The chapter begins with a quick mention of the prohibition in the law of Moses against allowing Ammonites and Moabites to participate in the gathering of Israel for festivals and solemn assemblies. Nehemiah states that when the people heard the law about not mixing with idolaters (Deut. 23:3), “they separated from Israel all those of foreign descent” (Neh. 13:3, ESV). Such was the power of the law upon the people’s minds and hearts.
The chapter then turns to describing the reforms that Nehemiah instituted before he returned to Babylon. King Artaxerxes had called him back to Persia but then gave him permission to travel again to Israel. So, after a time of absence, Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem. Perhaps he had heard some rumors about the bleak situation in Israel since his departure and the corrupt leaders who had taken over. Sure enough, after Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem, he found that Eliashib, the high priest, had allowed Tobiah, the Ammonite, to reside in a temple room. The first reform of Nehemiah was to throw Tobiah out and restore the room to its original purpose of containing grain offerings and frankincense. The second reform concerned the Levites and singers who had not received the tithes and offerings that were due them. Perhaps the people were disheartened by the mismanagement of the temple and consequently were not giving their tithes and offerings. Nehemiah restored the tithing system and appointed leaders over certain aspects of the temple so that the corrupt high priest did not have control over those areas. Last, Nehemiah restored the proper keeping of the Sabbath. He closed the gates of the city on Sabbath to stop business transactions and then threatened those who were still buying and selling outside the walls of Jerusalem. His zeal for the proper observance of the Sabbath is an example to this day.
Part II: Commentary
Tithing
One of the aspects that was extremely important to Nehemiah was tithing. He restored the practice in Israel because the temple and its services could not properly function without it. Why did Nehemiah feel so strongly about the return of tithe?
When tithes and offerings are mentioned, we often focus on the reward that we will receive, based on Malachi 3:10. In this scripture, God tells the Israelites to “try” Him in tithing, because if they give to Him He will bless them. He states it personally: “I will . . . open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need” (Mal. 3:10, ESV). Therefore, we encourage others to give to God so that they will receive the blessing that God promises.
However, the giving of tithes and offerings should not be dependent on the blessings we receive. In fact, the giving of tithes is called the “return” of tithes, because everything we have is already a blessing from God, for it has been given to us by Him. It is because God is our Creator and we acknowledge Him as such that we give back to Him. We give out of gratitude for what He has done: created us, sustains us, takes care of us, died for us, and continues to re-create us. We see the attitude of gratitude in tithe giving, especially in the stories of Abraham and Jacob.
In Genesis 14, we read about a battle in Canaan. Four Mesopotamian kings (kings of Shinar, Ellasar, Elam, and Goyim) fought five kings of Canaan, specifically of the cities of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela. The Mesopotamian kings won the battle and seized loot and captives. Because Lot lived in that region, he was captured. When Abram realized that his nephew was taken away, he armed 318 of his trained servants and pursued the Mesopotamian army. His small contingent of warriors overtook and attacked the Mesopotamians and won. God gave Abram an incredible victory, and he recovered all that had been taken, including Lot.
On the way back, Abram had a surprising encounter with the king of Salem, who also is called “the priest of God Most High.” Melchizedek blessed Abram, and then Abram gave “him a tithe of all” (Gen. 14:20, NKJV). Hebrews 7:2, 4 specifies that Abram gave a tenth of what he had. Abram returned a tenth to God because God gave him an incredible victory. He was struck by the awesome and powerful God who went with him and fought for him. His heart was full of gratitude, and so out of thankfulness he gave a tithe.
Jacob had a similar experience when his parents sent him to his Uncle Laban to marry a wife who followed God, rather than a Canaanite woman, and also to protect him from his brother, Esau, who had decided to kill him. While fleeing to Haran, Jacob fell asleep, and God gave him a dream in which he saw a ladder going up to heaven and angels moving up and down it, and “above it stood the Lord” (Gen. 28:13, NIV). God spoke to him and promised to be with him and bless him. When Jacob woke up from the dream, he exclaimed: “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven” (Gen. 28:17, ESV). Afterward Jacob made a vow that if God indeed would be with him as He stated in the dream, then not only would the Lord be his God, but he would give God a tenth of everything that God gave him (Gen. 28:20–22).
Once again, we see a person who is in awe of who God is and what He does, and then out of gratitude promises to give tithe faithfully.
Therefore, it is from a full heart of gratitude and thankfulness that we return tithe. Not primarily because we will receive a blessing by doing so but because God is faithful and awesome by taking care of us and by providing for us every single day. Nehemiah demonstrated through his actions that tithing is extremely important, not only for supporting God’s work but in helping us acknowledge that everything comes from Him. We give because God gives to us. In this way, we participate in His ministry for humanity.
Sabbath
The second aspect that Nehemiah addresses in this chapter is the day of worship, the Sabbath. Israelites were doing business transactions with people from surrounding places on the Sabbath instead of worshiping the Lord (Lev. 23:3). Nehemiah strongly objected to the way the Sabbath was being kept.
Nehemiah was the governor of the land, and because he was a strong, godly man, he wanted to make sure that the people also followed God’s instructions. Nehemiah felt that he had to take some strict measures in order for the people to understand that the Sabbath was really supposed to be holy. It was to be a day of resting in the Lord in which God’s people took time to be with family and friends, and most important, spent time with God. By doing business on Sabbath, God’s people were taking away the opportunities for fellowship with God and robbing themselves of the opportunities to show love and care for one another, as well.
God the Creator saw the Sabbath as extremely important, or He would not have created it as a special day. If all that was needed had been completed in six days, then God would not have created the seventh. But He did in order to give us a special day as a reminder that He is our Creator and that we are created to be in fellowship with Him and dependent upon Him. Also, on this day of rest from everyday business, we rejuvenate our strength, and, most important, we respect God’s way of celebrating life when He made this day holy. It was not to be like every other day; this was a holy day. Holy means “separated to” a special purpose and “set apart for” uplifting activities. Therefore, the things we do should be different from the things we do on all the other days of the week. Jesus Himself stayed in the grave on the Sabbath day and was resurrected on Sunday, keeping the Sabbath even in His death. That is how important the Sabbath is to God.
Throughout the Bible, God shows us how crucial the Sabbath day is by instructing us to turn away from business and common activities and to celebrate the Lord of the Sabbath. He encourages us to recognize the
Sabbath as “a delight,” as “the holy day of the Lord,” and to honor Him by not doing our own ways, nor finding our own selfish pleasures, nor speaking our own worldly words. God once again promises a blessing (Isa. 58:13, 14). In the same way that He promises to bless us when we give tithe, He also promises a blessing when we live the Sabbath His way, not focusing on our own desires but rather by glorifying God in all that we do. However, once again, just as was mentioned with tithe, we are not to keep the Sabbath holy in order to gain blessings. Rather, we are to keep it holy because it is a day that was given to us as a gift to focus on the goodness of the Lord.
Part III: Life Application
Tithing
1. What is the principle behind tithing? Why does God ask for 10 percent back?
2. List the lessons that we can learn from the practice of tithing.
Sabbath
1. Why do you think that the Bible does not specifically mention what we should and should not do on the Sabbath?
2. Look at the following practical passages about keeping the Sabbath: Exodus 16:22–30, Exodus 34:21, Exodus 35:3, Isaiah 56:2, Isaiah 58:13, and Jeremiah 17:21. Write out from these texts the principles about how God wants us to keep the Sabbath day holy.
3. Look at the following stories in the Bible about Sabbath keeping: Mark 2:23–28, Mark 3:1–6, Luke 13:10–17, and John 5:1–12. Reflect on these narratives and answer the following questions:
a. What is Jesus teaching about the Sabbath that the people or leaders did not understand?
b. What are the principles about Sabbath keeping that we learn from these stories?
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Key Text: Nehemiah 13:22
Study Focus: Nehemiah 13:1–22
The chapter begins with a quick mention of the prohibition in the law of Moses against allowing Ammonites and Moabites to participate in the gathering of Israel for festivals and solemn assemblies. Nehemiah states that when the people heard the law about not mixing with idolaters (Deut. 23:3), “they separated from Israel all those of foreign descent” (Neh. 13:3, ESV). Such was the power of the law upon the people’s minds and hearts.
The chapter then turns to describing the reforms that Nehemiah instituted before he returned to Babylon. King Artaxerxes had called him back to Persia but then gave him permission to travel again to Israel. So, after a time of absence, Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem. Perhaps he had heard some rumors about the bleak situation in Israel since his departure and the corrupt leaders who had taken over. Sure enough, after Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem, he found that Eliashib, the high priest, had allowed Tobiah, the Ammonite, to reside in a temple room. The first reform of Nehemiah was to throw Tobiah out and restore the room to its original purpose of containing grain offerings and frankincense. The second reform concerned the Levites and singers who had not received the tithes and offerings that were due them. Perhaps the people were disheartened by the mismanagement of the temple and consequently were not giving their tithes and offerings. Nehemiah restored the tithing system and appointed leaders over certain aspects of the temple so that the corrupt high priest did not have control over those areas. Last, Nehemiah restored the proper keeping of the Sabbath. He closed the gates of the city on Sabbath to stop business transactions and then threatened those who were still buying and selling outside the walls of Jerusalem. His zeal for the proper observance of the Sabbath is an example to this day.
Part II: Commentary
Tithing
One of the aspects that was extremely important to Nehemiah was tithing. He restored the practice in Israel because the temple and its services could not properly function without it. Why did Nehemiah feel so strongly about the return of tithe?
When tithes and offerings are mentioned, we often focus on the reward that we will receive, based on Malachi 3:10. In this scripture, God tells the Israelites to “try” Him in tithing, because if they give to Him He will bless them. He states it personally: “I will . . . open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need” (Mal. 3:10, ESV). Therefore, we encourage others to give to God so that they will receive the blessing that God promises.
However, the giving of tithes and offerings should not be dependent on the blessings we receive. In fact, the giving of tithes is called the “return” of tithes, because everything we have is already a blessing from God, for it has been given to us by Him. It is because God is our Creator and we acknowledge Him as such that we give back to Him. We give out of gratitude for what He has done: created us, sustains us, takes care of us, died for us, and continues to re-create us. We see the attitude of gratitude in tithe giving, especially in the stories of Abraham and Jacob.
In Genesis 14, we read about a battle in Canaan. Four Mesopotamian kings (kings of Shinar, Ellasar, Elam, and Goyim) fought five kings of Canaan, specifically of the cities of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela. The Mesopotamian kings won the battle and seized loot and captives. Because Lot lived in that region, he was captured. When Abram realized that his nephew was taken away, he armed 318 of his trained servants and pursued the Mesopotamian army. His small contingent of warriors overtook and attacked the Mesopotamians and won. God gave Abram an incredible victory, and he recovered all that had been taken, including Lot.
On the way back, Abram had a surprising encounter with the king of Salem, who also is called “the priest of God Most High.” Melchizedek blessed Abram, and then Abram gave “him a tithe of all” (Gen. 14:20, NKJV). Hebrews 7:2, 4 specifies that Abram gave a tenth of what he had. Abram returned a tenth to God because God gave him an incredible victory. He was struck by the awesome and powerful God who went with him and fought for him. His heart was full of gratitude, and so out of thankfulness he gave a tithe.
Jacob had a similar experience when his parents sent him to his Uncle Laban to marry a wife who followed God, rather than a Canaanite woman, and also to protect him from his brother, Esau, who had decided to kill him. While fleeing to Haran, Jacob fell asleep, and God gave him a dream in which he saw a ladder going up to heaven and angels moving up and down it, and “above it stood the Lord” (Gen. 28:13, NIV). God spoke to him and promised to be with him and bless him. When Jacob woke up from the dream, he exclaimed: “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven” (Gen. 28:17, ESV). Afterward Jacob made a vow that if God indeed would be with him as He stated in the dream, then not only would the Lord be his God, but he would give God a tenth of everything that God gave him (Gen. 28:20–22).
Once again, we see a person who is in awe of who God is and what He does, and then out of gratitude promises to give tithe faithfully.
Therefore, it is from a full heart of gratitude and thankfulness that we return tithe. Not primarily because we will receive a blessing by doing so but because God is faithful and awesome by taking care of us and by providing for us every single day. Nehemiah demonstrated through his actions that tithing is extremely important, not only for supporting God’s work but in helping us acknowledge that everything comes from Him. We give because God gives to us. In this way, we participate in His ministry for humanity.
Sabbath
The second aspect that Nehemiah addresses in this chapter is the day of worship, the Sabbath. Israelites were doing business transactions with people from surrounding places on the Sabbath instead of worshiping the Lord (Lev. 23:3). Nehemiah strongly objected to the way the Sabbath was being kept.
Nehemiah was the governor of the land, and because he was a strong, godly man, he wanted to make sure that the people also followed God’s instructions. Nehemiah felt that he had to take some strict measures in order for the people to understand that the Sabbath was really supposed to be holy. It was to be a day of resting in the Lord in which God’s people took time to be with family and friends, and most important, spent time with God. By doing business on Sabbath, God’s people were taking away the opportunities for fellowship with God and robbing themselves of the opportunities to show love and care for one another, as well.
God the Creator saw the Sabbath as extremely important, or He would not have created it as a special day. If all that was needed had been completed in six days, then God would not have created the seventh. But He did in order to give us a special day as a reminder that He is our Creator and that we are created to be in fellowship with Him and dependent upon Him. Also, on this day of rest from everyday business, we rejuvenate our strength, and, most important, we respect God’s way of celebrating life when He made this day holy. It was not to be like every other day; this was a holy day. Holy means “separated to” a special purpose and “set apart for” uplifting activities. Therefore, the things we do should be different from the things we do on all the other days of the week. Jesus Himself stayed in the grave on the Sabbath day and was resurrected on Sunday, keeping the Sabbath even in His death. That is how important the Sabbath is to God.
Throughout the Bible, God shows us how crucial the Sabbath day is by instructing us to turn away from business and common activities and to celebrate the Lord of the Sabbath. He encourages us to recognize the
Sabbath as “a delight,” as “the holy day of the Lord,” and to honor Him by not doing our own ways, nor finding our own selfish pleasures, nor speaking our own worldly words. God once again promises a blessing (Isa. 58:13, 14). In the same way that He promises to bless us when we give tithe, He also promises a blessing when we live the Sabbath His way, not focusing on our own desires but rather by glorifying God in all that we do. However, once again, just as was mentioned with tithe, we are not to keep the Sabbath holy in order to gain blessings. Rather, we are to keep it holy because it is a day that was given to us as a gift to focus on the goodness of the Lord.
Part III: Life Application
Tithing
1. What is the principle behind tithing? Why does God ask for 10 percent back?
2. List the lessons that we can learn from the practice of tithing.
Sabbath
1. Why do you think that the Bible does not specifically mention what we should and should not do on the Sabbath?
2. Look at the following practical passages about keeping the Sabbath: Exodus 16:22–30, Exodus 34:21, Exodus 35:3, Isaiah 56:2, Isaiah 58:13, and Jeremiah 17:21. Write out from these texts the principles about how God wants us to keep the Sabbath day holy.
3. Look at the following stories in the Bible about Sabbath keeping: Mark 2:23–28, Mark 3:1–6, Luke 13:10–17, and John 5:1–12. Reflect on these narratives and answer the following questions:
a. What is Jesus teaching about the Sabbath that the people or leaders did not understand?
b. What are the principles about Sabbath keeping that we learn from these stories?