Read Nehemiah 13:1-31
There are some timing issues in this final chapter that often confound the reader, wondering in what order things are happening. Our last reading so positively set the stage for how life would be in Jerusalem. Now Nehemiah swoops in to shake some sense into the Israelites who must have quickly forgotten their purpose.
It’s almost like “when the cat’s away, the mice will play.” Nehemiah had returned to Babylon like he had promised the king before he left for Jerusalem. Nehemiah must have gotten word that the people in Jerusalem were struggling. His faithful leadership was needed again!
What a huge jump from worshipping around the newly constructed wall to needing reforms! The evil one wasted no time distracting the people of their devotion to God. How did it happen so quickly? Satan used foreigners. These foreigners were often neighbors, the very nations God had warned them about for generations.
The problem with these foreigners was they didn’t know God themselves. They had no idea what devotion to the one true God meant. Their desires were often selfishly motivated, and they had no desire to follow God’s laws. God knew when a non-believer married one of his chosen ones, the non-believer’s influence would be too great. It was the timeless battle of good vs. evil.
We see in this passage how quickly evil can permeate a situation. Why else would Nehemiah have to rush back to Jerusalem so soon? Nehemiah may have thought his mission was complete, and the people of Jerusalem and Judah would live happily ever after. That’s not what was happening.
From the sounds of it, Nehemiah got the people back on track and made the necessary reassignments. How long would that last? Nehemiah wasn’t going to live forever! The Bible accounts regarding the Israelites pretty much come to an end at this point with a 400-year gap between the Old and New Testaments.
Nehemiah’s focus had been on making sure the community was following God. He didn’t want his people to have a repeat of what had happened in the past. He must have been so frustrated with the people’s hard heads. It was like they didn’t get it. Nehemiah knew the more the people were in tune with God and what the holy scrolls said, the better off they would be. We could say the same thing today about people knowing God’s word.
If we were to take a snapshot of what was happening after Nehemiah straightened everything out, what would we see? Then, fast-forward 400 years, when Jesus came, what would that snapshot look like then? We know there were plenty of faithful people alive when Jesus was born, waiting with great anticipation for their Messiah.
Nehemiah didn’t speak of the Messiah, but the prophets had. Keeping the prophecies alive over those 400 years would explain why so many people were waiting for their Messiah. One of my next projects is to do a little digging into what those 400 years may have looked like. My pastor husband gave me two books I can read to learn more about that period of history. It’s intriguing to me.
This story in the Old Testament has come to an end. The people are back in Jerusalem. Life is going to happen. Evil is going to keep trying to attack and destroy God’s precious children. We see it happening still today. The evil one is ruthless when it comes to showing his power. We all need people like Nehemiah in our life to keep our eyes focused on the prize.
Thankfully, we have God’s word to devour and the Holy Spirit to guide our steps. Never forget to tap into that great power each day and ask for protection from evil. Then, we need to be like Nehemiah to those around us. We may need to wave our arms, jump up and down, or do something to get attention. It’s our mission to help the lost find their way home to Jesus’ loving arms.
Let’s pray. Lord, draw me close and keep me safe. This world is full of evil, and I do not want to be deceived. Shine through me so that I can be a beacon of light that draws people back to you. It is an honor and a privilege to be used by you. Thank you for revealing your truth through the words of Scripture. Continue to open my eyes to your truth. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
