Labor and Conflict: Exposition on Nehemiah

Before entering upon this chapter, it may be helpful to the reader to point out the structure of the book. Up to chapter 7:5, we have Nehemiah's personal narrative from the time he first heard of the affliction and reproach of the remnant in Judea, and of the desolate condition of Jerusalem, until the completion of the building of the wall, etc. The remainder of chapter 7 contains "a register of the genealogy of them which came up at the first." The portion included in chapters 8 to 10 gives the reading of the law by Ezra, and the effect of it as seen in the confession of sins, and the making a covenant to keep the law and all the observances of the house of God; and this part of the book, if written by Nehemiah, is not written in the first person singular, as in the former part; but it is "we" did this or that. (See chap. 10:30, 32, 34, etc.)
Coming now to chapter 11, we find an account of how the people were distributed, both in Jerusalem and in the cities of Judah, with their genealogies, followed in chapter 12:1-26 by a list of the priests that went up with Zerubbabel and Jeshua, and also of the Levites who were recorded chief of the fathers at certain periods. In chapter 12:27-43 we have the dedication of the wall; and the chapter closes with the appointment of some "over the chambers for the treasures," and with an account of the duties and maintenance of the singers and porters. The last chapter (13) is taken up with a description of the abuses Nehemiah found on his return to Jerusalem after a visit to the king at Babylon, and of the vigorous efforts he made for their correction; and this chapter, as well as the ceremony for the dedication of the wall, is written by Nehemiah himself, as it is an account of what he himself saw and did.
Returning again to chapter 11, the first two verses, it will be observed, are distinct - complete in themselves. "The rulers of the people dwelt at Jerusalem." "The city," we have before been told, "was large and great: but the people were few therein, and the houses were not builded." Chap. 7:4. In truth it was at this time little else than a desolate heap of ruins; and for the people at large, therefore, there was no means of subsistence. But as it had ever been the seat of authority, and still "the holy city," the rulers, who would also be men of substance, would naturally fix their abode within its sacred walls; for, if they were men of faith, they would view it not as it actually existed before their eyes, but as it would be in a future day - as "the city of the great King" - and, as such, "the perfection of beauty," "the joy of the whole earth." Still there was need for people as well as for rulers; and thus "the rest of the people also cast lots, to bring one of ten to dwell in Jerusalem the holy city, and nine parts to dwell in other cities." Besides these, there were others "that willingly offered themselves to dwell at Jerusalem," and of these it is said, "the people blessed" them. Those on whom the lot fell went of necessity; but those who willingly offered themselves were moved by their own choice and affection.
This spontaneous offering of themselves could only spring from love to the place which God had desired and chosen for His habitation, and was therefore evidence that they had in some measure entered into the mind and heart of God. "They shall prosper," says the Psalmist, "that love thee" - Jerusalem - because indeed it showed a heart in communion with the heart of God. So with these men who offered themselves; for it was as precious to Jehovah, albeit He had sent Nebuchadnezzar to level it to the ground, in the day of its desolations as in that of its prosperity and splendor. It was as true in the time of Nehemiah as in that of Solomon, that "The LORD loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob"; and hence it must have been acceptable to Jehovah Himself when these men expressed their desire to dwell at Jerusalem. The people seem to have understood this, for they blessed those who thus came forward. If they had not the energy to do the same thing, they could not help admiring those who had; and, comprehending the privilege they would enjoy, they were constrained to bless them. They might have remembered the words of one of their own psalms - "Blessed is the man whose strength is in Thee; in whose heart are the ways.... Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools. They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God." Psa. 84:5-7. How often it is seen, even now, that there are believers who can admire the blessedness of devotedness to Christ and His interests without having the heart or courage to pursue the same path for themselves!
In the next place, we have a description of the distribution of the people. (See also 1 Chron. 9:2-16.) In Jerusalem there were, besides priests and Levites, children of Judah and children of Benjamin (vv. 4, 10, etc.), while in the cities there were "Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the Nethinim, and the children of Solomon's servants."
We may briefly glance at the details. Of Judah there were in the holy city "four hundred threescore and eight valiant men" - all "sons of Perez" or Pharez; that is, they were traced back to the son of Judah as evidence that they could show their genealogy. Of Benjamin there were nine hundred and twenty-eight. Of these, "Joel the son of Zichri was their overseer: and Judah the son of Senuah was second over the city." We find here abundant confirmation of the fact that, apart from the priests and Levites, only the two tribes, Judah and Benjamin, or representatives of these, were brought back from Babylon. That there might have been individual members of other tribes - such, for example, as Anna who was of "the tribe of Aser" (Luke 2:36) - in no wise affects this statement. As tribes, Judah and Benjamin only were restored; and thus the remaining ten tribes are "lost" to this day, hidden, in the ways of God, among the peoples of the earth; but the time is fast approaching, though it may be not until after the appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, when they will be brought out of their hiding place and set in security and blessing in their own land under the peaceful sway of their glorious Messiah. (See Jer. 29:14; 31; Eze. 20:33-44.)
Attention may also be directed to the care with which the genealogy of the people is stated. This, indeed, is of all importance to the saints of God, and especially to God's ancient people. For seventy years they had been in Babylon; and, knowing ourselves the influence of such a scene, it had been no wonder if they had settled down in the country to which they had been exiled, if, in the pursuits and occupations of their daily lives, they, or at least their children born in Babylon, had forgotten the land of their birth, and ceased to remember Jerusalem above their chief joy, and had lost their nationality by commingling with the Gentiles. The record of their genealogy shows that they had not done so, that they had continued to prize their descent from Abraham as their chiefest heritage, because it had put them among a people favored of Jehovah, and in the midst of whom He Himself had dwelt. These, therefore, were not like Esau, who despised his birthright; but they clung to it, amid all their tribulation and reproach, as their divinely-given title to all their national expectations and hopes.
It is a great thing for saints at any time to preserve the record of their genealogy. The Jew did it by guarding the written testimony to his descent; the Christian can only do so by walking in obedience, in the power of an ungrieved Spirit, who alone can enable us to cry "Abba, Father," and who Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. Moreover, the presentation of their title was a necessity (see Ezra 2:59, 62) for the admission of their claim to dwell in the holy city; and as in Ezra so here (and we would emphasize the fact) the responsibility of producing the title rested on those who made the claim. It is well to remember this in a day of profession, when all alike, on the ground of that profession, assert their rights to the most blessed privileges of Christianity, and look upon it as a proof of narrowness and lack of charity if their demands are not instantly recognized. Many such may be really the children of God; only let it be remembered that on them lies the burden of proving it, and that proving it is an indispensable condition of its acknowledgment.
From verse 10 to verse 14, we have the account of the priests, the genealogy of the chief of whom is also carefully stated. All together they numbered eleven hundred and fifty-two. Of these Seraiah was "the ruler of the house of God," while no less than eight hundred and twenty-two were occupied in the work of the house. This was a blessed privilege, whether for the former or the latter, whatever the responsibilities connected with the respective offices which had been assigned to them in the grace of God. There are "rulers" of the house of God still, but none can rightly fill the post unless they are possessors of the necessary qualifications. (See, for example, 1 Tim. 3:1-7.) All may now assist in doing the work of the house, if they are living according to their priestly place in the holiest; for the work in this case was that which belonged to them as priests, and only those who are filling their priestly office can rightly be engaged in priestly service.
The Levites follow the priests (vv. 15-18); but altogether they only numbered two hundred fourscore and four. Among these were some who "had the oversight of the outward business of the house of God." Only the priests could minister at the altar, or in the holy places; still the Levites had a blessed place of service. They were originally given to Aaron (Christ) for the service of the tabernacle (Numb. 3) for all the work of the house of God outside of the priestly office. At the present time believers are both priests and Levites; for when they are in the holiest offering through Christ the sacrifice of praise to God, or when they "do good" and "communicate," they are acting as priests (Hob 13:15. 16); and when occupied for the Lord in other kinds of service, they exhibit rather the Levitical character.
There is indeed the same distinction in the Church of God: bishops - that is, those who answer to these as described in the epistles (1 Tim. 3; Titus 1) - are rulers in the house of God, corresponding with Seraiah (v. 11); while deacons (see Acts 6, etc.) are, like these Levites, engaged in the "outward business" of the assembly. Then one is specially mentioned, though others were associated with him, who was "the principal to begin the thanksgiving in prayer." There is nothing like this in the service of the Levites in the wilderness, for indeed the wilderness was not a place of song or praise; but this office dates from the time of David, who "appointed certain of the Levites to minister before the ark of the LORD, and to record, and to thank and praise the LORD God of Israel." Thereon we read that "on that day David delivered first this psalm to thank the LORD into the hand of Asaph and his brethren." (1 Chron. 16:4-7; also chap. 25:1-7.) This will explain why Mattaniah's (v. 17) genealogy is traced back to Asaph, and is at the same time evidence of the care exercised to restore the service of praise "after the ordinance of David king of Israel." (Ezra 3:10; Neh. 12:24.) All this was in harmony with the dispensation which then obtained; but now that the hour has come when the true worshipers worship the Father in spirit and in truth (John 4:23), only such as are led of the Holy Spirit can "begin the thanksgiving in prayer." (Eph. 5:18, 19.)
Besides the Levites, there are mentioned "the porters,... and their brethren that kept the gates," numbering a hundred and seventy-two, and the singers of the sons of Asaph that were "over the business of the house of God." vv. 19-22. Parenthetically it is noted that "the residue of Israel, of the priests, and the Levites, were in all the cities of Judah, every one in his inheritance. But the Nethinim dwelt in Ophel: and Ziha and Gispa were over the Nethinim." vv. 20, 21. Without going into particulars, it may be pointed out that all these details are given to show how complete for the moment was the restoration of divine order in the holy things of Jehovah's house among these children of the captivity. Man's will had wrought long enough; and now, once more back in the land of their fathers, the land of promise and hope, their one desire is that Jehovah alone should govern - that everything should be in accordance with His Word. But in the midst of this beautiful revival, there are remembrances of their sad condition in contrast with the past. Gentile authority is noticed even in connection with the house of God. Thus, after the introduction of the singers of the sons of Asaph, who were over the business of the house of God, it is added, "For it was the king's commandment concerning them, that a certain portion should be for the sinners., due for every day. And Pethahiah the son of Meshezabeel, of the children of Zera the son of Judah, was at the king's hand in all matters concerning the people." vv. 23, 24.
It was sad beyond all expression that the singers in the temple of the Lord should be dependent for support upon a Gentile monarch. They were Levites, and it was intended that they should be sustained by the willing-hearted contributions of the people (see Deut. 12:11, 12; 26:12, 13), forasmuch as they had no part or inheritance with their brethren of the children of Israel. But the people who had returned from Babylon were few in number; they themselves with their cattle were subject to the pleasure of alien rulers; they were servants in the land God had given to their fathers, and altogether were in great distress. (Chap. 9:36, 37.) It was not possible for them therefore to provide for these singers; and while God in His mercy had given them some reviving in the midst of their bondage, He would have them remember that their present condition was the fruit of their past ways, and that, since it was through the chastenings of His hand that they were subject to Gentile authority, it was a part of their obedience to His will that it should be acknowledged. Alas! the sentence of Lo-ammi had been written upon them (Hos. 1:9), though God, being what He was, could not but abide faithful to the covenant which He had made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Hence He still loved and watched over the people, for His gifts and calling are without repentance; but having, on account of their manifold transgressions, transferred His earthly sovereignty to the Gentiles, the people must render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.
It was the position of the people, restored by God's mercy. with the permission of the Gentile authority, and still subject. that rendered it necessary for the king to be acquainted with all the matters that concerned them; and Pethahiah was at his hand to give the required information - the representative, at it were, of his people. It is a shadow, however feeble, of Him who is at the right hand of God, gone into heaven to appear in the presence of God for us. How blessed for us to remember that there is one at the right hand of God in all matters concerning the people He has redeemed - One who has undertaken everything for us, and who is able to save us through all the difficulties and perils of the wilderness, seeing He ever lives to make intercession for us.
The rest of the chapter comprises a statement of the location of the children of Judah in the different cities and villages, and also of the children of Benjamin. The former dwelt from Beersheba unto the valley of Hirmom (v. 30); the latter, in the several places named; and of the Levites were divisions in Judah and in Benjamin. These notices, of little significance to us, will doubtless be consulted with intense interest by the Jews of a later day.
Labor and Conflict: Exposition on Nehemiah
This chapter is divided into two parts: the first, reaching down to verse 26, deals with genealogical matters; the second, extending to verse 3 of chapter 13, contains the account of the dedication of the wall, together with certain reformations that seem either to have been connected with or to have followed upon it.
The chapter commences with the names of the priests and Levites that went up with Zerubbabel and Jeshua; that is (the reader will remember), those who went up in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia. (See Ezra 1 and 2.) The names only of "the chief of the priests and of their brethren," in the days of Jeshua, are given. Next we find the chief of the Levites, with Mattaniah, who was over the thanksgiving, he and his brethren; also Bakbukiah and Unni, their brethren who were over against them in their watches (vv. 8, 9).
It is worthy of note, in passing, what a prominent place praise and thanksgiving occupied in the Jewish ritual. The Psalm abundantly testify to this - many are filled with notes of adoration, and some commence and close with Hallelujah - "Praise ye the Lord." (See Psalm 148-150) The believer is enjoined in everything to give thanks; and yet it is a question whether praise (which can only be known in its full and blessed character in redemption) marks the assemblies of the saints as distinctly as it should. Not that it is to be supposed, even for a moment, that the notes of praise can be raised by any sense of obligation; they can only indeed spring from the hearts made "merry" by the enjoyment of redeeming love in the power of the Holy Ghost.
In verses 12-21 the names of the chief of the fathers (priests) in the days of Joiakim are recorded. Joiakim was the son of Jeshua (v. 10). Then in verse 22 we have the statement that "the Levites in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, and Johanan, and Jaddua, were recorded chief of the fathers: also the priests, to the reign of Darius the Persian." Comparing this with verses 10 and 11, we find that this goes five generations down from Jeshua; that, in other words, the above names are the high-priestly line of descent to the fifth generation from Jeshua. "The sons of Levi, the chief of the fathers, were written in the book of the Chronicles, even until the days of Johanan the son of Eliashib"; that is, only so far as the great-grandson of Jeshua. Then the offices of some of the Levites are specified; namely, to praise and to give thanks, according to the commandment of David, the man of God, ward over against ward, others being "porters keeping the ward at the thresholds of the gates." (vv. 24, 25.) The names of some of these correspond with some mentioned in verses 8 and 9, the reason of this being given in the next verse: "These were in the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor, and of Ezra the priest, the scribe." It would seem as if God had a special delight in those who were occupied in the service of His house in this time of sorrow, when it required more faith and more spiritual energy to be devoted to the interests of His people. He has caused these names to be recorded - recorded, no doubt, mainly for Israel, yet containing lessons for us whose lot is cast in similar times. True that there was failure, very sad failure, with some here named; but in the eye of God, while He is never insensible to the failure of His people, they were robed with the beauty which He in His own grace had put upon them; and, in the preservation of their names, He would remember nothing but the fact of their service amidst His people in this sorrowful period of their low estate.
Passing now to the second part of the chapter, we have the dedication of the wall. From the place it occupies, it will at once be seen that the subjects of the latter part of the book are given in their moral rather than in their historical connection. It has already been pointed out that from chapter 7 on to chapter 12:31, Nehemiah, if he is the writer, no longer describes his own actions. In this portion it is "we" or "they," not "I." It might seem therefore that the dedication of the wall belongs historically to the first section of the book - to chapter 6, wherein we find the account of the completion of the building of the wall. But when the order of the intervening chapters is considered - the restoration of the authority of the law, the confession of the sins of the people, and of their fathers, the covenant made to walk according to the law, and to make provision for the services of the temple, etc.; the distribution of the people in Jerusalem and around, the ordering of all the affairs of the house of God under priests and Levites, according to the commandment of David the man of God - it will be perceived that morally it is inserted in its only fitting place. Taking all these things together, indeed, we have the pattern of all divine reformation. The commencement was made with the people themselves; then they proceeded to God's house, and finally to the walls of the city. They worked from within to without; thus, beginning from themselves, they worked outward to the circumference of their responsibility. And such is ever the true method, even as Paul writes: "Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God." Rom. 12:2. We shall find this order also illustrated in the procedure connected with the dedication itself.
First of all, the Levites were sought "out of all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem, to keep the dedication with gladness, both with thanksgivings, and with singing, with cymbals, psalteries, and with harps." The "sons of the singers" were also collected from their different places of abode (for they "had builded them villages round about Jerusalem") to aid in the observances of this eventful day (vv. 27-29). Next we read, "And the priests and the Levites purified themselves, and purified the people, and the gates, and the wall." v. 30. Here again is the order (and it is most instructive) to which reference has been made; and we may also learn that unless we have "purified" ourselves, it is vain for us to attempt to "purify" others. This truth is everywhere affirmed in Scripture. For example, it would be impossible for any whose own feet were not washed (John 13) to wash the feet of their fellow believers; and the Lord Himself taught, that before we can take the mote out of our brother's eye, the beam must be taken out of our own eye. It is exceedingly interesting therefore to observe that the priests and Levites purified themselves as a necessary preparation for purifying the people, the gates, and the wall. (See also 2 Chron. 29:5; 35:6.)
The means of purification must be gathered from other scriptures. In the wilderness the priests had to wash their hands and feet at the laver every time they went in to accomplish their service (Exod. 30:17-21), and in the ashes of the red heifer, provision was made for all kinds of defilement that might be contracted in their daily life and walk by the people (Numb. 19). Now, as already indicated, a provision of another and more efficacious sort has been made. "If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father_ Jesus Christ the righteous." 1 John 2:1. When therefore, through carelessness, or through the allowance of the flesh we fall into sin and become defiled, He in His love and mercy intercedes with the Father for us on the ground of what He is as the Righteous One, and of His perfect propitiation; and in answer to His advocacy the Spirit of God works, through the Word, in the conscience of the defiled believer, produces self-judgment and contrition, and leads to confession, whereon God is faithful and just to forgive the sin and to cleanse from all unrighteousness. Thus the believer is "purified," restored to communion, and so divinely qualified to be sent forth in service to others. It cannot be too earnestly pressed, that in order to be used in any way we must ourselves be "purified" from defilements.
This then was the first thing attended to on this day of the dedication of the wall. In the next place, two companies were arranged by Nehemiah (the reader will notice his reappearance) to make, as it would seem, the circuit of the walls. The first was composed of Hoshaiah, half the princes of Judah, together with certain whose names are given (vv. 32-34), and certain of the priests' sons with trumpets. Of the last, Zechariah (whose descent is traced back to Asaph) was the chief, for he and his brethren had charge of the "musical instruments of
David the man of God." (See 1 Chron. 15:16, 17; 25:6.) Ezra, the scribe, was the leader of this company; he was "before them." The composition of the other company is not given with such detail. Nehemiah says: "The other company of them that gave thanks went over against them [that is, we judge, on the opposite wall to the other company], and I after them, and the half of the people upon the wall, from beyond the tower of the furnaces even unto the broad wall." And then, after describing the line of the procession, he says, "They stood still in the prison gate." It appears as if the two companies, starting at different points, proceeded to make the circuit of the walls until they met; as Nehemiah, after giving the route of each of the companies, says: "So stood the two companies of them that gave thanks in the house of God, and I, and the half of the rulers with me: and the priests; Eliakim, Maaseiah," etc., "with trumpets." vv. 40-42. If this were so, the service of the day took place after the procession was ended, as the statement follows: "And the singers sang loud, with Jezrahiah their overseer. Also that day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced: for God had made them rejoice with great joy: the wives also and the children rejoiced: so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off." vv. 42, 43.
Examining a little the details given, there were, we find, those who gave thanks, those who had trumpets, and those who sang; besides this, sacrifices were offered, and all rejoiced. Thanksgivings would seem to have been most prominent, and this is easily understood when it is remembered what the completion of the building of the wall meant for this poor remnant. Truly it was in "troublous times" that it had been built; and, as we have seen, amid opposition and difficulties of every sort, inspired as their enemies had been by the malice of Satan. But encouraged by the indomitable energy of their leader, they had persevered, and now their work was completed; the walls of the city were once more raised for the security of those who dwelt within, and for the exclusion of evil as displayed in their enemies round about. Thanksgiving therefore was but the natural and appropriate feeling on this day of dedication.
Observe also that there were trumpets (vv. 35, 41). These were carried by the priests; for they alone, as those who had access into the presence of God, and might be thus in communion with His mind, had the privilege of raising the notes of testimony through the sacred trumpets (Numb. 10). This day of dedication was for God; but whenever the claims of God are responded to in the energy of the Holy Spirit, testimony for Him also proceeds from His people. For example, when the saints gather together on the first day of the week to break bread (Acts 20), it is in response to His desire who said, "This do in remembrance of Me." It is for Him therefore they gather, for Him, without a thought of others. And yet as often as they eat the bread and drink the cup, they announce the Lord's death "till He come"; that is, though they gather in remembrance of the Lord, and, while thus occupied, their hearts are led forth in thanksgiving and adoration, they yet, by the very thing in which they are engaged, proclaim to all the Lord's death. The trumpets are in this way associated with their notes of praise. There were also musical instruments and singing. The singers indeed "sang loud," or, as it is in the margin, made their voices to be heard.
They thus, by the musical instruments and their songs, expressed their joy before the Lord. The character of this is given in the next verse in connection with the sacrifices; for they remembered again on this festival that the only ground on which they could stand before God, though it were to thank and praise His holy name, was the efficacy of the sacrifice. Joy could therefore flow out, and it was joy of no ordinary kind; for "God had made them rejoice with great joy." Nothing could be more blessed. Our poor hearts long for joy, and are ever tempted to seek it from human sources, only to find that it is both unsatisfying and evanescent. Hence the Apostle writes: "Be not drunk with wine" (type of the joys of earth), "wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord." Eph. 5:18, 19. Such was the joy of the children of Israel on this day; for it had its source in God, and He it was who had filled their hearts with thanksgivings and their lips with praise. They had, we might say, sown in tears; and now they were reaping with joy.
Mark also that all classes of the people participated in it. It is expressly said, "The wives also and the children rejoiced." This was precious to the heart of God; for the wives and children were numbered among His people (compare Eph. 5 and 6), and why should they be excluded from the gladness of this day? They had been assembled also with the congregation at the reading of the law (chap. 8); and indeed it is a characteristic both of this book and Ezra (see chap. 10), that the women and children were present in all the great assemblies of the people. The effect of their rejoicing was great, for we read that "the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off." v. 43. It went forth into the midst of their enemies as a mighty testimony to Him by whose grace they had been rescued from Babylon, and by whose protection and succor they had now been permitted to re-erect the walls of the holy city. They were proving anew that the joy of the Lord was their strength, both for praise and for testimony. And it is added that "Judah rejoiced for the priests and for the Levites that waited" (or stood), that stood in their places of service in the temple. It was joy to Judah to behold the services of the house of God restored, and the priests and Levites engaged in the work of their office.
In connection with the ceremonies of the dedication, some necessary things were attended to in the house of God; it says, "At that time" - not perhaps on the same day, but "at that time" - the time following upon the dedication of the wall. What they did was to appoint some "over the chambers for the treasures, for the offerings, for the firstfruits, and for the tithes, to gather into them out of the fields of the cities the portions of the law for the priests and Levites: for Judah rejoiced for the priests and for the Levites that waited." v. 44. There was evidently a continual tendency to neglect the concerns of the house of God, and together with this the priests and the Levites were overlooked. It was so on the first return of the captives (Hag. 1); and it was so in every time of declension, as it has been also in every age of the Church. Ceasing to care for the house of Jehovah, the maintenance of the priests and Levites enjoined by the law was not forthcoming; for all were minding their own things, and not the things of the Lord. But when their hearts were touched by the goodness of God in permitting them to complete the wall, they at once remembered the ministers of their God, and again (see chap. 10:37-39) made provision for them. This is how God works in the low estate of His people. Granting them a revival, it may be under the power of some special truth, they, acted upon by the new impulse they have thus received, proceed to correct by the application of the Word the abuses that have sprung up on every hand. So it was in this case; and hence we find that the singers and the porters were also arranged, who "kept the ward of their God, and the ward of the purification, according to the commandment of David, and of Solomon his son. For in the days of David and Asaph of old there were chief of the singers, and songs of praise and thanksgiving unto God." vv. 45, 46. They recall how it was in the beginning of the temple services, and their desire now was to be conformed to the original model. This is an abiding principle; for it is only by testing everything by what was at the beginning that we can discover the extent of our departure, and it is only by going back to it that we can be in harmony with the mind of God.
Moreover, we read: "And all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel, and in the days of Nehemiah, gave the portions of the singers and the porters, every day his portion: and they sanctified holy things unto the Levites; and the Levites sanctified them unto the children of Aaron." This can hardly be more than a general statement (see chaps. 10:37-39; 13:10) to the effect that there were times, during the periods named, when all Israel owned and met their obligations to these servants of the house of their God. Their failure is not here recorded; that has to be gleaned from the other parts of the book. Here it is only remembered that all Israel had cared for God's ministers of His sanctuary.
Last, we are told that "on that day they read in the book of Moses in the audience of the people"; and that when they found therein that "the Ammonite and the Moabite should not come into the congregation of God forever," etc. (Deut. 23:3, 4), "they separated from Israel all the mixed multitude." (Chap. 13:1-3.) Again and again they had thus separated themselves (Ezra 10; Neh. 9:2, etc.), and again and again did "the holy seed" mingle "themselves with the people of those lands." In truth, then as now, alliance with the world was the most successful snare of Satan; and hence there has ever been need for vigilance and for the enforcement of the truth of separation unto God. But there is a special reason for the introduction of this subject in this connection. The meaning of the wall, as pointed out more than once, is exclusion of evil, separation of God's people from other nations (for us, from the world - from evil, whether in the world or in the Church), and thus to be set apart to God. When we read, therefore, of Israel's purging themselves from the mixed multitude, we see that they were simply maintaining the truth of the wall; that, together with its dedication, they felt themselves bound to carry out into practice all that its completion signified. The reader will not fail to perceive the force of the term "the mixed multitude." It was the mixed multitude that "fell a lusting" in the wilderness, and so became a hindrance and a curse to Israel; and ever since that day, whether in Israel or in the Church, they have been the source of almost all the evils that have afflicted the saints. It is among the mixed multitude that Satan ever finds ready instruments to his hands wherewith he may disturb, harass, and ensnare God's people; so the only pathway of safety is to follow the example of Israel before us in separating from it.
Labor and Conflict: Exposition on Nehemiah
It is impossible now to determine the chronological place of the occurrences of this chapter. We are told only that "before this" Eliashib was allied unto Tobiah, and had been on great terms of intimacy with him, and that during this time Nehemiah was not at Jerusalem (v. 6). "Before this" would mean before the separation from the mixed multitude (v. 3); and hence the probability is that the dedication of the wall had been delayed through the absence of the governor, and that, if this were so, the events described here took place prior to the services in connection with the dedication of the wall. This however is of no consequence, for, as before intimated, what we have to seek is the moral and not the historical order. Interpreting the connection thus, there is no difficulty; for what was the object of Nehemiah's mission to Jerusalem? It was to build the walls of the holy city (chaps. 3 and 6), and by the good hand of God upon him he was enabled to complete the work to which he had been called. The wall had been erected, and he and the people had celebrated the event with great joy; and under the influence of that day they had set the house of God in order, and recognized that they were a people set apart to Jehovah.
And what was the next thing? FAILURE failure in everything which they had undertaken to do, and to which they had bound themselves, under the penalty of a curse, by a solemn covenant. (See chap. 10.) The lesson of Nehemiah's mission is therefore the lesson of every dispensation; namely, that whatever God entrusts to man under responsibility ends in failure. Nay, there is more than this; for we learn that failure is brought in by man at the very moment of God's grace in blessing. It is not only that each successive dispensation ends, but it also begins with failure. Adam, for example, disobeyed as soon as he was set in the place of headship and blessing; Noah, in like manner, sinned as soon as he could gather the fruit of his first vineyard upon the new earth; Israel apostatized before even the tables of the law reached the camp; and David incurred bloodguiltiness soon after the establishment of the kingdom. Nor is it otherwise in the history of the Church. In the end of Acts 4 we see the perfect answer to the Lord's prayer, "that they all may be one" (John 17:21), for "the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul" (v. 32); and then in chapter 5 we have the sin of Ananias and Sapphira, and in chapter 6, the murmuring of one class of disciples against another. So also with the mission of individuals. As an instance, take the case of the Apostle Paul. Long before he had finished his course, he saw the outward failure of the Church; and "all they which are in Asia" had "turned away" from him (2 Tim. 1:15).
These examples will explain the significant moral order of Nehemiah's narrative. Scarcely had the echoes of Jerusalem's joy, in being surrounded once more by her wall of separation (chap. 12:43), died away, before all the evils which had hitherto afflicted the people, and which had been the cause of their long years of banishment, reappeared. And the book closes with the account of Nehemiah's conflict with the transgressors in Israel, and of his strenuous efforts to maintain the supremacy of Jehovah in the holy city.
The first thing mentioned is the sin of Eliashib. Eliashib was the grandson of Jeshua, who had returned with Zerubbabel. He filled the office of the priest, had "the oversight of the chamber of the house of our God," was allied unto Tobiah the Ammonite, and had even "prepared for him a great chamber, where aforetime they laid the meat offerings, the frankincense, and the vessels, and the tithes of the corn, the new wine, and the oil" - the portion for the Levites, etc. - and this chamber was "in the courts of the house of God." vv. 4, 7. This was corruption in the head and representative of the people before God; and, with such an example, what wonder if the people followed in his guilty steps? It is a terrible instance of the hardening effect of familiarity with sacred things when the heart is not upright before God. Eliashib was constantly engaged in the work of his high-priestly office in the holy places, and yet had become blunted and indifferent to the character of the God before whom he appeared, as well as to the holiness of His house. His office in his eyes was an office and nothing more; and hence he used it for his own purposes and for the assistance of his friends, a pattern that has, alas! been frequently reproduced even in the Church of God.
All this time Nehemiah, as he informs us, was not at Jerusalem. He had paid a visit to the ling (v. 6); but, on his return, was made acquainted with the evil Eliashib had perpetrated in connection with Tobiah. And he says, "It grieved me sore." v. 8. There are those who can understand the grief of this devoted man. It was a grief according to God, for it sprang from a sense of the dishonor done to the Lord's name. It was akin to that of Jeremiah when he cried, "0 that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!" or again to that of the Apostle when he poured forth his earnest admonitions, entreaties, and remonstrances to his Galatian converts. Would that there were more filled with like zeal for the house of God! Nor was it grief only that Nehemiah felt, but it was grief that led him to purge this chamber of the temple from its pollutions. He cast forth all the household stuff of Tobiah, and says: "Then I commanded, and they cleansed the chambers: and thither brought 1 again the vessels of the house of God, with the meat offering and the frankincense." v. 9. He thus restored the chamber, having purified it, to its proper use.
In connection with this, another discovery was made. "I perceived that the portions of the Levites had not been given them: for the Levites and the singers, that did the work, were fled every one to his field." v. 10. Together with the admission of the enemy into the holy places of the temple, the ministers of God had been neglected. The Levites and singers had been wholly set apart for the sacred services of the house; and the burden of their maintenance, by divine appointment, fell upon, and had been acknowledged by, the people. But as soon as they lost, through the influence of Eliashib, all sense of the holiness of the house, they forgot their responsibilities; and the servants of the Lord in His house were compelled to have recourse to the ordinary means of support - they "fled every man to his field." The same thing is often seen in the Church. In seasons of devotedness, wrought upon by the Spirit of God, there are those who will give up all for the work of proclaiming the gospel or ministering the Word; and when the saints are walking with God they will welcome such, and have fellowship with them, rejoicing that the Lord is sending forth more laborers into His harvest, and to care for the souls of His people. But whenever decline sets in, and saints become worldly, laborers are forgotten, so that those who have not learned the lesson of dependence on God alone, that He is all-sufficient for their needs, are compelled to flee to their fields for support.
This difference, however, must be marked. There is no obligation now, as there was with the Jew, to support the Levites; but it is a privilege to do so. And whenever it is done as unto the Lord, the things offered, as they were to Paul, are "an odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God." Phil. 4:18. Nehemiah proceeded at once to rectify also this abuse. He contended with the rulers, and said, "Why is the house of God forsaken?" Then he gathered the Levites and singers together and once more set them in their place. He thus went down to the root of the evil - forsaking the house of God (compare Heb. 10:25) - and at the same time dealt with those (the rulers) who were responsible for the neglect; for, if they were careless, the people would soon imitate their example. In fact, it was the cropping up of the evil that has afflicted the people of God in every age - minding their own things instead of being occupied with the Lord, His interests and claims.
The influence of the energetic action of Nehemiah was instantly felt; for we read, "Then brought all Judah the tithe of the corn and the new wine and the oil into the treasuries." v. 12. The people had a heart, and their affections toward the house of God and His servants were ready to flow out as soon as Nehemiah led the way. It is another instance that the outward state of the people of God depends almost wholly upon the character of their leaders. If these are earnest and devoted, so will be also the people; while, if those who take the lead are careless and worldly, these characteristics will also be displayed by the people. It is so now in different assemblies. Whatever those are who have places of prominence, so are the saints corporately. The leaders impress their own character upon the meeting. There may be individuals in the assembly of entirely another sort, but we speak of meetings as a whole. All this does but show out the solemn responsibility resting upon "the rulers," and will explain, at the same time, the character of the addresses to the angels of the seven churches; for the angels are but the collective responsibility, whether in one, two, or more, of the several assemblies; and hence their state is the state of all, and they are dealt with as responsible for it.
To provide against the recurrence of the evil, Nehemiah "made treasurers over the treasuries" (v. 13), the ground of his selection being that "they were counted faithful, and their office was to distribute unto their brethren." Upright himself before God, he was uninfluenced by any personal considerations; and, governed by the single eye, he had respect only to suitability to the post. Fidelity was the thing needed, as the office was one of trust, requiring faithfulness toward. God and also toward their brethren: and hence he sought only such as possessed the necessary qualification. The very composition, moreover, of the treasurers - a priest, a scribe, a Levite, and another - shows how careful he also was in "providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men." 2 Cor. 8:21.
This accomplished, Nehemiah turns to God with the prayer, "Remember me, 0 my God, concerning this, and wipe not out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God, and for the offices thereof." v. 14. It has often been pointed out that Nehemiah in his prayers was too much occupied with himself and his own good deeds. We do not say that it might not have been so, but they are capable of another interpretation. He was almost alone in the midst of prevailing corruption, and it was only in God that he found his strength and encouragement; and thus, in the midst of all his difficulties, we find continually these ejaculatory petitions. At any rate, it is clear that he looked for no recompense from man, and that he was content to leave himself and the recognition of his doings in the hands of God, assured, as he was, that it was God's work in which he was engaged, and counting upon Him alone for the recompense.
Forsaking the house of God was not the only evil Nehemiah had to contend with. The next was the violation of the Sabbath. "In those days," he says, "saw I in Judah some treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day," etc. v. 15. They were also selling victuals, and bought fish and ware of the men of Tire on the Sabbath (v. 16). Having lost all sense of the claims of God as to His house, it was but a natural consequence that they should also neglect the sanctity of the seventh day, the observance of which, from redemption out of Egypt. (Exod. 16; Deut. 5:14, 15) and onward, had been enjoined by God in connection with every covenant into which He had been pleased to enter with His people Israel. The profanation therefore of the Sabbath was the sign that they had gone far in backsliding, that indeed they were verging upon apostasy; for they were sinning, in this respect, against both light and knowledge. Nehemiah, in his zeal for the Lord, was aroused, and he "contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the sabbath day? Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath." vv. 17, 18.
It will be observed that as the rulers were in question in regard to forsaking the house of God, so the nobles are the head and front of the offense in respect of the Sabbath. In both cases the fount of the evil was in those who ought to have been examples to the people. It is ever so in times of general declension, inasmuch as it is only the leaders who can draw the mass after them into sin. But this very fact rendered the task of Nehemiah all the more arduous. Single-handed he had to contend with those on whom he had a right to count to sustain his authority and influence. Truly he was a faithful man, and because he was such God was with him in his conflict with the transgressors in Israel. Having convicted them that had sinned before all (see 1 Tim. 5:20), he used his authority as governor to prevent a recurrence of the evil. First, he commanded that the gates of Jerusalem should be shut before dark on the eve of the Sabbath, and that they should be kept closed until the Sabbath was over. It shows how few were to be depended upon for this service, in that he stationed some of his own servants at the gates to see to it, that "there should no burden be brought in on the sabbath day." v. 19. In addition, he gave his own unremitting attention to the matter; and thus when the Tyrian merchants and vendors lodged without Jerusalem once or twice - their very presence being a temptation to the people - he testified against them and threatened to lay hands on them, and in this way they were driven off.
Finally, Nehemiah "commanded the Levites, that they should cleanse themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the sabbath day." v. 22. It is a beautiful picture of one devoted man seeking with all his might to stem the rushing tide of evil. To human eyes it might seem a hopeless struggle, and even, as to outward results, a failure. But it was God's battle that Nehemiah was fighting, and he knew it; and if but faithful to Him there could never be defeat. God is the appraiser of the conflict, and He counts as victory what human eyes regard as disaster. (See Isa. 49:4-6.) Nehemiah had in measure learned this lesson, and thus he turns again to God with the prayer, "Remember me, 0 my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of Thy mercy." He looks not to man, but to God; and while he desires to be remembered for "this also," yet, in his true humility, conscious of all his own weakness and failure, he does but pray to be spared according to the "greatness" of God's mercy. Blessed state of soul it is when the servant is made to feel that, whatever his service, he has nothing to rest upon but the mercy of God! On that foundation - for Christ Himself is its channel and expression - he can repose, whatever his trials and conflicts, in perfect peace and security.
There was yet another trial. "In those days also," he says, "saw I Jews that had married wives of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab: and their children spake half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in the Jews' language, but according to the language of each people." vv. 23, 24. This was the evil that had so deeply afflicted the heart of Ezra (chap. 9:1-3), and which he earnestly sought to eradicate; but it had started up again, and confronted Nehemiah also all through his labors (chap. 9:2; 10:30, etc.) with its sad and open testimony to the state of the people. For what did it declare? That Israel was abandoning the ground of separation unto God, and breaking down the holy wall of enclosure -"the middle wall of partition" - by which He had shut them off from all the peoples that were upon the face of the earth. It was, in truth, no less than a denial that they were God's chosen nation - a holy people to the Lord - and it was thus a surrender of all the privileges, blessings, and hopes of their calling. It was no wonder therefore that Nehemiah was filled with such holy indignation that he "contended with them, and cursed them, and smote certain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, Ye shall not give your daughters unto their sons, nor take their daughters unto your sons, or for yourselves." He reminded them, moreover, of the sad example of Solomon, that, though there was "no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless even him did outlandish women cause to sin. Shall we then," he inquired, "hearken unto you to do all this great evil, to transgress against our God in marrying strange wives?" vv. 25-27.
It must have been indeed a bitter trial to the heart of Nehemiah. It was the account of the great reproach and affliction of the remnant in the province, and of the wall in Jerusalem being broken down, as well as of the gates being burned with fire (chap. 1:3), that had been used to stir up the desire in his soul to remedy these evils. The desire of his heart was granted, and he had gone up to Jerusalem and labored there for years; and at length, through the goodness of God, he saw his desire accomplished. But now, together with the close of his labors, he has to mourn over the persistent refusal of the people to remain in holy security within the wall of separation. Having their treasure in the world, their hearts were there also, and they thus continually turned their backs upon all the blessings of the holy place in which they had been set. Still Nehemiah was undaunted, and with unwearied energy he persevered in his labors for the good of his people, seeking only, for the glory of God, to spend and be spent in their service. First, he "chased" from him one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, who was son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite.
Eliashib himself, as we have seen, was "allied unto Tobiah," so that he and his family were linked up with the two active enemies of Israel. Here then, in the high priest's family, was the fount of corruption from which flowed out the dark and bitter streams of sin through the people. To drive the sinner away was all that Nehemiah himself could accomplish; but he had another resource, of which he availed himself - he committed the matter to God. "Remember them, 0 my God," he cries, "because they have defiled the priesthood" (Lev. 21), "and the covenant of the priesthood, and of the Levites." (Mal. 2:4-7.)
Nehemiah nevertheless continued his work of reformation. He says, "Thus cleansed I them from all strangers, and appointed the wards of the priests and the Levites, every one in his business; and for the wood offering, at times appointed, and for the firstfruits." For the moment all is ordered according to God; and in this way Nehemiah becomes a shadow, if not a distinct type, of Him who will "sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness." Mal. 3:3.
Thus end the recorded labors of Nehemiah. He had fully identified himself with the interests of the Lord and with Israel, and he had persevered in his labors amid opposition and reproach; and now that the close had come he is content to leave all results in the hands of God. Hence, looking away from his work and from himself, he cries, "Remember me, O my God, for good." This prayer has already been answered; for it is God who caused this account of Nehemiah's labors to be preserved, and He will answer it yet more abundantly, for the time will come when He will publicly acknowledge Nehemiah's faithful service according to His own perfect estimate of his work. For while it is true, and ever to be remembered, that grace alone produces the energy and perseverance of service in the hearts of any, it is also true that the same grace reckons the fruits of labor to those in whose hearts they have been produced. God is the source of all; He calls and qualifies His servants; He sustains and directs them in their labors, and yet He says: "Well done, good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." To Him alone be all the praise!