Thursday 4 September 2014

Nehemiah 10-13 Lots of names and the end of the book!

Nehemiah 10

The chapter starts off with a list of the people who signed the solemn agreement - 
They agreed to separate themselves from relations with neighbouring people, not to give their daughters in marriage to them or accept their daughters to marry Jewish sons, they promise to not buy grain on the sabbath or holy days.
They also promise to obey the law and cancel all debts after 7 years. They promise to support the temple and the levites by giving 10% of their crops .
The priests promise to do their duty and bring gifts of the people to the temple.

Nehemiah 11
Is a census of the inhabitants of Jerusalem - lots of names here that really don't interest me at all!

Nehemiah 12
Is a list of the priests and levites 

The dedication of the walls - Nehemiah got all the Levites and musicians out, got the leaders of the community on top of the wall and like Humpty dumpty.....Sorry I digress an image formed before I could stop myself!

Nehemiah got 2 groups of people, leaders, choirs and musicians to walk in opposite directions giving thanks and praise to God - apparently the noise travelled.

Nehemiah 13

Part of Nehemiah's reforms was to find those of Ammonite or Moabite descent and exclude them from the assembly (I pointed out before that David and Solomon would not have been allowed in on this basis due to David's Great, great grandmother, Ruth who was from Moab), but the priest had given a room in the temple to Tobiah (one of the enemies of Nehemiah) and given him gifts dedicated to the priests.

Nehemiah was not in Jerusalem at this time as he had gone back to the king and asked leave to return and visit.

Nehemiah returned to find all was not at all well, he threw Tobiah's stuff out of the temple and re-established order in the temple among the priests and levites.
Around and about he saw Jews treading wine on the sabbath, and bringing in grain, selling and buying good with people from Tyre .
Nehemiah ordered the gates of the city closed on the Sabbath having rebuked the leaders for letting things go and so quickly ignoring the law of God - even then.

Nehemiah also found people intermarrying with Ashdod, Ammonand and Moab, their children did not even speak Hebrew.
Nehemiah went ape - he beat some of these people, pulling out their hair and made them take an oath not to allow intermarriage - Even Solomon the wise king of the golden age of Israel was led astray by his foreign wives

Nehemiah asked God not to ignore their sins, but remember his faithfulness 

"Remember me with favour,  my God"

Join me in the next post where we start a truly remarkable book - Esther

No comments:

Post a Comment