Return from Exile: Nehemiah 10 (4)

Pray Psalm 78.32-37.
In spite of this they still sinned,
And did not believe in His wondrous works.
Therefore their days He consumed in futility,
And their years in fear.
When He slew them, then they sought Him;
And they returned and sought earnestly for God.
Then they remembered that God was their rock,
And the Most High God their Redeemer.
Nevertheless they flattered Him with their mouth,
And they lied to Him with their tongue;
For their heart was not steadfast with Him,
Nor were they faithful in His covenant.

Sing Psalm 78.32-37.
(Foundation: How Firm a Foundation)
When troubled, they turned to the LORD’s loving face;
He met them and showed them His marvelous grace.
They spoke of their love for Him, yet in their heart
of His holy cov’nant they wanted no part.

Read Nehemiah 10.1-34; meditate on verses 32-34.

Preparation
1. What actions did the people take for the upkeep of the temple?

2. How did they decide who would bring wood?

Meditation
We’re familiar with the expression, “Close, but no cigar”? That’s what I keep feeling, every time these people make some effort to break free of their captivity to self.

What’s happening here? The people spelled out what must be done to keep the work going forward. But in one case their effort was too little, and in the other it was perhaps too much.

The people decided to exact a tax of one-third a shekel “for the service of the house of our God” (v. 32). That looks good. Let’s do it. But the Law of God didn’t require one-third of a shekel. It required one-half of a shekel (Ex. 30.11-16). “Oh, God won’t mind if we don’t do exactly what He requires, will He?” In Josiah’s day, just before the exile to Babylon, the people held a great Passover—a happy celebration for “rediscovering” the Law of God. Only even then, they didn’t keep the Passover as God said they should in His Law. Instead of the people bringing their own offerings, Josiah provided them all (2 Chron. 35.7ff). Close, but no cigar. That generation was taken captive to Babylon after Josiah died.

Then the people agreed to “cast lots” for the “wood offering” (v. 34). No such “wood offering” was required in the Law. The people made this quotidian responsibility into a religious rite. And casting lots was just a way of compelling people to do what they had no heart to do. “Yeah, but it’s just a little going beyond the Law so that we can keep the church going. What could be wrong with that?”

Nothing. If you don’t care about knowing the blessings of God. Close, but no cigar.

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
The care and maintenance of a church is important work.
And the tasks within that care are special and varied.
Fortunately, God brings a plethora of different people, with a variety of skill sets to keep things going.
According to His Word: commandments, precepts, laws, statutes, and testimonies.

The folks in Nehemiah’s day skirted the truth and settled for falsehoods. That never works. Although it might seem to at first, operating outside of His boundaries never can maintain itself for long.

God has told us how much to give to His work: ten percent of our income.
God has given gifts to each participant of a church, to honor God and bless others.
God will answer our prayer to be filled with His Spirit to do this work.

But what does God want most of all from us? To know Him.
Not to go to church, not be on a thousand committees, in fact, no work at all: just sit with Jesus, like Mary:
“…who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word.” As Jesus said to Mary’s sister Martha: “…you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her” (Lk. 10.39, 41, 42).

Needless to say, just as in running a household, there are things involved in running a church that need to be done by God’s people, but done in the way that He has prescribed. We have been given gifts of service to use, “differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good” (Rom. 12.6-9).

And who are the people in the neighborhood who do this work? They are many members of the same body. How so? Well, as Paul explained: “If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,’ is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,’ is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing: if the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased” (1 Cor. 12.14-18).

The body of Christ needs all the parts to function properly, and all the parts must be honored, “that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another” (1 Cor. 12.25). There are “presentable” and “unpresentable” participants who each need to be used to their full measure. All the parts.

Don’t overuse the excessively competent just because you can. Heavy lifting can herniate the best of disks. But conversely, don’t underuse anyone as this can cause atrophy. And neither is pleasing.

If God is requiring one-half a shekel, don’t give Him a third of one, just because you can (Neh. 10.32). And if God tells the Levites to get the wood, I’d recommend they do just that, and don’t farm it out (Neh. 10.34). Because who in the world ever wants to hear from God, “Close, but no cigar”?

For reflection
1. According to Philippians 2.13, whose job is it to equip and motivate God’s people to serve Him? How does that come about?

2. Are we likely to volunteer (Ps. 110.3) for Jesus if we don’t love Him above all? Explain.

3. Why have programs, catchy slogans, tight organization, marketing campaigns, and other such ways of getting things done not prevailed to help churches realize their vast potential for serving the Lord?

When every one helps, and every one gives, though but little, toward a good work, the whole will come to be a large sum. We must do what we can in works of piety and charity; and whatever state we are placed in, cheerfully perform our duty to God, which will be the surest way to ease and liberty. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on Nehemiah 10.32-39

Pray Psalm 78.65-72.
Pray that God will bring true revival and renewal to His Church and a great awakening to Jesus for the whole world.

Sing Psalm 78.65-72.
(Foundation: How Firm a Foundation)
While they were still suff’ring, He rose in His strength
and fought for His people and saved them at length.
From Judah a king He set for Israel,
a temple He built with His people to dwell.

Now Jesus, God’s servant, is King evermore,
and we are His people, and He is our Lord.
His heart is upright as He leads by His hand
and causes us ever before Him to stand.

T. M. and Susie Moore

Two books can help us understand our own captivity and lead us to seek revival and renewal in the Lord. The Church Captive asks us to consider the ways the Church today has become captive to the world. And Revived! can help us find the way to renewal. Learn more and order your free copies by clicking here and here.

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter, available free by clicking here.