So I’m reading along, finishing up Nehemiah, and the narrative suddenly gets aggressive.
- Nehemiah throws all of Tobiah’s stuff out of a room in the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem. Apparently, Eliashib the priest rented space out like a storage unit. No more of that (Nehemiah 13:7,8).
- When he finds out that Levites and singers have all gone home because they weren’t being paid, he has “sharp words” for those in charge (13:11).
- After Nehemiah shut down buying and selling on the Sabbath, he finds merchants camping outside the gates, waiting for the markets to open. He threatens to “lay hands on them” (13:21).
- Once he finds out that men of Judah had married foreign women and hadn’t taught the children the language of Judah, he “rebuked them and called down curses on them…beat some of the men and pulled out their hair” (13:25).
I think every pastor dreams of Nehemiah moments:
- Moments when he wants to just throw out a bunch of junk that has accumulated in the church. Old donated pianos no one plays and no one wants. Old books no one wanted to read that will take up shelf space in the rarely used church library. Food pantry donations way past expiration dates. Non-functioning computer monitors and printers that “the church might be able to use.” Throw it out!
- Some people need sharp words. Like, “Stop it.” Or, “There are other places to worship.” Or even, “Put up or shut up.”
- Fund raisers. Car washes. Raffles. Garage sales. Didn’t Jesus clear money changers out of the temple? How about not doing those things on a Sunday morning?
- Physical violence? Sometimes actions speak louder than words. Punching and hair pulling? Maybe not. Pushing and shoving? Might get your point across.
One through three? Been there, done that. Number four? In my dreams. You know who you were.
