Nehemiah 13

Recurrent Truth

• Without consistent devotional effort, spiritual backsliding is inevitable (unavoidable).

Spiritual Backsliding, which implies the relapse into bad ways or error contrary to the set standards, is a condition that begins from the heart. For Christ-devoted followers backsliding is falling away, or having numbed affections to the Lord. Backsliding happens when believers neglect spiritual vigilance, compromise with sin, and lose their devotion to God. We backslide away from God, the Person and not the church building or object.  

The book of Nehemiah shows one of the greatest revivals in the Old Testament. The walls were rebuilt, the people repented, and they made a covenant with God (Nehemiah 10). Everything seemed spiritually strong, however, when we come to Nehemiah 13 it reveals a nation in state of backsliding. We see something painful; the same people who made promises to God began to drift away. Spiritual victory today does not guarantee faithfulness tomorrow. In Chapter 10 we saw a passionate community who covenanted to hold certain Priorities dear to their hearts. In Chapter 13, we see that the Community relapsed on these Priorities.

Triggers of Backsliding

• Backsliding follows Spiritual Neglect (Neh. 13:1-7).
• Neglect means failing to care for, or paying attention for something.  Neglect is also failing to properly maintain a person, or a duty. Neglect is the bewitching cause of backsliding. Neglect may come slowly. We are told that within a short time in the absence of Nehemiah, the community neglected to do what they had promised to keep alive. Neglect is seen in three areas.
• Backsliding is triggered by Compromise (Neh. 13:8-31).
• Spiritual compromise is the act of lowering one’s faith-based standards, values, or commitments to align with worldly, selfish, or ungodly influences. It involves abandoning firm convictions in favor of convenience or tolerance of wrong, ultimately limiting spiritual growth and intimacy with God.

There are five Areas where Negligence and Compromise led to backsliding in Chapter 13

1. Neglect of God’s Biblical Standards
   • They ignored and neglected the Law as regards to the way they would relate with foreign communities. (Deut. 23:3–6; Num. 21-24). They now read and realized that they were not supposed to welcome in their midst the Ammonites and the Moabites who did not welcome them as they entered the Promised land. This neglect led them not to leave according to the standards. Following truth must lead to holy living. When truth is ignored, compromise begins.
   • Today, we don’t separate from other tribes, or peoples physically. We separate from the evils in the world. This separation is in our Minds, Passions, Priorities, values, Relationships etc.
   • The Truth is that God’s People should separate from the Ungodly.
2. Neglect of God’s House (Neh. 13:7,)
   • The temple stores were terribly misused.  When Nehemiah returned, He found that the High Priest, had given the use of the store houses of the Temple to his relative, Tobiah. We are not told their relationship. But Tobiah was an enemy to the Israelite together with Sanballat. This was a terrible form of Neglect and compromise. He brought an enemy in the house of God. He defiled, defamed and dishonored the house of the Lord by ungodliness. He dishonored God. Nehemiah threw all the household goods of Tobiah from the Temple’s store houses. Later on, Jesus did the same. He cast out and chased the money changes out of the temple courts and declared it.
   • As a New Testament community we don’t have a temple but as 1 Corinthians 6:19 states our bodies are the Temples of God. We must make sure that we don’t dishonor the temple of God with our activates. Things such as movies, relationships, thoughts, habits, etc., may defile the temple of God. One thing you notice is that Nehemiah (13:9) instructed to clean them up and bring back there the vessels of the house of God, with the grain offering and the frankincense. The Principle is that what remain empty will be occupied by another element. Nature abhors vacuum.
   • The Truth is that God’s People should keep His Temple Clean
3. Neglect in Supporting Gods Work and His Workers
   • Nehemiah (13:10) found out that portions of the Levites had not been given to them, so that the Levites and the singers, who did the work, had fled each to his field. The Nation had neglected the Priority that they set in Chapter 10. The community then, said “We will not neglect the house of our God ( 10:39)” But now in Chapter 13, the negligence is so big that religious workers ran for their lives. They go look for jobs elsewhere. He confronted the leaders and proceeded to set up a system and allocated workers to receive the tithes and distribute to the religious workers (13:10-13). In the NT Church, all members have the responsibility to support the Mission and the Workers of the Mission. We must give of our Tithes, Talents and Treasures. We must regularly give (1 Cor. 16:2) generously (1 Cor. 9:6); Purposely (2 Cor. 9:7) and cheerfully (2 Cor. 9:7). In chapter w
   • The Truth is that God’s People Should Support His Mission and Workers
4.  The Neglect and Compromise on the Regularity of Worship (Neh. 13:15-22)
   • In Chapter 10, they promised that they will endeavor to keep the Sabbath Holy and never work during the times of Worship. When Nehemiah returned, He found huge compromise in this area.   The people began to violate the Sabbath, mixing with pagan practices. As explained earlier, Sabbath is the only Law in the Decalogue that is not repeated and not enforced in the NT Col. 2:16-17
   • Col 2:16  Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. 
   • Col 2:17  These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. 
   • However, the Principle of Regularity in worship is critical. It is the time to Pause, to reflect, to be with God.
   • Spiritual Backsliding happens and manifests when we compromise this Principle of Spiritual Regularity. We fall in danger when we relapse on anything that strengthens us spiritually. Backsliding may be slow and hidden; but it becomes visible. Subtle compromise creeps in slowly. It is a small crack in a wall that leads to collapse. Be careful of Compromises. Small compromises lead to great (fall).
   • The Truth is that Gods People Should set time to Regularly God
5. Compromise in Relationships (Neh. 13:23)
   • One other Priority they made in Chapter 10 was not to give their daughters to be married to people of other nations. According to Deuteronomy 7:3-4 God forbade them to intermarry. The consequences included that they would mess up the inheritance procedures, they foreign partners would be aligned to other deities. In this case, Col 2:16  Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. 
   • Col 2:17  These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. In this case, Nehemiah found that the Grandson to the High Priest was married to the Granddaughter of Sanballat. What terrible form of relationship? He also found families whose Children could not speak their language but only the foreign language. How would they read the Torah? This made Nehemiah mad and he became physical. Cursing here is not cussing but passing Judgment like God would do in Deut. 28.
   • Marriages with foreign nations led to spiritual corruption. King Solomon is the classical example1 Kings 11. God clearly standard for the NT Church. He said we should not be unequally Yoked in non-believers. It is obvious that wrong connections produce wrong directions.”
   • The Truth is that God’s People should only Marr other believers 

HOW DO WE OVERCOME BACKSLIDING?

• Restoration Requires Confrontation and Repentance (Neh. 13:8–9)
  • Neh .13:8  And I was very angry, and I threw all the household furniture of Tobiah out of the chamber (ESV)
  • “And it grieved me sore: therefore, I cast forth all the household stuff of Tobiah… (KJV)
  • Nehemiah did not ignore sin but confronted it boldly. Restoration is not passive; it requires action.

1. Recognition of Sin
   • True repentance begins with recognizing Sin and have a deep conviction of its heinousness and how it removes us from God. You cannot fix what you refuse to face.”
2. Removal of Sin
   • Nehemiah threw out Tobiah’s belongings. For everyone wanting a coming back, the have to remove sin from their lives. You don’t manage sin but you remove it.  Proverbs 29:1 states that “He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck, will suddenly be broken beyond healing.” What you remove, God restores.”
3. Renewal of Commitment (Neh. 13:30)
   • He proceeded to do a ceremonial cleansing for the religious workers. He purified the people again. Backsliding is falling away. Renewal and commitment is reactivating our commitment to follow him. Restoration begins with a renewed heart and is seen in our actions of Faith

King David  (2 Sam. 11)

• A Man after Gods own heart. One who wrote songs and poems that described passions and pantings after God also found himself backslidden and did awful stuff. He took advantage of a woman and sinned sexually. Instead of repenting and coming to God. He brought her husband from the battle filled, made him drunk with an aim of forcing him to go sleep with his Wife. He refused. Stayed in the guard house the whole night. He then sent Uriah with a letter for his execution. He instructed Joab, the Commander to put him in the battle field where it was fiercest. He died in battle (executed). David took his with. All these were hidden, but they became visible. The Son born out of their sin died with this came Gods confrontation. He recognized his sin. He repented his sin and Renewed His Commitment.

Presentation of the Gospel

• Backsliding is not only an Old Testament problem it is a human problem.
• But the Gospel gives hope:
  • Jesus Christ restores what sin destroys. And he has capacity to make us come back
  • Like Nehemiah cleansed the temple, Christ cleanses our hearts (John 2:15–17).
  • Through the cross, we are forgiven.  Through the Spirit, we are renewed.
• 1 John 1:9 (KJV): states that “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins…”                                             

Conclusion

• Nehemiah 13 teaches us:
• Revival can be lost. Neglect leads to compromise. But restoration is always possible.