“Repairing the breaches”

(Part 2)

 “ On that day the Book of Moses was read aloud in the hearing of the people and there it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever be admitted into the assembly of God, because they had not met the Israelites with food and water but had hired Balaam to call a curse down on them. (Our God, however, turned the curse into a blessing.” When the people heard this law, they excluded from Israel all who were of foreign descent.”

                                                                                                Nehemiah 13:1-3

With the completion of the wall around Jerusalem, the Israelites began to make many reforms to the way they lived and worshiped. One such reform was the exclusion of any Ammonite or Moabite from entering the Temple. Because they had opposed the Israelites as they were coming out of Egypt, God told Moses that they were to be excluded from the blessings of God’s people.

However, once Nehemiah had returned to Babylon, one of the priests ignored this command and defiled the House of God:

“Before this, Eliashib the priest had been put in charge of the storerooms of the house of our God. He was closely associated with Tobiah, and he had provided him with a large room formerly used to store the grain offerings and incense and temple articles, and also the tithes of grain, new wine and oil prescribed for the Levites, singers and gatekeepers, as well as the contributions for the priests.”

                                                                                    Nehemiah 13:4-5

Tobiah was an Ammonite! Commentators tell us that he married into Eliashib’s family; contrary to the Word of God. This is the same Tobiah, who joined Sanballat, in opposing the Israelites as they were rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem. To make matters worse, Eliashib took a large room in the Temple, that was supposed to be used to house the things of God, and converted it into living quarters for Tobiah!

Eliashib made room in the House of God for the profane. This is preciously how our spiritual integrity is undermined; when we allow room inside (that which is designed to be holy) for things that are profane and contrary to God’s Word and God’s Will.

Some may not see the significance or problem with Eliashib supplying Tobiah with one room in the Temple. Let’s face it, it was only one room! However, this one seeming isolated offense led Israel into a whole host of spiritual depravity!

 

Pastor Scott Burr                                                                    

http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com/