do in keeping the city gates closed, next we see what Nehemiah did to prevent this from happening: ‘Then I stationed some of my servants at the gates so that no load would enter on the sabbath day.’
5.8. Nehemiah discovered that some of the traders and merchants that lived outside of Jerusalem were still coming and spending the night in front of the gate during the Sabbath, waiting for someone to open the gates and do business with them, but this time Nehemiah threatened them with physical harm if they did this again: ‘Once or twice the traders and merchants of every kind of merchandise spent the night outside Jerusalem. 21 Then I warned them and said to them, “Why do you spend the night in front of the wall? If you do so again, I will use force against you.” From that time on they did not come on the sabbath.’
6. VS 13:22 - “22 And I commanded the Levites that they should purify themselves and come as gatekeepers to sanctify the sabbath day. For this also remember me, O my God, and have compassion on me according to the greatness of Your lovingkindness.” – After commanding the Levites to purify themselves and come as gatekeepers to sanctify the Sabbath day, Nehemiah for the second time asks God to have compassion on him
6.1. Now that the Levites and gatekeepers who had been manning the wall and doing business on the Sabbath had nothing better to do on the Sabbath than go to Shabat, Nehemiah commands them to purify themselves and come and observe the Sabbath with the rest of Israel. Nehemiah’s men would man the wall and make sure no one would go in or out on the Sabbath.
6.2. Nehemiah again reminds the Lord to remember that what he is doing is for God and His worship.
7. VS 13:23-28 - “23 In those days I also saw that the Jews had married women from Ashdod, Ammon and Moab. 24 As for their children, half spoke in the language of Ashdod, and none of them was able to speak the language of Judah, but the language of his own people. 25 So I contended with them and cursed them and struck some of them and pulled out their hair, and made them swear by God, “You shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor take of their daughters for your sons or for yourselves. 26 “Did not Solomon king of Israel sin regarding these things? Yet among the many nations there was no king like him, and he was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel; nevertheless the foreign women caused even him to sin. 27 “Do we then hear about you that you have committed all this great evil by acting unfaithfully against our God by marrying foreign women?” – Nehemiah discovers that some of the Jews had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab and that their children spoke the language of the Ashdodites and didn’t know their Hebrew tongue: Nehemiah contended with these people, cursed them, struck some of them, pulled out their hair, and make them swear that they would not give their daughters to their sons nor take daughters for their sons from the people of the land
7.1. Nehemiah must have been completely stunned that the people of Judea had allowed this allowed this to happen to their lives yet again. They had already seen or at least heard of the carnage that occurred when during the time of Ezra when the people of Judea had given back their foreign wives, including the children born to them. Just after the rebuilding of the wall when the revival had broken out in Judea, the people had at that time given back their foreign wives as well. Yet, Nehemiah discovers that had again compromised in this area.
7.2. In the oath that the Judeans had made to the Lord in chapter 10:30, they had promised: ‘we will not give our daughters to the peoples of the land or take their daughters for our sons.’ Now, Nehemiah discovers that the Judeans had broken this oath to the Lord as well: ‘the Jews had married women from Ashdod, Ammon and Moab.’
7.3. Nehemiah could have finally given up hope of the people intermarrying with the foreign peoples in the land, but he knew that he couldn’t because the stakes were too high for allowing this to go on in Israel. Nehemiah realized that the people of God are always one generation away from totally falling away from the Lord, because of the youth of the nation do not study and follow God’s Word, then their children will not even know who the Lord is. He realized that by marrying foreign wives that the children born to these women were speaking the native tongue of their mothers, and not learning the native Hebrew tongue: ‘none of them was able to speak the language of Judah.’ Therefore, they could not study or read God’s Word, and thus they would grow up not knowing the Lord.
7.3.1. We as God’s people, the church, must today take this warning seriously and make sure that we are always bringing up and instructing our youth in all of the ways of God.
7.3.2. Does there not come a time when we too must be direct and forceful and confront evil head on and not allow it to destroy our family, our marriage, our children’s lives, our church, and even our country?
7.4. Nehemiah was stunned and appalled that with all that had happened when Ezra made the Judeans give back the foreign wives they had taken, along with their children, and then had done the same thing again just after they had built the wall (see this described in chapter 9), that some of the Judeans, including the families of the most prominent priests and leaders, had again taken foreign wives to themselves.
7.5. Whereas Ezra had become totally despondent in his grief and mourning when he had found out about intermarriage just after he (Ezra) had come to Jerusalem, Nehemiah goes ballistic and in a no-nonsense kind of way forcibly contends with some, curses others (pronouncing a Biblical curse upon their households), struck some of them, and pulled out the hair of others. Nehemiah ‘made them swear by God…[to] not give your daughters to their sons, nor take of their daughters for your sons or for yourselves.’
7.6. The force of this final reprimand to the leaders of Judea about how that they should learn from Solomon’s mistake is direct and powerful: ‘Did not Solomon king of Israel sin regarding these things? Yet among the many nations there was no king like him, and he was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel; nevertheless the foreign women caused even him to sin. 27 “Do we then hear about you that you have committed all this great evil by acting unfaithfully against our God by marrying foreign women?’
8. VS 13:28 - “28 Even one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was a son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite, so I drove him away from me.”” – Nehemiah drove away from Jerusalem a son-in-law of Sanballat, Nehemiah’s arch enemy
8.1. Not only did the perennial enemy, Tobiah, have inroads into Judea, notice here in verse 28 that one of the sons of Joiada, the song of Eliashib the high priest, was ‘a son-in-law of Sanballat.’ The much more formidable enemy, Sanballat, had also made inroads into Judea.
9. VS 13:29 - “29 Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites.” –Nehemiah asks God to remember that these men he has dealt with have defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the law concerning the priests and the Levites
9.1. For these men, Nehemiah’s words were equivalent pronouncement upon men of “anathema” away from the presence of the Lord for eternity.
10. VS 13:30-31a - “30 Thus I purified them from everything foreign and appointed duties for the priests and the Levites, each in his task, 31 and I arranged for the supply of wood at appointed times and for the first fruits.” – Nehemiah realizes that many of the provisions for the temple and its sacrifices had not been being carried: Nehemiah arranged for the supply of wood to be brought to the temple at the appointed times as well as for the first fruits of the people to be brought
11. VS 13:31b - “Remember me, O my God, for good” - For the third time in this chapter Nehemiah asks the Lord to remember him for what he has done
11.1. Nehemiah ends his book asking the Lord to remember him for the good works that he had done in rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem and rebuilding the lives of the people in Judea to serve the Lord with all of their hearts.
12. In summary of our study of the book of Nehemiah, lets review the principles for effective leadership that we have observed in Nehemiah’s life:
12.1. He gets people to do things they wouldn’t do otherwise, and enjoy doing it.
12.2. He understands people’s needs and recognizes problems.
12.3. He does not rush into action.
12.4. He goes to the Lord first about problems.
12.5. He is willing to be a solution to problems.
12.6. He waits on God to open doors, move in people’s hearts, and give the vision God has for them.
12.7. He keeps his emotions under control.
12.8. He plans.
12.9. He is discreet, keeps some things confidential, and tells others his plans at the proper time.
12.10.He is one who has gotten a proper balance of human responsibility and divine initiative, as he prays but plans.
12.11.He uses a combination of methods to motivate people but utilizes internal motivating factors more than external ones.
12.12.He is one who knows how to divide up a large project into a number of small projects that can be delegated to others to complete.
12.13.He is one who allows those under his leadership to have significant say in the things that they do.
12.14.He is one who has an understanding that timing is important. Important tasks must be done first, as with those tasks upon which other tasks depend.
12.15.He is one who leads God’s people to deal with the enemies and problems that do exist not those that are imaginary or could perhaps exist.
12.16.He is one who does not retaliate against those who are threatening him and giving him a hard time, but leaves all vengeance to the Lord
12.17.He is one who encourages people by causing them to take their eyes off of their circumstances and put them on the Lord
12.18.He is one who is enthusiastic about what God is doing and maintains a positive mental attitude.
12.19.He is one who leads people to work together in unity as one and look out for each other as for their own families.
12.20.He keeps the people focused on the tasks that define their purpose.
12.21.He is one who keeps a proper balance between faith and action.
12.22.He lives his own life as a servant leader.
12.23.He thinks before he acts.
12.24.Realizes that in addition to battling external opposition to your work, you have to also deal with internal problems among those whom you are leading.
12.25.Does not use his status and promotions for his own personal advancement, nor to build his own kingdom.
12.26.Has discernment concerning peoples motives needed for the decisions he makes.
12.27.He realizes how important his time is and that the enemy will try to make him ineffective by causing him to be consumed with irrelevant and inconsequential activities.
12.28.Does not bow to the pressure of men when they try to get him to go against what He knows the Lord has revealed to him.
12.29.He has a vision which he keeps before him.
12.30.He gives hope to the people he leads.
12.31.He refuses to be discouraged by adversity.
12.32.He always deals with the truth in his dealings with people and their situations.
12.33.He is careful about the battles he chooses to fight.
12.34.He stands his ground even when people tell him to run and hide because of the threats against him.
12.35.He builds a leadership team to work and administrate under his authority.
12.36.He perseveres in the calling that the Lord has for him (he not only starts a good race or fight, he finishes well).
12.37.He is decisive and direct in facing even hard decisions.
13. CONCLUSIONS:
13.1. Remember that some things are so evil and potentially destructive that they must be faced head on in a decisive and forceful kind of way.
13.2. Remember to persevere in doing good as a leader, even if you only lead a few. Don’t just start well, finish well.