This final chapter of the book of Nehemiah also marks the final reformed efforts under Nehemiah, the leader of the community. As God’s holy people, the Jews are to set themselves apart from the foreigners who follow other gods. To preserve and protect their relationship with God, they are not to have or be involved with them in anything at all. We can recall and take heed from the warning of King Solomon; his seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines led him and his nation away from God and the people committed idolatry of all kinds. As a result, God punished the nation and it was divided into two kingdoms.

History repeats itself here and the remnant in Judah committed the rampant sin of intermarriage again. Chapter 13 of Nehemiah describes several undesirable outcomes when the Jews failed to obey God and intermingled with the pagans in the land. Verse 1 introduces one historical reason why no foreigners should live within the community. But when Nehemiah arrived at Jerusalem, he discovered that this commandment was violated. First, Eliashib the high priest removed the holy things from a temple’s chamber and also allowed Tobiah the Ammonite to move in with his household furniture. Second, Eliashib’s grandson, Jehoiada inter-married the daughter of Sanballat the Horite.

Nehemiah, however, dealt with these detestable problems one by one; he purged the temple and the community from all these sins. First, he removed Tobiah and his belongings from the temple. Second, he chased Sanballat away. Third, he returned the priests and Levites to their rightful stations in the temple and assigned them their rightful portions of food. Fourth, the people were working and doing business dealings during the Sabbath. So Nehemiah resolutely locked the city gates to forbid any business dealing to take place on the Sabbath.

As Nehemiah narrates this chapter about how he cleanses the temple and the community from all sins, the readers’ attentions are also drawn to the prayerfulness of Nehemiah which characterizes all his reformed acts. The phrase, “remember me” that is repeated four times (v14, 22, 29 and 30) expresses his boldness, confidence and faith in God about his intimacy with God in prayers.

Before we come to know the Lord, some of us might have believed in other religions before or committed sins that were not pleasing to God. Now that we have accepted Christ into our life and committed ourselves to follow Jesus only, we need to deal with our previous way of life which was displeasing to God.

2 Cor 5:17 says “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” Paul tells us that we are now God’s new creation and our old way of life is gone.

Gal 2:20 says “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Paul exhorts us further that our old self has been crucified with Christ and is considered dead.

We are to constantly and intentionally renew our mind to be pleasing to God. Paul says in Rom 12:1-2, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

PRAYER : Dear God, thank you for loving me and sending Jesus to die on the cross in my place. All my sins have been forgiven and washed away by His blood. Help me to live out my new identity as a child of God to be holy and blameless before You. I constantly depend on the grace and forgiveness of Jesus Christ, especially in times when I fall and sin again. In those times, I repent and pick up myself to walk in the light of God. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.