Please turn in your Bibles to Nehemiah. Starting at the end of chapter 12, we will be finishing the book of Nehemiah this evening. We'll be reading from verses 44 to the end of the book, the end of chapter 13. If you remember our last sermon on Nehemiah chapter 12, the first portion of Nehemiah chapter 12, we were talking about the dedication of the wall. The wall has been finished and we see there that celebration and we see the emphasis on the priests and the Levites and the continued need for atonement there. We turn now our attention to the conclusion of the book. So please Turn your attention now to the reading of God's Holy Word, Nehemiah 12, starting in verse 44. On that day, men were appointed over the storerooms, the contributions, the firstfruits, and the tithes, to gather into them the portions required by the law for the priests and for the Levites, according to the fields of the towns. For Judah rejoiced over the priests and the Levites who ministered, and they performed the service of their God and the service of purification, as did the singers and the gatekeepers, according to the command of David and his son Solomon. For long ago, in the days of David and Asaph, there were two directors of the singers, and there were songs of praise and thanksgiving to God. And all Israel, in the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah, gave the daily portions for the singers and the gatekeepers, and they set apart that which was for the Levites, and the Levites set apart that which was for the sons of Aaron. On that day they read from the book of Moses in the hearing of the people. And in it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God. For they did not meet the people of Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them. Yet our God turned the curse into a blessing. As soon as the people heard the law, they separated from Israel all those of foreign descent. Now before this, Eliashib, the priest who was appointed over the chambers of the house of our God, and who was related to Tobiah, prepared Tobiah for a large chamber where they had previously put the grain offering, the frankincense, the vessels, and the tithes of grain, wine, and oil, which were given by commandment to the Levites, singers and gatekeepers, and the contributions for the priests While this was taking place, I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes, king of Babylon, I went to the king. And after some time I asked leave of the king, and came to Jerusalem. And I then discovered the evil that Eliaship had done for Tobiah, preparing for him a chamber in the courts of the house of God. And I was very angry, and I threw all the household furniture of Tobiah out of the chamber. Then I gave orders, and they cleansed the chambers, and I brought back there the vessels of the house of God with the grain offering and the frankincense. I also found out that the portions of the Levites had not been given to them, so that the Levites and the singers who did the work had fled, each to his field. So I confronted the officials, and I said, Why is the house of God forsaken? And I gathered them together and set them in their stations. Then all Judah brought the tithe of the grain, wine, and oil into the storehouses, and I appointed as treasurers over the storehouses Shalamiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Padiah of the Levites, and as their assistant, Hanan the son of Zechur, son of Metaniah, for they were considered reliable, and their duty was to distribute to their brothers. 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 his service. In those days I saw in Judah people treading wine presses on the Sabbath, and bringing in heaps of grain, and loading them on donkeys, and also wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of loads, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And I warned them on the day when they sold food, Tyrians also who lived in the city brought in fish and all kinds of goods and sold them on the Sabbath to the people of Judah in Jerusalem itself. Then I confronted the nobles of Judah and said to them, what is this evil thing that you are doing profaning the Sabbath day? Did not your fathers act in this way and did not our God bring all this disaster on us and on this city? Now you are bringing more wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath. As soon as it began to grow dark at the gates of Jerusalem, before the Sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut, and gave orders that they should not be opened until after the Sabbath. And I stationed some of my servants at the gates, that no load might be brought in on the Sabbath day. Then the merchants and sellers of all kinds of wares lodged outside of Jerusalem once or twice, but I warned them and said to them, why do you lodge outside the wall? If you do so again, I will lay hands on you. From that time on, they did not come on the Sabbath. Then I commanded the Levites that they should purify themselves and come and guard the gates to keep the Sabbath day holy. Remember this also in my favor, oh my God, and spare me according to the greatness of your steadfast love. And those days also I saw the Jews who had married women of Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. And half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod. And they could not speak the language of Judah, but only the language of each people. And I confronted them and cursed them and beat some of them and pulled out their hair. And I made them take an oath in the name of God, saying, you shall not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons or for yourselves. Did not Solomon, king of Israel, sin on account of such women? Among the many nations there was no king like him, and he was beloved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel. Nevertheless, foreign women made even him to sin. Shall we then listen to you, and do all this great evil, and act treacherously against our God by marrying foreign women? And one of the sons of Jehoiada, the son of Eliashib, the high priest, was the son-in-law of Sambalot, the Haranite. Therefore I chased him from me. Remember them, O my God, because they have desecrated the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites. Thus I cleansed them from everything foreign, and I established the duties of the priests and the Levites, each in his work. And I provided for the wood offering at appointed times and for the first fruits. Remember me, O my God, for good." Amen. This ends the reading of God's Word. Let's go before our Heavenly Father and ask that He bless our time meditating upon His Word. Father in Heaven, we turn now to Your Word. We thank You for it. We thank You for the words that we have just read. We pray that You would work in our hearts Help us to be understanding of your words, to be discerning, and to rightly apply it to our lives. We need your help in this, Father, and so we entrust it to you. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. So, we turn here to the conclusion of Nehemiah. And it ends on a rather somber note, doesn't it? And yet there is hope demonstrated to us by Nehemiah and his leadership and his faithfulness. And as we look to that example, it directs us to a greater hope and a greater faithfulness, that of God the Father. God is our hope. It is his faithfulness that we can count on and we turn to him. And so our main point this evening, our main thought is that we will fail. You will fail. but pray that God would remember. You will fail, but pray that God will remember. We look first to this reminder that God's people fail. We will fail in our covenants, in our callings, in all that we are asked to do. contrary to the message of our society. You can't just dream it and do it. You can't do whatever you set your heart upon. You are not that powerful. You are not that capable. We are weak and needy, and we need those reminders. We are man. We are not God. God is God, and He does not fail. As we look to this text, we see some good things that Nehemiah does to try to reform and remind God's people, and even in dramatic ways, we see here that Nehemiah leaves for a period of time, he goes back to Susa, and problems arise, and there's a note of that. I can't help but wonder as we read this text that what happened to the other godly leaders? Where's Ezra in this time? And we just don't know. But things seem to fall apart when Nehemiah leaves. we see in this end portion of Nehemiah chapter 12 that there is a notice given that when they read from the Law of Moses there is no hesitation about its relevance We see there, throughout this section, Nehemiah is taking advantage, when he can, to apply God's word, and we see that from God's people as well. In Nehemiah chapter 12, he tries to instill in them, again, this practice of tithing, and taking care of the Levites, and they act there, even in that time of celebration. Then we move to Nehemiah 13, and we see the people also respond to the reading of God's Word. They seem to be reading from Deuteronomy 23. That's likely the text that has inspired this response at the beginning of Nehemiah 13. It says, On that day they read from the book of Moses and the hearing of the people, and in it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God. And so they act. As soon as the people heard the law, they separated from Israel all those of foreign descent. There's something commendable here in the response to God's word. quibbling about what still applies for them. They don't say, well, that's contextual, that's for a different time. And so often we see and maybe are tempted in our own day, well, only certain portions of God's word are still relevant for me. And may we have the same attitude where we are quick to seek to apply God's word. For us, we're in a different context, certainly, as we are on this side of the cross. The ceremonial and civic law no longer apply in the same way. And yet, there's a principle there in all of God's Word. It's all profitable. And we are to apply the general equity, we say, of God's law. And we ought to always be seeking, how can I apply what I'm reading, even back in Deuteronomy, to my life today? So there's a quick application for us there. And we have an attitude, like what we see here, where we are inclined to submit, to act, to do, in response to God's Word. And yet, perhaps, there's some misreading, some misapplication of God's Law. It's important, when we read God's Law, to let God's whole Law inform our response, to let Scripture interpret Scripture, to read the Law within its context. When God's people here in Nehemiah 12 and 13 read from Deuteronomy, they appear to have a dramatic interpretation. That text seems to be, if you look back at that text, it seems to be implying that the Moabites and the Ammonites shall not take part in the worship of God, in the service. And maybe it's even saying they can't become priests or Levites, they can't serve in that way. What they do, what they appear to do here is to separate them from the very city itself. And I think that's an over-application, a mis-application. Maybe not. There's one way to read this. They could have just been separating them for a time to try to discern who these people are and what influence they have and whether they are faithful and whether they have converted. to the faith of the one true God. Maybe that's what's happening, but it looks like they just have a quick, harsh response of banishing them from the city. That would be a wrong response, and we know that from Ruth and even from Deuteronomy 23, later in that very chapter, there is an expectation for bringing the nations in. for including the nations. Ruth herself was a Moabitess, and as the great grandmother of David, David himself would have Moabite blood. Scripture provides clear examples of exceptions to Deuteronomy 23 on the basis of faith. If someone comes recognizing God as the one true God, we see that they are to be brought in. And again, we are not to read these verses and think that there ought to be some racial superiority. What is in mind in Deuteronomy 23, and what ought to have been applied here, is that it is the Ammonite or Moabite in their native capacity as that embodiment of an enemy of God's people. And the Ammonites and the Moabites are often used that way. It's a term applied to even others not from those nations to signify that they are against God. We can think about Babylon or Exodus or Egypt. Sometimes these are embodiments of being enemies of God and they're applied more broadly than just to the nations they represent. Remember in light of Balaam, He tried to curse God's people, and he was unsuccessful. And what he ended up doing was infiltrating and bringing harm to God's people by encouraging them to marry pagan women. And we can think about that in the context of Nehemiah 13. That seems to be in mind here, the danger there of pagan women influencing God's people. And we've seen it throughout this portion of God's Word. So we see perhaps an error to be too exclusive. We also see the opposite error of Eliashiv. As we move through the chapter, we see that he was too inclusive. He gave a known enemy, a Tobiah, who we've seen before, he gave him a room in the very temple of God. This person who is very vocal in discouraging faithfulness to God. That is very clearly an overstep, an unlawful thing to do. Nehemiah returns and he corrects this and he seeks to make purification. He storms in violently and it's reminiscent, we can think of our Savior as he stormed into the temple and he overthrew tables. We see Nehemiah come in and correct and seek purification for the worship of God as he removes the things of Tobiah and brings in the vessels that were to be used in the worship of God. Throughout this chapter, Nehemiah stands out by his refusal to allow for a moment that holiness is negotiable, that custom alone can sanctify anything. He is clear that that we need to be faithful to the Word of God, and he sets up a good example for us and a type for Christ, showing the importance of purity in worship, purity of heart, as we think about our sermon this morning and the Sermon on the Mount. And this introduces the main focus of our sermon today, and we'll quickly look at these covenant failings depicted for us. All three of the main examples given in the covenant of Nehemiah 10 are broken here in Nehemiah 13, just a couple of chapters later. The tithe was neglected. The house of God was neglected. And yet they had made an oath, we will not neglect the house of God. They failed to keep the Sabbath and conducted business on the day that was to be set apart. And there was intermarriage. You'll notice, maybe if you can remember back to Ezra, I think it was Ezra chapter eight, when he responds to the intermarriage that was going on, you remember he draws away quietly and he mourns and he pulls out his own hair and the people are broken over their sin as they see Nehemiah or Ezra mourn. We see a contrast here of Nehemiah responds by confronting them and he pulls out their hair. And we see both men seeing sin as sin and responding strongly. There's a helpful application here. As we think about what is biblical wisdom, it won't always look the same. The same exact sin is responded to differently, and there's no indication from the text that either was a wrong response, and it seems to produce the right result. And it seems to remind people of the purity required by God. we need to apply biblical wisdom in situations, and there's not a one-size-fits-all response to sin. A particular note of concern here in Nehemiah is that half of the children cannot even speak the language of Judah. Nehemiah goes on to cite that even Solomon, who was blessed by God with wisdom, was undone by marrying pagan women. He has a concern for God's people and even for their children. How much more will those who are not even brought up as Jews be able to resist the idolatry of the nations surrounding them, the nations of their own heritage? He is concerned. Even the high priest's grandson married Sanbalat's daughter, who is also a known enemy. We see Tobiah and Sanbalat brought up again. showing this continued threat from the outside of those who oppose God. And a reminder, God's people will continue to face opposition. The wall has been built. The enemies are still at work, reminding us of that great enemy, our adversary, Satan, who is constantly seeking our demise. Nehemiah's concern for the corruption of the next generation is a good reminder for us. We ought to be concerned for the next generation, for our children. We ought to think, what are we demonstrating to our children? What things are we instructing them? How are we helping them to resist the enemy? If we were to ask them, would they consider us earthly-minded or heavenly-minded? What regard do we have for God's Word in our homes, in our daily tasks, in our lives? How do we demonstrate lives of prayer? Are these things evident to our children? Do they understand the significance of what it means to be a child of God, and do they value these things? What do our children think that we care about? Do we care more for earthly comforts, or are we demonstrating what it looks like to take up the cross, to love and obey God? We ought to have a similar concern to Nehemiah and be on guard with our children, instructing them in the way they should go. It's on this note, these three covenant failings, they made a covenant and it was good, and yet they failed. And it's on this note that the book of Nehemiah concludes, the last narrative book regarding God's people in Jerusalem. before the New Testament. If this book were merely a human record, merely a human history, it likely would have ended at Nehemiah 12, verse 43. Ending there would have given the impression that God's people were fully restored and set on track, that they remained faithful to that oath of Nehemiah 10. But God demonstrates and preserves a true history. He doesn't give a better impression than the reality of his people. And his message for us, for all time, is not focused on man's ability or efforts. There is more coming for God's people. Left to themselves, left to ourselves, we will continue to struggle. We will continue to fail, to sin, to be opposed. and to at times give in to opposition. Despite the people's previous obedience and good intentions, they continued to fail. Despite the godly leadership of Ezra and Nehemiah, they still needed someone greater. The process of sanctification is a lifelong process. There may be periods of victory over certain sin, but there is always more work to be done. to be done. You will fail. So we are reminded here in Nehemiah 13, as it ends on this note, that we are to go to the Lord. That our hope cannot be in ourselves. Our hope cannot be even in good intentions, in a corporate good intention. Our hope must always be in God and God alone. So we are to pray that God would remember. Make that your prayer, that God would remember you. that he would remember all things, that he would be aware and active and present in our lives. Nehemiah's regular response to his frustration in light of the people's unfaithfulness is that God would remember. We see in verse 14, Remember me, O God. Verse 22, Remember this in my favor, O God. Verse 29, Remember them in their desecration. Verse 30, Remember me Oh my God, for my good. The last words of the book. The emphasis of these prayers isn't on Nehemiah's good deeds. It might be tempting to read it that way, that Nehemiah's just consumed with himself. Look at me. Look how good I am. Rather, it reflects a tireless zeal for God, as Kidner says in his commentary, a tireless zeal for God. Nehemiah, as he sees these covenant breakings, he goes about intentionally and actively and with vigor trying to purify and reform and correct. Kidner goes on to comment on these prayers, saying, to hear God's well done, is the most innocent and most cleansing of ambitions. Further, the plea springs from humility, not self-importance, for it is an appeal for help. God's remembering always implies his intervention, not merely his recollection or recognition. But Kinders drawing out there from these prayers of Nehemiah, is that Nehemiah desires to hear God say to him, well done, good and faithful servant. Remember me, O God. Say to me, well done, good and faithful servant. That is a good ambition. That is an innocent and right ambition for us to have. That God would look upon us and say, well done. Make that your prayer when you say, remember me, O God. Look to my obedience. I'm seeking to be obedient. Hinder also brings out that the call to remembrance isn't really saying, just remember that that happened to God, but it's saying, will you act, God? Will you intervene? Nehemiah appeals to God for closure. As we think about the closure of this book, we see Nehemiah finding his closure, his rest, being in God and God alone. Nehemiah acts, but at the end of the day, He holds up his hands and says, God, remember, you work. That was Nehemiah's only hope, and that is our only hope. Don't overcomplicate the Christian life, wondering what is the place of obedience? What is the requirement of the law? What can I do? Do my failings limit me? Do they somehow mar my relationship with God? Look to Nehemiah and see how he demonstrates a good balance of understanding security in God. We are called to obedience and yet we will fail. That is the reality of the Christian life. Don't ever think differently that somehow you will arrive in this life. that you will no longer be in danger of failing. We are called to obedience, and yet we will fail, but we strive on, and we continue to seek to obey in the face of disobedience, in the face of sin, and in the face of obedience, in the face of righteousness, we call upon the Lord. God, remember me. Remember me, O God. We rest in Christ. We rest in His provision. The hope of Nehemiah was not the finished work that Cyrus had decreed a hundred years before. His hope wasn't that the wall had been finished. The hope of Nehemiah goes further. They are still waiting for that promised Messiah, that new David. They are still waiting for a living temple. They're waiting for the promises of God. And Nehemiah's hope demonstrated from beginning to end was that God would remain faithful, that God would act, that He would work, that He would remain faithful despite the people's faithlessness, and He would give His people what they did not deserve and mercifully spare them from judgment. May we have a zeal for obedience to God's law, for purification, for our own lives, just as Nehemiah did. And may we leave it before God, trusting in Him, having the same driving hope in the promises of God. May we at the end of each day say, remember me, O God, for my good. Our hope is not in ourselves. We will fail. Our hope is in the Lord. Let's pray to that end. Father in heaven, we do thank you for your Word. We thank you for this book and this portion of your Word, which reminds us of our own sin and failure, reminds us of our need before you. We thank you that you do keep your promises, and it is in that that we seek to place our hope. Father, forgive us for our sins and forgive us for our self-righteousness. May we never place our hope in ourselves and our abilities. We pray these things in Jesus' name, Amen.