Nehemiah 5:1-19 - Compassionate Fear of the Lord

Nehemiah 5:1-19

Nehemiah Deals with Oppression

1 And there was a great outcry of the people and their wives against their Jewish brethren. 2 For there were those who said, “We, our sons, and our daughters are many; therefore let us get grain, that we may eat and live.”

3 There were also some who said, “We have mortgaged our lands and vineyards and houses, that we might buy grain because of the famine.”

4 There were also those who said, “We have borrowed money for the king’s tax on our lands and vineyards. 5 Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children; and indeed we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have been brought into slavery. It is not in our power to redeem them, for other men have our lands and vineyards.”

6 And I became very angry when I heard their outcry and these words. 7 After serious thought, I rebuked the nobles and rulers, and said to them, “Each of you is exacting usury from his brother.” So I called a great assembly against them. 8 And I said to them, “According to our ability we have redeemed our Jewish brethren who were sold to the nations. Now indeed, will you even sell your brethren? Or should they be sold to us?”

Then they were silenced and found nothing to say. 9 Then I said, “What you are doing is not good. Should you not walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the nations, our enemies? 10 I also, with my brethren and my servants, am lending them money and grain. Please, let us stop this usury! 11 Restore now to them, even this day, their lands, their vineyards, their olive groves, and their houses, also a hundredth of the money and the grain, the new wine and the oil, that you have charged them.”

12 So they said, “We will restore it, and will require nothing from them; we will do as you say.”

Then I called the priests, and required an oath from them that they would do according to this promise. 13 Then I shook out the fold of my garment and said, “So may God shake out each man from his house, and from his property, who does not perform this promise. Even thus may he be shaken out and emptied.”

And all the assembly said, “Amen!” and praised the LORD. Then the people did according to this promise.

The Generosity of Nehemiah

14 Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year until the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes, twelve years, neither I nor my brothers ate the governor’s provisions. 15 But the former governors who were before me laid burdens on the people, and took from them bread and wine, besides forty shekels of silver. Yes, even their servants bore rule over the people, but I did not do so, because of the fear of God. 16 Indeed, I also continued the work on this wall, and we did not buy any land. All my servants were gathered there for the work.

17 And at my table were one hundred and fifty Jews and rulers, besides those who came to us from the nations around us. 18 Now that which was prepared daily was one ox and six choice sheep. Also fowl were prepared for me, and once every ten days an abundance of all kinds of wine. Yet in spite of this I did not demand the governor’s provisions, because the bondage was heavy on this people.

19 Remember me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people.

This chapter demonstrates the of compassion in dealing with others in the fear of the Lord.  Nehemiah discovered that the people were being taken advantage of by their leaders to the point that they were so in debt that they had family sold into servitude due to the famine.  They had mortgaged their lands and houses to buy food while being charged high interest by their brethren, further increasing their stress and suffering.  Nehemiah thought about these matters and then rebuked the nobles and rulers for their ill treatment of their fellow Jews for their own gain.  He gathered a meeting of them to call them out and chastised them for their lack of fear for God in this and charged them to restore what they had overcharged in their greed at the expense of others’ livelihoods.  Repentance led them to answer, “We will restore it, and will require nothing from them; we will do as you say.”  Nehemiah made certain of this by requiring them to swear an oath before the priests to this effect.  Then they followed through with their promise and did the right thing.  After this, Nehemiah was appointed as governor over Judah for twelve years and he led by example, not taking provisions for himself taken from his brethren by the king.  He did not bleed the people dry as the previous governors, but feared God and worked without expectation of kickbacks or extortion as he continued the work to help restore of the walls of God’s city along with all his servants.  He was given provisions, but shared them and did not demand them as if he was due them.  He saw the bondage and previous ill treatment of his own and refused to continue the acceptable good old boys ways.  He prayed that God would consider all he was doing for good to his people and in the fear and honor of Him.  As 1 Corinthians 9:17-18 says, we are to follow Paul’s example (Acts 20:33-34, 35, 1 Corinthians 4:12, 11:1, 1 Thessalonians 2:9) in this as well, having the gospel as reward in itself in our labors for the good of others.  May we never use others for our own gain, but serve them in the fear of God in love and repent of we are found to be doing this as the Jews did when Nehemiah brought it to light.  This compassionate fear of the Lord should be the basis of our relationships among God’s people. 

Nehemiah 4:1-23 - Mockers Actively Oppose God’s Work

Nehemiah 4:1-23

The Wall Defended Against Enemies

1 But it so happened, when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, that he was furious and very indignant, and mocked the Jews. 2 And he spoke before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they complete it in a day? Will they revive the stones from the heaps of rubbish—stones that are burned?”

3 Now Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “Whatever they build, if even a fox goes up on it, he will break down their stone wall.”

4 Hear, O our God, for we are despised; turn their reproach on their own heads, and give them as plunder to a land of captivity! 5 Do not cover their iniquity, and do not let their sin be blotted out from before You; for they have provoked You to anger before the builders.

6 So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.

7 Now it happened, when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were being restored and the gaps were beginning to be closed, that they became very angry, 8 and all of them conspired together to come and attack Jerusalem and create confusion. 9 Nevertheless we made our prayer to our God, and because of them we set a watch against them day and night.

10 Then Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is failing, and there is so much rubbish that we are not able to build the wall.”

11 And our adversaries said, “They will neither know nor see anything, till we come into their midst and kill them and cause the work to cease.”

12 So it was, when the Jews who dwelt near them came, that they told us ten times, “From whatever place you turn, they will be upon us.”

13 Therefore I positioned men behind the lower parts of the wall, at the openings; and I set the people according to their families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. 14 And I looked, and arose and said to the nobles, to the leaders, and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.”

15 And it happened, when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that God had brought their plot to nothing, that all of us returned to the wall, everyone to his work. 16 So it was, from that time on, that half of my servants worked at construction, while the other half held the spears, the shields, the bows, and wore armor; and the leaders were behind all the house of Judah. 17 Those who built on the wall, and those who carried burdens, loaded themselves so that with one hand they worked at construction, and with the other held a weapon. 18 Every one of the builders had his sword girded at his side as he built. And the one who sounded the trumpet was beside me.

19 Then I said to the nobles, the rulers, and the rest of the people, “The work is great and extensive, and we are separated far from one another on the wall. 20 Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.”

21 So we labored in the work, and half of the men held the spears from daybreak until the stars appeared. 22 At the same time I also said to the people, “Let each man and his servant stay at night in Jerusalem, that they may be our guard by night and a working party by day.” 23 So neither I, my brethren, my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me took off our clothes, except that everyone took them off for washing.

As the people of God were set about the work of rebuilding the city and house of the LORD, mockers aggressively and actively engaged disrupting their good efforts with mocking and threats as they harassed with the aim to stop God’s work.  In their indignant furor against the LORD and His people, they shouted how pointless the work was and how their attempt to strengthen themselves and offer sacrifices to God once more would undoubtedly fail miserably in their estimation.  Even if they did succeed in rebuilding the walls, they mockingly pointed out that even a small fox running along the top would topple it all.  Nehemiah responded by entreating the LORD for help by turning their verbal attacks back on themselves and not blot out their sins with undeserved forgiveness for their mockery against them as a reflection on the LORD.  In face of this opposition, the people still had the conviction of a mind to work and complete the walls.  They did not allow the defeatist talk to stop their work to restore worship and sacrifice to the city where God met with man.  The adversaries then threatened violence and the people of God responded by being ready and equipped to defend themselves, knowing that their great and awesome God would be with them as they fought the good fight of right over wrong.  This ready defense foiled their plotting and the work continued with swords and weapons at hand for response in a moment’s notice if necessary and set guards at night to protect themselves work.  They agreed that if one team was under siege that others would come to assist their defense to ensure that the work progressed.  Our ready defense in the gospel work (1 Peter 3:15) is our defense against those set against the work of building God’s house, one heart at a time, trusting the Lord for the wisdom and strength to defend us as we put on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-11) and build the kingdom city together, coming to aid others under attack by the adversary as needed and encouraging one another in the work to the glory and honoring worship as living (Romans 12:1) sacrifices in His house (Ephesians 2:22, 4:11-12, 15-16, 1 Peter 2:4-5) we are building under His guidance and protection.  Though mockers are actively against God’s work (2 Peter 2:1-2, 3-4, Jude 1:18-19) and attempt to dissuade us to doubt and sin with them, we choose to stand firm (1 Corinthians 15:58, 16:13, Philippians 1:27-28, Ephesians 6:10, 1 Peter 5:8) and fight the good fight as we build the kingdom house of the Lord through the proclamation and defense of the gospel. 

Nehemiah 3:1-32 - Building the City Walls

Nehemiah 3:1-32

Rebuilding the Wall

1 Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests and built the Sheep Gate; they consecrated it and hung its doors. They built as far as the Tower of the Hundred, and consecrated it, then as far as the Tower of Hananel. 2 Next to Eliashib the men of Jericho built. And next to them Zaccur the son of Imri built.

3 Also the sons of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate; they laid its beams and hung its doors with its bolts and bars. 4 And next to them Meremoth the son of Urijah, the son of Koz, made repairs. Next to them Meshullam the son of Berechiah, the son of Meshezabel, made repairs. Next to them Zadok the son of Baana made repairs. 5 Next to them the Tekoites made repairs; but their nobles did not put their shoulders to the work of their Lord.

6 Moreover Jehoiada the son of Paseah and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah repaired the Old Gate; they laid its beams and hung its doors, with its bolts and bars. 7 And next to them Melatiah the Gibeonite, Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon and Mizpah, repaired the residence of the governor of the region beyond the River. 8 Next to him Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs. Also next to him Hananiah, one of the perfumers, made repairs; and they fortified Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall. 9 And next to them Rephaiah the son of Hur, leader of half the district of Jerusalem, made repairs. 10 Next to them Jedaiah the son of Harumaph made repairs in front of his house. And next to him Hattush the son of Hashabniah made repairs.

11 Malchijah the son of Harim and Hashub the son of Pahath-Moab repaired another section, as well as the Tower of the Ovens. 12 And next to him was Shallum the son of Hallohesh, leader of half the district of Jerusalem; he and his daughters made repairs.

13 Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired the Valley Gate. They built it, hung its doors with its bolts and bars, and repaired a thousand cubits of the wall as far as the Refuse Gate.

14 Malchijah the son of Rechab, leader of the district of Beth Haccerem, repaired the Refuse Gate; he built it and hung its doors with its bolts and bars.

15 Shallun the son of Col-Hozeh, leader of the district of Mizpah, repaired the Fountain Gate; he built it, covered it, hung its doors with its bolts and bars, and repaired the wall of the Pool of Shelah by the King’s Garden, as far as the stairs that go down from the City of David. 16 After him Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, leader of half the district of Beth Zur, made repairs as far as the place in front of the tombs of David, to the man-made pool, and as far as the House of the Mighty.

17 After him the Levites, under Rehum the son of Bani, made repairs. Next to him Hashabiah, leader of half the district of Keilah, made repairs for his district. 18 After him their brethren, under Bavai the son of Henadad, leader of the other half of the district of Keilah, made repairs. 19 And next to him Ezer the son of Jeshua, the leader of Mizpah, repaired another section in front of the Ascent to the Armory at the buttress. 20 After him Baruch the son of Zabbai carefully repaired the other section, from the buttress to the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest. 21 After him Meremoth the son of Urijah, the son of Koz, repaired another section, from the door of the house of Eliashib to the end of the house of Eliashib.

22 And after him the priests, the men of the plain, made repairs. 23 After him Benjamin and Hasshub made repairs opposite their house. After them Azariah the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah, made repairs by his house. 24 After him Binnui the son of Henadad repaired another section, from the house of Azariah to the buttress, even as far as the corner. 25 Palal the son of Uzai made repairs opposite the buttress, and on the tower which projects from the king’s upper house that was by the court of the prison. After him Pedaiah the son of Parosh made repairs.

26 Moreover the Nethinim who dwelt in Ophel made repairs as far as the place in front of the Water Gate toward the east, and on the projecting tower. 27 After them the Tekoites repaired another section, next to the great projecting tower, and as far as the wall of Ophel.

28 Beyond the Horse Gate the priests made repairs, each in front of his own house. 29 After them Zadok the son of Immer made repairs in front of his own house. After him Shemaiah the son of Shechaniah, the keeper of the East Gate, made repairs. 30 After him Hananiah the son of Shelemiah, and Hanun, the sixth son of Zalaph, repaired another section. After him Meshullam the son of Berechiah made repairs in front of his dwelling. 31 After him Malchijah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs as far as the house of the Nethinim and of the merchants, in front of the Miphkad Gate, and as far as the upper room at the corner. 32 And between the upper room at the corner, as far as the Sheep Gate, the goldsmiths and the merchants made repairs.

Priests and leaders of the people began to rebuild the walls and hung the doors that had been broken down around the city of the LORD, Jerusalem.  The gates and wall sections were recorded by the names of the ones leading the efforts along each section, some repairing the walls in front of their own houses as the work progressed along the way to completion of the city dedicated to God (2 Chronicles 6:6) where He was to meet with His people in the house of God housed in its walls and yet to be restored to worship and sacrifice once more.  Some nobles refused to put their shoulders to the work, making their servants do the work instead, while the priests who were servants of the Most High God had no such reservations because they did not consider themselves above working to honor the LORD God personally.  May we who are leaders of others be servants (1 Peter 5:2-3) as well, not allowing pride or self-importance to keep us from God’s work,as given to us by Him with gifts and talents to His honor and glory.  We are to act as living sacrifices (Matthew 20:27-28, Romans 12:1-2) as kings and priests (1 Peter 2:9, Revelation 1:6, 5:10) to our Lord.  May we then in all humility and willing service build up the church body as His house and continue to rebuild it when needed to worship Him together in the beauty of holiness putting our shoulders together in His work in all our various callings and gifting.  This is how we build the future Celestial City brick by brick with the walls of truth founded on Christ (1 Corinthians 3:9-10, 11, 16) and its temple as the body of Christ within its walls. 

Nehemiah 2:11-20 - God Does the Work

Nehemiah 2:11-20

Nehemiah Views the Wall of Jerusalem

11 So I came to Jerusalem and was there three days. 12 Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me; I told no one what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem; nor was there any animal with me, except the one on which I rode. 13 And I went out by night through the Valley Gate to the Serpent Well and the Refuse Gate, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down and its gates which were burned with fire. 14 Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King’s Pool, but there was no room for the animal under me to pass. 15 So I went up in the night by the valley, and viewed the wall; then I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned. 16 And the officials did not know where I had gone or what I had done; I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, or the others who did the work.

17 Then I said to them, “You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach.” 18 And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me, and also of the king’s words that he had spoken to me.

So they said, “Let us rise up and build.” Then they set their hands to this good work.

19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they laughed at us and despised us, and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Will you rebel against the king?”

20 So I answered them, and said to them, “The God of heaven Himself will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no heritage or right or memorial in Jerusalem.”

This demonstrates how Nehemiah trusted God to prosper their efforts as he gazed at the broken walls of Jerusalem after three days there, looking around in the darkness at the burned and broken down gates and crumbled stones.  Nobody saw him assess the damage, not even “the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, or the others who did the work.”  He then spoke to them all of the adverse situation they found themselves in and reassured them that the hand of God was food on him and had moved the king’s heart to support their work in the face of the opposition of the ungodly of the land who had taken over Jerusalem and the surrounding land while they were exiled in Babylon for seventy years.  This encouraged them all to respond, “Let us rise up and build,” and they set their hands to the good work in the grace of God who was with them.  The enemy around them mocked the work and accused them of insurrection against the king, either unaware or in complete disregard to the king’s orders to rebuild the city.  Nehemiah wisely answered that the God of Heaven would prosper His servants’ efforts because He was behind it all.  They, however, had no right to the land or city given by God to His people and therefore would receive no part in the completed work.  This is a reminder for God’s people today that only those called out in Christ who are building His house to worship Him as His servants have any right to enter (Isaiah 35:8, Joel 3:17, Revelation 21:27) the New Jerusalem.  Only those recorded in the Lamb’s Book of Eternal Life have that right of heritage in Jesus by the inheritance given by His redeeming grace from our exile in the bondage of sin.  Those outside that grace will remain there forever with no right granted to enter into (Luke 23:43, 1 Corinthians 6:9, 11, Revelation 2:7, 22:15) the paradise of our Lord God; only those found in Christ and recorded in His book are allowed in the Mew Jerusalem as shown in the picture here of those returning to Babylon in this passage are mentioned by name.  God does all the work of our deliverance, our salvation, and He alone guarantees our place inside the walls of the Celestial City to come down to is, the church not made with our hands, but by His.  Until then we labor in building this place of worship which is the body and house of the Lord in His strength and work through us (Isaiah 26:12, Philippians 1:6, 2:13, Ephesians 3:20, 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17, Hebrews 13:20-21) as we walk and work by faith. 

A Sorrowful Heart Satisfied

Nehemiah 2:1-10

Nehemiah Sent to Judah

1 And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, that I took the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had never been sad in his presence before. 2 Therefore the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart.”

So I became dreadfully afraid, 3 and said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire?”

4 Then the king said to me, “What do you request?”

So I prayed to the God of heaven. 5 And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.”

6 Then the king said to me (the queen also sitting beside him), “How long will your journey be? And when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.

7 Furthermore I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given to me for the governors of the region beyond the River, that they must permit me to pass through till I come to Judah, 8 and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he must give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel which pertains to the temple, for the city wall, and for the house that I will occupy.” And the king granted them to me according to the good hand of my God upon me.

9 Then I went to the governors in the region beyond the River, and gave them the king’s letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me. 10 When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard of it, they were deeply disturbed that a man had come to seek the well-being of the children of Israel.

Nehemiah had his sorrowful heart satisfied when the king he attended observed his sadness and asked what was bothering him so much.  He told of his city and the house of Gods there in ruins as dishonoring to the LORD and how that made him filled with grief.  The king satisfied his request to go and lead the rebuilding in Judah and then return to his duties there in the royal house.  Then after giving the king his itinerary with an estimated time it would take, the king was pleased to send him.  Nehemiah knew the opposition he would face, so he asked for letters of safe transit and for supplies of wood to rebuild the house of God.  It was granted because the good hand of God was on Nehemiah to complete the work even in the face of opposition to the LORD and His people to worship Him there.  We also have sorrow in this world but find our heartfelt requests to honor Gods satisfied in His work for the house of God which we are, just as the apostle Paul (Acts 20:24, 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, 7:5, 8:2, James 1:2) often wrote about.  As we go about our Father’s business of building His house (Ephesians 4:12-13), we find consolation as our sorrows turn (Psalm 126:5-6, John 16:20, 1 Peter 1:6) to joy! 

Nehemiah 1:1-11 - Praying to Catch God’s Ear

Nehemiah 1:1-11

Nehemiah Prays for His People

1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah.

It came to pass in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the citadel, 2 that Hanani one of my brethren came with men from Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped, who had survived the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. 3 And they said to me, “The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.”

4 So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

5 And I said: “I pray, LORD God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments, 6 please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned. 7 We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses. 8 Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ’If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations; 9 but if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name.’ 10 Now these are Your servants and Your people, whom You have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand. 11 O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”

For I was the king’s cupbearer.

Nehemiah, meaning ‘Comfort of Yahweh,’ was a contemporary of Ezra and offers a different perspective on the events of the return of God’s people to rebuild Jerusalem.  It begins as he was in Shushan (Susa), the winter residence of Persian kings, and heard from a fellow countryman who was just in Judah and Nehemiah asked for news about the Jews who survived captivity and were in Jerusalem now.  The man Hanani told of the trying times of adversity of their distress and taunting shame of the people and the broken down city walls as a testimony against God’s people in their previous defeat and exile to Babylon.  Nehemiah was broken by the news and prayed fervently with extremely sorrowful tears as he fasted and sought answers from the God of heaven.  He prayed for the great and awesome God to remember His covenant with His people and to continue to show more mercy as they tried to keep His word through all these calamities.  He begged God to be attentive to his heart request and see what the people suffered and how His name was left low among the onlookers for the destruction of the city because of their corporate sins of rejecting Him for dead gods of man’s creation instead of worshipping and obeying the living Creator who made all things.  Nehemiah sought comfort of Yahweh in spite of their failure to keep His word as delivered to them through Moses and reminded himself as he spoke as if to God to remember the promises of curses for disobedience and blessings for repentance to keep His commandments once more.  He spoke of how God said that even if they were exiled to the far corners of the earth that He promised to gather them back together where His name dwelt in the house in Jerusalem that Je chose to meet with them and accept their atoning sacrifices there.  He offered himself and his people to be redeemed by God’s great power and omnipotent hand and asked Him to hear his prayer along with the others who also feared His name that they might be shown mercy as a witness of God’s grace and promises fulfilled and success for him before the king to allow his return to help restore what was broken by sin in Jerusalem.  He prayed to catch God’s ear of grace to allow him to be part of that work of the kingdom of God restored in the place God had set aside for worship and atoning sacrifices of grace.  May we who are in Christ also pray to catch God’s ear of grace in being effective to build God’s house (1 Corinthians 3:10, 1 Peter 2:5) in the grace promised through the gospel that redeems us from the bondage of sin that exiles us from God from birth as we inherited from Adam and are returned through repentance and faith to be worthy in the Son’s righteousness alone to worship the Father in the power of His Spirit in us.  The comfort of Yahweh is in His Son who builds the house of worship from those exiled by sin and held in bondage until released forever by Him to build a house of worship which we are, founded on the solid foundation (Isaiah 28:16, Matthew 7:24, 1 Corinthians 3:11, Ephesians 2:20, 2 Timothy 2:19) of Christ by we who are known by Him and promised much, being delivered out of the enslavement of the world and brought into His presence of grace to worship as we promise in return to choose to live in holiness in honor and worship of our Lord. 

Ezra 10:1-44 - Separation from Sinful Influences

Ezra 10:1-44

Confession of Improper Marriages

1 Now while Ezra was praying, and while he was confessing, weeping, and bowing down before the house of God, a very large assembly of men, women, and children gathered to him from Israel; for the people wept very bitterly. 2 And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, spoke up and said to Ezra, “We have trespassed against our God, and have taken pagan wives from the peoples of the land; yet now there is hope in Israel in spite of this. 3 Now therefore, let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and those who have been born to them, according to the advice of my master and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law. 4 Arise, for this matter is your responsibility. We also are with you. Be of good courage, and do it.”

5 Then Ezra arose, and made the leaders of the priests, the Levites, and all Israel swear an oath that they would do according to this word. So they swore an oath. 6 Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib; and when he came there, he ate no bread and drank no water, for he mourned because of the guilt of those from the captivity.

7 And they issued a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the descendants of the captivity, that they must gather at Jerusalem, 8 and that whoever would not come within three days, according to the instructions of the leaders and elders, all his property would be confiscated, and he himself would be separated from the assembly of those from the captivity.

9 So all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered at Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth of the month; and all the people sat in the open square of the house of God, trembling because of this matter and because of heavy rain. 10 Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have transgressed and have taken pagan wives, adding to the guilt of Israel. 11 Now therefore, make confession to the LORD God of your fathers, and do His will; separate yourselves from the peoples of the land, and from the pagan wives.”

12 Then all the assembly answered and said with a loud voice, “Yes! As you have said, so we must do. 13 But there are many people; it is the season for heavy rain, and we are not able to stand outside. Nor is this the work of one or two days, for there are many of us who have transgressed in this matter. 14 Please, let the leaders of our entire assembly stand; and let all those in our cities who have taken pagan wives come at appointed times, together with the elders and judges of their cities, until the fierce wrath of our God is turned away from us in this matter.” 15 Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahaziah the son of Tikvah opposed this, and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite gave them support.

16 Then the descendants of the captivity did so. And Ezra the priest, with certain heads of the fathers’ households, were set apart by the fathers’ households, each of them by name; and they sat down on the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter. 17 By the first day of the first month they finished questioning all the men who had taken pagan wives.

Pagan Wives Put Away

18 And among the sons of the priests who had taken pagan wives the following were found of the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brothers: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah. 19 And they gave their promise that they would put away their wives; and being guilty, they presented a ram of the flock as their trespass offering.

20 Also of the sons of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah; 21 of the sons of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah; 22 of the sons of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah.

23 Also of the Levites: Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (the same is Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.

24 Also of the singers: Eliashib; and of the gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem, and Uri.

25 And others of Israel: of the sons of Parosh: Ramiah, Jeziah, Malchiah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malchijah, and Benaiah; 26 of the sons of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Eliah; 27 of the sons of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza; 28 of the sons of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai; 29 of the sons of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and Ramoth; 30 of the sons of Pahath-Moab: Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh; 31 of the sons of Harim: Eliezer, Ishijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, 32 Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah; 33 of the sons of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei; 34 of the sons of Bani: Maadai, Amram, Uel, 35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluh, 36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, 37 Mattaniah, Mattenai, Jaasai, 38 Bani, Binnui, Shimei, 39 Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah, 40 Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, 41 Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah, 42 Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph; 43 of the sons of Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, and Benaiah.

44 All these had taken pagan wives, and some of them had wives by whom they had children.

The people of the LORD under Ezra’s spiritual guidance confessed their pagan marriages as unequal yoking with idols and lifeless gods that offended their one true God, Yahweh.  They had been confronted and convicted by the truth and wept with contrite hearts that moved them to bow to the ground in submission to God’s wrath and sought to with repentance as they moved to separate themselves from sinful influences.  They saw hope in separating from ungodly wives as the solution to reconciliation with the LORD and made a covenant promise to Him as they trembled before Him for what they had willingly and knowingly done contrary to the commandments.  They committed themselves to separating from sin and the influences that caused their sin to increase and numb them to God’s law.  They took courage to do the separation and arranged times to gradually face the leaders in those appointments to undo their marriages until the wrath of God was satisfied and they committed themselves to purity once more in body and soul.  They offered sacrifices after putting the pagan wives and children away as each was named here from among the priests, Levites, singers of worship, and the rest.  It is worth repeating the summary for us from the previous day’s commentary:  The answer to such unholy unions in the time under the old covenant of works was to put away the unbelieving wife, whereas the grace in Christ’s covenant of grace now calls for something different as we read in 1 Corinthians 7:12-13, with the understanding that our witness to the unbelieving spouse is no reason to marry them knowing this, but that we are powerless to effect change (1 Corinthians 7:16) in them.  The lesson then is not to marry an unbeliever and corrupt our temples with their unholy pursuits, but also not to automatically divorce them later as long as they consent to remain married and we see that we fail to influence them to repentance and faith to salvation.  No one can stand before the Lord to dispute these things and still worship as we ought to do.  May we then choose rather to be holy as He is and because He is righteous and merciful, and seek forgiveness through repentance if we have failed in this.  May we seek godly offspring (Malachi 2:15, 1 Corinthians 7:14) through righteous choices instead as we tremble at God’s word in purity of body and soul.  We do well to consider these things and remember the separation from sinful influences to make godly choices of the spirit instead of according only to the desires (1 John 2:15-16, 17) of the flesh that we may honor and worship our Lord according to His will recorded in His Word.  Amen!

Ezra 9:1-15 - Trembling at God’s Word in Purity

Ezra 9:1-15

Intermarriage with Pagans

1 When these things were done, the leaders came to me, saying, “The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, with respect to the abominations of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. 2 For they have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, so that the holy seed is mixed with the peoples of those lands. Indeed, the hand of the leaders and rulers has been foremost in this trespass.” 3 So when I heard this thing, I tore my garment and my robe, and plucked out some of the hair of my head and beard, and sat down astonished. 4 Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel assembled to me, because of the transgression of those who had been carried away captive, and I sat astonished until the evening sacrifice.

5 At the evening sacrifice I arose from my fasting; and having torn my garment and my robe, I fell on my knees and spread out my hands to the LORD my God. 6 And I said: “O my God, I am too ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God; for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has grown up to the heavens. 7 Since the days of our fathers to this day we have been very guilty, and for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plunder, and to humiliation, as it is this day. 8 And now for a little while grace has been shown from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a peg in His holy place, that our God may enlighten our eyes and give us a measure of revival in our bondage. 9 For we were slaves. Yet our God did not forsake us in our bondage; but He extended mercy to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to revive us, to repair the house of our God, to rebuild its ruins, and to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem. 10 And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken Your commandments, 11 which You commanded by Your servants the prophets, saying, ‘The land which you are entering to possess is an unclean land, with the uncleanness of the peoples of the lands, with their abominations which have filled it from one end to another with their impurity. 12 Now therefore, do not give your daughters as wives for their sons, nor take their daughters to your sons; and never seek their peace or prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good of the land, and leave it as an inheritance to your children forever.’ 13 And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, since You our God have punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and have given us such deliverance as this, 14 should we again break Your commandments, and join in marriage with the people committing these abominations? Would You not be angry with us until You had consumed us, so that there would be no remnant or survivor? 15 O LORD God of Israel, You are righteous, for we are left as a remnant, as it is this day. Here we are before You, in our guilt, though no one can stand before You because of this!”

The people of Israel who had returned from bondage returned also to their ancestors’ previous sins of idolatry instead of separating themselves from the world’s evil pursuits around them.  Because they were unequally yoked with pagan women, they began sharing in the abominations of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites they married.  Their holy seed was mixed with the unholy and it dragged them downward.  We are reminded of this in Christ as God’s people today as we read 2 Corinthians 6:14-15 because we then defile the temples of God which we are (2 Corinthians 6:16) as we bring lifeless idols into these places meant only for holy worship of the Living God!  This account in Ezra is our warning not to take this lightly and marry unbelievers who will drag us downwards into their abominations which are rejections of God’s word that is given to be followed and not spurned by putting others (Exodus 20:3, Jeremiah 25:6) before Him.  Those we put ahead of holiness of sole worship to the Lord become our idols and by so doing we desecrate our temples.  How can we who are in Christ then choose a wife or husband who is unholy and set up their idols in our temples (1 Corinthians 3:16-17) contrary to His teachings and devotion to Him?  Ezra fasted and prayed without ceasing in his grief over what the people had done and felt the shame and humiliation of the returning sins which had led to their seventy years of exile in a godless land only to return to the land of promise and have them break their promise all over again.  The inner sin nature is our greatest enemy that pulls us from holiness in living and choosing to honor our Savior Lord.  Such disobedience leads us to repentance as Ezra demonstrated on behalf of the people to seek forgiveness from His consuming wrath in their guilt.  Then the answer to such unholy unions in the time under the old covenant of works was to put away the unbelieving wife, whereas the grace in Christ’s covenant of grace now calls for something different as we read in 1 Corinthians 7:12-13, with the understanding that our witness to the unbelieving spouse is no reason to marry them knowing this, but that we are powerless to effect change (1 Corinthians 7:16) in them.  The lesson then is not to marry an unbeliever and corrupt our temples with their unholy pursuits, but also not to automatically divorce them later as long as they consent to remain married and we see that we fail to influence them to repentance and faith to salvation.  No one can stand before the Lord to dispute these things and still worship as we ought to do.  May we then choose rather to be holy as He is and because He is righteous and merciful, and seek forgiveness through repentance if we have failed in this.  May we seek godly offspring (Malachi 2:15, 1 Corinthians 7:14) through righteous choices instead as we tremble at God’s word in purity of body and soul.

Ezra 8:24-36 - You are Holy to the LORD!

Ezra 8:24-36

Gifts for the Temple

24 And I separated twelve of the leaders of the priests—Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brethren with them— 25 and weighed out to them the silver, the gold, and the articles, the offering for the house of our God which the king and his counselors and his princes, and all Israel who were present, had offered. 26 I weighed into their hand six hundred and fifty talents of silver, silver articles weighing one hundred talents, one hundred talents of gold, 27 twenty gold basins worth a thousand drachmas, and two vessels of fine polished bronze, precious as gold. 28 And I said to them, “You are holy to the LORD; the articles are holy also; and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering to the LORD God of your fathers. 29 Watch and keep them until you weigh them before the leaders of the priests and the Levites and heads of the fathers’ houses of Israel in Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the LORD.” 30 So the priests and the Levites received the silver and the gold and the articles by weight, to bring them to Jerusalem to the house of our God.

The Return to Jerusalem

31 Then we departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go to Jerusalem. And the hand of our God was upon us, and He delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambush along the road. 32 So we came to Jerusalem, and stayed there three days.

33 Now on the fourth day the silver and the gold and the articles were weighed in the house of our God by the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest, and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas; with them were the Levites, Jozabad the son of Jeshua and Noadiah the son of Binnui, 34 with the number and weight of everything. All the weight was written down at that time.

35 The children of those who had been carried away captive, who had come from the captivity, offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel: twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, and twelve male goats as a sin offering. All this was a burnt offering to the LORD.

36 And they delivered the king’s orders to the king’s satraps and the governors in the region beyond the River. So they gave support to the people and the house of God.

Offerings to the LORD were collected for the temple house of God and Ezra told the leaders of the priests, “You are holy to the LORD.”  He also told them that the vessels and articles of the house were also holy (1 Samuel 21:5, 2 Timothy 2:20, 1 Corinthians 6:19, 1 Thessalonians 4:1, 7, 5:21-22) as they gave freewill offerings to the LORD God there.  We also are priests to our Lord God in Christ (1 Peter 2:9, Revelation 1:6, 5:10) and are called to be holy first of all in our position and standing in the righteousness imputed to we who are in Christ, and secondly as how we live our lives in holy response as we keep these vessels of worship clean and holy to worship Him as well-pleasing (Hebrews 13:21, Romans 12:1-2, 2 Corinthians 5:9, 1 John 2.15-16, 17) priests who serve God in these temples.  Therefore we listen to Ezra and the pattern set for us to honor God as holy servants with all we are and own put to good and righteous use to worship Him in these temples in the beauty of (1 Chronicles 16:29, Psalm 29:1-2, 96:9) personal priestly holiness.  Therefore hand of God is on such who live lives set apart for Him in body and soul with all we have been given as stewards to deliver from the hand of the enemy at times in this life and most certainly in the next.  Remember, you are holy to the Lord!