“Dealing with slackers”
Meditation – Wednesday, November 3, 2021 by Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Nehemiah 13:4-22 (Forward, p. 5) CEV p. 513
There is a constant danger among those of faith, particularly of the Christian faith. We know and are told, that we are saved by grace, by the free unmerited, undeserved gift of God, but far too easily, we can relax, do as we please, and take it for granted. We can forget the extreme cost of that privilege (yes, it is a privilege), that it cost Jesus His death on the Cross. And, we can hold on to what the author of the Letter to the Hebrews says about our ‘boldness of access’ (Hebrews 4:16; see also Ephesians 3:12) to the Father, and likewise take it for granted.
Some of the people of Jesus’ day took the same attitude to their Jewish faith. They maintained that simply by their ancestry as descendants of Abraham, that they were ‘covered’, saved, regardless of what they said or did. That‘s why John the Baptist railed against some of the religious elite, demanding that they give evidence of their repentance and saying that God could raise up ancestors from these rocks (Matthew 3:7-10).
There were people of Nehemiah’s day who likewise slipped into the same kind of slackness concerning matters of faith and practice. In today’s passage, we find three examples of this:
a) First is their compromise with ungodly ‘actors’ within their present world, particularly a man named Tobiah. By virtue of his name, which means ‘God is good’, it might be assumed that he was Jewish, but his actions certainly don’t bear this out. In fact, in almost everything he did, he showed himself to be firmly and categorically to the good welfare of the Jewish people:
he tried to make it sound as if Nehemiah was planning to make himself king and rebel against his Persian overlord;
he publicly ridiculed Nehemiah’s efforts to rebuild the city and sought to undermine them;
with Sanballat and Geshem, two nearby governors, he tried to mount a military campaign against Nehemiah and Jerusalem;
he tried to lure Nehemiah out of the city in order to assassinate him and then, later on, hired a prophet to falsely incite Nehemiah to flee for his life to the Temple, thereby incurring a ritual transgression that could well have cost him his life;
and, finally, he initiated a letter-writing campaign to prop up his own position and frighten Nehemiah.
Given this singularly nasty and thoroughly disagreeable behavior, you would think that he would be labeled a ‘bad actor’ and given a short shift within Jewish society. But, no, he was installed in one of the highest and most prominent places and actually allowed to reside in the Temple precincts, right in the Temple storerooms where all the food offerings and holy paraphernalia were kept.
And why was that? It was because he was allied with some of the city's prominent families (the priest Eliashib was a relative of his). And so, on account of this, they turned a blind eye and sort of winked at his malicious actions in the past. Nehemiah would have none of that, however, and turfed him out. Seeing as Tobiah had probably gained both politically and financially through his position, he would not have been a ‘happy camper’, but that was of no concern to Nehemiah. The proper worship of God and the integrity of God’s people were more important to him.
b) And that was not all: The Temple staff grew delinquent in their duties and had actually returned to their farms. That was because they had not been paid. (I have to wonder whether Tobiah’s control of the Temple resources would not have contributed to this; after all, in one sense, he ‘sat’ on them and controlled them!). Once again, Nehemiah dealt with this problem by providing good leadership, getting them back to work, and making sure they were paid.
c) And one last thing: The Sabbath was no longer being observed properly. They were harvesting their crops, making wine, bringing their produce into the city, and selling them there—all on the Sabbath! Once again, Nehemiah proved himself a man of action. He forbid all these actions and ordered the city gates closed for the duration of the Sabbath. Once or twice, merchants found themselves, much to their sorrow and chagrin, left outside the gates come nightfall on the Sabbath, and forced to wait out that time. However, they quickly learned. Furthermore, they were threatened with arrest should they try it again.
As I read this, I cannot help but think and reflect upon the nonchalance that today impacts so much of our society. People, businesses, leaders, and the rank and file are simply not held accountable so often these days. And, sadly, sometimes, this goes for the church as well. And so, our church, our communities, our society and our world suffer as a result. Surely, that was one of Nehemiah’s concerns over the desecration of the Sabbath, as it had been one of the reasons for Israel’s past destruction.
But, more than that, Nehemiah has a concern for God’s holiness, and for the way that God was seen and treated. Not because God was ultimately hurt thereby, but because it impacts us in our relationship with Him. If we treat God lightly and casually, we, His people, end up the losers. And that, certainly, is worth being concerned about. Amen.
Forward notes: “What is this evil thing that you are doing, profaning the sabbath day? (verse 17b)
“The last remnants of the blue laws, also known as Sunday laws, remain in twenty-eight American states. Established in the late eighteenth century, these laws were meant to promote the exercise of religion, setting aside a day in which stores closed, alcohol sales were prohibited, and even buying a new car was off-limits. When I grew up in the late 1960s and early 1970s, many businesses closed or had reduced operating times. It seemed like not much was going on except church in the mornings.
“If the blue laws had been around in Nehemiah’s time, he might have considered them too weak. As governor of Persia from 465-424 BCE, Nehemiah was responsible for rebuilding Jerusalem, and he established strict Jewish compliance to the law of Moses. Over the centuries, our relationship to the sabbath has waxed and waned, and today, the idea of businesses closing seems out-of-touch with our corporate culture. But God still commands us to respect the sabbath. How do you keep sacred the sabbath?”
MOVING FORWARD: “Do you have a personal sabbath day? Make a plan this week to set aside sabbath time to offer prayer and praise to God.
