LESSON 24 NEHEMIAH 13 : 1 – 31
So I confronted the officials and said, “Why is the house of God forsaken?” —Nehemiah 13:11
Nehemiah chapters 1–12 occurred over the course of about a year. Nehemiah then served as governor for 12 years, and his term ended in 433 BC. After that he trav- elled back to Persia. The length of the time he stayed in Persia is unknown; but sadly, as Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem to serve his second term as governor, he found the same spiritual corruption that Malachi spoke about. 63 Upon his return in chapter 13, he worked to reform Israel. Nehemiah does not end on an upbeat note. Your response to the finale might be similar to when you’ve encountered an awful movie ending: “Is this really how the story ends? What a let down!” So, prepare yourself for an unexpected conclusion that leaves you anticipating, hurriedly flipping the pages to the New Testament—to the gospel—for the real ending of God’s grand story that you crave—the end where God will fulfill His covenant promises through Jesus!
READ THE WORD Pray. Take a moment to pray, asking the Lord to prepare your heart and teach you.
Nehemiah 13:1–31 13 On that day they read from the Book of Moses in the hearing of the people. And in it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God, 2 for they did not meet the people of Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them—yet our God turned the curse into a blessing. 3 As soon as the people heard the law, they separated from Israel all those of foreign descent. 4 Now before this, Eliashib the priest, who was appointed over the cham- bers of the house of our God, and who was related to Tobiah, 5 prepared for Tobiah a large chamber where they had previously put the grain offering, the frankincense, the vessels, and the tithes of grain, wine, and oil, which were given by command- ment to the Levites, singers, and gatekeepers, and the contributions for the priests. 6 While this was taking place, I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I went to the king. And after some time I asked leave of the king 7 and came to Jerusalem, and I then discovered the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, preparing for him a chamber in the courts of the house of God. 8 And I was very angry, and I threw all the household furniture of Tobiah out of the
63 John MacArthur, The MacArthur Bible Handbook, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2003), 130.
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