Nehemiah 13:1-9: a reflection

1On that day they read in the book of Moses in the hearing of the people; and it was found written in it that an Ammonite and a Moabite should not enter into the assembly of God forever, 2because they didn’t meet the children of Israel with bread and with water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them; however, our God turned the curse into a blessing. 3It came to pass, when they had heard the law, that they separated all the mixed multitude from Israel. 4Now before this, Eliashib the priest, who was appointed over the rooms of the house of our God, being allied to Tobiah, 5had prepared for him a great room, where before they laid the meal offerings, the frankincense, the vessels, and the tithes of the grain, the new wine, and the oil, which were given by commandment to the Levites, the singers, and the gatekeepers; and the wave offerings for the priests. 6But in all this, I was not at Jerusalem; for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I went to the king; and after some days I asked leave of the king, 7and I came to Jerusalem, and understood the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, in preparing him a room in the courts of God’s house. 8It grieved me severely. Therefore I threw all Tobiah’s household stuff out of the room. 9Then I commanded, and they cleansed the rooms. I brought into them the vessels of God’s house, with the meal offerings and the frankincense again.

Nehemiah returns to Jerusalem after an absence and discovers something wrong: Eliashib the priest, allied with Tobiah, an old enemy of the work, has given Tobiah a large room in the very courts of God's house, a room that had been used to store the offerings and the holy things. Nehemiah is deeply grieved, and he acts at once: he throws all of Tobiah's belongings out of the room, has the rooms cleansed, and restores the holy things to their place.

Notice Nehemiah's response to what had crept into the space meant for God. Something that did not belong, Tobiah's presence and belongings, had been allowed into the very courts of God's house, displacing the holy things. Nehemiah does not tolerate it or make excuses; grieved, he clears it out, cleanses the space, and puts back what belongs there. He was zealous to keep the place devoted to God free of what did not belong.

That zeal to clear out what does not belong speaks to the space in our own lives meant for God. Things can creep in and take up room that should be devoted to God, displacing what belongs there, our devotion, our worship, our first attention, crowded out by things that have quietly moved in. Like Nehemiah, we may need to clear them out. Examine the space in your life meant for God, and see what has crept in to crowd out what belongs there. Do not tolerate or excuse it; clear it out, as Nehemiah threw out Tobiah's belongings, cleanse the space, and restore to its place the devotion to God that other things have displaced. Keep the room meant for God free of what does not belong, and give him back the place in your life that lesser things have quietly taken.

Lord, returning to Jerusalem, Nehemiah found that Tobiah, an enemy of the work, had been given a room in the very courts of your house, displacing the holy things; and grieved, he threw out Tobiah's belongings, cleansed the rooms, and restored what belonged there. Let his zeal speak to the space in my own life meant for you. Things can creep in and take up room that should be devoted to you, displacing what belongs there, my devotion, my worship, my first attention, crowded out by things that have quietly moved in. Like Nehemiah, I may need to clear them out. Help me examine the space in my life meant for you, and see what has crept in to crowd out what belongs there. Keep me from tolerating or excusing it; help me clear it out, as Nehemiah threw out Tobiah's belongings, cleanse the space, and restore to its place the devotion to you that other things have displaced. Help me keep the room meant for you free of what does not belong, and give you back the place in my life that lesser things have quietly taken. Cleanse the courts of my heart, Lord.