Nehemiah 13
It was about twelve years that Nehemiah stayed as governor over the land of Judah, directing, the building. up of the walls and houses of Jerusalem, making it again a pleasant city. Then the time came for him to return to the king, as he had promised; so he left the charge to others and the people said they would remember to keep all God’s laws to their (Neh. 3:66Moreover the old gate repaired Jehoiada the son of Paseah, and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah; they laid the beams thereof, and set up the doors thereof, and the locks thereof, and the bars thereof. (Nehemiah 3:6) and 5:14).
After some time, we are not told how long, the king gave Nehemiah leave to go again to Jerusalem. The people there had said they would not buy or sell or do any work on the Sabbath or feast days, but would keep them to honor the Lord as He had said (Neh. 10:29-3129They clave to their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in God's law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the Lord our Lord, and his judgments and his statutes; 30And that we would not give our daughters unto the people of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons: 31And if the people of the land bring ware or any victuals on the sabbath day to sell, that we would not buy it of them on the sabbath, or on the holy day: and that we would leave the seventh year, and the exaction of every debt. (Nehemiah 10:29‑31)). But when Nehemiah came back to Jerusalem, he saw men working in the gardens and others carrying loads of fruit and grain into the city on the Sabbath Day; while others were buying articles from the merchants at the gates.
The Lord had given that land to the Jewish nation, and had made the grain and fruit grow, (as He still does for all the world). They could work for themselves six days each week; was it too much to obey and honor the Lord of all the earth one day? No, surely not, and Nehemiah again gave orders for the city gates to be kept shut so nothing could he brought in on the Sabbath, which began at sunset on the sixth day of the week, and ended at sunset on the seventh day. They did not reckon the days from mid-night as we do.
The people had also said they would not choose friends of their neighbors who refused to honor God; yet Nehemiah found that the leader in the temple, who was called the high priest, had made a special friend of one of the evil men who had tried to stop the work on the walls, and had fitted up a guest room for him in the temple where the food for the singers and the workers should have been kept; so no food was brought to them; and they left the work of God’s house to get food. The furniture for the guest room may have been handsome; but it crowded out the food of those who served God, so they could not work or sing. The Words of God are called “food” for His people, and they may soon be crowded out by many things, as untrue books, foolish pictures, or songs, so God’s people cannot sing or work for Him.
There were others also who had done wrong by taking into their families those who served idols. God has always blessed any who wished to know Him: those people knew of His great works, but would not honor Him; so Nehemiah sent them away front the temple.
How do you suppose the evil neighbors got into the city so easily? Perhaps because the priests had made no locks and bars for the gate they built, as other men had made for the other gates (See Nehemiah 3:1, 13, 14, 151Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests, and they builded the sheep gate; they sanctified it, and set up the doors of it; even unto the tower of Meah they sanctified it, unto the tower of Hananeel. (Nehemiah 3:1)
13The valley gate repaired Hanun, and the inhabitants of Zanoah; they built it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof, and a thousand cubits on the wall unto the dung gate. 14But the dung gate repaired Malchiah the son of Rechab, the ruler of part of Beth-haccerem; he built it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof. 15But the gate of the fountain repaired Shallun the son of Col-hozeh, the ruler of part of Mizpah; he built it, and covered it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof, and the wall of the pool of Siloah by the king's garden, and unto the stairs that go down from the city of David. (Nehemiah 3:13‑15)).
We do not have stone walls and locked gates to keep evil away from us, and evil can come to us also by bad companions. But God’s Words will be like walls and locks to keep out evil, if we remember them,.
ML 02/04/1940