Chico Alliance Church
"HITTING AND HAIR PULLING PERMITTED"
INTRODUCTION
Sometime after the dedication, after 12 years of strong leadership, Nehemiah returned to Susa to his cupbearer's task for the king of the Persian Empire. How long Nehemiah remained in Susa is unknown. In chapter 13 Nehemiah has returned and continues entries into his Jerusalem journal. The key to understanding "on that day" in verse 1 is in verse six, "but during all this time I was not in Jerusalem.
What a contrast we can see between his first visit and this visit!
First Nehemiah found a collapsed wall and distressed people.
This visit he finds a corrupt walk and disinterested people.
On the first visit Nehemiah extended encouragement and direction.
On this visit he must exercise exhortation and discipline.
The first time around Nehemiah fought constant external conflict.
This time, he faces continual internal compromise.
In the beginning Nehemiah found himself distressed and devoted himself to prayer.
This time he is displeased and devotes himself to purging.
Just what happened to the commitment? Why had they lost their drive to keep their written word? Why do we have such a hard time keeping a commitment to the Lord? What can we do about it? How can we avoid the same mistakes?
As we shall discover in this chapter, every one of the four commitments made during the revival were broken during Nehemiah's absence.
Commitment to discipline by the world. (Hear and Obey)
Commitment to distinctiveness in the world. (Separation from foreigners)
Commitment to devotion to God. (Honor the Sabbath)
Commitment to dedicate firstfruits. (Will not neglect God's house)
Good leadership is a key to keeping commitments. The people during the time of the Judges did fine until the judge died. Yet they had accountability and a call to the truth while Nehemiah was away. We are not told here, but we get a good picture of a reason from Malachi the prophet during this period.
From the first five verses of Malachi, we capture a clear picture of the problem. The Israelites lost sight of God's love. Their minds clouded and caused them to lose sight of their high position as Children of God. "I have loved you." but you say, "How have you loved us?"
A full realization of God's infinite unconditional love for us is foundational to our relationship with Him as well as our stability and strengthening in our walk. Paul prayed that the Ephesians would come to know and understand the full dimensions of the love of Christ which passes all understanding so that they could then be filled up to all the fulness of God. The Israelites had passed through the fire, they had accomplished great things. They had seen God do marvelous things in the rebuilding of their crumbled walls and became so complacent that they were no longer able to discern God's love for them.
Basically they were saying to God, "Prove your love."
APPLICATION
How often we demand that God prove His love before we will trust Him. We want Him to prove His love on our terms. The Jews failed to appreciate their status as children of promise, chosen from Jacob on the basis of God's choice not theirs. They failed to realize that no matter what they enjoyed on this earth, they were heir to a city made without hands, and eternal inheritance. We tend to look for little signs and wonders as proof of God's love. If we received nothing else from God's hand but His call to eternal life through the sacrifice of His Son it should be sufficient cause to rest in His love. God provided the ultimate demonstration of His love when He sent His only sinless Son to die for undeserving, unappreciative, self-centered, rebellious people. Any other demonstration is frosting. Besides, He saved us in order that He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.
It is when we lose perspective and doubt His love that we fall back into old patterns and torpedo our commitments. I believe this is the case for the Jews in Nehemiah's day. This morning we want to review their commitments made in Chapter 10 in the peak of revival and then stand beside Nehemiah in Chapter 13 as he brings rebuke for breaking those same commitments in the lukewarmness of mediocrity.
We should never lose the wonder of, "Jesus Loves Me This I know, for the BIBLE tells me so." Not because I feel it or demand that God continue to demonstrate His love according to my standards but because He said it and already demonstrated that love and still demonstrates that love in ways that often surpass my comprehension. If I have doubts about His love for me, I will have definite difficulty keeping my commitments in the following areas.
A life of discipline by the Word
A life of distinctiveness in the world
A life of devotion to God
A life of dedication or resources and firstfruits
I. DISMISSED OBEDIENCE TO THE WORD 13:1-9
In chapter 10 the people said, "we will keep and observe all the commandments."
They committed to a life of discipline by the Word. Now here in chapter 13 the fail to follow through because of political favoritism. They knew the command but thought that one compromise wouldn't hurt. They allowed a powerful enemy an inside foothold in their city because of an ungodly alliance.
Tobiah was the enemy. Nehemiah had defeated the unholy trinity because he refused them any part in the rebuilding of the kingdom. Now he finds that a special room has been prepared in the temple. Tobiah is not only in the city, he is in the temple. And not only in the temple but essential items for which those rooms were designed had to be neglected in order to make room for him. This incomplete obedience was costly. Malachi had been addressing the same attitude toward obedience.
God through Malachi rebuked the priests (same priest who allowed Tobiah special treatment.)
"For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, and from his mouth men should seek instruction - because he is the messenger of the Lord Almighty. But you have turned from the way and by your teaching have caused many to stumble; you have violated the covenant with Levi," says the Lord Almighty. "So I have caused you to be despised and humiliated before all the people, because you have not followed my ways but have shown partiality in matters of the law." Mal 2:9
Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Mal 3:7
When we walk outside of the Word and violate its clear life giving directives, we invite Tobiah in through the protective walls to set up a room in our temple. Before long, he is in control of what happens in the sanctuary and crowds our what ought to be happening there.
APPLICATION
What a persuasive picture concerning rooms given over to sin and satan in our lives. Romans makes it clear that we not yield our members, our rooms, to satan as instruments of unrighteousness but to yield ourselves to God and our members as instruments of righteousness. Make no provision for the flesh.
In 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:2 Paul talks about our special father son relationship with the Father and the need to be pure and distinct in this world.
THEREFORE, having these promises (of intimate relationship with God) let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
As long as we provide room for Tobiah, we will not have room for the resources necessary for worship.
How did Nehemiah deal with Tobiah?
1. He threw out all his goods!
2. Cleansed the room!
3. Returned the items intended to be in the room by God!
When we are not sure of His love, our desire to trust His Word diminishes. "Is it really good for us?" "Is He only trying to make it had on us?" Getting rid of Tobiah takes radical measures. We must throw out his goods, thoughts, lies, sins that allowed him to occupy rooms. Then we must cleanse the rooms by the blood of Christ. Then we must allow the Spirit of truth to fill the room with His presence.
II. DISCOUNTED CARE OF GOD'S HOUSE Neh 13:10-14
In Chapter 10 the people promised to give of their resources to supply God's house with all that was necessary. They promised to supply the items necessary for worship as well as to support the necessary personnel to lead the worship. Here in chapter 13 we encounter and altogether different circumstance.
God called it robbing Him in Malachi(Mal 3:7-12). How do we demonstrate a desire to return to God? God says in Malachi that it is through restoring the practice of giving. If we are not giving of our earthly goods, neither are we really giving our lives.
Three things will happen when we commit ourselves and our resources to God.
1--God will open his windows of blessing.
2--God will rebuke the things that unnecessarily devour our resources.
3--We will be considered blessed by others.
Nehemiah confronted the neglect with a reprimand to the leaders and to restore reliable leadership. If we are unsure of God's love and our calling and choosing, we will be more inclined to hoard and to be inconsistent in our giving to Him. We do not give to someone we cannot trust to keep His word.
III. DISREGARDED DEVOTION TO GOD 13:15-22
In Chapter 10 the people swore to honor the Sabbath as a time set aside to devote to the Lord. "We will not by on the Sabbath." Here already in Chapter 13 we find them selling, buying, working, importing goods. Nehemiah reminded them that when they failed to honor a time for God, there was always discipline.
Malachi addresses the same problem of devotion (1:6-14). Not only had they directly disregarded devotion to God by they failed to love God by the way they treated others (2:10, 13-16).
IV. DEFILED THEIR LIFE WITH THE WORLD 13:23-29
In chapter 10 the people affirmed a distinction from the world and that they would not give their daughters to the peoples of the land or take their sons. Look here in chapter 13 Nehemiah records his findings.
Moreover, in those days I saw men of Judah who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon and Moab. Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or the language of one of the other peoples, and did not know how to speak the language of Judah. Neh 13:23-24
There had been so much compromise that the children of those marriages could not even speak the language. They failed to be distinct from the world, even in how they talked.
Malachi dealt with the same type of thing ( Mal 3:13-15)
"Ephraim mixes with the nations; Ephraim is a flat cake not turned over. Foreigners sap his strength, but he does not realize it. His hair is sprinkled with gray, but he does not notice. Hos 7:9
How did Nehemiah deal with the breach of commitment? Neh 13:25-31
Rebuked harshly
Reminded them of the consequences to such sin.
Reminded them of the awfulness of their sin.
Restored purity.
APPLICATION
Have we become so in tuned with the world system around us and what it teaches that we can no longer understand the language of the Truth? We need a rude awakening.
We need a Malachi and a Nehemiah to knock us along side the head and to pull our hair till we come to our senses. We are not of this world even as Christ was not of this world. We are not to be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of our minds with the truth of God. We need to realize just how much God loves us and that the world will not and cannot fill our need for love and worth.
CONCLUSION
For when we are unsure of His love for us and His call,
We will dismiss a life of discipline by the Word
We will discount care of God's house
We will disregard a life of regular devotion
We will defile our walk by the world's belief system.
How do we deal with these things?
Continual reminders concerning our commitments and consequences to sin
Continual reminders of our heritage in Christ
Submission to God appointed leadership
True encouraging one another to love and good deeds in a loving environment
Need some house cleaning?
Need to commit to regular giving?
Need to set a regular time with God?
Need to find purification from all that is foreign and invite a guards?
Decide to return today! Make some sort of directional change!
