Fighting Spiritual Decay
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Spiritual Decay
Spiritual Decay
3 Now it came to pass, when they had heard the law, that they separated from Israel all the mixed multitude.
neh 13.
A well-known truth, one we have all experienced in our lives, is that things naturally gravitate toward decay and disorder, not efficiency and order.
If you own a home or car then you know this to be true. A house or car, left uncared for and unattended, moves toward a state of disrepair, not beauty and peak performance. The same applies to our physical bodies.
If we do not take care of our bodies/health then we become unhealthy and we break down even quicker.
What is true in the physical realm is also true in the spiritual realm. We do not naturally gravitate toward Godliness and Christlikeness.
If we do not nurture our convictions and continue giving careful attention to our spiritual foundations they quickly deteriorate and find ourselves drifting toward spiritual decline, inefficiency and joylessness.
As the book of Nehemiah closes we do not have the privilege or satisfaction of enjoying a fairy-tale or Hallmark channel ending.
Instead, we see the relatively quick spiritual decline of God's people and crumbling of their spiritual foundations as convictions give way to compromise.
Nehemiah, after rebuilding the walls, leading the people into a time of spiritual renewal and helping them rediscover and restore their spiritual heritage and serving faithfully as their governor for 12 years has returned to serve the King in the capital city of Susa.
We do not know how long he was gone but we know he was gone long enough for spiritual decay to set it and the affects to become evident in the people.
We also find that enough time had passed for a generation to have been born and raised in the current climate so we may well assume that Nehemiah's absence may have been close to 20 years and as he returns to Jerusalem in this closing chapter of Nehemiah's ministry he discovers the only thing left standing were the walls, everything else had collapsed, the spiritual reforms were now the wreckage of a by-gone era.
J.I Packer said, ''Satan's constant attacks on the church (and I would add, our own sinful desires) and God's refusal to give up on the church, guarantee recurring disappointments alongside periodic encouragements...''
As we end this study we close with a warning against spiritual carelessness and some lessons on how to confront it.
illustration of drifting on the beach ....
Andy Stanley, in his book Visioneering, said when they were younger and the family would take trips to the beach, they would set up their stuff and then his dad would set up a boundary, usually some coconuts that would serve a marker so they could stay near mom and dad. It was a safety zone. Without a boundary/landmark they would not have known they were drifting because there was always a current pulling them away.
Andy Stanley, in his book Visioneering, said when they were younger and the family would take trips to the beach, they would set up their stuff and then his dad would set up a boundary, usually some coconuts that would serve a marker so they could stay near mom and dad. It was a safety zone. Without a boundary/landmark they would not have known they were drifting because there was always a current pulling them away.
Spiritually speaking, we all tend to drift and there are always undercurrents seeking to pull us away from our Heavenly Father. One of the lessons we learn in this closing chapter is...
I We Must Guard Against Spiritual Drift
I We Must Guard Against Spiritual Drift
11 Then contended I with the rulers, and said, Why is the house of God forsaken? And I gathered them together, and set them in their place. 12 Then brought all Judah the tithe of the corn and the new wine and the oil unto the treasuries.
The under currents of life can easily pull us away from God and the boundaries of His blessing.
This is what happened to the people in Nehemiah's absence. The Word of God was no longer central to their lives and they drifted beyond the boundaries of blessing and into the waters of discipline.
The absence of God's Word weakened the moral and spiritual fabric of the nation.
4 And before this, Eliashib the priest, having the oversight of the chamber of the house of our God, was allied unto Tobiah: 5 And he had prepared for him a great chamber, where aforetime they laid the meat offerings, the frankincense, and the vessels, and the tithes of the corn, the new wine, and the oil, which was commanded to be given to the Levites, and the singers, and the porters; and the offerings of the priests.
Tobiah, if you remember, was an Ammonite, who according to the first few verses of chapter 13, was not allowed to enter the assembly of God. Not only that, early on we find that Tobiah was an enemy of God's people and tried to stop Nehemiah and the construction of the wall. Now, he is not only living among the people but living in the Temple.
Tobiah, if you remember, was an Ammonite, who according to the first few verses of chapter 13, was not allowed to enter the assembly of God. Not only that, early on we find that Tobiah was an enemy of God's people and tried to stop Nehemiah and the construction of the wall. Now, he is not only living among the people but living in the Temple.
How did this happen? Well, Tobiah was family. He married into Eliashib's family and was a brother-in-law. Eliashib, who was over the Temple chambers where they stored those things necessary for the priest to lead in worship and to support the priest, cleaned out the chambers and made an apartment for Tobiah and his family.
He took what was holy and used it for an unholy purpose because of a personal relationship. One of the currents that can quickly pull us away from God and out of the boundary of blessings is our relationship with others.
13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
33 Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.
Illustration
- We should not underestimate the power of personal relationships in our lives.
- I have seen churches that failed to reach their potential and drifted into irrelevance because the personal relationships (family or friends) became more important than church and her mission.
- I have seen people's faith shipwrecked because of relationships with those who were not concerned about faithfulness and obedience to God.
How did this room become available?
The verse said he prepared a ''large room for him, where formerly they put the grain offerings, the frankincense, the utensils and the tithes of grain, wine and oil prescribed for the Levites, the singers and the gatekeepers, and the contributions for the priests.''
Those rooms were not supposed to be empty. They were supposed to be filled with all the resources necessary for the Levites to carry out their work in leading the people in worship and teaching the Word of God. These things were not only necessary for worship but to sustain and provide for those responsible for leading the people spiritually.
10 And I perceived that the portions of the Levites had not been given them: for the Levites and the singers, that did the work, were fled every one to his field.
The room became empty because the people quit giving. They no longer brought their tithes and gifts to the Temple.
-Â I also discovered that the portions of the Levites had not been given them, so that the Levites and the singers who performed the service had gone away, each to his own field.
Because of that those responsible for leading the people could not afford to stay but had to leave and go work the farms and fields to provide for their families.
The room became empty because the people quit giving. They no longer brought their tithes and gifts to the Temple. Because of that those responsible for leading the people could not afford to stay but had to leave and go work the farms and fields to provide for their families.
This disobedience on the part of the people brought the ministry of the Temple and the Word to a screeching halt and they drifted even further beyond the boundaries of God's blessing.
24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Jesus said, ''No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.''
II We Must Protect the Lords Day
II We Must Protect the Lords Day
15 In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day: and I testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals. 16 There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, which brought fish, and all manner of ware, and sold on the sabbath unto the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem. 17 Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the sabbath day? 18 Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath.
neh 13.15
Another commitment Israel had made in writing was to keep God’s laws regarding the Sabbath (10:31).
But when Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem he found that the people had also violated this promise.
They were working on the Sabbath as they did on the other days of the week.
They were treading grapes in the winepresses, and transporting the wine, along with grain … grapes, figs, and other merchandise, into Jerusalem to sell it.
They also were buying fish and other items from people of Tyre who resided in Jerusalem.
13:17–22. Again Nehemiah met the problem with a rebuke and action (cf. vv. 11–13). In rebuking their Sabbath desecration (calling it a wicked thing; cf. v. 7), he referred to a similar sin in Jeremiah’s day (cf. ) which God punished by the Exile (calamity). Nehemiah had the city doors … shut on the Sabbath, beginning on Friday evening, with guards posted to see that merchandise was not brought in. Even so, some merchants stayed all night outside the walls, perhaps hoping people would slip outside in the darkness to purchase their goods. When Nehemiah heard of this, he threatened to use force against them. Then he told the Levites (cf. ) to help guard the gates (cf. 7:1; 11:19). Again (cf. 13:14) he asked God to help in this problem, showing mercy to him out of His great love (ḥeseḏ, “loyal love“).[1]
17 Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the sabbath day?
One of the lessons that we have talked about on Sunday mornings the past 4 weeks is that giving is a matter of the heart. Our giving demonstrates where our heart really is and what we believe our treasure to be. They had been pulled away by the current of greed/materialism.
We also see this in their changed attitude toward the Lord's Day.
Their day of worship became just another day of the week.
Our attendance and attitude when we attend are all indicators of where we are in our relationship with God.
They quit coming to church (so they quit giving) which meant they were not hearing the Word of God or spending time in worship of God and the drift away from God began.
Sin is never isolated. It always affects more people than we realize.
It is always followed by more sin. It opens the door to greater levels of disobedience and the subsequent consequences. They lost their spiritual bearings because they placed personal relationships, money and the personal pursuits above God.
III WE Must Protect the families
III WE Must Protect the families
23 In those days also saw I Jews that had married wives of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab: 24 And their children spake half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in the Jews’ language, but according to the language of each people. 25 And I contended with them, and cursed them, and smote certain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, Ye shall not give your daughters unto their sons, nor take their daughters unto your sons, or for yourselves. 26 Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless even him did outlandish women cause to sin. 27 Shall we then hearken unto you to do all this great evil, to transgress against our God in marrying strange wives? 28 And one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was son in law to Sanballat the Horonite: therefore I chased him from me. 29 Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood, and the covenant of the priesthood, and of the Levites.
neh 13.24
, -Â In those days I also saw that the Jews had married women from Ashdod, Ammon and Moab. 24Â As for their children, half spoke in the language of Ashdod, and none of them was able to speak the language of Judah, but the language of his own people... 28Â Even one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was a son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite...
Not only had God been abandoned in the public square (Temple and Sabbath) but in the home as well. They had once again failed to protect their families.
- They gave their daughters and sons to marry the foreigners. The issue was not ethnic or racial. It was spiritual. The issue was maintaining the purity of the faith. They were marrying unbelievers, as the NT put it, they were unequally yoked and it was devastating to the faith of the coming generations.
Rather than converting their pagan spouses they were influenced and compromised their faith and abandoned their God.
vs 24 - wow look at this - What was most troubling was when Nehemiah said, ''As for their children, half spoke in the language of Ashdod, and none of them was able to speak the language of Judah, but the language of his own people''
The children were fluent in their mother's tongue.
- They did not speak Hebrew/Aramaic. That mean they could not understand the Word of God when it was read and taught.
- It also means they could not read the Word of God. They did not know the Word of God.
- They had raised a generation who did not know God. The compromises of one generation leads to the rebellion of the next.
The people had drifted outside the boundaries of God's blessing and grieved the heart of God. Nehemiah came back and was appalled. He was heart-broken but He did not sit-back and allow the spiritual drift to continue. He tackled the issues head-on. He boldly confronted the problems and the people.
HE cleaned house
7 And I came to Jerusalem, and understood of the evil that Eliashib did for Tobiah, in preparing him a chamber in the courts of the house of God. 8 And it grieved me sore: therefore I cast forth all the household stuff of Tobiah out of the chamber. 9 Then I commanded, and they cleansed the chambers: and thither brought I again the vessels of the house of God, with the meat offering and the frankincense.
neh
11 Then contended I with the rulers, and said, Why is the house of God forsaken? And I gathered them together, and set them in their place. 12 Then brought all Judah the tithe of the corn and the new wine and the oil unto the treasuries.
- I came to Jerusalem and learned about the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, by preparing a room for him in the courts of the house of God. 8Â It was very displeasing to me, so I threw all of Tobiah's household goods out of the room. 9Â Then I gave an order and they cleansed the rooms; and I returned there the utensils of the house of God with the grain offerings and the frankincense.
15 In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day: and I testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals. 16 There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, which brought fish, and all manner of ware, and sold on the sabbath unto the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem. 17 Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the sabbath day? 18 Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath. 19 And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut, and charged that they should not be opened till after the sabbath: and some of my servants set I at the gates, that there should no burden be brought in on the sabbath day. 20 So the merchants and sellers of all kind of ware lodged without Jerusalem once or twice. 21 Then I testified against them, and said unto them, Why lodge ye about the wall? if ye do so again, I will lay hands on you. From that time forth came they no more on the sabbath. 22 And I commanded the Levites that they should cleanse themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the sabbath day. Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy.
neh 1
neh 13.25-27.
25 And I contended with them, and cursed them, and smote certain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, Ye shall not give your daughters unto their sons, nor take their daughters unto your sons, or for yourselves. 26 Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless even him did outlandish women cause to sin. 27 Shall we then hearken unto you to do all this great evil, to transgress against our God in marrying strange wives?
- So I contended with them and cursed them and struck some of them and pulled out their hair, and made them swear by God, ''You shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor take of their daughters for your sons or for yourselves. 26Â Did not Solomon king of Israel sin regarding these things? Yet among the many nations there was no king like him, and he was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel; nevertheless the foreign women caused even him to sin. 27Â Do we then hear about you that you have committed all this great evil by acting unfaithfully against our God by marrying foreign women?''
When we have open/defiant sin in our lives or simply notice the spiritual drift taking place
We must root it out and destroy it. - So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh- 13Â for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live...
Nehemiah was not concerned with what others thought. He was only concerned about what God say and thought of Him.
14 Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and wipe not out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God, and for the offices thereof.
22 And I commanded the Levites that they should cleanse themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the sabbath day. Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy.
30 Thus cleansed I them from all strangers, and appointed the wards of the priests and the Levites, every one in his business;
neh 13.
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- - For this also remember me, O my God, and have compassion on me according to the greatness of Your lovingkindness.
- - Thus I purified them from everything foreign and appointed duties for the priests and the Levites, each in his task, 31Â and I arranged for the supply of wood at appointed times and for the first fruits. Remember me, O my God, for good.
In the early 1990's, when President George Bush Senior had a fiery John Sununu as his White House chief of staff a reporter asked him if his job was difficult and he quickly responded no - the reporter thinking he had misunderstood asked him again and he answered him with the exact same way - he then explained - I have only one constituent - in other words my job is to please the president.
If we are to avoid spiritual drift we must always remember, ''Our one job is to worship and honor the Lord.''