Nehemiah 13:29-31
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THE last problem in the spiritual life of Israel that Nehemiah had to deal with was what had occurred in the Priesthood and amongst the Levites in Jerusalem. This is important for us because it shows us how important the ministry in the church of God is, and how important that it should be pure and spiritual.

Following on from the problem of marriage with foreigners around Israel at the time, which resulted in Israel being seduced away from Jehovah to the world and to false gods, we read that the problem had crept into the priesthood as well, and into the high priest�s household. In verse 28 we are told that the grandson of the high priest, who would have been a priest himself, had married a daughter of Sanballat the Horonite, who was so implacably opposed to the reform and revival of religion in Israel. There is no doubt that Sanballat would use this alliance to further his own ends in undermining and perverting the religion of Israel.

We are left to fill in the details of this scenario, but it was an indication of the problem that spiritual decline had crept into the worship of Israel, and heathen practices had been taken on, which corrupted the worship of Jehovah, and effected the spiritual life of Israel, leading others into evil, because the people would look up to the priests, specially the family of the high priest, and follow their example.

Nehemiah took this matter very seriously, and drove out this man from the community of Israel. In this action we can see how serious this problem is which has relevance for the ministry today. It is true that ministers and leaders of the church have not got the status in society which they had in days gone by, but they are the leaders and teachers in the church. They are influencing congregations of Christians all the time by their leadership and preaching, and the congregation looks to the minister for spiritual teaching, guidance and counsel. What the minister teaches and the example the minister gives is still very powerful amongst the congregation, and so the example and the teaching from the leaders of the church has very wide influence. It is important that ministers of the Gospel be devoted to God, preach the Word of God truly, and give an example of true godliness.

What can we learn from these four verses for the good of the ministry of the church today.

In verse 30 we hear Nehemiah praying to God concerning this problem of the defilement in the priesthood. He asks God to remember these men who had brought the defilement. Plainly he is praying that God will take notice and cause this defilement be removed from the ministry in the worship of God.

This is a very important aspect of prayer concerning the church. We need to pray to God that he may keep from the ministry of the church those who would corrupt the purity of the worship of God, or who teach that which is contrary to the truth of the Bible. Such praying includes prayer that those who minister in the church in a way contrary to the Word of God may be removed, if they will not return to the truth, and also that such departure from truth and godliness may be recognised, and the problem dealt with in the church.

This is the negative side, but prayer in the negative way also must include positive praying that ministers may be kept from all evil, and be kept faithful in life and teaching to the pure Word of God, and in ministering to their congregations the love of Christ. Those called to the ministry are ordinary men and woman with the same human weaknesses as any other human being, and they need special prayer because they are in the forefront of the battle, and so come under strong and constant attack of the devil.

Nehemiah took action as well as engaging in prayer. He worked to bring purity and truth back to the priesthood and the priestly ministry in Israel. So he rooted out all foreign influence as far as he could. We need to have the same concern and seek the same action, but things are far less straight forward today, and I believe far hard to tackle.

The crucial thing is the return of the authority of the Bible, and belief in the Bible as the inspired inerrent Word of God. It is common today for Christians to find it almost natural to question the Bible if we feel something we read is not to our liking. This attitude has grown prevalent over many years, certainly over the last century. This culture is prevalent amongst ministers within the church. The idea had crept in that the Bible contains the Word of God, but is not the Word of God.

How do we overcome this problem. If we enquire in the book of Nehemiah our guidance is straightforward. In chapter 8 we see that the Law of the Lord was read to the people, and read as the authoritative word of God, and the people were called to believe it, obey it, and repent of any departure from its truth. There is nothing so powerful as returning to much reading of the Word of God to people, and treating the Bible as the Word of God. There is a place for denouncing error, but this is less useful and less powerful than letting the Bible speak for itself, and seeking in prayer that the Holy Spirit will impress the truth and authority of the Bible on those who hear it read. Together with this, is reading that is well done. Those who read the Bible in public worship need to be those who feel the power of what they read, and read the word of God with meaning and understanding.

This is not all. The purity of the church depends on a return to true exposition of the word of God in preaching and teaching. We need ministers that believe the Bible to be the Word of God. We need ministers who spend time listening to God in the Word of God. We need ministers that seek God for a true understanding of his Word. We need ministers who are reformed and enlivened spiritually by the Word of God. We need ministers who always come before their people, not simply with God�s truth, but have wrestled with God and the Bible until they have heard God speaking to them, and telling them His message for each particular time they preach.

If we want such ministers and such preaching and teaching, we need to give ministers opportunity to spend time with God in meditation in the Bible, and in preparation for the public ministry. Much of the ministers life these days is taken up with administration and other duties which reduce the time for waiting upon God in prayer and study.

This carries us forward in our study of the verses before us to Nehemiah�s action to assign duties to the priests and the Levites. He assigned the duties to each for his own task. There is an important lesson here. Traditionally it has grown up in our thinking that the minister does everything, and he or she must be good at all points in the ministry. This has been exacerbated by the fact that most churches can only afford to pay one minister, and so he or she is supposed to be able to do everything. This is not a Biblical pattern.

Early in the life of the New Testament church, the church realised that the apostles could not do everything, and that the administration, and the practical tasks needed to be taken on by others, in order to leave the apostles free for their main task of preaching and teaching. So deacons were appointed.

In the teaching of Paul concerning the church as the body of Christ, he makes plain that the whole church is involved in ministry. It is right that a leader minister should be appointed and paid, but he or she must not be expected to do everything. Paul�s teaching concerning the church being the body of Christ precludes any idea that anyone can do everything, or is fitted to do everything. He speaks of the church as a body, and the different parts of the body providing different functions for the health and well-being of the body. Paul tells us that the hand, for example, has a particular function, and is not expected to do what the foot is given to do, and this principle is extended to every part of the body.

The minister needs to be diligent in pursuing his calling, specially in the ministry of preaching and teaching, and this is necessary for the health and purity of God�s church, but if he or she is to be able to do this well, and truly, then the other members of the church (the other members of the body) need to discover their gifts, and where they fit in to the overall ministry of the church, and give themselves to their assign role. The minister needs to be leading in this, and not feeling threatened by much of the work of the church being taken on by others in the congregation. The minister must not meddle in the work of others, but let them get on with their duties without interference. All this needs to be prayed for together, that faithfulness and ability may be given, so the duties may be carried out to the glory of God.

It is a problem very often that ministers are not prepared to delegate authority, and give people authority in the church in different ways, but ministers must not be power hungry, and keep all in their own hands. Another problem, equally evident, is the fact that so many Christians, for one reason or another, fail to take up their part as a member of Christ�s body, and to give themselves to the service of Christ in his church. Sometimes people have a sense of inferiority which makes them feel that they have little if nothing to offer and no gifts that are any good, and so hang back. Such people need encouragement. It is never true that any believer has no gifts or no part to play. We have all been given a measure of the Spirit for the service of God, and nobody should be made to feel they are useless. In this regard it is important that those who like to be busy in the church should not take on too much, and feel they are indispensable, or that others are not able to do things as well as they can.

This is another thing that Nehemiah in his action for the good of the priesthood can teach us in the church today. In the Old Testament church of Israel, the Levites were a tribe set apart by God. They were given no portion of land as theirs, but they were appointed by God to give themselves to the providing the worship and service of God on behalf of the people. It was the duty of every other tribe in Israel to make provision for the priesthood and the Levites, not only for the provision for their personal lives, but also for the provision for the priestly duties they had to perform. Tithes were appointed for this. The people were called upon to give a tenth of all they had. These tenths actually worked out in the end as the people giving up to three tenths of their wealth to God for the service of God. This was mainly for the maintenance of the worship and ministry for God in Israel.

Nehemiah saw that this was neglected in Israel, and he brought this provision for the priests and Levites back into operation (v.31). The Levites and the priests had become discouraged in their ministry because of the lack of provision, and this caused the ministry to decline.

This principle still stands for the church today. In the New Testament we are not given rules of giving to God, because we are expected to be motivated by love to give at least what the people of God in the Old Testament gave, and because of love to give more. Sadly this is not often happening. Ministers in the church, whatever their denomination, are paid a salary much less than what is the average for salaries being received amongst the members of the congregation. All the time initiatives in ministry are held back because of lack of funds. Churches and missionary societies and other Christian work seem always short of money, and this should not be so. In our churches we cannot expect the minister to be able to give himself or herself fully to the ministry, if they are worrying about where the money is to come from, either for the work, or for their own living. Often it is the minister who pays out of meagre resources for essentials in the ministry of Christ.

The work of God will always suffer if God�s people do not take the ministry of giving seriously, and from their hearts give generously to God in his church.

There is no doubt that it is important that the ministry of the church should be kept pure and faithful. If the culture of the world, and the cares of the world, creep into the ministry of the church, then not only the ministry will suffer, but the church of God will suffer, and spiritual decline will be the result. If the people of God are absorbing the culture of the world then they will be unhealthy spiritually and their love for Christ will be poor, so their concern for the ministry will be poor and their support for the ministry will suffer.