When they heard the law of Moses read they excluded all foreigners from Israel. When Nehemiah came back to Jerusalem from Persia he discovered that the priest Eliashib had given a room in the temple to Tobiah and when Nehemiah found out what had happened he was as angry as a lynch mob on the loose. He threw all of Tobias’s clothing and furniture out in the street. Nehemiah found out that the Levites hadn’t been given their allotments and had moved back to their farms—Nehemiah called all the leaders on the carpet and read to them a long laundry list of their transgressions. No more of this he declared! The exposition will illumine and critique the text.
Restoring Holiness: A Deep Dive into Purifying the Temple and Sabbath
Nehemiah 13:1
On that day the Book of Moses was read aloud in the hearing of the people and there it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever be admitted into the assembly of God,
They were reading from the book of Deuteronomy.
Cross References
- Deut. 23:3-8: “No Ammonite or Moabite or any of his descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD, even down to the tenth generation... Do not seek a treaty of friendship with them as long as you live... The third generation of children born to them may enter the assembly of the LORD.”
Nehemiah 13:2
because they had not met the Israelites with food and water but had hired Balaam to call a curse down on them. (Our God, however, turned the curse into a blessing.)
They were reading from the book of Numbers.
Cross References
- Num. 22:4-7: “...Balak son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time, sent messengers to summon Balaam son of Beor... Now come and put a curse on these people, because they are too powerful for me...”
Nehemiah 13:3
When the people heard this law, they excluded from Israel all who were of foreign descent.
They had signed the contract and sworn to uphold the Law of Moses. So, now they are reading the Law in detail regarding the foreign people that were among them and the time had come for them to take action.
Nehemiah 13:4
Before this, Eliashib the priest had been put in charge of the storerooms of the house of our God. He was closely associated with Tobiah,
Eliashib the High Priest whose name occurs in chapter 12:10 and had assisted in the rebuilding of the walls and was now in charge of the assistance program that was stored in the temple annex building. He was a close friend to Tobiah the Ammonite who was an arch enemy of Israel.
Nehemiah 13:5
and he had provided him with a large room formerly used to store the grain offerings and incense and temple articles, and also the tithes of grain, new wine and oil prescribed for the Levites, singers and gatekeepers, as well as the contributions for the priests.
Eliashib takes the storage room that was used for the safe keeping of grain offerings, incense, wine and oil and turns it into an apartment for a Moabite antagonist and open opponent of Israel.
Nehemiah 13:6
But while all this was going on, I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I had returned to the king. Some time later I asked his permission
This did not happen on Nehemiah’s watch—While Nehemiah was in Persia consulting with Artaxerxes the king he requests permission to return to Jerusalem. When Nehemiah returns and finds out about the ties between the High Priest and Israel’s adversary living in the Temple annex he is furious, this incident ruffled his feathers and he is about to go into a rage.
Nehemiah 13:7
and came back to Jerusalem. Here I learned about the evil thing Eliashib had done in providing Tobiah a room in the courts of the house of God.
When Nehemiah learns that Tobiah was living “in the courts of the house of God” he is about to go into hysterics. How could the High Priest run amuck and do this horrible thing.
Nehemiah 13:8
I was greatly displeased and threw all Tobiah's household goods out of the room.
Nehemiah exploded—he is fuming and picks up Tobias’s stuff and throws it out into the street. This reminds me of the money changers in the temple that Jesus threw out.
Cross References
- Mt. 21:12, 13: “Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves...”
Nehemiah 13:9
I gave orders to purify the rooms, and then I put back into them the equipment of the house of God, with the grain offerings and the incense.
Nehemiah called for the cleaning crew to scrub out the room and purify it. He orders that all the temple equipment and food allotments be placed back in the room.
Nehemiah 13:10
I also learned that the portions assigned to the Levites had not been given to them, and that all the Levites and singers responsible for the service had gone back to their own fields.
Nehemiah learns more disturbing news the prophet Malachi has plenty of material for his sermons. Read Malachi 2, 3. The temple services had degenerated—Levites and singers had left—religion had become bankrupt and ruin was written all over the place. Nehemiah will fly of the handle again.
Nehemiah 13:11
So I rebuked the officials and asked them, "Why is the house of God neglected?" Then I called them together and stationed them at their posts.
Nehemiah calls a meeting with the officials and demands an explanation. He is still raving mad and takes full charge of the situation—he is determined to clean the mess up so he re-calls the Levites and singers.
Nehemiah 13:12
All Judah brought the tithes of grain, new wine and oil into the storerooms.
More reforms—jobs restored—respect and responsibility restored. The tide is turning—resumption of the Law is being redressed. The tithe and storerooms are replenished.
Nehemiah 13:13
I put Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and a Levite named Pedaiah in charge of the storerooms and made Hanan son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah, their assistant, because these men were considered trustworthy. They were made responsible for distributing the supplies to their brothers.
Personnel changes— the new appointments for treasurers were as follows: One was a Priest, one was a Levite, one was a Scribe and one was a layman who was noted for honesty. Eliashib is no longer in charge of the store rooms.
Nehemiah 13:14
Remember me for this, O my God, and do not blot out what I have so faithfully done for the house of my God and its services.
This bold reform work was remembered by God and centuries later we are still remembering it.
Nehemiah 13:15
In those days I saw men in Judah treading winepresses on the Sabbath and bringing in grain and loading it on donkeys, together with wine, grapes, figs and all other kinds of loads. And they were bringing all this into Jerusalem on the Sabbath. Therefore I warned them against selling food on that day.
The very people who had sworn to uphold the Law is now caught violating the Law. Nehemiah’s fuming is not over yet—he finds them violating the Sabbath day—greed has once again controlled their behavior.
Nehemiah 13:16
Men from Tyre who lived in Jerusalem were bringing in fish and all kinds of merchandise and selling them in Jerusalem on the Sabbath to the people of Judah.
Exporters were gathering at the gate and spreading out their wares and conducting business on the Sabbath day.
Nehemiah 13:17
I rebuked the nobles of Judah and said to them, "What is this wicked thing you are doing—desecrating the Sabbath day?
Another town meeting—this time Nehemiah reprehended the Nobles for allowing this to take place under their noses. Nehemiah expresses his resentment for their toleration of these abuses of the Law of God. He upbraids them and accuses them of their wicked practice.
Nehemiah 13:18
Didn't your forefathers do the same things, so that our God brought all this calamity upon us and upon this city? Now you are stirring up more wrath against Israel by desecrating the Sabbath."
Nehemiah further indicts the Nobles and holds them responsible for all that is happening. He cites the case of their ancestors violating the Sabbath and bringing the captivity upon the entire nation and claims they are pursuing the same course, he tells them that they are doing likewise.
Nehemiah 13:19
When evening shadows fell on the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I ordered the doors to be shut and not opened until the Sabbath was over. I stationed some of my own men at the gates so that no load could be brought in on the Sabbath day.
Nehemiah takes charge—he orders the gates closed and locked down till the Sabbath day is over—the venders and their wares will have to wait till the Sabbath is over to sell their goods.
Nehemiah 13:20
Once or twice the merchants and sellers of all kinds of goods spent the night outside Jerusalem.
Once or twice the foreign traders camped near the doors but this didn’t last long— they soon realized that “business as usual” was over and the Sabbath law was being enforced.
Nehemiah 13:21
But I warned them and said, "Why do you spend the night by the wall? If you do this again, I will lay hands on you." From that time on they no longer came on the Sabbath.
Nehemiah met with the traders and in no uncertain terms told them that they couldn’t hang around on the Sabbath day.
Nehemiah 13:22
Then I commanded the Levites to purify themselves and go and guard the gates in order to keep the Sabbath day holy. Remember me for this also, O my God, and show mercy to me according to your great love.
This is a keyword and runs throughout the book like a colorful thread in a tapestry.
Nehemiah 13:23
Moreover, in those days I saw men of Judah who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon and Moab.
This problem of intermarriage had been dealt with 25 years earlier by Ezra—now it raises its ugly head one more time.
Nehemiah 13:24
Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or the language of one of the other peoples, and did not know how to speak the language of Judah.
These children had grown up and couldn’t speak Hebrew. This multicultural mix of different languages—different dialects—different gods was leading down the same path as their fathers had pursued before the captivity.
Nehemiah 13:25
I rebuked them and called curses down on them. I beat some of the men and pulled out their hair. I made them take an oath in God's name and said: "You are not to give your daughters in marriage to their sons, nor are you to take their daughters in marriage for your sons or for yourselves.
In Ezra 9:3 Ezra pulled out his hair—but in this verse Nehemiah pulls out the hair of some of the violators. Nehemiah has lost his temper and flew into a towering rage. Nehemiah is raging mad and slaps some of them around—then made the Israelites take an oath that they would not marry the foreign women nor give any of their daughters to them for marriage.
Nehemiah 13:26
Was it not because of marriages like these that Solomon king of Israel sinned? Among the many nations there was no king like him. He was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel, but even he was led into sin by foreign women.
The wisest man who ever lived was Solomon but he let his foreign wives lead him into idolatry.
Cross References
- 1 Ki. 3:1-13: “Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt and married his daughter... Solomon showed his love for the LORD by walking according to the statutes of his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places...”
- 1 Ki. 11:1-6: “King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh's daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites... So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the LORD...”
Nehemiah 13:27
Must we hear now that you too are doing all this terrible wickedness and are being unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women?"
Solomon married women outside of the country of Israel—the King James calls them outlandish—what a play on words…out of the land women—all of the foreign wives of Solomon were of royal birth—they led him into the worshiping of foreign gods.
Nehemiah 13:28
One of the sons of Joiada son of Eliashib the high priest was son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite. And I drove him away from me.
Eliashib (we met him back in verse 4, 7) and now we are told that his grandson is married to a daughter of Sanballat the Horonite. Shades of Jezebel—how could this happen—Lev. 21:14 tells us that a high Priest was not allowed to marry a foreigner. Nehemiah drives him out so that he cannot become the next High Priest—God give us a Nehemiah who can straighten things out! A similar thing happened a century later and is described in Josephus.
Cross References
- Josephus’s Ant. 11.7.2: “Now when John had departed this life, his son Jaddua succeeded in the high priesthood... Now there was one Sanballat, who was sent by Darius... he willingly gave his daughter, whose name was Nicaso, in marriage to Manasseh...”
Nehemiah 13:29
Remember them, O my God, because they defiled the priestly office and the covenant of the priesthood and of the Levites.
This grief of Nehemiah prompted him to pray that God would not forget how these men had defiled the Priesthood.
Nehemiah 13:30
So I purified the priests and the Levites of everything foreign, and assigned them duties, each to his own task.
In addition to all the other episodes that we have commented on Nehemiah still has some unfinished business to attend to. He purifies the Priests and Levites for their sacerdotal duties.
Nehemiah 13:31
I also made provision for contributions of wood at designated times, and for the firstfruits. Remember me with favor, O my God.
He arranges for a regular supply of wood for the burnt offerings—and for the collecting and distribution of the first fruits of the harvest. He asks God to remember him for all the good he has done.