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Sunday, 10 August 2014

Nehemiah 13 - Final reforms

The whole Book of Moses was read out, presumably the Law. There were many things that had been forgotten. It does seem something like harbouring a grudge to still be blaming the Ammonites and Moabites for something that happened long ago.  However, there are two things we can take from this. First is that this past action was indicative of their attitude, so it wasn't just a one-off. Secondly, our actions have eternal consequences. 
Nehemiah had returned to Babylon for a time, and during this time Eliashib had managed to get himself and Tobiah a position in the temple. Nehemiah came back and when he learnt of what had happened turfed Tobiah out. This is reminiscent of Jesus clearing the temple. 
Moreover, the Levites were not being given their allotted portion, so they were returning to normal work. The church should pay people properly to do the work of the church. So Nehemiah put things right.
Work was also being done on the Sabbath, and this was another issue that Nehemiah addressed. So the Sabbath was strictly adhered to. This gives some insight into why the Sabbath was such a point of conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees.
So Nehemiah carried out many reforms. 

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