This was the call of God to the post-exilic Jews to renew building the Temple at Jerusalem. This Temple contained the symbol of God’s presence among them and was the focus of their worship and service of God. This was a period of rebuilding the Church of God which had been punished for its idolatry and Sabbath-breaking by being delivered into the Babylonian captivity. However, the Lord had sovereignly revisited his Cause and restored a remnant to Jerusalem. This was a time of reconstruction; learning from the mistakes of the past and building for the future. However, the initial zeal had waned under the opposition of Tatnai the governor and others. The task of rebuilding the Temple seemed daunting and arduous, just as the New Testament equivalent seems now. It is therefore helpful for us to notice the message God gave to the church of that period. There are lessons here for the 20th century church endeavouring to emerge from the Babylonian exile of the past 100 years, an exile brought about by the unfaithfulness of the 19th century church.
There had been slackness in building the Temple, maybe because of their desire to build their own houses and their failure to see the glory of the work. “Who hath despised the day of small things?” Now, instructed by Haggai and Zechariah, Joshua and Zerubbabel stirred up the people so that they began rebuilding and could not be stopped by the opposition.
What were these words that the prophets of the Lord were given which worked so effectually in these Jews?
They were told, “Let your hands be strong, ye that hear in these days these words by the mouth of the prophets.” Zechariah had been given
some visions by which he was taught that the Lord would be their strength in this work. He was taught that it would not be by the might of armies that the work would be accomplished, but “by My Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts”. As long as they had the Spirit of God, they would succeed in spite of the opposition. As Zerubbabel had begun the building, so he would finish it. When he would do so, he would cry, “Grace, Grace”. So the Lord promised them that the opposition would be powerless and would melt away, even though it would appear to be as great and as immovable as a mountain, “Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain.”
How were they to evidence that their hands were strong in the Lord? They were not to be afraid of their enemies. “Fear not, but let your hands be strong.” Fear would paralyse them so that they would not succeed in this great enterprise. The Lord was to be their fear.
Their hands were to be strong because the Lord had returned to Zion. He had punished them, but now He had a purpose of mercy towards them. “Now I will not be unto the residue of this people as in the former days . . . it shall come to pass that as ye were a curse among the heathen, O house of Judah, and house of Israel; so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing: fear not, but let your hands be strong.”
Why had He returned? It was not because of any merit in them but “thus saith the Lord of hosts, I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I was jealous for her with great fury.” The zeal He had to His own glory which was associated with unworthy Zion made him furious for the restoration of His honour in re-establishing Jerusalem a praise in the earth once more.
The Lord imbued His prophets Haggai and Zechariah (and, through them, Joshua, Zerubbabel and the people) with a sense of His majesty and glory. So the glory of the Temple and of the work in rebuilding it was set before them by Haggai, “The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts”, and by Zechariah, “For I, saith the Lord, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her.”
These concepts were conveyed to Zechariah in the visions recorded in the first six chapters of his prophecy. The practical outworkings are recorded in the chapters seven and eight, and strength and encouragement are fostered through the promises of good for the future in the succeeding chapters. However, warnings are given to those who undervalue and reject these shepherds that God gives the church.
So what are the practical outworkings of being strong in the Lord and in the power of His might? “These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute judgment of truth and peace in your gates: And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the Lord.” They were to be strong in truth, integrity and justice so that there would be peace in Zion. Our prayer for the peace of Jerusalem is a prayer also for the Lord to raise up Spirit-taught children of truth. Righteousness and peace kiss mutually not only in the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, but also in His kingdom. Malice was not to be imagined in their hearts, nor falsehood in swearing oaths to the Lord. Zechariah then proceeds to correct their attitude to innovations in religious matters. The result of such obedience, the Lord assures them, will be an ingathering of people to the Church of God.
We have no Temple of stone, but one of “lively stones”. “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.” If this Temple is to be built, these are the principles we must have before us in the twentieth century, as we endeavour in the strength of God’s grace to build the Church of God in these troublous times.
Where we have the Lord’s people, the lively oracles of the Word of God and the proclamation of the Gospel of the glory of the blessed God, we have the presence of God indeed. It is when that Gospel is applied by the power of the Spirit of God, so that men and women, boys and girls see the “light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ”, that we can expect them to see the glory of the kingdom of Christ and the glory of the service of Christ. This is how they are to be strengthened for the work of the kingdom. “For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: and that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them and rose again.” “… Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”
“I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence, and give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.”
Isaiah 62: 6, 7.
Sermon
by Rev. A. McPherson at Farr, by Daviot, on the Monday of a communion in June, 1988.
“Remember me, O my God, for good” (Nehemiah 13: 31)
There is a great deal in these 13 chapters and many lessons to be learnt from them, but I wish to concentrate on this and three rather similar prayers which some have found fault with, and try to justify them. Yes, and to show that it would be good if we also could pray like this. The prayers I refer to are found in chapter 5: 19, and in verses 14, 22 and 31 of this chapter. I feel pretty sure that all the adults present who have come across these verses in their readings of this book, have taken notice of these prayers and wondered at their wording, and wondered what sort of spirit produced them. Had Nehemiah become swollen-headed at the end of a period of successful administration of the affairs of Jerusalem, and do the prayers reveal self-confidence and self-righteousness? Many do think that, and able critics among them; but there is good reason for disagreeing with them and showing that these are good prayers which any gracious person might well pray when in comparable circumstances to Nehemiah’s. We can consider two matters that these are, (1) Allegedly faulty prayers. (2) Prayers by which we may test ourselves.
1. Allegedly faulty prayers.
There is a whole set of commentaries on the Old Testament known commonly as “Keil and Delitsch.” In the last sentence of his commentary on this book, C. F. Keil says, “This piety is, however, strongly persuaded by the legal spirit of post-Babylonian Judaism.” Others again have detected in these prayers the beginnings of the Pharisaical spirit and was so prominent at the time of Christ. Certainly, a person who had read only this last chapter of the book might wonder if Nehemiah was boastful of his achievements. This was the view of the younger Marcus Dods who in an article written in 1887, felt shocked at the tone in which Nehemiah recorded his reforms in the final chapter. Dods thought, too much “I testified” and “I contended” and felt that the refrain, “Remember me”, etc. showed that Nehemiah thought that his good deeds had given him a claim on God.
Dods said nothing about the prayer in verse 22, though, which is so much in keeping with the earlier prayers and devout statements as to show that the Nehemiah of the final chapter is the same man, spiritually as appears previously. This being so, what is needed is that the other “Remembers” be explained in a way agreeable to the character of the
noble, self-denying, brave, generous and godly man who appears in the whole record.
It was the very reverse of self-interest that took Nehemiah to Jerusalem in the first first place. When news came to him of the broken-down state of that city, sorrow haunted him for days, and at length King Artaxerxes noticed it. “Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart.” In great fear, knowing that it was a capital crime to look anything but cheerful in the king’s presence, Nehemiah told why he looked so dejected. The king, however, proved sympathetic and gave Nehemiah permission to rebuild Jerusalem. So the good man went away and set about his task. He organised the building of the walls, superintended the whole work, and made the builders defenders also when the need arose. He released the poor from the bondage of debt and took no payment as governor. He resisted the threats of enemies and finished the wall. He reinstituted certain religious ordinances and did much to bring the Jews back to their theocratic status. In all, he had given 12 years of constant service to God and his people. He had shown himself to be a man of action, and of prayers also, one who relied constantly on divine help.
So, in view of all this, how do we explain these short prayers in which he asks God to remember him in connection with deeds he had done? We must remember that at the time Nehemiah learned of the low state of Jerusalem, over 90 years had passed since the first contingent of Jews returned from Babylon. And for one reason or another, little was done to restore the once-famous capital to its former condition of beauty and security. The returned exiles took 28 years to rebuild the temple, and when Ezron arrived 57 years later, he had to rectify various religious and moral abuses. Another 13 years saw Nehemiah’s appearance on the scene, and it was only by force of character, delegated authority and divine help that he carried through his programme of rebuilding and reform in the face of opposition from foes and the hindrances of half-hearted friends. The prayer of chapter 5 v. 19 appears to have as its background unappreciated generosity.
Then, from the sixth verse of chapter 13, we see that Nehemiah had gone back to Shushan and resumed his serving of Artaxerxes for a time. It was a long enough absence for further backsliding to take place, and Nehemiah when he returned, had again to act vigorously, displeasing many as he did so. Taking all this into consideration, what we see is a godly, conscientious and zealous man doing God’s will in the face of the disapproval of many less honourable than himself. And well aware that
men generally did not appreciate his motives he, as it were, says to the Lord. “Thou knowest what I have done, and though I receive no recognition nor reward from men, yet do Thou remember me for good, notwithstanding my imperfections which need thy mercy, and I shall be satisfied.” This view of these brief prayers will, I believe, be confirmed shortly when we make a more detailed examination of them. The prayers are not faulty.
2. Prayers by which we may test ourselves.
First, let us look at the one in chapter 5 v. 19; “Think upon me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people.” There were no funds to pay for the huge task of repairing the city wall, and it was done by voluntary, unpaid labour. But many of the workers were poor and laden with debt to the wealthier ones among them. These latter, it has to be said to their shame, had lent at high rates of interest with the result that land, vineyards and houses had to be mortgaged, and even their sons and daughters given into the service of the creditors. When Nehemiah learned this, he was very angry, and at a conference with the creditors, soundly rebuked them and constrained them to redress the situation, and they did so.
In this we see how kindhearted Nehemiah was, yet shortly afterwards he had to defend himself from charges of oppressing the poor. No doubt there were some who had restored their debtors the possessions they needed in order to live, but had done it grudgingly; and out of malice and for revenge had put about the rumour that Nehemiah himself had been oppressing the poor. The good man’s defence can be seen in chapter 5 from v. 14 onwards. Although the governor, he had levied no taxes for his maintenance, but instead had run his household at his own expense. All this he did, as he says in verse 15, through the fear of God. Nehemiah had acted in a very different way from men in their natural state who as Paul has said, “seek their own.” Out of pity and concern for the poor, Nehemiah had redressed their wrongs and refrained from burdening them, at great cost to himself. Was not this true love to his neighbour? And he sought no earthly recompense, but only the approval of God. That is the point of the prayer in verse 19.
Now let us test ourselves in this matter. Looking back over the past, can you say that you have sought your neighbour’s true good sincerely and selflessly? Which raises the question, “Who is my neighbour?” The answer is, “My neighbour is the person whom I am in a position to help. Beginning with those who stand in the closest relation to me, then going out in widening circles to embrace many others to whom in one way or
another I may do good.” And good means true good. Not only good for the body, but regarding our neighbours as souls with spiritual and moral needs whom in some way we may be able to help. This obviously places discipline and chastisement among the means of doing good. Now, can you, friend, call the Searcher of hearts to witness, as Nehemiah could, that albeit imperfectly, you have attempted to act like His child and seek His Fatherly blessing?
Secondly, we have the prayer in chapter 13 v. 14; “Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and wipe not out my good deed that I have done for the house of my God, and for the offices thereof.” On his return to Jerusalem, Nehemiah soon noticed that the temple services were not being conducted properly because of the scarcity of Levites. This he found to be connected with Tobiah the Ammonite’s use of the large chamber where the tithe offerings for the support of the Levites had been kept. Nehemiah then discovered that Tobiah, a man of a people who were the deadly foes of Israel, had been given this accommodation in the temple because he was connected with Eliashib the high-priest by marriage. So, regardless of Eliashib’s displeasure, Nehemiah in his usual energetic manner put the matter right. He evicted Tobiah, cleared the chamber of furniture, and put it back into use as a storehouse for the Levites. With food available in Jerusalem, the Levites could now work there, and the services of God’s house began again to be conducted properly. To Nehemiah, the proper functioning of the sanctuary was vital to the well-being of his people, and he had a true zeal for God’s house, the same spirit as later appeared in his Saviour in full measure when He cleansed the temple in Jerusalem and fulfilled the words of Psalm 69 — “The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.” And, of course, he did not do this without offending men. Eliashib and his relations were much put out by what was done, but what did it matter if men were offended or became ill-disposed? Nehemiah refers the whole matter to Him who knew why he had done these things, and craves to be remembered by Him; “Remember me, O my God, concerning this.”
Let us now test ourselves by this prayer also. Have we a proper regard for the worship of God and the Cause of Christ? Have we been zealous for their purity and honour; and, this is very important, for their suitability for God’s purpose of calling men to Himself in repentance and faith? And this is what the history of the Church tells clearly; that when departures are made from doctrine, from worship, from practice, from the manner of Christian living, from government and discipline — then that Church will become unfitted for the Lord’s purpose of calling sin-
ners to Himself. I referred the other day to persons I know of in the Church of Scotland in a situation where all they have is a “do-good religion”, who are told to keep attached to the Church, to engage themselves in its various activities, to be friendly, be kind, be moral, and so on. But there is not a word about how a sinner may be saved. Not a word about guilt, condemnation, depravity, lostness or about the divine provision of a Saviour from sin and the way that that is done. This is what happens if the purity of religion is in any way neglected. You can be certain that deterioration will follow, and that it will accelerate, and in a short time, a Church that was useful to the Lord and honouring to the Lord will be changed into something quite different.
We have to be careful in this matter because there is no question that the Free Presbyterian Church is in some ways different from what it was 50 years ago or more. I can remember back 50 years, and I see trends, tendencies and movements that did not exist then. In fencing the table yesterday, I spoke of the worldliness that appears in women having short hair and wearing men’s garments. Half-a-century ago these things were not to be found among ourselves, and that had been the situation in the Church for centuries, from the time of the Apostles, in fact. Then, all of a sudden, people conclude that there is nothing wrong with these things, that the verdict of the Church through 19 centuries is to be set aside, and that new interpretations of Scripture support this worldliness. I give that as an example, and there are other things that drive one to the throne of grace. Now, let each of us ask himself or herself whether we can say truthfully to God,
“The habitation of thy house,
Lord, I have loved well;
Yea, in that place I do delight
where doth thine honour dwell.” (Ps. 26: 8)
“Remember me as a lover of thy name and house, and all that is thine.”
The third prayer is in verse 22: “Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy.” Once again the Lord’s servant has to enforce the observance of the Sabbath, and having done that, betakes himself to prayer. The words he uses show clearly the spirit in which he prayed. So far from exhibiting complacency, boasting or self-righteousness, he shows how conscious he is of his imperfections and sins. Sparing mercy is what he asks for. After all his valiant service — and none of us has done anything comparable to what Nehemiah did in his time; whatever striving, whatever contending, is nothing in comparison with these 12 years of God-honouring
activity on Nehemiah’s part. Yes, after all this valiant service, Nehemiah has the same sort of prayer as the penitent thief, “God have mercy upon me a sinner.”
Now, let us test ourselves in this matter. How much does divine, sparing mercy figure in our thinking, praying and doing? Do we really think what we sometimes say, that we are unprofitable servants? And why did not Marcus Dods perceive this element in Nehemiah’s praying? I think he did see it, but it suited him not to take notice of it, for his rationalistic purposes, and for his opposition to God and to many parts of His Word, and to His servants, and His Cause. Marcus Dods, it is to be feared, knew nothing personally about the divine mercy, and it suited him to pay no attention to this verse which shows clearly the spirit in which Nehemiah was acting.
The fourth prayer is our text: “Remember me, O my God, for good.” Nehemiah mentions one last deed. His people were being corrupted by the widespread practice of marrying women belonging to nations who were enemies of Israel and idolaters. As a result, children were growing up who could not speak the Jewish language properly, and who in other ways were not fully Jewish. Nehemiah put a stop to this: he insisted on the separateness of God’s people, and the purity of the priesthood. And once again, in a few words he seeks God’s blessing on himself. Let God remember him in a good way, and he shall have all he could desire in the better country where the Church of God is not troubled and weakened by declension or backsliding.
Test yourself by this. Is separation from the world one of your great concerns? Have you a clear view of the fact that the world, that is, the great mass of unregenerate people, to which you at one time belonged, represented by your neighbours, or your relatives, even perhaps a wife or husband — do you see that the world is opposed to God and His Church? The Saviour said that it was; He said, “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own; but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” (John 15: 19).
The hatred takes many forms; not always, perhaps least often, an open, undisguised form. It shows itself in its attempts to undermine Christ’s Church, and attempts to manoeuvre the children of God into compromises that weaken their position and set them sliding from one point of decline to another. The world has many ways of working its evil purposes on the people of God. And wherever you have worldliness mixed with the spirituality of the Church of Christ, there you have the
seeds of declension, and almost certainly there will be declension.
God’s design for His Church is that it should reflect the moral glory of the Redeemer, its glorious Head. Let us, therefore be on our guard against worldliness in every form that it takes, and be on our guard against its intrusion into the life of the Church, into its worship, and practice, and discipline. Yes, the world involving itself in the discipline of the Church! The Church applying discipline — the world condemning its action! What right has the world to act as a judge in such matters? The world, in all its carnality and evident ignorance of basic spiritual facts and truths! But that is what happens, and the world is powerful in our day. The people of God in the midst of the world are few and weak, and behind the power of the world is the power of the devil. Yes, Satan is the god of this world, and he uses it to try to destroy the Church of God; and in so doing, aiming at God his Maker who cast him down after he had sinned. Satan is full of enmity against the Lord, and against God’s creatures, and especially against those in whom the Spirit of the Lord dwells.
We do not know the thousandth part of Satan’s devices. What he wants is to bring the Church to be just the same spiritually and morally as the world. In fact he has in large measure achieved that. Most of the branches of the Visible Church are worldly, doctrinally corrupt, and devoid of Gospel truth, their people lacking in spirituality, their ministers false shepherds leading their poor flocks astray. Satan has achieved a great deal, and do you think he is going to be happy so long as the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland exists, adhering to the doctrine, worship, practice, government and discipline with which it began? No, he will not be happy, and he is working hard to achieve his evil aims in our congregations, and families, and in our own souls. Let us be continually on guard and praying that God would open our eyes to detect this worldliness wherever it is to be found.
So it was with this godly, good man, this courageous servant of God. Are you, like Nehemiah, content with the good that God will give you here and in eternity? It would be a good thing if we could find resemblances like these between ourselves and this great servant of God. We could expect to be remembered for good. We could think that we were giving evidence that Christ’s love was constraining us to live no longer unto ourselves but to Him. That would be a goodly conclusion to come to as we review the past, as we think over what we have been doing, saying and thinking. Oh how good to be able to think that in some measure the love of Christ has constrained us to live no longer to ourselves, but unto Him who died for us and rose again!