Nehemiah's Zeal ends Tobiah's Man-Cave - Nehemiah 10-13

In Nehemiah 10-12 we have a description of a great worship service for God. It comes across like a production and a majestic outpouring of thankful expression and praise. The people of God were thankful for what God had done by bringing them out captivity. Nehemiah organized the singers and the gatekeepers and the worship service to reflect the Law of Moses and to provide a way for the people to give praise to God. Chapter 12 is a delightful scene. It must have seem liked heaven to all who attended. Their praise could be heard far and wide (12:43). When is the last time you passed a church and the praise was so loud you could hear it through the doors? But, the "worship" doesn't start and stop with the "worship service." In chapter 13 we see five acts of repentance and cleansing we should take note of. True Biblical worship does not start and end with a praise service. It must carry over into practical, everyday living. Chapter 13 is about as practical as it gets for a Believer's repentance. First, in 13:1-3, Nehemiah makes sure no Ammonite or Moabite was able to worship, because that is what God had said. Second, Nehemiah finds someone "squatting" by transforming part of the temple into his own "personal space" (think office, or man-cave) (13:4-9). This is an example of a man-of-God who is sensitive to sin in the camp of Israel. Tobiah is tossed out of his "man-cave" and the temple is restored to proper use. Lastly Nehemiah restores the Tithe and the Sabbath and makes sure anyone who married a foreign wife is not allowed to worship in the temple. True Divine Worship (chapters 10-12) must be followed by true Divine Cleansing (chapter 13). You can't spend time "with God" in worship without spending time "for God" in repentance in your daily life. Do you have any man-caves in your own life that need to be cleansed away? True worship is not just singing to God (chapter 10-12) ... but includes living for God, as well (chapter 13).