We are now approaching the end of the Book of Nehemiah; today, Selwyn looks at Chapter 13, verses 4 to 14. In these verses we see a common, recurring theme found in many areas of the Bible. We have a person, who is dedicated to following God’s ways and there can be no compromises - their vision is clear on what needs to be done – sometime, such a person has their own faults (e.g. Moses, David) but they generally have the ability to recognise those times (often with some form of assistance) when they have fallen short of God’s standard, honestly plead for God’s forgiveness and then seek the strength from God to walk in His ways. The community often stays on track because of their leader’s constant vigilance, but if the leader leaves, as was the case with Nehemiah,  some form of neglect soon creeps back into the situation.Â
Nehemiah on returning to Jerusalem finds some rooms in the Temple has been desecrated by the storage of Tobiah’s furniture, with the approval of the high priest; and the ‘people were no longer providing for the work of the Temple’.Â
What’s his reaction? Was it to convene a meeting with the high priest; perhaps, to talk about building a storage shed behind the Temple as some sort of compromise, as some may, in error, say – acting in ‘love’ for the high priest and Tobiah? No: he throws Tobiah’s furniture out into the street! The high priest and Tobiah knew that what they did was wrong – the correct, loving act was to right the wrong, as quickly as possible, and to purify the rooms. Nehemiah’s love for his God and his people was demonstrated by his actions to immediately address their neglect, before God’s wrath was justly exercised on the negligent officials and people of the city.
Too often today, some Christians try to be ‘nice’ to Satan and anti-Christs, and seek compromises with the people of this world. The correct, loving action is to ‘throw the furniture out into the street’, that is, to declare what is right in the eyes of God and to refuse to sanction those actions which are clearly wrong. Do you agree?
Consequently, I fully agree with Selwyn’s conclusion: “How desperately we need men like Nehemiah in today’s Church. For too long we have courted the favour of the enemies of God. There are people who need rebuking and trends that need challenging. Something drastic has to happen to God’s house when the devil lives in the vestry!”
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PS. In regard to – ‘there are people who need rebuking and trends that need challenging’ - it just so happened, that today, I received a comment from a representative of a group, that teach a different gospel.
I’ve followed Jesus for a number of years, and what I can say is this: the Bible, from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21 (first to last verse), is sufficient. It does not need to be added to, or subtracted from – there have been some minor errors and these are well known; and they do not take anything away from the spiritual truths found in this Book.Â
Any group who claims to have additional knowledge (or prophet) which changes or modifies the main message found in the Bible are to be avoided – they are purveyors of falsehoods.  A Christian (follow the link for more details) is a person who can honestly say they believe the Apostles’ Creed. There are some mandatory beliefs: for example, Deuteronomy 4:35, ‘You were shown these things so that you might know that the Lord is God; beside him there is no other.’ (anywhere, including any other universe).
For me, the important belief is that Jesus is God and there is ONLY one God; in Luke 9:20, Peter responds to Jesus’ question ‘Who do you say I am?’, with the words, ‘The Christ of God.’ Jesus’ death paid the penalty for all sin (no exceptions), and the well-known – John 3:16, ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.‘ Finally, Jesus’ resurrection demonstrates the success and completness of His sacrifice – and our belief, can provide us with the assurance that we too will spend eternity with Him. Fairly simple and straight-forward, don’t you think?  Â
An intruder in God’s house
We are now approaching the end of the Book of Nehemiah; today, Selwyn looks at Chapter 13, verses 4 to 14. In these verses we see a common, recurring theme found in many areas of the Bible. We have a person, who is dedicated to following God’s ways and there can be no compromises - their vision is clear on what needs to be done – sometime, such a person has their own faults (e.g. Moses, David) but they generally have the ability to recognise those times (often with some form of assistance) when they have fallen short of God’s standard, honestly plead for God’s forgiveness and then seek the strength from God to walk in His ways. The community often stays on track because of their leader’s constant vigilance, but if the leader leaves, as was the case with Nehemiah,  some form of neglect soon creeps back into the situation.Â
Nehemiah on returning to Jerusalem finds some rooms in the Temple has been desecrated by the storage of Tobiah’s furniture, with the approval of the high priest; and the ‘people were no longer providing for the work of the Temple’.Â
What’s his reaction? Was it to convene a meeting with the high priest; perhaps, to talk about building a storage shed behind the Temple as some sort of compromise, as some may, in error, say – acting in ‘love’ for the high priest and Tobiah? No: he throws Tobiah’s furniture out into the street! The high priest and Tobiah knew that what they did was wrong – the correct, loving act was to right the wrong, as quickly as possible, and to purify the rooms. Nehemiah’s love for his God and his people was demonstrated by his actions to immediately address their neglect, before God’s wrath was justly exercised on the negligent officials and people of the city.
Too often today, some Christians try to be ‘nice’ to Satan and anti-Christs, and seek compromises with the people of this world. The correct, loving action is to ‘throw the furniture out into the street’, that is, to declare what is right in the eyes of God and to refuse to sanction those actions which are clearly wrong. Do you agree?
Consequently, I fully agree with Selwyn’s conclusion: “How desperately we need men like Nehemiah in today’s Church. For too long we have courted the favour of the enemies of God. There are people who need rebuking and trends that need challenging. Something drastic has to happen to God’s house when the devil lives in the vestry!”
__________________________________
PS. In regard to – ‘there are people who need rebuking and trends that need challenging’ - it just so happened, that today, I received a comment from a representative of a group, that teach a different gospel.
I’ve followed Jesus for a number of years, and what I can say is this: the Bible, from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21 (first to last verse), is sufficient. It does not need to be added to, or subtracted from – there have been some minor errors and these are well known; and they do not take anything away from the spiritual truths found in this Book.Â
Any group who claims to have additional knowledge (or prophet) which changes or modifies the main message found in the Bible are to be avoided – they are purveyors of falsehoods.  A Christian (follow the link for more details) is a person who can honestly say they believe the Apostles’ Creed. There are some mandatory beliefs: for example, Deuteronomy 4:35, ‘You were shown these things so that you might know that the Lord is God; beside him there is no other.’ (anywhere, including any other universe).
For me, the important belief is that Jesus is God and there is ONLY one God; in Luke 9:20, Peter responds to Jesus’ question ‘Who do you say I am?’, with the words, ‘The Christ of God.’ Jesus’ death paid the penalty for all sin (no exceptions), and the well-known – John 3:16, ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.‘ Finally, Jesus’ resurrection demonstrates the success and completness of His sacrifice – and our belief, can provide us with the assurance that we too will spend eternity with Him. Fairly simple and straight-forward, don’t you think?  Â