Return from Exile: Nehemiah 13 (1)

Pray Psalm 106.6, 48.
We have sinned with our fathers,
We have committed iniquity,
We have done wickedly…
Blessed be the LORD God of Israel
From everlasting to everlasting!
And let all the people say, “Amen!”
Praise the LORD!

Sing Psalm 106.6.
(Trust in Jesus: ‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus)
We have sinned, just like our fathers; we have done iniquity.
Just like them, our hearts have wandered; we have acted wickedly.
Refrain v. 48
Blessèd be our God and Savior, evermore His praise proclaim!
Let all those who know Your favor praise Your holy, glorious Name!

Read and meditate on Nehemiah 13.1-3.

Preparation
1. What did the people learn as they heard the Law?

2. What did they do?

Meditation
During this brief season of revival the people would gather to hear the Law read by Ezra and the Levites. On that great day of rejoicing—the celebration on the wall (ch. 12)—the reading was from Deuteronomy 23.3, 4: “An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter the assembly of the LORD; even to the tenth generation none of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the LORD forever, because they did not meet you with bread and water on the road when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you.”

Oops.

The people, under the influence of God’s Spirit, moved immediately to redress this situation. Surely it must have been a little painful when they “heard the Law” and “separated all the mixed multitude from Israel” (v. 3). These people had helped them build the wall, perhaps even the temple. They had become friends and even neighbors. Now they were sent packing from the assembly because of the sins of a prior generation.

To some, that may have seemed unreasonable. But the Law was crystal clear, and the people, under the influence of reviving grace, preferred to risk offending their neighbors and friends to incurring the wrath of God.

A day was coming when this sanction would be lifted and not only Ammonites and Moabites but Gentiles from every tribe and tongue would be welcomed into the assembly of the Lord (cf. Is. 54.1-3). But that day was not yet. The people did well in following the plain teaching of the Law. But their hearts, as we shall see, were not completely devoted to God.

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162.
“However, our God turned the curse into a blessing” (Neh. 13.2).

God, in diverse ways and situations, makes this switch for His children.
But the switch comes in the way He helps us see our circumstances in a different light. His light, to be exact (Jn. 8.12; Ps. 36.9; Ps. 119.105).

Joseph, after being sold into slavery by his brothers, had this to say to them later in life:
“But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive” (Gen. 50.20). Had Joseph chosen to let a “root of bitterness” (Heb. 12.15) take hold in his heart, he and the many saved people would not have experienced the grace of God through him. He would have allowed the curse of cruelty to overcome and debilitate him; leaving him impotent to provide a blessing. His life was illumined by God.

Paul, as a persecuted Christian, had many opportunities to let evil overcome good in his life. But his attitude was as positive as Joseph’s. Therefore, he was able to write these words to us: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8.28). “But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel…” (Phil. 1.12). And we also know this occurred because Paul gave thanks in all things, thereby doing the will of God (1 Thess. 5.18). He was never stopped by adversity because his heart was not fettered by grievances. He saw his life in God’s light.

As in everything pertaining to the Christian life:
God knows best.
God makes the rules.
God wants us to live by them (Deut. 32.46, 47).

Our life is not a multiple-choice jumble of options.

We may not always understand what God wants, or why, but that is not the point.
The point is: by faith we follow Him. In trust we obey Him.
Through His magnanimous grace He saves us.
He has forever turned His curse into our blessing
by His indescribable gift—Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 9.15).
Eternally (Jn. 3.16).

For reflection
1. We may not understand God’s reasons, but if we can understand His Word, that should be enough. Explain.

2. What should we do when we find things in our life that don’t line up with God’s Word?

3. How can believers help one another in this matter of taking God at His Word?

See the benefit of publicly reading the word of God; when it is duly attended to, it discovers to us sin and duty, good and evil, and shows wherein we have erred. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on Nehemiah 13.1-3

Pray Psalm 106.13-48.
Praise God for His many glorious works, His faithful Word, and His great salvation. Seek mercy and grace from the Lord for all your needs, and call on Him to make you ready to share the Good News of Jesus.

Sing Psalm 106.13-48.
(Trust in Jesus: ‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus)
Though Your works we’re oft forgetting, and Your counsels we despise,
though we often try and test You, yet You hear our plaintive cries!
Refrain v. 48
Blessèd be our God and Savior, evermore His praise proclaim!
Let all those who know Your favor praise Your holy, glorious Name!

Look upon us, LORD, with favor, see us in our sore distress!
Hear our cries, with love surround us; turn again to heal and bless!
Refrain

Save us, LORD, from every nation; gather us from all our ways.
And we to Your Name will offer glorious thanks and endless praise!
Refrain

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.