Nehemiah · chapter 13 of 13
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Nehemiah 13 tells how, after returning from an absence with the king, Nehemiah finds that the priest Eliashib has given Tobiah a chamber of the temple, that the Levites have stopped receiving their portion, that trading goes on during the Sabbath and that there are marriages with women of Ashdod, Ammon and Moab. He corrects each situation firmly and ends with a prayer: remember me, O my God, for good.
The last chapter of Nehemiah shows that the reform was neither automatic nor final. After the dedication of the wall, Nehemiah goes back to Persia and, on his return, finds that the people have neglected the covenant of chapter 10. The book ends realistically: faith needs constant vigilance, and faithful leaders keep correcting with prayer.
On that day the book of Moses is read to the people and they find it written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God. When they hear the law, they separate from Israel all those of mixed descent.
Before this, the priest Eliashib, in charge of the chambers of the house of God and related to Tobiah, had given Tobiah a large chamber where the grain offering, the frankincense, the vessels and the Levites' tithes had been stored. Nehemiah was away, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes he had gone back to the king. On returning he is very angry, throws all of Tobiah's furniture out, orders the chamber purified and brings back the vessels and offerings. He also finds that the Levites' portions had not been given and that they and the singers had fled to their fields. He rebukes the officials, restores the Levites to their posts, the people bring the tithe again, and he appoints faithful treasurers.
He also sees men in Judah treading winepresses, loading donkeys and selling goods on the Sabbath, and Tyrians selling fish in Jerusalem. He rebukes the nobles for profaning the Sabbath, orders the gates shut from the eve until after the Sabbath and posts guards, and the merchants stop coming.
Finally he finds Jews married to women of Ashdod, Ammon and Moab, whose children no longer spoke the language of Judah. He rebukes them, makes them swear, recalls Solomon's sin and drives away a grandson of the high priest Eliashib, a son-in-law of Sanballat. He purifies the people, sets the duties of the service again and ends by praying: remember me, O my God, for good.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
Nehemiah is very angry and throws all of Tobiah's household furniture out of the chamber. The house of God cannot be used as a private place for someone who had opposed the work.
Nehemiah asks why the house of God has been neglected and gathers the Levites to restore them to their posts. Neglect of worship often begins with not supporting those who serve.
Nehemiah tells the Levites to purify themselves and guard the gates to keep the Sabbath day holy, and asks God to remember him and have compassion. His zeal goes with dependence on God's mercy.
The book ends with Nehemiah's prayer: remember me, O my God, for good. It is the humble request of one who served faithfully but knows he depends on God's grace.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: That the priest Eliashib had given it to Tobiah. — Nehemiah 13:4-7
Answer: He threw it out of the chamber and ordered the room purified. — Nehemiah 13:8-9
Answer: Because their portions had not been given. — Nehemiah 13:10
Answer: People were treading winepresses, loading donkeys and selling goods on the Sabbath. — Nehemiah 13:15-16
Answer: He ordered them shut as evening fell before the Sabbath and not opened until after it, and posted guards. — Nehemiah 13:19
Answer: With Nehemiah's prayer: remember me, O my God, for good. — Nehemiah 13:31
Nehemiah 13 shows that faithfulness demands constant renewal. The covenant of chapter 10 was neglected as soon as Nehemiah left, and the reform had to be repeated. In a small group you can ask which commitments to God have loosened and what concrete steps you can take to take them up again, without excessive guilt but with resolve.
It also teaches us to support those who serve in the church, like the Levites who left their service because they did not receive their portion. And here is an example of leadership that corrects and prays. Nehemiah acts firmly, but ends by asking God to remember him for good. Leaders today can learn to combine courage with humility, knowing they depend on the grace of the Lord.
Nehemiah 13 closes the book with a people who need to keep returning to the Lord and a leader who rests on his mercy. The story is left open: the restoration of Jerusalem is real, but the people keep waiting for a deeper renewal, which the New Testament sees fulfilled in Christ.
Because he saw that the people and some leaders had broken the covenant they had sworn: they gave room in the temple to an enemy, neglected the Levites, traded on the Sabbath and married women who did not follow the Lord. His reaction reflects zeal for God's house, though the book also shows Nehemiah praying that God would remember him for his work.
The text says it happened after Nehemiah went back to the king in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes and returned to Jerusalem after some days. That is, years after the dedication of the wall. So the chapter tells a second stage of the reform, in response to the people's neglect during his absence.