In those days I saw in Judah people treading winepresses on the Sabbath, and bringing in heaps of grain and loading them on donkeys, and also wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of loads, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And I warned them on the day when they sold food. Tyrians also, who lived in the city, brought in fish and all kinds of goods and sold them on the Sabbath to the people of Judah, in Jerusalem itself! Then I confronted the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this evil thing that you are doing, profaning the Sabbath day? Did not your fathers act in this way, and did not our God bring all this disaster on us and on this city? Now you are bringing more wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath.”
As soon as it began to grow dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut and gave orders that they should not be opened until after the Sabbath. And I stationed some of my servants at the gates, that no load might be brought in on the Sabbath day.
Nehemiah is closing out the book that gives the historical account of the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem. But it also included rebuilding the mindset of the people living in and around the city. In the above passage we read Nehemiah’s vigilance to make sure these people returning from captivity to the city did not end up making the same mistake as their fathers who were taken into captivity, away from the city. The entire reason for the captivity was that they did not obey God’s Word. One major disobedience was the people’s lack of keeping the Sabbath. Now they are only in the land and the city for a short time, upon return, and they are doing the same thing. Nehemiah is enraged with this. These are strong words he is using. He is not talking in periods. He is talking to them in exclamation marks! Later in this last chapter of the book he finds some still inter-marrying with the pagan people of the land (also a disobedience to the Word of God). Notice his zeal to keep the people clean from offending God:
Nehemiah 13:25 (ESV)
And I confronted them and cursed them and beat some of them and pulled out their hair. And I made them take an oath in the name of God, saying, “You shall not give your daughters to their sons, or take their daughters for your sons or for yourselves.
It is unsure what the average HR director would say about that response from leadership! Nehemiah had seen the captivity and the wreckage that played on the nation. He had a desire to keep them pure from disobedience. We do not have this same zeal today for disobedience. Notice the early churches response to some sin within their midst:
- This is what Paul stated about the young man who was engaged in sexual activity with his step mom:
- 1 Corinthians 5:4-5 (ESV) When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.
- This is what happened in the early church response to when a couple attempted to make it look like they were more spiritual in their offerings than they really were:
- Acts 5:9-10 (ESV) But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.
- This is what Paul tells us to do when we see someone caught in a sin:
- Galatians 6:1 (ESV) Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.
God expects us to be sensitive to sin in our midst and not ignore it, no matter the Old or the New Testament. When people sin against God in our midst, it puts all of us in jeopardy for discipline from God.
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