There are combinations in Nehemiah which distinguish themselves very strikingly. In chap. v. we see him in his private virtues; as in preceding chapters, we have seen him in public energies. He surrenders his personal rights as governor, that he may be simple and fully the servant of God and His people. This may remind us of Paul, in Cor. ix., for there, the apostle will not act upon his rights and privileges as an apostle, as here Nehemiah is doing the same as the Tirshatha, or governor of Judæa, under the Persian throne.
This is beautiful. How it shows the kindred operations of the Spirit of God in the elect, though separated so far from each other as Nehemiah and. Paul!
We have, however, a warning, as well as an example, in this chapter.
The Jews, who had now been long in Jerusalem, were oppressing one another. Nehemiah tells them that their brethren, still away among the Gentiles, were doing far better than this. They were redeeming one another, while, here, in the very heart of the land,, their own land, they were selling one another.
This is solemn; and we may listen to this, and be warned. It tells us, that those who had taken a right position, were behaving worse than those who were still lira wrong one. The Jews at Jerusalem were in a better ecclesiastical condition; while their brethren, still in Babylon, were in a purer moral condition.
Is not this a warning? It is another illustration of what we often see ourselves, but it is a solemn and humbling warning.
Not that we are to go back to Babylon, leaving Jerusalem; but we are surely to learn, that the mere occupation of a right position will not be a security. We may be beguiled into moral relaxation through satisfaction in our ecclesiastical accuracies. This is a very natural deceit: The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, are these," may be the language of a people on the very eve of God's judgment. There may be the tithing of mint, and rue, and anise, and withal the forgetting of the weightier matters of righteousness, goodness and truth.
But this chapter also gives us another of those combinations which shine in the character of Nehemiah. It enables us to say that, while there was beautiful simplicity in him, there was likewise decided independency. His simplicity was such, that like a child, he turns back and home to God, while treading one path of service after another; and yet there was that independency and absoluteness about him, that led him to begin always as from himself, in the fear and presence of God. As here„ he tells us that upon hearing of those oppressions of brethren by brethren, he took counsel with himself, ere he acted (ver. 7). And, indeed; all 'his previous actions bespeak the like independency.' He was Christ’s freedman, and not the servant of man; simple in God's presence"; independent before his fellow-creatures.
These are fine combinations, greatly Setting off the character of this dear, honored man of God.
In chap. 6„ we see him again in Conflict, but it is in personal, single-handed fight not, as in chap. 4., marshalling others, putting the sword in one of their hands and the trowel in the other, but fighting himself, single-handed and alone, fade to face with the wiles of his enemies: In the progress of this chapter he is put through different temptations. Generally, we see him a single-hearted
man, whose body, therefore; is "full of light." He detects the enemy, and is safe. But, besides this, there are certain special securities, which it is very profitable to consider for a moment.
1. He pleads the importance of the work e was about (ver. 3).
2: He pleads the dignity of his own person (ver. 11)
These are fine arguments for any saint of God to use in the face of the tempter. I think I see the Lord Himself using them, and teaching 'us to use them also.
In Mark 3 His mother and His brethren came to Him; and, they seem to have a design to withdraw Him from what He is doing to themselves; just as Nehemiah's enemies are seeking to do with him in this chapter, But the Lord pleads the importance of, what He was, then about, in the face of this attempt, or in answer to the claims which flesh and blood had upon Him. He was teaching His disciples and the multitude, getting the light and, word and truth of God into them. And the fruit of such a work as this He solemnly lets us know was far beyond the value of all connections with Him in the flesh; and the claims of God's word, which He was then, ministering, far more weighty than those of nature.
And, in like manner, He teaches His, servants to know the dignity of their work. Hey tells them, while at it, " not to salute any man by the way," nor to stop to bid farewell to them that are at home; nor to tarry even for the burial of a father (Luke 9:1010And the apostles, when they were returned, told him all that they had done. And he took them, and went aside privately into a desert place belonging to the city called Bethsaida. (Luke 9:10)).
But again, in Luke 13, the Pharisees try to bring Him into the fear of man, as Shemaiah seeks to do with Nehemiah in this same chapter (ver. 10). But the Lord at once rises into the sense of His dignity, the dignity of His person, and lets the Pharisees know that He was at His own disposal, could walk as long as He pleased, and end His journey when He pleased; that the purposes of Herod were vain, save as He allowed them, to take their way. And so, in John 11, when His disciples would have kept Him from' going into Judæa, where so lately His life had been in danger, He again rises, in like mariner, in the sense of the One that He was, in the consciousness of personal dignity, and answers them as from this elevation (see verses 9-11).
And the Holy Ghost, by the apostle in 1 Cor. 6., would impart courage and strength to the saints, from a like sense of the elevation and honors that belonged to them. " Know ye not," says Paul to the Corinthians, " that ye shall judge angels,?", and again, " Ye are not your own, ye are bought with a price." " Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost?"
There is something very fine in all this. These are weapons of war indeed, weapons of divine heavenly metal. To gain victories with such, is Christian conquest indeed; when temptations can be met and withstood by the soul carrying the sense of the importance of the work to which God has set us, and the dignity of the person which God has made us. Would that we could take down and use those weapons, as well as admire them as they just hang up before us in the armory of God. It is easy, however, to inspect and justify the fitness, of an instrument to do its appointed work, and all the time be feeble and unskillful in using it, and in doing such appointed work by it.
In chap. 7. we read, " Now the city was large and great; but the people were few therein, and the houses were not builded" (ver. 4). Having therefore built the walls, Nehemiah takes in hand to people the city. For the walls would be nothing, save as the defense of a peopled place within them.
This purpose, therefore, we find in his heart, at the opening of chap. 7.—and accordingly he acquaints himself with the returned captives, and reads the catalog and the account of them, as they had been in the days of Zerubbabel, which would be a guide to his present object.
However, ere he pursue this purpose, and take on him to people the city, he turns aside for a while to consider the people themselves. And this gives us his action in chapters 8.-10, which may be called a parenthetic action—for in chap. 11., he resumes the purpose which he had conceived in chap. 7., that is, the purpose of peopling the city.
This gives a peculiar character and a special interest to these three chapters, where we find the people put through a moral process of a very striking kind indeed. Nehemiah looks at them personally, looks at their souls, at their moral condition, and would fain quicken or sanctify them, ere he settles them in their places.
This action begins on "the first day of the seventh month—a distinguished day in the calendar of Israel—the Feast of Trumpets, a day of revival after a long season of interruption when all was barren or dead in the land. And this action, thus begun, is continued in successive stages, down to the close of chapter 10.; thus, as I observed already, giving chaps. 8.-10. a distinct place in the book of Nehemiah, and the character of a parenthesis.
We must, therefore, look at these chapters a little particularly.
This distinguished day, the first of the seventh month, demanded, according to the ordinance touching it, a holy convocation and a blowing of trumpets-for it was the symbol, as I have said, of a time of revival after a long season of death and barrenness (set Lev. 23:22-2522And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the Lord your God. 23And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 24Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. 25Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord. (Leviticus 23:22‑25)). This ordinance was observed here in Neh. 8 There was a convocation of the people. But there was something additional. The Book of the Law was read in the audience of the people, and explained to them. And at this the people wept—properly so, for this is the business of the application of the law to a sinner, to convict him, and make him cry out, " O wretched man that I am!" But their teachers on this occasion, at once restrain their tears, because that day was " holy to the Lord." It was a time of joy, such as the blowing of trumpets, and the new moon then beginning again to walk in the light of the sun, would signify. The people were, therefore, told to Jet the joy of the Lord be their strength, to be merry themselves and to send portions to others.
All this was beautifully in concert with the day, in the ordinances touching it. The thing that was additional, or unprescribed by Lev. 23., that is, the reading of the law, was by all this made to give a richer, fuller tone to the day itself in its proper, prescribed character. The added, thing was in no collision whatever with the ordained thing-that which was voluntary was no violation of that which was prescribed.
And here I would say, this is just what we might expect in a day of revival. At such a time, the word of God must be thoroughly honored. It must be the standard. But there will be, necessarily I would say, such new or added things as the character of the time, under the Spirit of God, would suggest. But these new things, whatever they be, will not offend against the word of God. And such is the scene here.
But the word of God being opened, is kept open. It was a day, as we speak, of " an open Bible." Precious mercy! And this open Book, having yielded one piece of instruction, telling them of the rights of the first day of the seventh month, now yields them further instruction, telling them about eight other days of that same month, OT about the " Feast of Tabernacles." And the, people, already in the spirit of obedient listeners to the word of God, are still kept in it. They learn about that eighth day feast, and they keep it; in such sort, too, as had not been witnessed for centuries.
This was, in like manner, beautiful. But again, we notice something additional.
In chap. 9., we see the congregation of the children of Israel in humiliation, going through a solemn service of confession; and then, in chap. 10., entering into 'a covenant of obedience to God, and of the observance of His ordinances. But nothing of all this had been prescribed. We find no mention of such a thing in the law of Moses. Lev. 23 had not required this to wait upon or follow the Feast of Tabernacles.
Here, however, again, we have to notice something. This solemnity did not take place till the twenty-fourth day of this month; and then the time of the Feast of Tabernacles had ended-for that ended on the twenty-third. And this, again I say, was very beautiful. The congregation would not, by their act of humiliation and confession, soil the Feast or prevent its purpose. That Feast was the most joyous time in the Jewish year. It celebrated the ingathering, or " harvest-home," as we speak. It was the foreshadowing of the days of glory or of the kingdom. It shall have all its demands answered in full tale and measure. The twenty-third day, the last day, that great day of the Feast, shall pass, ere the language of humiliation and the voice of penitential sorrow be heard. But then, the ordinance of God admitting it, the people may hold, as we again speak, " a prayer meeting."
This was likewise voluntary or additional, as I have said-not appointed by Scripture, but suggested under the Spirit of God, by the time and the circumstances which marked the present revival under Nehemiah. Confession was the due language of a people who stood at that moment, the representative of a long-revolted, disobedient and guilty nation.
" Ceasing to do evil," however, is to be followed by " learning to do well." It is very right, if we have been doing wrong, to begin with confession of the wrong, ere we set ourselves to do the right. But to do the, right thing is a due attendant on the confession of the wrong thing. And all this moral comeliness we see here, as we pass from the ninth to the tenth chapter.
The nobles, and all the people together, meet as brethren," in separation from the people of the land (see 10:28), and seal a covenant to keep the laws of God. It is pleasant to see here, as also when they were building the wall in chap. 3., how rank and station lost itself in common brotherhood. " Let the rich rejoice in that he is made low, and the poor in that he is exalted," " for the fashion of this world passeth away." And what they now covenant and seek to do, has still something additional or unprescribed in it. They pledge themselves to observe all the commandments of the Lord, His statutes and His judgments; not to make marriage with other people; not to profane the Sabhath; to bring in their first fruits, their first-born, and their firstlings, and the tithes of their ground; and all this is according to the word of the Lord. But they also make ordinances for themselves, to be chargeable yearly in the third part of a shekel for the service of the house of God; and they cast lots to bring wood for the altar of God at appointed seasons.
All this is still in sweet and wondrous harmony with the whole of their actions in this day of happy revival. The word of God is, again and again, and throughout, honored in all its demands; but added things are seen in their services and activities; and such as the fresh energy and grace of a Revival-Season would suggest, and the Spirit would warrant.
Here this parenthetic action, as I have called it, ends. It is beautiful from first to last. The people are conducted through a gracious process.
They are exercised according to truth, by the Spirit. They are convicted and then relieved.
Then they have a lesson about coming joys in days of glory. And thus instructed as to their rich interest in the grace of God, they can look at them selves, not as in fear and a spirit of bondage, but for due brokenness of heart and with a purpose to serve God for the future. And all this may call to mind that utterance or experience provided by the Holy Ghost for repentant Israel in the last days: " Surely after that I was turned, I repented, and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh; I was ashamed, yea even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth" (Jer. 31).
(Continued from page 100.)
( To be continued, D. V.)