Year 8, Day 60: Nehemiah 13

Theological Commentary: Click Here

As we close the book of Nehemiah, we get a wrap up of his ministry.  Nehemiah closes up some odds and ends.  As I read through the text, there are many things I think are great and a few things that I disagree with.  In the end, though, I need to remind myself that much of ministry is contextual.

First of all, look at what Nehemiah is doing after the repairs in Jerusalem are completed.  Nehemiah goes back to the king.  Nehemiah’s life goes back to the way that it was.  What we can glean from this is that sometimes God’s calling is for a season.  Nehemiah didn’t leave the king and go to Jerusalem to rule it.  He went to Jerusalem to fix an issue and then he went back to the king.  Sure, he did go back and forth.  But he did not stop his service to the Persian king once the walls were completed.

Second, notice that when Nehemiah does come back he does expect a reckoning.  He finds out that the laws aren’t being followed. The Levites aren’t being supported.  Rooms of the temple have been misallocated.  Nehemiah takes charge.  He fixes the issue, sets things right, and purifies the mistakes.  He even goes so far as to remind the people of the mistakes of past kings - even Solomon!  Although Nehemiah goes back to regular life, he doesn’t abandon Jerusalem, either.

That being said, let’s also examine something that doesn’t look right from our Christian lens. Nehemiah makes a big deal that the Ammonites or the Moabites aren’t allowed into the temple.  They have their reasons, because when the people came up from Egypt the Ammonites and Moabites resisted their coming.  I get that the people got in the way.  I also get that human beings like to hold grudges.  I also get that there are consequences to our sinfulness.  However, when Christ comes He tells us that what God desires is a repentant heart.  He teaches us that God is not just the God of the Hebrew people but the God of the Gentiles as well.  So, while I have no issue with Nehemiah making sure that they are mindful of outside influences, I also feel the need to lift up repentance and forgiveness.  A Moabite or Ammonite who comes to God and follows God as one of His own children would know the forgiveness of God and therefore should know our own forgiveness, too.

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