Read Nehemiah 13:10-14. What is Nehemiah seeking to remedy here?

The singers, gatekeepers, and other temple servants had to go back to working in their own fields in order to feed their families, because the work for God was not being supported. The whole tithes-and-offerings system that was so painstakingly established now lay in ruins. Nehemiah had to start over. The act of throwing everything out of the room shows desperation.

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“Not only had the temple been profaned, but the offerings had been misapplied. This had tended to discourage the liberalities of the people. They had lost their zeal and fervor, and were reluctant to pay their tithes. The treasuries of the Lord’s house were poorly supplied; many of the singers and others employed in the temple service, not receiving sufficient support, had left the work of God to labor elsewhere” – Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings, p. 670.

It is fascinating to see that all of Judah came together again and rebuilt what had been destroyed. The people were on Nehemiah’s side against Tobiah and Eliashib, because they must have realized that Nehemiah did everything he could for the benefit of the people. Additionally, Nehemiah entrusted the temple grounds overseers’ positions to men whom he considered faithful and trustworthy. They were given the task of collecting tithes and offerings, making sure the goods were stored properly, and distributing the resources to the appropriate parties. In other words, Nehemiah came in and uprooted the corrupt system of leadership seemingly in one fell swoop.

Although Nehemiah appointed faithful men over the organization of the temple, the corrupt High Priest, Eliashib, did not lose his position, because it was handed down through Aaron’s descent. His work in the temple might have been crippled by Nehemiah’s measures of appointing others over some of the High Priest’s responsibilities, but he was still the High Priest.

<–Sunday Tuesday–>

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Nehemiah chapter 13 begins with a concern about Ammonite and Moabite foreigners/idolaters in their midst (Neh. 13:1-3). These verses do not speak about driving away individuals from a different nation or race who followed God, but rather they refer to sending away those who were of a different faith — not converts, but idolaters. (See also Deut. 23:3-6).

Read Nehemiah 13:1-9. Who were Eliashib and Tobiah? Why is what they did unacceptable? Look at Neh. 2:10, Neh. 2:19; Neh. 3:1; Neh. 12:10, Neh. 12:22; Neh. 13:28.

Removing idols

Both Eliashib and Tobiah are known figures in the book of Nehemiah. Eliashib was the high priest of the nation, and he was also in charge of the temple. Tobiah is mentioned as the Ammonite enemy of Nehemiah who vehemently opposed his work in Jerusalem. The alliance of Eliashib and Tobiah suggests a relationship established through marriage.

Even though records of the marriage connection have not been preserved, we know that Tobiah had a Jewish name (meaning the “Lord is good”), and thus most likely came from a Jewish background. His wife’s family, the descendants of Arah, though unidentified, are believed to have been related to Eliashib’s family. Additionally, Sanballat the Horonite, Nehemiah’s other opponent, had a daughter who was married to Eliashib’s grandson. Therefore, the circle of intrigue around Nehemiah must have been intense as the highest-ranked officials in the land were related and in an alliance against Nehemiah’s leadership.

During the governor’s absence, the high priest gave Tobiah one of the rooms in the temple that was designated to hold the tithe, gifts, and offerings. Tobiah was granted permanent residence in the temple, a way of establishing him as one of the leaders of the nation. The enemies of Nehemiah finally achieved what they wanted all along: to displace Nehemiah and be in charge themselves. Fortunately, Nehemiah wasn’t going to sit by and do nothing.

<–Sabbath Monday–>

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Does it seem that everything goes wrong at the same time? I was telling a friend of mine the other day that it seems I only get speeding tickets when I am absolutely broke.  For example, about twenty years ago, I was driving in the middle of the night across country to see my sister and see about a job. I had just quit a job that was not working out and had no idea what the future held. I had no job, no money, no future, as far as I could see, and then, to make matters worse, I looked in my rear view mirror and saw flashing red lights. Just what I needed— a speeding ticket while I was broke without a job! I honestly had no idea I was speeding enough to warrant a ticket, but the officer was not the least bit sympathetic.

Photograph by William Earnhardt

Needles to say I was very frustrated. I was already feeling down before I got the ticket. Now I was in despair and gloom as I asked God how He was going to take care of this ticket for me, since He knew I had no money when He allowed this to happen. (Never mind the fact that it was my foot and not His on the gas pedal!)

As I was complaining to God about the situation He had just placed me in and asking Him in despair how in the world He was going to provide the money for the ticket, I suddenly realized the obvious: God does not have to provide for this ticket. God does not have to do anything for me! God does not owe me anything! Then it hit me what I was doing. After He created me and died for me, I was withholding my praise from Jesus until He took care of this ticket for me. I finally realized I was blaming God for allowing something that was all my fault. This all happened years before Facebook, but as I write today, I can relate an old Facebook meme that says, “Everything happens for a reason. Sometimes the reason is that we make bad choices.” As I contemplated all of this while driving in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night, I also realized that if God never provided the money for this ticket and stopped giving me any more blessings from that day forward, He still had already given me way more than I deserve! As a matter of fact, Calvary alone warrants all of my thankfulness, praise and devotion, without God ever giving me anything else.

There in the middle of the night, in the middle of nowhere, I changed my attitude from gloom and despair to joy and praise. I decided not to ask God to help me pay for the ticket, but instead just thank Him and praise Him for everything else He has already done for me. I then remembered reading a passage about how Satan cannot stand to be in our presence when we praise God, “

When the evil one begins to settle his gloom about you, sing praise to God. … strike up a song about the matchless charms of the Son of God, and I tell you, when you touch this strain, Satan will leave you. You can drive out the enemy with his gloom; . . . and you can see, oh, so much clearer, the love and compassion of your heavenly Father. (Ellen White, Heavenly Places, p 95.)

Considering the above passage, I thought to myself, “Hey, if Satan is going to try to ruin my day by giving me this ticket (I went from blaming God to blaming Satan, but it wasn’t Satan’s foot on the gas pedal either!), then I am going to ruin his day by singing praises to my God. I started singing praises at the top of my lungs. I was traveling in the middle of the night hundreds of miles away from my friends or family, but I felt the presence of angels as they sang with me. I wasn’t worried about the ticket any more. I was worried about making sure God knew I appreciated His sacrifice at Calvary. (By the way, God did take care of the ticket for me. My sister also happens to be an angel.) I also found a job and a future that outshone my past, but even more impressive were the two lessons I learned that night:

One: God owes me nothing and I owe Him everything. After Calvary if He never gave me another gift, I still have cause to praise him for the rest of my life!

Two: Singing praises to God will change your day and life from gloom and doom to joy and gladness. 

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Image © Pacific Press

Read for This Week’s Study: Neh. 13:1-9; Deut. 23:3-6; Neh. 13:10-14; Num. 18:21-24; Neh. 13:15-22; John 5:5-16.

Memory Text: “And I commanded the Levites that they should cleanse themselves, and that they should go and guard the gates, to sanctify the Sabbath day. Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of Your mercy!” (Nehemiah 13:22, NKJV).

In the interim between chapters 12 and 13, Nehemiah returns to Babylon. Though we don’t know how long he was gone, when he returned (probably around 430–425 B.C). the people were backsliding. Though they had covenanted with God on these matters: first, not to intermarry with idolaters; second, to observe the Sabbath carefully; and, third, to take care of the temple and its personnel by tithe and offerings (Nehemiah 10) — they had violated all three of these promises.

By the time Nehemiah returned, he found them very lax in their devotion to God. The people had stopped returning tithes and offerings, began using temple rooms for other purposes, ceased keeping the Sabbath properly, and even returned to intermarriage with the nations around them. Worst of all, it was the leadership whom he had left behind that contributed to the decline in the Israelites’ relationship with God. It is not surprising that Nehemiah was devastated when he discovered how much had changed. However, instead of accepting it, once again as his character demanded, he acted for God’s glory.

Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, December 14.

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3 Warnings in Abkhazia

By Andrew McChesney, Adventist Mission

Valentina Dmitrienko, intent on finding corn to bake lepyoshka flatbread for her family, hurried to the outdoor market in Abkhazia, a breakaway region in the former Soviet republic of Georgia.

Image © Pacific Press

She didn’t have much money, and a months-long armed struggle in her hometown, Sukhumi, had caused a severe food shortage.

Valentina found a woman selling dried corn kernels from a cloth bag, but she didn’t have enough money. Valentina stood silently and thought, “How can I feed my family?”

Suddenly, she felt someone tap her left shoulder and address her with a friendly but firm voice, “Valya, get out now!”

Startled, she spun around. No one was there.

Valentina stood puzzled for a moment, but her thoughts quickly returned to her husband, Pavel, who worked as a Seventh-day Adventist pastor, and their 16-year-old daughter, Natasha. She looked at the woman with the precious corn.

Again, she felt a tap on her shoulder.

“Valya, get out now!”

Realizing something was wrong, Valentina rushed toward the exit but stopped to greet two neighbors, Yury and Taisia. Then she saw a woman selling straw brooms and asked, “How much?”

She felt a tap on her shoulder for the third time. “Valya, get out now!”

Valentina fled. Two minutes later, she heard the terrifying whistle of an artillery shell flying over her head. Two more shells followed in quick succession.

Valentina stopped dead in her tracks as a loud boom reverberated across the city center. Valentina saw a huge cloud of smoke and dust rising from the market.

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she ran home, praying, “God, thank you for saving me! But who am I? Why did You protect me?”

Later, Valentina returned to the market and saw craters left by the blasts. Two craters marked the exact spots where she had stood and looked longingly at the corn and brooms.

Recalling that day in 1993, Valentina often thinks about Isaiah 43:2, where the Lord says, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you”.

“The artillery shell is like the fire that scorches people, but God promises, ‘I will be with you’”, said Valentina, left. “We gave God the right to protect us by walking with Him and living with Him. Our whole life has been a life of service. Why did Christ come into this world? To serve, as Ellen White says. This has been the goal of our life – to serve”.

Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission.
Find more mission stories at adventistmission[dot]org

All Rights Reserved. No part of the Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide may be edited, altered, modified, adapted, translated, reproduced, or published by any person or entity without prior written authorization from the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

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