Rebellion, Repentance & Remembrance

This Christmas saw the final episode of Downton Abbey. Now for some of you that may have been a big deal, for others of you, it didn't bother you in the slightest. But the big question leading up to it was this: how would it end? Would Lady Edith Crawley make up with her fiancee Bertie, the Fifth Marquess of Hexham? Would Thomas the under-butler ever become a butler in his own right? Would Anna, the maid, give birth to her baby? Would the writer give the characters a happy end of a sad end?

As we come to end of Nehemiah, we do well to ask a similar question, will this true story have a happy or a sad ending? The story started with God allowing Nehemiah to come back to rebuild the wall. But as well as rebuilding the wall, God allowed him and Ezra rebuild the community of the returning exiles. There was the episode where Ezra read the law. Which lead the next episode where the people repented of their rebellion. Then and there the Jews made a covenant, a binding promise to God. A promise that would bring either curse or blessing. In Nehemiah 10:29 we see the people of Israel:

"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 Lord. "We promise not to give our daughters in marriage to the peoples around us or take their daughters for our sons. "When the neighbouring peoples bring merchandise or grain to sell on the Sabbath, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or on any holy day. Every seventh year we will forgo working the land and will cancel all debts. "We assume the responsibility for carrying out the commands to give a third of a shekel each year for the service of the house of our God."

They promise not to intermarry with the nations. They promise to keep the Sabbath. They promise to maintain the temple. From there the Jews seem to go from strength to strength. They dedicate the rebuilt walls. They praise God. They carry out their promise to maintain the temple. So as we come to the final episode of Nehemiah, will they keep their promise to God? Will Nehemiah end with a happy or sad finale?

And much like Downton Abbey, Nehemiah is a little predictable. Because tonight we'll see each promise the Jews make broken one by one. And on each occasion we'll see God graciously call his rebellious people to repentance through Nehemiah. The truth we'll see tonight is that God calls rebels to repentance.

In verses 1-14 we'll see Rebellion in the Temple. That's my first point. How do the Jews know they are rebellious? They know it through God's word where they see they've let God rejecters into the assembly of God. Let's look at verses 1-3:

"On that day [which I think is better translated "At that time"] the Book of Moses was read aloud in the hearing of the people and there it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever be admitted into the assembly of God, because they had not met the Israelites with food and water but had hired Balaam to call a curse down on them. (Our God, however, turned the curse into a blessing.) When the people heard this law, they excluded from Israel all who were of foreign descent."

Ammonites and Moabites, those worshipping foreign gods, cannot be allowed into the assembly of God. This is not about race, it's about the offensive nature of rejecting God. Those from the nations who repented like Ruth the Moabitess were gladly welcomed into the people of God. Those who refused to repent could not be part of God's people. As the people hear this law, they obey by separating themselves from those who refuse to worship God.

The first application here is that repentence, turning from sin, is the result of hearing God's word. So let's get into our Bibles. If you feel like you've got no rebellion to turn ftom, you've got to get your nose in God's word. Which, I wonder, is why we can be so shy of opening the Bible because we know God speaks, and he calls us to turn from rebellion. Rebellion we often treasure.

Back to the story. God says no Ammonites in the Assembly of God. What happens next? We see that an Ammonite is living at the very heart of God's Assembly, in the temple. Look with me at verses 4-5:

" Before this, Eliashib the priest had been put in charge of the storerooms of the house of our God. He was closely associated with Tobiah, and he had provided him with a large room formerly used to store the grain offerings and incense and temple articles, and also the tithes of grain, new wine and olive oil prescribed for the Levites, musicians and gatekeepers, as well as the contributions for the priests."

Eliashib, one of the priests, has let Tobiah the Amonite (one of Nehemiah's enemies) move into the temple. Worse still, Eliashib, has emptied the room used to store temple offerings so Tobiah can make it his luxury apartment! The room set aside for God's worshippers, is now set aside for a God rejecter!

How could this be? What was driving Eliashib. The writer gives us a clue. He was "closely associated with Tobiah". The root of his rebellion was a desire to please men over God. That lead to his foolish decision to allow a God rejecter into the very heart of the temple.

A quick thing for us to learn here is to check our motivations as we fight sin. Ask yourself, "What are my motivations here?" For example, if you're struggling with gossip in the staffroom, ask yourself what's driving this? Am I treasuring the approval of people over God? Rebellion will happen when we let our hearts treasure something more than God.

What happens next? Nehemiah returns. Verse 6 indicates some time has passed since the dedication of the wall. Nehemiah has been away reporting to his boss, the King of Babylon, and "some time later" asks permission to return. He hears of the evil Eliashib has permitted, and personally throws the contents of Eliashib's apartment out onto the road!

Nehemiah's behaviour on one level is shocking. But Nehemiah rightly feels the offense of his people's sin. He's not casual about the sin in his midst. Neither should we. So it's worth asking ourselves, "Where am I casual with sin?" Do you notice anymore your use of language in the office? Do you play around with porn like it's no big deal? Do you place your struggle with anger or bitterness in the "God doesn't really mind box?" Don't become numb to rebellion.

Nehemiah doesn't stop with throwing Tobiah out. After seeing the people have failed to maintain the temple Nehemiah acts. Let's see what he does in verse 11:

" So I rebuked the officials and asked them, "Why is the house of God neglected?" Then I called them together and stationed them at their posts."

This is not the last time we'll see Nehemiah call his people to repentance in this chapter. After rebuking them he reforms the temple, by appointing some trustworthy men to oversee the temple provisions.
What can we learn from Nehemiah? He loves God's people so much he's willing to rebuke them. He's willing to lose popularity because he wants the best for his people. Just as God graciously used Nehemiah to rebuild the walls, now he uses him graciously to call his people to repentance.

Today, God still expresses his love by using his people to call others from sin. If you're trusting in Jesus you too are called to admonishing. That is challenging your brothers and sisters to turn from rebellion. Paul writes these instructions to the church in Colosse:

"Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts." (Colossians 3:16)

I'm not saying we go Nehemiah style into each others houses to throw furniture on the road, that was a response for extreme circumstances. But I do wonder that the task of gently admonishing each other can be neglected at times. Sometimes a loving word from a friend spoken in truth is what we need. Think of times when a friend has kindly pointed out wrong thinking in your life. That is God's means to keep you walking with Jesus. That is in part an expression of his care for you. Let me also encourage you to foster friendships where you give people permission to challenge you. If you're aware that might not be the case, joining a home group is a great place to start building those kind of relationships.

This section ends with Nehemiah's prayer in verse 14: "Remember me for this, my God, and do not blot out what I have so faithfully done for the house of my God and its services." On first reading that might sound a proud prayer. But on closer inspection it's a humble prayer. When he says, "remember me," he's humbly asking God to intervene for him. What he has "faithfully done" could be translated as "my acts of loyal love." Nehemiah's deeds are done in response to God's loyal commitment to him.

Nehemiah does right to ask for God's intervention because he and his cause need it. Israel failed to maintain the temple again, so God calls rebels to repentance again. Next we'll see Rebellion on the Sabbath. That's my second point. Again history repeats, because God's people are breaking the Sabbath. Come with me to verse 17 to see what Nehemiah does:

"I rebuked the nobles of Judah and said to them, "What is this wicked thing you are doing—desecrating the Sabbath day? Didn't your ancestors do the same things, so that our God brought all this calamity on us and on this city? Now you are stirring up more wrath against Israel by desecrating the Sabbath."

For the second time in this chapter the writer record Nehemiah rebuking his people. For the second time Nehemiah puts reforms into action, this time by having the city gates shut over Sabbath to prevent merchants trading on the day of rest.

You might think – big deal – why is God's wrath stirred by a bit of Sabbath day trading? Keeping the Sabbath marked out God's Old Testament People. For Israel had been slaves in Egypt, but to mark their freedom, God had given them a day to stop work. Only free people do that after all. On that day they were to remember their God who rescued them, and who would provide for them. The concern of the Sabbath is that the people know their rescuer provider God.

I don't think we're bound to observe the Sabbath in the same way as God's Old Testament people. However, we need to learn much from the Sabbath principal of resting from work to remember our rescuer provider God. Part of resting for us will involve reading the Bible. Something that can make spending time in the Bible difficult are the electronic devices we have. Even on the weekend many of us receive work emails. Even when we're reading our Bibles our minds are taken up with Monday's business. It might mean for some of us, when we spend time reading our Bibles, we leave the phone consciously behind so we rest from work to enjoy knowing our rescuer provider God.

Again, the writer ends this section with Nehemiah's prayer in verse 22. Again it's a prayer for God to remember him and intervene: "Remember me for this also, my God, and show mercy to me according to your great love." Nehemiah knows God's intervention can only be based on his mercy. Nehemiah knows he and his cause needs it. Israel has broken the Sabbath again, and so Nehemiah calls them to repentance again. For God calls rebels to repentance.

Next we'll see Rebellion in the Home, and that's my third point. The Jews had ignored God's word about marrying those outside of God's people. Look at verse 23:

"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."

Nehemiah sees a new generation of children born to non-Jewish mothers. The result is that they were losing their Hebrew. This was dangerous because Hebrew was the language of the Jewish scriptures. Without Hebrew, they would not be able to hear God's word. God's word would no longer shape their identity and view of life.

So let's see what Nehemiah does in verse 25:

"I rebuked them and called curses down on them. I beat some of the men and pulled out their hair. I made them take an oath in God's name and said: "You are not to give your daughters in marriage to their sons, nor are you to take their daughters in marriage for your sons or for yourselves."

For the third time Nehemiah rebukes the Jews, and calls them to repentance. Now some of you may be thinking, "Is this guy really that Godly – cursing, beating and pulling beards?"

Nehemiah's not swearing rather he's invoking the curse that came when the covenant was broken. The beating and pulling of hair is likely to be something more like a ceremony of formal disciplining. Much like when Jesus threw the money changer out of the temple, Nehemiah's anger is driven by love for God and his people. The opposite of love is not anger, it's indifference. And Nehemiah is not indifferent sin.

On top of all that, in verse 26, Nehemiah makes them promise not to intermarry again. He holds up the example of past sin for them to learn from. Think of Solomon he says, who married outside of God's people, and had his heart turned from God to idols.

For that reason, if you are following Jesus and currently single, then it is right to only seek a marriage partner only from God's people. Because, like Solomon disovered, such relationships so easily draw us into rebelling against God.

And rebellion is a dangerous place to be as Eliashib's Grandson was about to find out. The grandson of the high priest had married into Sanballat's family. Sanaballat was the Jews enemy. Yet through the marriage of his daughter had found himself a place in the family of a temple priest.

Israel's rebellion went to the very core. So Nehemiah has the grandson thrown out. But Nehemiah's response to sin only foreshadows God's response. Look at his prayer in verse 29:

"Remember them, my God, because they defiled the priestly office and the covenant of the priesthood and of the Levites."

Nehemiah prays that God would intervene in judgment. God calls rebels to repent. But it seems here they did not repent, and Nehemiah asks that God himself would remember their sin at judgment.

So let's review the episode so far. Israel promised to be faithful to God in temple worship, in Sabbath keeping and marriage. But chapter 13 has seen nothing but rebellion, rebellion and rebellion. Nehemiah has called them to repentance, repentance, repentance! So let's see how Nehemiah signs off. He signs of with a Request for Remembrance, and that's my final point. He records how he purified the priesthood, assigned their duties and made provision for temple worship. And finally says, "Remember me with favour, my God."

Nehemiah starts with a prayer and ends with a prayer. The prayer he started with in 1:8 asked God to remember his promises to gather his people if they returned to him and obeyed his commands. But the Jews have failed to obey. It feels like a sad end to Nehemiah. If this was the end of a box set we'd be crying out, "How can it end like this?!" "I've got more questions!" But we must remember Nehemiah is part of the wider story of the Bible. As Nehemiah ends, it leaves us begging the question, "Who then can obey?" We find the answer, if you like, in the next episode of the Bible's story.

Who is the one who can keep God's covenant and bring his favour? Who is the one who can gather God's people? Nehemiah's prayers to the covenant God for mercy, justice and favour are answered in one man. Jesus is the one man who unlike Israel never stirred God's wrath, but stirred God's love. God says of Jesus, "You are my son, whom I love." Unlike Israel who spent 40 years in the desert failing to trust God, Jesus went into the wilderness for 40 days and never gave in to temptation. Jesus is the one who kept God's covenant.

Yet he was treated as a covenant breaker. He died outside the walls of Jerusalem in exile on the cross. God the Father poured out his wrath on his son. Jesus lost his Father's favour so we could gain it. Jesus received the Father's justice so we could be shown mercy. So Jesus like Nehemiah calls rebels to repent, but also to believe the good news. God is willing to remember us with favour if we trust in Jesus. God calls rebels to repent. So let's repent, and ask God to remember us with favour in Christ.