Restoring The Tithe

What this episode covers

After building the wall in Jerusalem and overseeing a revival among the people, Nehemiah returned to King Artaxerxes (Neh. 13:6). While away, people quickly lost the ability to maintain the work. Some failed to separate from foreigners (Neh. 13:1-3), going against their own vows (Neh. 9:2, 38). Eliashib, the high priest, made room in a large temple chamber for Tobiah, one of Nehemiah’s foremost enemies (Neh. 13:4-9). This minimized the importance of the tithe. While the swift religious and moral decline of the people might discourage us, Nehemiah’s response should inspire us. His employment in Susa never distracted him from persevering in the work that originally burdened him. He maintained a passion for the glory of God and for the reformation that the people experienced. In his book, God in the Wasteland, David Wells defines worldliness as, “whatever makes sin look normal in any age and righteousness seem odd.” Some ‘enlightened’ Christians might interpret Nehemiah’s actions in this chapter as strange. He is too uptight about form and order. He’s too legalistic about obedience to God’s law. He angrily tossed Tobiah’s furniture out of the temple. He cursed and beat (even pulled out the hair) of some of the men who married foreign women (Neh. 13:25). Taylor Swift would certainly urge him to calm down; he’s being too loud. We are far too easily influenced by a world that encourages us to forget our faith in God and to relax our commitment to His service.Rather than calming down and pretending to have so much in common with the world, we might want to ensure that we haven’t become an enemy of God in the process (Jam. 4:4). Reformation follows a common pattern that requires courage, loyalty, and a tireless zeal for God. May God light such a spark among us this morning! Read Nehemiah 13:10-14. Confrontation (10-11) This reform follows closely with the previous verses. He removed Tobiah’s furniture from the chamber, had the area cleansed, then restored the vessels and offerings. He must have learned of the neglect to collect the grain (5, 9, 12), wine, and oil while restoring the grain to the large chamber (9). Whatever the source of his information, Nehemiah wasted no time correcting the problem. He confronted the officials and directly questioned how they could have allowed the temple to be neglected (10:39). The Levites were forced to return to their fields in order to sustain their families because the officials failed to preserve the temple offerings. Nehemiah confronted the officials who were already in Jerusalem, then gathered the Levites and singers (12:28-29) and placed them in their stations. This was their lawful service, and the officials should have ensured they could perform their duties. But their neglect jeopardized the Levites livelihood. Rather than relying upon the officials to remedy the situation Nehemiah set people back into their positions himself. The Expectation for Confrontation Tim Ferris “Your success in life can usually be measured by the number of uncomfortable conversations you are willing to have.” My friend, Josh Long, has written a business book called Bottleneck Breakthrough. Each section deals with various challenges businesses face as they grow. In his chapter on confrontation, Josh writes: “Every great leader and entrepreneur I’ve ever studied accepts that confrontation is to be expected. And every person I’ve ever seen who fails to step up to their fullest potential hides from it. It’s that simple.” Great leaders are willing to confront others in order to remove the distractions and dysfunction from key relationships in the company. Confrontation is not merely a problem for businesses, it is necessary wherever a community exists—including the Church. Develop the Courage to Confront Confrontation is not easy, but you can develop the courage to have difficult conversations. This is especially needed for church leaders. The Apostles were not a

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