Nehemiah Lesson-13: Unfinished Business (Part I)

This Week’s Lesson

We are in Lesson-13 in the series “Rebuilding the Covenant Community” from the book of Nehemiah.
 
This is Volume II of our series: “After the Exile” a study of Ezra-Nehemiah-Esther.
 
The lesson is titled “Unfinished Business – Part I”, and our focus passage is Nehemiah 13:1-14.
 
Please find your way in your Bible to that passage.

Review of Our Previous Lesson

In our previous episode, we began our teaching on this last section of the book of Nehemiah namely chapters 11-13.
 
In our first division we looked at “The Organization of the People” (Neh. 11:1-12:26).
 
We saw that our life under God requires both individual commitment and community. We are not to be lone rangers in the Christian life.
 
We need to take our position and stand side by side with each other as we do work for God’s glory and the good of others both believers and unbelievers.
 
Then in our second division, The Dedication of the Wall (Neh. 12:27-47), our focus was on a special ceremony led by Nehemiah and Ezra to dedicate the rebuilt Jerusalem walls (Neh. 6:15-16).
 
It was a beautiful ceremony filled with worship and a recommitment to follow the Torah.
 
We should always remember that living according to God’s ways 
requires wholehearted commitment and intentionality.

Introduction to Today’s Lesson

In today’s lesson we begin the study of the last chapter in the book of Nehemiah, chapter 13.
 
As a way of reminder let’s see what happened at the end of Nehemiah 10.

The Jewish Exiles made a series of commitments to the LORD as they renewed the covenant with Him:
 
* 10:29-30 Prohibition of Mixed Marriages. They would not give their sons or daughters to marriage with the peoples of the land.
* 10:31 Honor the Sabbath. They would not buy from foreigners, wares or grain on the Sabbath day or any other holiday. They would also forgo the crops every 7th year, providing a Sabbath rest for the land and would also forgive every debt.
* 10:32-39 Support of Temple Operations. They committed to provide the offerings and contributions required. They would also bring the first of their dough, their contributions, the fruit of every tree, the new wine, and the oil to the priests at the chambers of the Temple and the tithe of the ground to the Levites. In other words, they committed themselves to not neglect the Temple of the LORD.
 
Now they had signed a document, a covenant. But was that enough? People make all kinds of commitments all the time and they don’t honor them. Will the Jewish Exiles follow through?

Let’s get started.

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