On the day of the dedication of the city walls, they read from the Book of Moses in the hearing of the people, and it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever come into the assembly of God, because they had not met the children of Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them. However God turned the curse into a blessing.
So it was, when they had heard the Law, that they separated all the mixed multitude from Israel (v.1-3).
Eliashib the priest having authority over the storerooms of the house of God was allied with Tobiah the Ammonite. and he had prepared for him a large room where previously they had stored the grain offering, the frankincense, the articles, the tithes of grain, the new wine and oil, which were commanded to be given to the Levites and singers and gatekeepers, and the offerings for the priests (v. 4-5).
During all that, Nehemiah was not in Jerusalem, for he had returned to the king at Susa in the 32nd year of Artaxerxes. After some days, he obtained leave from the king and came again to Jerusalem and discovered the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah in preparing a room for him in the courts of the house of God (v.6-7).
It grieved Nehemiah bitterly; therefore he threw all the household goods of Tobiah out of the room. Then he commanded them to cleanse the rooms; and he brought back into them the articles of the house of God with the grain offering and the frankincense (v.8-9).
Nehemiah also realised that the portions for the Levites had not been given them; for each of the Levites and the singers who did the work had gone back to his field. So he contended with the rulers and said, “Why is the house of God forsaken?” He gathered them together and set them in their place (v.10-11).
Then all Judah brought the tithe of the grain and the new wine and the oil to the storehouse. And Nehemiah appointed as treasurers over the storehouse Shelemiah the priest and Zadok the scribe, and of the Levites: Pedaiah; and next to them was Hanan the son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah; for they were considered faithful, and their task was to distribute to their brethren (v.12-13).
Nehemiah prayed to the LORD, saying, “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 its services!” (v.14)
In those days, Nehemiah saw people in Judah treading wine presses on the Sabbath, and bringing in the sheaves, and loading donkeys with wine, grapes, figs, and kinds of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. He warned them about the day on which they were selling provisions. Men of Tyre dwelt there also, who brought in fish and all kinds of goods, and sold them on the Sabbath day to the children of Judah in Jerusalem.
Nehemiah contented with the nobles of Judah, and said to them, “What evil thing is this that you do, by which you profane the Sabbath day? Did not your fathers do thus, and did not our God bring all this disaster on us, and on this city? Yet you bring added wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath.” (v.15-18)
So it was, at the gates of Jerusalem, as it began to be dark before the Sabbath, that Nehemiah commanded the gates to be shut, and charged that they must not be opened till after the Sabbath. Then he posted some of his servants at the gates, so that no burdens would be brought in on the Sabbath day.
Now the merchants and sellers of all kinds of wares lodged outside Jerusalem once or twice. Nehemiah warned them and said to them, “Why do you spend the night around the wall? If you do so again, I will lay hands on you!
From that time on, they came no more on the Sabbath. And Nehemiah commanded the Levites that they should cleanse themselves, and that they should go and guard the gates to sanctify the Sabbath day. Then he prayed, saying, “Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of Your mercy!” (v.19-22)
Nehemiah also saw Jews who had married women of Ashdod, Ammon and Moab. And half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod and could not speak the language of Judah, but spoke according to the language of one or the other people. So he contended with them and cursed them, struck some of them and pulled out their hair and made them swear, saying, “You shall not give your daughters as wives to their sons, nor take their daughters for your sons for yourselves.”
He said, “Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? Yet among many nations there was no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel. Nevertheless pagan women caused even him to sin.
Should we then hear of your doing all this great evil, transgressing against our God by marrying pagan women?” (v. 23-27).
Nehemiah drove from him one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest who was the son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite. He beseeched the LORD, saying “Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites.”
Thus he cleansed them of everything pagan, and also assigned duties to the priests and the Levites, each to his service, and to bringing the wood offering and the firstfruits at appointed times. He prayed, saying, “Remember me, O my God, for good!” (v.28-31).
COMMENTARY
Nehemiah was in Jerusalem for twelve years (20th year to 32nd year of King Artaxerxes) before he returned to the king in Susa. After some days he came again to Jerusalem; and that was when he instituted the four reforms stated in this chapter (Neh.2:1,4-9,11; 13:4-8, 10-13, 15-22, 23-30).
The first reform was the cleansing of the rooms in the temple and driving out of Tobiah from the temple. Tobiah was the Ammonite with whom Eliashib the high priest was allied and for whom he had a large room prepared in the courts of the house of God.
Although it was written in the Book of Moses, that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever come into the assembly of God, Eliashib the priest having authority over the storerooms acted against the Law. He had prepared the large room for Tobiah which previously was used to store the grain offering, the frankincense, the articles, the tithes of grain, the new wine and oil, which were commanded to be given to the Levites and singers and gatekeepers, and the offerings for the priests.
On coming to Jerusalem and seeing the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, Nehemiah was grieved bitterly. He commanded Tobiah to be driven out of the courts of the house of God, the rooms to be cleansed and all the household goods of Tobiah thrown out of the large room. He brought back into them the articles of the house of God, with the grain offering and frankincense (v.4-8)
Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Do not defile the body which is the temple of God and permit ‘Ammonites’ to abide within (immoral and lustful thoughts). Neither should the True Jesus Church permit the enemies of Christ to dwell within and host the son of perdition in her ministry of the truth (I Cor.5:9-13; II Thess.2:3; Rom. 16:17-18).
Ammonites were the descendants of Ben-Ammi, the son who was born out of incest committed by Lot with his younger daughter (Gen.19:32-38). Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite were among those who ridiculed the Jews led by Nehemiah in the repair of the city walls of Jerusalem (Neh. 4:1-5). Yet Eliashib the high priest allied with Tobiah and did great evil to prepare a large room in the courts of the house of God for him.
The second reform that Nehemiah implemented was to get the people to bring the tithe of the grain and the new wine and the oil to the storehouse. The portions for the Levites had not been given them; and each of the Levites and the singers who did the work had gone back to his field. Nehemiah contended with the rulers, and said, “Why is the house of God forsaken?”
He gathered them together and set them in their place. Then all Judah brought the tithes of the grain and the new wine and the oil to the storehouse. Nehemiah appointed as treasurers from the priests Shelemiah and Zadok, and from the Levites Pedaiah, Hanan the son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah, for they were considered faithful; their task was to distribute to their brethren.
Monetary offerings given willingly and generously from the baptized brethren go to support the ministry of the gospel of salvation carried out by the Church and to support the fulltime preachers and staff with living allowances so that they may devote their lives and years to the Lord.
This voluntarily giving of offerings by the baptised believers must be consistent and regular so that the storehouses in the house of God are full and the Church is always be with sufficiency to support the work and accomplish the great commission to preach the word to all nations.
The third reform of Nehemiah was the strict keeping of the Sabbath day. He saw in Judah people treading wine presses on the Sabbath, and bringing in the sheaves, and loading donkeys with wine, grapes, figs, and kinds of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. Nehemiah warned them about the day on which they were selling provisions.
Men of Tyre dwelt there also; they brought in fish and all kinds of goods and sold them on the Sabbath to the children of Judah and Jerusalem. Nehemiah contented with the nobles of Judah, and said to them, “What evil thing is this that you do, by which you profane the Sabbath day? Did not your fathers do thus, and did not our God bring all this disaster on us and on this city? Yet you bring added wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath.”
So Nehemiah commanded the gates of the city to be shut as it began to be dark before the Sabbath and charged that they should not be opened till after the Sabbath. Then he posted guards at the gates so that the merchants and sellers of all kinds of wares lodged outside Jerusalem came once or twice. He warned them, saying, “Why do you spend the night around the wall? If you do so again, I will lay hands on you!”
From that time on they came no more on the Sabbath. Nehemiah commanded the Levites that they should cleanse themselves, and go and guard the gates, to sanctify the Sabbath.
True Jesus Church keeps the 7th day Sabbath holy according to the commandments of God. The church brethren ought to consecrate the day to Him and purified themselves when keeping the Sabbath. Do not have secular activities nor give priority to earthly matters. Turn back our feet from the Sabbath and call the day a delight. Gather in holy convocation in the church to worship Him who is the one True God and remember the grace of His salvation. Sabbath day is a covenant between God and man to be kept with holiness and godliness of heart in reverence to the Almighty God and Saviour Jesus Christ (Lev.23:3; Isa. 56:7. 58:13-14; Exod. 31:16, Ezek.20:12, 22:26, 44:23-24).
The fourth and final reform which Nehemiah implemented was the doing away of intermarriage between the Jews and pagans. He saw that the Jews had married women of Ashdod, Ammon and Moab.
The result was that half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod and could not speak the language of Judah but spoke according to the language of one or the other people. He contended with them and cursed them and struck them and pulled out their hair. He made them swear by God, saying, “You shall not give your daughters as wives to their sons, nor take their daughters for your sons or yourselves.”
Citing the case of King Solomon whose name ‘Jedidiah’ mean ‘Beloved of the LORD’ (II Sam. 24-25), who married pagan women and sinned, Nehemiah said, “Should we then hear of your doing all this evil, transgressing against our God by marrying pagan women?” Nehemiah drove from him one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, who was the son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite.
Thus Nehemiah cleansed them of everything pagan. He also assigned duties to the priests and the Levites, each to his service, and to bringing the wood offerings and the firstfruits at appointed times.
Marriage between brothers and sisters in the True Jesus Church is an act of faith according to the will of God. Marriage with unbelievers and Christians of other faith is contrary to biblical teaching and does not please the Lord Jesus Christ. The brother and sister in such a marriage conduct their union contrary to the command of the Lord and thus are without the blessing of a godly marriage nor have Him as the witness to the marriage covenant (II Cor. 6:14; Mal.2:14).
Marrying a pagan as husband or wife jeopardises one’s salvation, impedes growth in faith and spirituality, and interrupts one’s relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. At the worst, the baptized brother or sister is led away from the faith in Jesus and the true church to serve another Christ or pagan gods. Thus is guilty of trampling the Son of God underfoot, counting the blood by which he or she was sanctified as ordinary and insulting the Spirit of grace. He or she has committed a sin for which there is no forgiveness (Heb. 10:26-29).
From one who is beloved of the Lord, he or she becomes an enemy of the cross.
TEACHINGS
Be courageous like Nehemiah to make reforms in our life of faith and turn from sin always to the Lord Jesus Christ (I John 1:8-10).
Be holy and consecrated to God in worship and in our service before Him (Heb. 12:28-29).
Offer tithes and make regular monetary offerings, and bring all our gifts and talents when serving Him so that the house of God will not be filled with abundance and glorious (Deut.16:16; Mal.3:8-10).
Keep the Sabbath day strictly, devoting our hearts and whole selves to obey the commandment (Isa. 56:7).
Marry within the Lord and honour Him who has put a man and a woman together as husband and wife. Keep faithfully the marriage covenant made between a brother and sister in the presence of God the witness (II Cor.6;14). Never marry an unbeliever or one who is not baptised and sanctified in the name of the Lord Jesus.
