this is the final chapter of an ongoing study on the book of nehemiah. this study begins in chapter 13.
“I also realized that the portions for the Levites had not been given them; for each of the Levites and the singers who did the work had gone back to his field.”
We have often referenced this verse in comparison to those that are called to the house of prayer, primarily the singers and musicians, having to go work in the local coffee shops because they aren't being paid in the temple, but this speaks to a larger problem than the priests and levites not being taken care of, it is an issue of the value we place on prayer and worship. It is the believe that prayer and worship isn’t real work.
Whether ministers, lay leaders, pastors etc. should be paid is not the focus here and I will not be addressing that, but that this belief system was one, and perhaps the most critical, reform that Nehemiah had to make.
Here is an overview of Nehemiah's Reforms from Sonic Light, Dr. Constable:
In Chapter 13, we find out that Nehemiah has left and gone back to the King of Persia for an unknown amount of time. He then returns to see the people have ALREADY broken the laws he had JUST re-established! How frustrating! It reminds me of my house sometimes,"I just cleaned up this mess! Can't we keep this house clean for ten minutes!"
It must have been a horribly disappointing feeling to return to Jerusalem and find the people, who had just vowed and signed a document promising to obey God's laws, already forgetting. This is the human condition. We are frail indeed.
Let's look at the situation with tithing (giving 10% to the temple priests, Levites, and services) Below is an excerpt from www.soniclight.com:
“Because the people had failed to bring their tithes to the temple, the Levites had to abandon their service in the temple to provide for their own physical needs. This failure may have resulted in rooms standing vacant for Tobiah to occupy as well. In response to Nehemiah’s reprimands, and Malachi’s preaching, the people began to tithe again (cf. Mal. 3:8-10)”
“Dr. Karl Menninger said, ‘Money-giving is a good criterion of a person’s mental health. Generous people are rarely mentally ill people.”
It is interesting, though we don't really know what part of the culture/laws deteriorated first, I would submit that it probably started with money. So think about this- outsiders come in to sell on sabbath. The people see the opportunity to make more money by working on sabbath. Greed sets in, and perhaps they are too busy working or whatever circumstances happen- the stop giving money to the temple. Can you see how each of these situations relates to each other? Even the intermarrying had to do with greed and politics. Most scholars suggest Nehemiah was only gone 1 year - 18 months, can you imagine things falling apart that bad in such a short amount of time?
We could look at several details throughout this chapter, but the one key thing that seems to be resounding to me is the necessity of administration. Nehemiah was a layman, not a priest like Ezra nor a prophet like Malachi. He served the Persian king in a secular position before leading the Jewish people in the restoration of the walls and government. Ultimately, though called a prophet, he was a governor, an administrator and a politician. We don’t usually think of him this way, but he was a transformational leader that established government based on God’s laws and God’s kingdom and the chief overseer of the nation of Israel.
Here is a small application to leadership and work teams; You remove the administrator, and everything goes to heck. I used to think that if I set something up and then walked away and it fell apart it was my fault for not administrating it well. But what I see here, is that you have to have someone anointed in administration to govern the work. You can't just walk away from a work you pioneered and leave it to just anyone. I mean, just think about the history of the kings of Israel!
The chapter does end well. Nehemiah whips everyone back into shape and gets all the paganism out of the city. The key thing here, that is really key, is that in order to further the kingdom, restore the Tabernacle of David, we need anointed Administration at the center- and that "administration" is just as spiritual as "prophet" or "pastor".
REFLECTIONS FOR TODAY
Have you ever felt like "administration" was a "lesser-than" anointing? Sometimes the priestly ministry stands out as the "real" anointed work of the ministry. Perhaps you are an "administrative-type" or in a business/marketplace position and asking the Lord where is the value? I hope in todays study you see how Nehemiah, the Governor, worked very closely with Ezra and Malachi (his contemporary Priest & Prophet) and in his unique function he actually was the "glue" that held it all together.
Whatever role you find yourself in, remember this from the book of Nehemiah, it takes every part to work together in our God-given anointings to operate and grow the Kingdom of God. Each part is critical to the fiction of the body.
“God has placed each part in the body just as he wanted it to be. If all the parts were the same, how could there be a body? As it is, there are many parts. But there is only one body.”
prayer
Lord, today I ask for all those who may be reading this, that they would sense Your presence encouraging them in their calling for which You have called them. I pray to day that You would open the eyes of our hearts and help us to see what You see in us. Help us to see the gifts You have given to us and our unique purpose and working together with the saints in the body of Christ for the furthering of the Gospel and the Kingdom of God. Lord, teach us how to walk confidently as the leaders You have designed us to be, in Jesus Name, Amen.