MPC, 30th July 2000.Nehemiah 10-13 - Walk the Talk
Phil Campbell MPC, 30th July 2000.
We went to see a movie a couple of months back. It was called The TALENTED MR RIPLEY. The story of a young musician. Enjoying life, lazing on sailboats on the Mediterannean. Crystal blue water. Sunny skies. Great Jazz. When I saw the previews, I though GREAT. A happy little movie. Relaxing. Just what we need.
Trouble is, that’s not what the movie was like at all. In fact, it was one of the nastiest, most violent, most depressing movies I’ve ever seen. The PREVIEW took all the happy bits, all the nice bits, all the blue sky bits - and strung them all together. To give an impression almost ENTIRELY DIFFERENT to the rest of the movie. It didn't take me long to realise. About five minutes into the movie, I was thinking to myself, this isn’t going to be fun. And it wasn't. The talented Mr Riplet wasn't talented at playing the PIANO. He was talented at KILLING PEOPLE. And it was EDGE OF THE SEAT stuff all the way through.
See, you just look at a few high points out of context, and you can easily get the wrong idea. Look at a few high points of a movie out of context and you can easily mix up a sad story with a happy one. A scary story with a relaxing one. And it’s only when you see the WHOLE THING that you really get the message.
Which is exactly how it works with the book of Nehemiah. It's a funny thing, over the years there's been a tradition. A tradition that's only looked at the HIGH POINTS of the book of Nehemiah. The building of the walls of Jerusalem. And you say, "Look how they BUILT THE GREAT WALL. That’s how WE SHOULD BUILD." The great spiritual revival of Israel. And you say, "Look at the great spiritual revival. That’s how WE SHOULD HAVE REVIVALS." The great leadership of Nehemiah. And you say, "Look at the great leadership of Nehemiah. That’s how OUR LEADERS SHOULD LEAD."
Not noticing for a minute that when you read the whole story, that’s not what’s there at all. Because in the end, Nehemiah is a book about failure. Nehemiah is the story of a tragedy. Nehemiah’s not a lazing on the beach sipping cool drinks and listening to jazz story. It’s not even a TRIUMPHING OVER ADVERSITY STORY. It’s a story of DISASTROUS FAILURE. That says to us, if you think building things is important, there's something MORE IMPORTANT. And that's the SORT OF PEOPLE YOU PUT INSIDE YOUR BUILDING. That says to us, if you think LEADERSHIP is important, leaders like Nehemiah just haven't got what it takes. And for the people of Israel, ultimately - they need a leader like JESUS.
It’s been a few weeks since we left it, so I want to refresh your memory. Of the way we’ve seen the story unfolding. Because the land of Israel has been absolutely destroyed. The people thrown out, living in exile. And now, at last, they’ve come back. Thrown out of the promised land because they've been unfaithful to God. Allowed back to make a NEW START... which according to God, has to start from the HEART.
Because Nehemiah remembers back to the promise of God. The promise that if Israel REPENTS FROM THE HEART, if they TURN BACK TO HIM with all their heart and all their soul, they'll be blessed like never before. And the glory days will be theirs all over again.
And so we’ve watched while they've REBUILT THE CITY WALLS. Stone by stone. With people like Sanballat and Tobiah, time after time, these leaders of the tribes next door, throwing their insults. Making their threats. Laughing at the God of the people in the broken down city.
And so the people of Israel, they build their wall. Which is where we left them last time. A wall that's going to draw the line between THE PEOPLE OF GOD... and everyone else. A wall that says, Jerusalem is back in business.
But there’s still the big question; and that is, what's in their HEARTS? Have the Israelites REALLY REPENTED? Have they REALLY turned back to God? This time around, is it going to be any different?
Sure, they feel bad. They feel sorry for their sins. And they've confessed... listed off all the wrong things they've done. We saw that last time.
But the question is, is it a repentance that goes all the way to the HEART... and then works its way outward in a CHANGED WAY OF LIVING. Because that's what real repentance is going to look like, isn't it? It’s all about CHANGING WHAT YOU DO.
When you come to chapter 10, and this is where we pick up the story today, it’s obvious they're FULL OF GOOD INTENTIONS. But good intentions aren't enough. It's a bit like new year's resolutions. Every year I can remember, I've decided I'm going to keep my desk tidy; no more piles of papers and disks and coffee cups. Full of good intentions. That last til the second of January.
Good intentions can be pretty hollow. And as we look at the good intentions of the Israelites, the thing we've got to be asking is, HOW LONG WILL IT LAST.
But lets first of all have a look at their good resolutions. Pick it up at the end of chapter 9. Verse 38. They've confessed their sins. And now they're making a fresh start.
And they say in verse 38, "in view of all this," in view of all the ways we and our forefathers have gone wrong, "we are making a BINDING AGREEMENT, putting it in writing, and our leaders, our levites and our priests are affixing their seals to it. Out with the candle and the sealing wax, these guys mean business. And there's a list of the names of the people who sign. Starting with Nehemiah. And the priests. And the Levites. And the leaders of Israel.
They're so confident they're putting it in writing. And not only that, it says there in verse 29 that they bind themselves with a curse and an oath - it says "all these now join their brothers and the nobles, and bind themselves with a curse and an oath to follow the Law of God given through Moses the servant of God and to obey carefully all the commands, regulations and decrees of the Lord our God."
They really mean it. And the rest of chapter 10 goes on in detail to spell out three special areas where they're going to be distinctive. Three special areas where they're going to stand out as the special people of God that they're meant to be.
1. Intermarriage
And here's the first one. It's in the area of INTERMARRIAGE. Of their sons and daughters marrying into the surrounding nations.
Because the fact is, God always told the Israelites to be seperate. That's their job. And for that to happen, Israelites have got to marry Israelites. And not just mix and blend and blur with the all the other nations around them as if there wasn't any difference.
You might remember, that's one of the things that got Israel into trouble in the first place. King Solomon. Picking up beautiful brides from all over the place. Marrying batches of women from all over the place. And not only that, following their gods. Because that's the point. God said if you start marrying into other nations, the next thing you know you'll be following their gods. And leaving me behind. Marrying the outsider means marrying their god.
In a way it's the same today, isn't it? It's not about nationalities any more. BUT if your faith in Jesus is a fundamental part of your life, what happens when you marry an unbeliever? Straight away there's a tension. Straight away there's a pressure. And you say, oh, yeah, but it's okay, I'm going to CONVERT HER. But more often than not it works exactly the opposite way. And the point is, we're not just talking minor issues here, it's not just like marrying someone who supports a different football team, is it? We're talking about a whole life orientation. The whole direction you're going in. Marrying the person means marrying their god as well. Which can lead to lots of sadness.
And so in verse 30 of chapter 10 the people promise. Promise number 1. "We PROMISE not to give our daughters in marriage to the peoples around us, or to take their daughters for our sons." Because we won't let anything drag us away from our faithfulness to God.
They sign it, they seal it. It's a promise. How long's it going to last? Keep watching.
PROMISE 2 - SABBATH REST
Well, here's promise number 2. And it's all got to do with the SABBATH.
You know, one of the things that really marked Israel out as being different was their Sabbath. Different from everyone else around them. The way that on the Seventh day, everything stopped. Sunset Friday, down tools, turn everything off, lock the cash register; and sit back and relax. While they remember the God who made them. And who gave them their land.
No buying. No selling. Just resting.
Well, that's how it was meant to be, anyway. Trouble is, in the old days their greed made them totally ignore it. If there was a buck to be made on the Sabbath, they'd make it. But have a look at promise number 2. Because now, they say, it's going to be different.
Verse 31. Still in chapter 10. When the neighbouring peoples bring merchandise or grain to sell on the Sabbath, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath, or any holy day. And even more, every seventh year we'll forego working the land, and we'll cancel all debts." It's the law God gave Moses back in Leviticus. And they're saying, this time, they're going to do it. A written guarantee. WE PROMISE. No more buying and selling on the Sabbath. No matter how good a deal turns up at the gates.
PROMISE 3
Now there's one more promise. And it starts in verse 32. The life of Israel was focussed on the Temple. Because the life of Israel focussed on GOD.
And in promise number 3, they say, look, we know in the old days we ignored the temple a bit. We didn't quite get around to bringing in our offerings. Let things run down a bit. BUT NEVER AGAIN. We're going to bring our offerings. We're going to support the priests and the Levites; we're going to fill up the store rooms. A whole new attitude. And it's summarised in the last verse of the chapter. Those simple words right at the end of verse 39. Promise number 3. "We will not neglect the house of our God."
It's all there in writing. Three promises, as a mark of their REPENTANCE. We're not going to intermarry. We're going to be a seperate, holy people. Number 2. We're not going to trade on the Sabbath. Because the Sabbath is Holy. And number 3. We're going to look after the temple. Because the temple is Holy. And they sign it and they seal it and they give God their written guarantee. This time, we're going to do it right.
What HAPPENS?
Well, that's the idea, anyway. But the big question is, what happens? They've made their new years resolutions. The question is, can they keep them?
Run your eye through chapter 11, you can see the details of how they bring people in from the Israelite towns to resettle Jerusalem. Chapter 12. Details of all the Priests and the Levites. And the great Dedication Service for the new walls of Jerusalem. It's a huge celebration, with two choirs marching around the walls singing songs. And everything's terrific. So far, it's one big, long, happy story. The Israelites are back in the Promised Land. They've beaten off their enemies like Sanballat and Tobiah who have been trying to stop them right through the book. They've given God a guarantee they'll be faithful. So they've got plenty to celebrate.
And I guess Nehemiah heaves a big sigh of relief. Cause the job he came to do is done. And it's a huge success. You might remember back in chapter 1 Nehemiah's come down from Babylon. Where he worked for the King. So chapter 13, the job's done. And he heads back to Babylon for a holiday. To report to back the King. He's been in Jerusalem 12 years, it's the thirty second year of the reign of Artaxerxes. So Nehemiah with everything shipshape, Nehemiah heads North.
UNHAPPY HOMECOMING
Now they say the sign of a good leader is what happens when he's not around. Which is why at this point you have to wonder why so many American Christian leadership books want to use Nehemiah as THEIR NUMBER 1 CASE STUDY.
Because what do you reckon happens as soon as Nehemiah's tail-lights are out of sight around the first corner?
Remember the three part promise? We're not going to intermarry with the other tribes around us. We're not going to trade on the Sabbath. And we're not going to neglect the house of God, we're going to bring our offerings.
Well, Nehemiah gets back from his little holiday in Babylon. And what's he find? For starters, there's Eliashib the priest. He's in charge of the temple storerooms. The storerooms that were meant to be full to overflowing with the Israelites offerings they promised in promise number 3.
The storerooms are empty. So Eliashib rents them out. And you won't believe this, he's renting them out to TOBIAH the AMMONITE; the guy who used to stand outside the walls yelling and making threats. The guy who's been in Nehemiah's face right from chapter 2. Funny, isn't it. Don't have to attack these Israelites from the outside. Just rent a room in the temple. And you're right in at the heart of things.
Well, when he finds out, Nehemiah's furious. And the first thing he does is throw all Tobiah's stuff out of the room, like that ad you seen on TV with that girl who throws out her boyfriend. Yellow Pages lands on his head. Chapter 13 verse 8. And in verse 9, he gives orders to purify the rooms and set them up again with the grain offerings and the incense. And he rebukes the officials in verse 11. And the words are exactly the same as the words they wrote down in their promise back in chapter 10. WHY IS THE HOUSE OF GOD NEGLECTED? Cause they promised in black and white. We WON'T NEGLECT THE HOUSE OF GOD. And they've blown it already.
Three promises. One down. Two to go.
Verse 15. In those days, says Nehemiah, I saw men in Judah treading winepresses on the sabbath, and bringing in corn and loading it on donkeys together with wine grapes, figs and all other kinds of loads. And they were bringing this into Jerusalem on the Sabbath. And verse 16, men from Tyre are bringing stuff on the Sabbath as well, and they're selling it. And Nehemiah's FURIOUS. You can see what he says in verse 18. "Didn't your fathers do the same things, so that our God brought this calamity upon us and on this city? Now you're stirring up MORE WRATH against Israel by desecrating the sabbath."
And Nehemiah has to station his men at the gate to stop them doing what they PROMISED not to do.
It's like a count down, isn't it. Three promises. Two down. And one to go.
Remember promise number 1. No intermarriage. Israelites for Israelites. Stay distinctive. That's what they promised.... Verse 22.... Moreover, he says, in those days I saw men of Judah who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. Half their children spoke the language of Ashdod or the language of one of the other peoples, and didn't know how to speak the language of Judah."
It's happened already. A written guarantee. And already, here are these Israelite grandchildren who can't even speak the language.
And Nehemiah just about explodes. Verse 26. Look what he says. Cause he knows what happened with Solomon. He knows what it was that sent Israel into exile in the first place. Exactly this. And so he says, "Wasn't it because of marriages like this that Solomon king of Israel sinned? Among the many nations there was no king like him. He was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel - but even HE was lead into sin by foreign women. Must we hear now that YOU TOO are doing all this terrible wickedness and are being unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women?
And the ultimate insult. Verse 28. One of the sons of Joiadad son of Eliashib the high priest... was son in law to Sanballat the Horonite. Sanballat and Tobiah, the two greatest enemies of Israel. Tobiah's renting the store-room at the temple. Sanballat is FATHER IN LAW of the high priest's son.
These guys threatened. They tried trickery. They bribed. They sent armies. And Nehemiah fought them off every time. And as soon as he turns his back, they're invited in the main gate. Given the red carpet treatment. Aw, come on guys, Nehemiah's not here. All this fuss about BEING DISTINCTIVE, he's a bit over the top. A bit narrow minded. Fanatic. Come on in.
These are the people who said they'd repented. These are the people who promised. Promised to be faithful to God. And distinctive. And different.
It's an absolute FARCE. And from Nehemiah's point of view, it's a tragedy. Because the fact is, it's the story of a huge failure. The heading on the chapter in my NIV bible says Nehemiah's final REFORMS. But it's more accurate to cross it out and write in NEHEMIAH'S FINAL FAILURE! Cause that's what it is. And so Nehemiah who at the start of the book prayed a prayer for ALL OF ISRAEL, all he can do at the end is pray for HIMSELF. That God will at least forgive HIM. And remember him with favour. All Nehemiah can do is pray and say, "God, remember me. Cause I did my best."
CONCLUSION
This book is NOT THE HAPPY STORY of a great leader.
This book is NOT A MANUAL for successful church building projects.
It's just the final chapter in the SAD STORY of the people of Israel. Who need NEW HEARTS.
I've said before that Nehemiah is an important book. Because it marks the end of the HISTORY section of the Old Testament. That runs all the way from GENESIS. What you get from here on is things like the Psalms. And the prophets. But the history lesson stops here. And it's not a happy ending. It's an ending that's crying out for a new beginning. It's an ending that leaves you with questions. Like, if Israel failed, what happens now? Like, where are you going to get an Israel that REALLY REPENTS FROM THE HEART? Like, is there any possibility of the sort of LEADER who can do what Nehemiah FAILED TO DO.
All of which are answered, aren't they, in JESUS. Who comes to Israel and says REPENT. Like you should have before. And more than that, who lives PERFECTLY. And DIES SACRIFICIALLY. Who deals with the DEBTS OF THE PAST, and then pours out the HOLY SPIRIT. So at last we really CAN serve God from the heart.
Now maybe this would be a good time for you to run a quick REPENTANCE REALITY CHRCK. And ask yourself some tough questions.
Paul, in the New Testament; here's how he describes what he preached to people. He says, he started with Israel; and then went to people like us. Acts 26 verse 20... he says, "First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds."
He says, that's the message that kept getting him in trouble. But there it is. In that order. Repent. Turn to God. And prove your repentance BY YOUR DEEDS. So let me ask you... Is there any PROOF that you're a Christian? Is there ANYTHING about the way you live your life that says to your neighbours, I'm a follower of Jesus? That says to your kids/ your grandchildren/your husband/ your wife, I'm SERIOUS about my Christian commitment. It's not just a Sunday morning thing where we jump in the car and spend a couple of hours with our church friends. It's EVERY DAY. Even when it COSTS.
Israel showed over and over again talking the talk is easy. But what about WALKING THE WALK. How is it with you? All just promises, promises? Still entertaining the enemy in ways you know you shouldn't be? Ways you said to God you wouldn't? Paul says, repent, turn to God... and then put your money where your mouth is. Prove it by your deeds.
Because if you're a CHEAP COMMITMENT CHRISTIAN, no matter how impressive the walls we build, no matter how impressive the outward appearances... you've got to know that the only thing God's interested in is a genuine CHANGE OF HEART. That leads to a genuine CHANGE OF LIFE. And the great news is, God's Spirit is there to help you do that, every step of the way.