Nehemiah 13:30-31

30 Thus I cleansed them from everything foreign, and I established the duties of the priests and Levites, each in his work; 31 and I provided for the wood offering at appointed times, and for the firstfruits.Remember me, O my God, for good.

The book of Nehemiah ends here. with a prayer that God remember what he’s done. I don’t think that Nehemiah is saying this because he thinks God will forget. In fact, I’m really not sure why he’s said it so much throughout this book.

It doesn’t make any sense for him to be saying, constantly, “Remember me, oh God, for good!,” unless it is more of a prayer, a calling out to God. Nehemiah is calling out, “REMEMBER ME! My life has been hard, but I’ve tried to do your commands. Remember the good I’ve done and not the bad. Remember when I followed you, and I’m praying that you’ll forget the times I failed you.”

Remember me, oh God.

As we end Nehemiah, this cry haunts me.

What will I be remembered for?

How do I want to be remembered?

What’s the difference between how I will be and how I want to be remembered? Where can I change?

Remember me, oh God, for good. Thank you for forgiving my sin through the sacrifice of your son on the cross. Thank you for the hope that you have given us, in raising your son from the dead – the resurrection power. Where, O death, is your victory?

Thank you God.

Nehemiah 13:28-29

[28] And one of the sons of Jehoiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was the son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite. Therefore I chased him from me. [29] Remember them, O my God, because they have desecrated the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites.

They desecrated the priesthood.

How? – Jehoiada was the son of the high priest, Eliashib. He had married Sanballat’s daughter. He had married a woman of foreign descent, which, in case you haven’t figured out, was a big no-no for the priests.

They took God’s command and broke it.

They took the covenant between God and the priesthood/Levites, and desecrated it.

I took God’s command and broke it…

Many times in my life I have broken God’s command, messed up, failed, fallen short. I’ve committed sins of commission, omission and of not having a mission.

Jesus says, “GO and MAKE disciples.” – I act like he actually means stay and only talk to people if you really have to.

Jesus says, “Love one another.” – Well, actually, I act like he means when they’re nice to us, we should love them.

God desires all to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:3-4) – Well, I act like he means only those I think should be saved, you know: not our enemies, not those who have killed innocents, not terrorists or tv evangelists.

I thank God that His ways are much higher than my ways.

I probably would have killed Saul, the murderer and terrorist, before he became Paul. Before he became a man whose only will was to do God’s, and only love was to Jesus Christ, our Lord.

What is God convicting you of today?

What command of God have you twisted to make it become your own?

Nehemiah 13:23-27

[23] In those days also I saw the Jews who had married women of Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. [24] And half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod, and they could not speak the language of Judah, but only the language of each people. [25] And I confronted them and cursed them and beat some of them and pulled out their hair. And I made them take 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. [26] Did not Solomon king of Israel sin on account of such women? Among the many nations there was no king like him, and he was beloved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel. Nevertheless, foreign women made even him to sin. [27] Shall we then listen to you and do all this great evil and act treacherously against our God by marrying foreign women?”

Wow. 

Just… wow.

Not sure what to say about some of this passage. Nehemiah literally beats and pulls the hair out of some of the children, because they could not speak the language of Judah.

Harsh treatment, it seems, especially to the children. It isn’t their fault they don’t know the language, its their parents fault.

I wonder then, if this is another example of God showing us a fault of a great man of God. Nehemiah, in his anger, sins…

But, it could be that this is the only way that they would listen, turn and repent. Their bruises would heal, and the hair could probably grow back, but their spiritual souls mattered more. God’s commandment mattered more.

Either way you take it, it is a shocking passage.

What can we take from it?

Are we taking God’s commands seriously?

Are we allowing things of this world to come between us and God?

Are we in danger of sinning in our anger?

Just a few thoughts from a hard passage… What do you think?