Nehemiah 10 – 13
As Nehemiah finished rebuilding the temple he now focuses on the Jewish traditions. Verse 10:35 talks about the first fruits:
We bind ourselves to bring the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of all fruit of every tree, year by year, to the house of the LORD;
The idea of the offering was twofold; first was you submission to God and the second was to ensure the priest and Levites had provisions to survive. When you think about it this was really necessary since they were not allowed to own land. Today we justify not giving because Jesus “fulfilled” the Law and it’s therefore no longer valid. I am still struggling with God’s real intention here, but as for the tithe it supports our church and shows submission to God.
Verse 12:4 continues a long list of names and jobs:
Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah,
You may ask what’s so special about Iddo, Ginnethoi and Abijah that I would choose them. They key is that God thinks they are special. Think about how many time in the Old Testament we read chapters of names and jobs from censuses or as in this case repopulating Jerusalem. God wants us to understand that it’s important to him that each and every person is accounted for by name. It’s not just filler in the Bible, but rather an expression of God’s love for his people that he would care about each and every one. As annoying as it may be to read a dry list of names, it means something to Iddo. God cares so much about Iddo that He ensured He was included in the Holy Bible.
Verse 12:27 is dedicating the wall:
And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites in all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, with thanksgivings and with singing, with cymbals, harps, and lyres.
This is a joyous moment as the city is complete and safe. It’s time to party and have some fun. God is not all work and no play, he wants us to work hard, but also have some fun. Notice He is not all about fun and only fun. This is one of the most damaging aspects of the prosperity Gospel since it’s just pray and money will rain from heaven. When it may or may not rain, but will require hard word for any results. Tell me one story where God blessed a person for doing nothing other than having faith and praying.
Verse 13:26 shows people the result of marrying outside the faith:
Did not Solomon king of Israel sin on account of such women? Among the many nations there was no king like him, and he was beloved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel. Nevertheless, foreign women made even him to sin.
Solomon really drifted when he married outside the Jewish faith. He became involved in sorcery and summoning demons. Today there are so many fakes that do this we tend to dismiss this as parlor tricks, but it’s real and a dangerous place to be. In today’s Christian community we often marry outside our faith without though of the consequences. In a way I did, but at the same time we ended up doing ok. Things would have been much smoother if we started in the place we are today.