Jump Start # 597

Nehemiah 13:30 “Thus I purified them from everything foreign and appointed duties for the priests and the Levites, each in his task.”

We continue our look this week at the reform led by Nehemiah to get the people back to God. This job is hard and one that is needed in every generation. Satan is always trying to pull the people of God away from what is right. The call back to God must continually sound forth from God’s people

In the process of restoring the hearts back to God, Nehemiah had to do some literal house cleaning. He threw out the items belonging to Tobiah that were in God’s house. Tobiah was the enemy. Later in this chapter, Nehemiah drives out Joiada. He was the son of the high priest and the son-in-law of Sanballat, another enemy of Israel. He sided with the enemy, so he had to go.

Our verse today, reminds us of the extent that Nehemiah wanted the people back to God. He purified them from everything foreign. Often, after flood waters have been in a basement, home owners will cleanse and purify all that they can to keep mold from starting. Medical instruments are cleansed after use. Forks and spoons are washed after we eat with them. Nehemiah was interested in purifying their souls. As long as foreign influences hung around, Israel would never be completely free from contamination. What Nehemiah did is a good thought for us today. There are many foreign influences in our lives. I’m not talking about international things, but false things. Foreign to the true faith of Jesus Christ. Foreign to the ways of the Bible. These influences can cause a person to walk toward them, embrace them and accept them. Foreign means that they do not belong to Israel.

Nehemiah then appointed duties for the priests and Levites. I find that statement a bit odd. The Law of God had given priests plenty to do. They weren’t doing them. So Nehemiah assigned them. He led them into getting busy and back to the work of God.

There is a thought there for us. God has assigned duties today for His people. Deacons have deacon stuff to do. Shepherds have shepherding duties. Preachers have preaching duties. The work is there. There is enough to keep everyone busy. The work of God is not for the lazy. Hire a lazy preacher and you’ll have problems. A man who wants to do the work of God needs to gabout that and work hard. He needs to do his best because he is doing it for God.

It is interesting how many times the N.T. tells us to “do” things. At the end of the story of the good Samaritan, Jesus said, “Go and DO thou likewise.” Paul told the Galatians, “Let us DO good as we have opportunity.” Titus was told to teach folks to be eager for good deeds. Doing things. Doing things for others. Having duties. Christianity isn’t a thinking religion, it’s a living and doing religion. Too many are long on talk and short on doing. They love to ponder, consider, debate and argue about theories, ideas and what-nots, but when it comes to doing, they’re simply not there.

In Matthew 25, when Jesus was showing the judgment picture, he said those that gave drink, food, clothed and visited would be welcomed into the kingdom. Those that didn’t, wouldn’t. We can get the idea that the judgment will be like a test in school. Get the right answers and you’ll get to go to Heaven. So preachers are quick to say study. They should. That’s how our faith is built. But study, not just to rattle off facts, but study to become. Study to change your character. Study to learn Jesus and then walk that way. Study, and then DO. It’s the doing part that is important.

Folks would rather see you doing things than hear you talk. Long before they ask you questions about what you believe, they will want to see that you care. We show we care by doing. By being there. By helping out. By sharing things.

Nehemiah assigned the priests duties. That would get them back to doing what they should have been doing all along and that would help them stay out of trouble. I was preaching in a meeting a while back. We were at the church building every night. I saw the same little boy each night. Near the end of the week I asked him if he was behaving. He said that he’s going to church so much, that he didn’t have time to be bad. I like that. We all can learn from that.

When it comes to your faith, what’s it doing for you? Is your faith making a difference? When you walk down those difficult paths, such as the ones that lead to the funeral home, is your faith helping you get through those times? Are you still seeing Jesus? And, we must ask, is your faith leading you to do things? Are you doing anything for anyone else? It’s kind of hard to look at the compassionate and generous Jesus and not have some of that rub off on us.

Do you need someone to assign you a few tasks? That can be done. In fact, that’s already done. They are sprinkled throughout the N.T.—places like Romans 12, Hebrews 13 will get you started. Doing things for others will make you tired. Sometimes it costs. Sometimes you don’t even get a thank you back. That’s ok. Look at Jesus. You DO things because God wants you to.

I expect if you took about five minutes and really thought about this, you’d come up with a bunch of things that you could DO. Why not make a list and get at it. Doing good has a way of making a person feel good.

Roger