NEHEMIAH - Chapters 11-13 - "Remember Me O' God for Good"
NEHEMIAH – Chapters 11-13
“Remember Me O’ God for Good”
Pastor Carolyn Sissom
April 12, 2016, the Year of Our Lord
The Wall is built, the race is finished. The finishing of the Altar, the Temple and the Wall points to the complete formation of Jesus’ divine nature within the Church, the Body of Christ, the Father’s permanent abode of living stones eternal in the heavens.
Hag. 2:9: “The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former says the Lord of hosts; and in this place will I give peace, says the Lord of hosts.”
Haggai was prophesying to Zerubbabel of the rebuilding of the temple. In his vision over 2500 years ago, Haggai was able to see the day and time when God would create a people for His name and pleasure---a glorious Church who would show forth the stability and permanency of the Lord’s unwavering Kingdom.
The primary characteristic of the latter house of greater glory will be an unshakeable peace and unbreakable relationships in an unbroken covenant in an undivided heart.
“…in this place will I give peace and prosperity…”
Nehemiah 11 and 12 are the principles of repopulating the City of Jerusalem and the dedication of the Wall.
The rulers (princes) of the people dwelt at Jerusalem. The rest of the people also cast lots to bring one of ten to dwell in Jerusalem. These are the Lord’s tithe. These, like Ruth and Esther are delivered from fear, and put their lives in jeopardy!
12:27-47: The story of the settlement of the people is completed. This is followed by the solemn dedication of the Wall, just as they dedicated the Altar and the Temple. The dedication was one of purifying. The Priests, People, and the Project were purified! The two groups marched around the Walls with trumpets, rejoicing, worshiping and giving thanks.
The price had been paid.
There can be no triumph without travail!
The dedication ceremony proceeded in three stages. The Lord seals his new creation three times. God is absolute in His ability to bring His will and purpose to full conclusion in our lives and in his church.
In the time of global shaking and the distress of nations, God’s people need not wring their hands, sweating and fretting. We must not fear and fret!
1 Cor. 15:58: “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
Neh. 12:40-43: “So stood the two companies of them who gave thanks in the House of God.” There were seven priests with trumpets. These nine singers sang loud! “Also that day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced with great joy; the wives also and the children rejoiced; so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard afar off. In EVERY NATION!”
The seven priests with trumpets reveal the truth of the seven spirits of God.
In chapter 13, the sure covenant of chapter 10 was violated in the absence of Nehemiah. The four areas violated were:
- 13: 4-9: They allowed Tobiah to have a place in the Temple. (a spirit that enters to weave a thread of bondage). Tobiah (the carnal mind) has moved into the Temple. He is the man of sin, the beast that sits between a natural man’s ears! His “household stuff” (Vs. 8) or the traditions of men. In the local church, the traditions of men has replaced the gifts given to the Temple. (the principle of Grace replaced by Law).
- 13:10-14: Worship and giving --- They were no longer giving or worshiping.
- 13: 15-22: Sabbath. People were working, buying, selling on the Sabbaths.
- 13: 23-31: Intermarriage. Children were polluting their families.
Remember when Ezra was sent to rebuild the altar, and the sin of mingling was so grievous to the Lord. Well they did again.
Strong’s 6149 : “Mingling” = “Arab” – Ezra 9:2b “They have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons; so that the holy seed has mingled themselves with the people of the lands; yea, the hand of the princes and rulers have been chief in this trespass.”
Strong’s 6163: “Arabie = “mixed”
Strong’s 6148: “mingled” = “Arab” Ps. 106:34-35: “They did not destroy the nations, concerning whom the Lord commanded them: But were mingled among the heathen, and learned their works.
Nehemiah returned and corrected each of these areas, and let them back into their former commitment. If we stray, God will bring us back.
Nehemiah was angry!
Neh. 13:25: “I contended with them, cursed them, smote certain of them, and plucked off their hair. I made them swear by God, saying, You shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor take their daughters to your sons, or for yourselves. Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? Yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel; nevertheless even he did outlandish women cause to sin. Shall we then hearken to you to do all this great evil, to transgress against our God in marrying strange wives?”
This is a no holds-barred preacher of repentance. In the past 15 years it has seemed the church has slipped so far back that only a strong and powerful move of the Holy Spirit will bring people into repentance.
In the mad pursuit of personal agendas, the church has often abandoned the true purpose of God in the earth. There is now a great over-turning. Locally and universally, He is adjusting our priorities, calling us to finish His work.
When God first delivered us from sin and placed us in His family, He turned our world upside down. The new birth was the beginning of our salvation. The subsequent Pentecostal experience soon became our birthright. When Jesus baptized us with the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in other tongues, He overthrew the traditions of men a second time.
The Body of Christ has experienced two over turnings. It is my persuasion this present overturning is the third.
As we have studied Ezra and Nehemiah in the rebuilding of the altar, temple and wall, there has been three over turnings as the people continued to backslide.
13: 1-3: “On that day of the dedication they read in the book of Moses in the audience of the people; and found written that the Ammonite and the Moabite should not come into the congregation of the Elohim forever; because they had not met the children of Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them, that he should curse (reproach or pray against) them. (Balaam was not able to curse them because the Lord had blessed them.) When they heard the law, they separated from Israel all the mixed multitude.”
13:4-9: Tobiah’s “stuff” has a hold on the house! The mystery of iniquity—of the natural man never lacked audacity. The beast nature doesn’t want a foothold; he wants a small warehouse!
The notorious “mark” in Revelation 12:17 means a stamp or impression. Man’s carnal thoughts are impressions of the mark of the beast. These become the image of the beast, things men worship, idolize and follow. The image then becomes the beast itself, the “strong holds” of 2 Cor. 10:4. “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; casting down imaginations, and every high things which exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”
The carnal mind enthrones itself in the temple, the Naos of God. The Lord will demolish every argument and pretension that exalts itself against His Word. He will overthrow and remove every offense. There are territorial spirits over cities and regions (Eph. 6:12); living and moving in the souls of men, they have a strong hold on their minds. Jesus defeated the devil and dismantled his kingdom.
This reveals the mystery of iniquity, the spirit of Antichrist that takes the place of the anointing! Tobiah had robbed the Levites, the singers, the porters and Priests!
Nehemiah arrived and understood this evil: “It grieved me sore. Therefore I cast forth all the household stuff of Tobiah out of the chamber. I cast forth all the house hold stuff of Tobiah out of the chamber. Then I commanded they cleanse the chambers. Then I brought again the vessels of the House of God…”(!3: 7-9)
13: 10-14: There was a grudging attitude toward the giving of tithes and offerings. This was a mark of the times. The devil knows the restored church will do damage to his royal revenue. Once we become the habitation of God through the Spirit, the adversary cannot exact tribute from our lives. Our time, talent, and tithe will belong to the Lord.
Mal 3: 7-12: “Even from the days of your fathers you have gone away from My ordinances, and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you said, Wherein shall we return? Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me. But you say, Wherein have we robbed You? In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a cruse; for you have robbed me, even this whole nation. (It is my faith that the curse of the tithe was broken at the cross. It must be appropriated by faith, the blood of Jesus and the Holy Spirit (Gal. 3:16).
However, we are still under the blessing of the tithe.
Bring the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in My house and prove Me now herewith, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven, and pour out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field; says the Lord of hosts. All nations shall call you blessed; for you shall be a delightsome land, says the Lord of hosts.”
Just as Haggai and Zechariah were prophets to Zerubbabel and Ezra, Malachi was the prophet to Nehemiah.
“I perceived the portions of the Levites had not been given them; for the Levites and the singers, who did the work of the Temple, fled every one to his field. Why is the House of God forsaken? Nehemiah restored the Levites and singers to their place. Judah brought the tithe of the corn, wine and oil. He then set in charge certain men who were counted faithful, and their office was to distribute unto their brethren.”
Verse 14 springs from love and humility. The private Nehemiah is the public Nehemiah; utterly frank and godly.
“Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and do not wipe out my good deeds that I have done for the House of my God, and for the offices thereof.”
13:15-22: “Before the exile there was a growing impatience with the Sabbath law. The trickle of impatience had become a flood. (The Blue Laws in the United States have been repealed which prohibited stores being open on Sunday.)
Nehemiah said there will be no treading of the winepress, or loading of donkeys on the Sabbath. Men of Tyre were dwelling throughout Jerusalem bringing fish and all manner of goods. So Nehemiah contended with the rulers. “what evil thing is that that you do, and profane the Sabbath day?” He shut the gates at evening and did not open until after the Sabbath. He had his servants sit at the gates. The merchants and sellers lodged outside the gates. “Why lodge you about the Wall? If you do so again, I will lay hands on you!” Problem solved. The Levites were commanded to cleanse themselves and keep the gates on the Sabbath. “Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the abundance of your loving kindness.”
This book opened with prayer, and closes with prayer. “Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood, and the covenant of the priesthood, and of the Levites. I cleansed them from all strangers. I appointed the wards and the priests every one to his business; and the for the wood offering at times appointed, and for the first fruits.”
“Remember me, O my God, for Good!”
We give our all. We give our best and depend upon the Lord for his promised rest.
The temple of the Lord is built stone upon stone. When finished, this house will be blameless, a place of purity and peace. Line upon line, God will redeem us completely; spirit. soul and body. Our salvation experience is progressively unfolding as well as being once and for all. We are growing in grace from strength to strength, faith to faith, glory to glory. Stone upon stone, generation upon generation. God is building the house of the ages, with every man in his own turn, rank or season.
“Remember me, O my God, for Good.”
Carolyn Sissom, Pastor
Eastgate Ministries Church
I entered into the labors of Kelly Varner, Principles of Present Truth on Nehemiah and Unshakeable Peace.