Truth's Heroes: Nehemiah

Recently, I was reading a constitution for a local, volunteer fire department. In the document, several times the decorum of the membership is mentioned. One paragraph stood out to me above the others:

Any member who misbehaves themselves during the meeting of the Department or disturbs the harmony thereof, either by disorderly conduct, abusive or profane language, or shall refuse to obey the presiding officer, shall be admonished by the chair for the offense, and if they offend again they shall be excluded from the meeting for the evening, and after removal dealt with as the members shall decide.

I’ve been to some of these meetings, and they are anything but filled with decorum.

Although written in the founding documents, the laws mean nothing unless they are enforced. The question is: who is going to enforce them?

Face-to-face to these men, would you?

It takes an incredible amount of moral fortitude to enforce righteousness. Let’s not forget that reality when reading the inspiring story of one of the most courageous men of history: Nehemiah.

Nehemiah was a prominent figure in the Jewish community who lived about 450 years before the birth of Christ. By the time Nehemiah lived, Jerusalem had been devastated by the Babylonians nearly 140 years earlier (during the time of Daniel). The city's walls had been broken down, and Solomon's Temple had been destroyed. Although the Temple had since been rebuilt, Jerusalem's walls remained in ruins.

Serving as cupbearer to King Artaxerxes of Persia, when Nehemiah heard of Jerusalem's condition, he obtained the king's permission to return and rebuild the city's walls.

Not only were Jerusalem’s walls in ruins, leaving the people unprotected, but also the community (the “remnant”) lacked proper leadership and order. This situation made Nehemiah weep and cry out to the Lord for his mercy.

Because of Nehemiah’s position in the King’s court, Artaxerxes allows Nehemiah to return to oversee the work of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. Almost immediately upon his return, however, Nehemiah experiences opposition.

But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they jeered at us and despised us and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” (Neh 2:19).

It’s easy to read this account and, being removed from the danger and emotion of the situation, lose the weight of it all; but these men opposed the building of the walls the whole way. Their opposition hits a climax in chapter 4 when they plot to physically fight against the Jewish wall builders. Not only this, but these men also instill such fear in some of the Jews that some of his own countrymen plead with Nehemiah to stop the work. Nehemiah responds with wisdom and power:

So in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in open places, I stationed the people by their clans, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes” (Neh 4:13-14).

Nehemiah’s rallying cry is strong and powerful: “Do not be afraid… and fight for your [families] and your homes.” If a man is not willing to fight for these things, then he is truly a coward worthy of the greatest shame.

While we may not be confronted with spears and threats of war in our current moment in time (which is not to say we never will), we are often confronted with verbal threats or even potential lawsuits:

“You can’t talk about God in school,” they jeer.

“You are such a bigot,” those opposed to the truth taunt.

“Your kids are ours,” shout the blue-haired statesmen.

If you, man of God, will not sacrificially put your life on the line for family and homeland, then you are joining with the forces of darkness – like the Jews who called on their wall-building kinsmen to forget the work and go home.

We’re not even to the main point of this article yet. I want to get to chapter 13.

Eventually, the wall is rebuilt. Nehemiah makes some bold leadership moves in stopping the oppression of the poor (chapter 5), gives generously to the people (chapter 6), and reinstates Temple worship through confession and repentance (chapter 8-12). He even survives assassination attempts (chapter 6). Then, Nehemiah leaves Jerusalem to return to King Artaxerxes as he promised.

But he returns in chapter 13 and finds the people have gone back on their word. He finds the men whom he already defeated have wriggled their way back into power.

We read that while Nehemiah was away, Eliashib the priest “prepared for Tobiah a large chamber [of the Temple] where they had previously put the grain offering, the frankincense, the vessels, the tithes of grain, wine, and oil, which were given by commandment to the Levites, singers, and gatekeepers, and the contributions for the priests” (Neh 13:5). We also learn that Eliashib is related to Tobiah, resulting in a sort of quid-pro-pro relationship.

Notice what is happening here: what is meant for the Levites and the Temple worship has been given to Tobiah the Ammonite. As a result, a large room is not being used as it should, but instead is now in the hands of someone who is not even a Jew at all. When Nehemiah returns and sees what is happening, he explodes.

And I was very angry, and I threw all the household furniture of Tobiah out of the chamber (Neh 13:8).

Can you imagine this scene? What a man of conviction and courage! He, himself, a sinner, yet bold in the blood of his Savior, serving his Lord with passion by doing what is right even in the face of danger and jeering.

In the next verses we see Nehemiah confronting officials who were stealing from the Levites (13:10-14): “So I confronted [them]” (Neh 13:11).

Next, we see men who know better “treading winepresses on the Sabbath, and bringing in heaps of grin and loading them on donkeys….” (13:15). Nehemiah’s response is bold: “Then I confronted the nobles….” This is bold because Nehemiah meets head-on the leaders – “the nobles” – the people who had the power.

Not many people go in search of confrontation, at least not many good men. Most good men aim to live peaceful lives, men like Nehemiah. One way of looking at it is like this: Nehemiah didn’t start these confrontations; the men doing the evil did. They forced the issue. Nehemiah simply responded by turning on the light of truth. These were just and necessary altercations. Nehemiah knew that the only way to peace was through war.

It gets better.

To stop the desecration of the Sabbath holy day, Nehemiah orders that the gates of the city be closed. Still, some of “the merchants and sellers of all kinds of wares lodged outside Jerusalem once or twice. But I warned them and said to them, ‘Why do you lodge outside the wall? If you do so again, I will lay hands on you.’ From that time on they did not come on the Sabbath” (Neh 13:20-21).

Again, what a bold move by Nehemiah! He not only threatens them – because they were in the wrong – but he also promises action – “I will lay hands on you.” Nehemiah himself would lead the physical confrontation against those who disobeyed the Word of God, and his servants would help (see Neh 13:9, 19b).

Finally, Nehemiah notices that a number of Jews were marrying with non-Jews. This was strictly prohibited by God. It’s the same principle the New Covenant employs when commanding Christians to not marry non-Christians; the results are disastrous because lust has superseded God in an idolatrous relationship.

What does Nehemiah do? You guessed it, but it’s even better than you thought:

And I confronted them and cursed them and beat some of them and pulled out their hair. And I made them take an 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” (Neh 13:25).

This sort of cursing does not mean Nehemiah threw a careless word of frustration at their ears; it means he brought Heaven to bear against their conduct. He pronounced condemnation on them for the evil these men had done.

Then, Nehemiah takes special aim at “one of the sons of Jehoida” (13:28). We learn that Jehoida was a son of Eliashib the high priest, and that he married a daughter of Sanballat (remember him?)! Because of this desecration of the priesthood, no longer maintaining the standard of holiness in marriage, Nehemiah “chased him from me” (13:28).

Wow. What an absolute beast of boldness and courageous conviction.

What led to this type of courage in one man?  I think two things, mainly.

1) Nehemiah knew the truth. He knew his convictions, which came directly from the Word of God. As a result, Nehemiah fettered himself to Truth. He stood by truth’s claims unwaveringly. He made them his standard and refused to give ground.

Men, this is the first step to acting in courage: know where you stand. Know your convictions. Let them be forged through the Word of God, the One who authors all truth that is as unchanging and eternal as he is. Many of us need to tighten our convictions. We have been catechized by the world’s music, movies, lifestyles, and the truth has been muddied by skeptics’ questions. We need to gain a clear mind by reading and studying the Scriptures.

Before moving to the second point, consider this: It isn’t as though you will reach a point where you have all knowledge of Truth and then can advance to step two. Instead, as you are growing in truth, begin practicing step two, which is:

2) Take action against wickedness. This may look like moving your mouth to speak; raising your hand to interject; or “laying hands on them.” For too long, good men have been paralyzed by fear of the feminist mob. You might be called “toxic” if you engage your male aggression. This has led to inaction and, as a result, the rise of ungodly men in leadership in our communities.

Like the people in Nehemiahs’ day, the people today need such champions for Christ’s cause.

Lest I inspire an immature and childish boldness in some of you, let me counsel you with another important passage from Nehemiah: “I was very angry…. I took counsel with myself” (Neh 5:6). Nehemiah’s anger was righteous, not rash. Be wise in your action; it must be governed by truth.

Nehemiah sets a tall standard for us, it seems – but does he really?

Nehemiah was a man, like you and me. He is not our Savior. He is not our Creator. But he was a faithful servant and example of what it means to fear God and not man. He sought the Lord often, and so must we if we are to be men of conviction and courage.

Ask Yourself: what domains has God entrusted to you? Do you have a wife? Children? Start by establishing righteousness in your home. In love, start living with conviction before them. Turn off the TV and catechize your family in the Word of God.

Are you on a governing board at a school? Library? Volunteer fire department? Expand Truth’s witness into your community. Shine Truth’s light into the dark strongholds of the Enemy.

Are you a teacher? Student? An employer? Employee? How can you begin the sometimes awkward work of confronting lies and ungodliness in your sphere?

Remember this, as the blood starts to pulse in your chest for fear of man at the thought of standing up and speaking out: “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes” (Neh 4:14).

The final sentence of Nehemiah is a great prayer for this man’s life: “Remember me, O my God, for good” (Neh 13:31b). That’s a legacy worth praying for – a legacy forged through tough battles, unwavering commitments, and fierce courage.