Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20110417.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Nehemiah: Excelling In Leadership In Hard Times
Part IV: The Leader's Role When God's People Are Mobilized By Him, Nehemiah 8:1-13:31
E. Leading By Faithfully Walking With God To Influence Others To Stay Faithful
(Nehemiah 13:4-14 et al.)
  1. Introduction
    1. A key part of godly oversight is influencing God's people to remain faithful to His ministry assignments.
    2. However, we ourselves must watch our own walk's faithfulness if we would influence others to be faithful, and Nehemiah exampled this where Eliashib did not in Nehemiah 13:4-14.
    3. We view this passage for insight and edification in our own life (as follows):
  2. Leading By Faithfully Walking With God To Influence Others To Stay Faithful, Nehemiah 13:4-14.
    1. By the time the Jerusalem wall was dedicated (Neh. 12:27), Israel had responded to the reading of the Law (Neh. 8:8-9) to heed its call to support the Levites and priests by their tithes so they who assigned of God to minister in the temple could continue to do so, Neh. 12:43-44,47; Lev. 27:30-33; Num. 18:21-29:
      1. Leviticus 27:30-33 called Israel to tithe of their income, and Numbers 18:21-29 had the Levites tithe of their tithes to support the priests [and porters and singers], Ryrie St. Bib., KJV, ftn. to Neh . 10:38-39.
      2. With the reading of these provisions in the Law in Nehemiah 8:8-9, the people had brought their tithes, so treasurers were assigned oversight of temple storage rooms for the collections, Neh. 12:43-44, 47.
    2. Yet, when Nehemiah returned to Persia to heed the king (Neh. 13:6 with 2:6), Israel had failed to stay faithful in these callings due in part to failure in the oversight of the high priest, Eliashib, Neh . 13:4-7, 10:
      1. Eliashib the high priest (Neh. 3:1) who ended up overseeing the temple storerooms, had developed a tie with Tobiah the Ammonite (Neh. 2:10 NIV) in sinful violation of Deuteronomy 23:3-6. (Neh. 13:4)
      2. As a result, Eliashib was influenced by Tobiah let him live a large temple room that had formerly been used to store the tithe collections for the livelihood of those who ministered in the temple, Neh . 13:5.
      3. This was a terrible state of affairs for several reasons: (1) Tobiah had been a great foe of Nehemiah who had repeatedly, strongly opposed the building of the city wall, Neh. 4:7-8; 6:1-2 and 6:17-19. (2) Yet, in Nehemiah's absence, Tobiah, though an Ammonite with whom Israel was to have no ties, (Neh. 13:1-3 with Deuteronomy 23:3-5) had maneuvered his way with Eliashib into rooming in the temple area to "oppose God's work while posing to assist it!" ( Bib. Know. Com., O. T., p. 695)
      4. Also, this temple storage room had become available for Tobiah in part because the people had failed to keep tithing under high priest Eliashib's inattentive oversight of the people. This had left a storage room empty so that those who were to be supported by the tithes had left the temple to work in the fields for a living versus continuing with their Biblical temple ministry assignments, Neh. 13:10; Ibid.
    3. Nehemiah thus did what Eliashib should have done: he took steps to restore the work, Neh. 13:8-9, 11-13:
      1. Nehemiah purged the temple storeroom of Ammonite Tobiah's belongings, throwing them out and ordering the priests ceremonially to purify the room before stocking it with proper items, Neh. 13:8-9.
      2. Then, Nehemiah "rebuked" Eliashib and Israel's rulers, charging them with neglecting the temple of God, and he called them together, reassigning each one to his Biblical ministry, Nehemiah 13:11 NIV.
      3. Once they were reassigned to their rightful ministries, all Judah began bringing tithes to the storeroom treasuries (Neh. 13:12), and Nehemiah assigned trustworthy people -- not the unfaithful high priest Eliashib -- to oversee the treasuries and distribute the tithes, Nehemiah 13:13 versus 13:4-5! [Malachi 3:7-12 shows the prophet Malachi told the people (who prophesied around Nehemiah's era) of the need to obey God in bringing their tithes to the temple, possibly the reason why they started to tithe again!]
    4. Nehemiah then asked God to recall his good deeds for His temple and its services, Nehemiah 13:14 NIV!
Lesson: When Nehemiah saw Israel under high priest Eliashib failed to keep ministering as Scripture prescribed and as they had agreed to do, he [and possibly Malachi] led them to return to God's callings!

Application: (1) May we faithfully lead subordinates to stay faithful to God's assignments for them. (2) Contrasting Eliashib with Nehemiah, we see the capacity to influence others to stay faithful grows out of our own walk with God, so may we overseers watch our own lives! (1 Timothy 4:15-16)