Good and righteous leaders are necessary because when people cannot internally discipline themselves, sometimes they need external discipline. Might we emphasize good and righteous leaders who lead with integrity and not with severity of control.
Nehemiah and Ezra had instituted great reform. Ezra had brought back the law and Nehemiah spear-headed the reconstruction of the wall. And together they called the people back to following the ways of God.
But for a season Nehemiah returned back to Babylon. He was still under the authority of the King of Babylon and he had to return to his services. After a season back though Nehemiah asked if he could return to check on things in Jerusalem. What he found shocked and angered him.
At that time they read the Law of Mose and read where no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God.
“When they heard the law, they separated all those of mixed descent from Israel” (Neh 13:3).
These were perhaps new to the people, but the priests by this time would have known them. After all Ezra had restored the Law to them.
But while Nehemiah was away, the main priest Eliashib cleaned out a very large storeroom in the temple. It was the place that was dedicated to holding the tithes, offerings, firstfruits and more. But Eliashib removed all that and converted into a living space for none other than Tobiah!
Tobiah was an Ammonite and throughout Nehemiah’s time of rebuilding the wall, he fiercely opposed Nehemiah and even plotted against him and the others. But because Tobiah was a distant relative of Eliashib the priest, when Nehemiah returned to Babylon he made a special place for him not just anywhere but in the temple. This was a desecration on so many levels.
Next Nehemiah found out that the tithes and offerings were not being collected and given to the Levites and singers. Out of desperation those set aside for the service of God had to return to their fields.
Then Nehemiah discovered that the Sabbath instead of being holy was treated as another work day. And even if they didn’t work, the people were buying and selling from the Tyrians and others. A holy day was treated common, which was partly why God sent them into exile in the first place.
And lastly Nehemiah found out that the people were intermarrying with the foreign nations which was strictly forbidden. The result was children who spoke foreign languages and didn’t even know Hebrew. It was just like Solomon when he was led astray by foreign wives.
Nehemiah was furious. He first went and threw everything out of the room that Tobiah had settled into. Then he ordered the Levites to purify the room as he sent Tobiah packing.
Then he rebuked the officials about their neglect of the house of God. Then they went out and the people of Judah gave their tithes and offerings, allowing the people set aside for ministry to serve gain.
To protect the Sabbath he ordered the city gates closed from the start of Sabbath until its end. That way no one could come in to do commerce. Merchants camped outside the gates but Nehemiah told them if they did that again, he would have to result to force.
And when he found out that the men of God had allowed their daughters to marry foreign wives, he pulled out their hair. He forced them to take an oath before God that they would not do this again. Then he rebuked them sternly. For even Eliashib the priest had allowed his son to marry Sanballat’s daughter. Sanballat was the sworn enemy of Israel and Nehemiah. Furthermore he was a Horonite, a foreigner.
Then he purified them from everything foreign (Neh 13:30).
It was a shocking time. They were returning quickly to the very things that got them deported in the first place. The only thing Nehemiah could die was to take bold action to lead them to reform. This was possible because he was a man of God and these were the covenant people of God.
At the end Nehemiah earned the right to pray this:
“Remember me for this, my God, and don’t erase the deeds of faithful love I have done for the house of muy God and for its services” (Neh 13:14).
