Neh. 12-13
Wow – for the past few chapters we have been reading about how the returned exiles were dedicating themselves to God. They committed to following His laws and took an oath that they would not neglect the house of their God. And today we read that when Nehemiah returned to King Artaxerxes, they went and did all of the things they had vowed not to do! They violated God’s Temple, neglected to provide for the servants of the Temple, conducted business and bought from foreigners in Jerusalem on the Sabbath, and married foreigners. Sadly, such backsliding is in character with what we have consistently seen form the Jewish people. And sadly, I know that I am no different than the Jews. I am prone to forgetting my commitments and to backsliding. I must constantly guard against that.
In contrast to the people’s complacency, is the bold and swift response of Nehemiah when he discovered the things that were going on. One could even say that his actions were harsh. He threw Tobiah’s furniture out on the lawn, set guards at the city gates, cursed, beat, and pulled out the hair of some of those who intermarried, and chased the son-in-law of Sanballat from him. These actions are consistent with Jesus’ cleansing of the Temple (twice) and the teachings of the apostles in the New Testament with regard to the Church. Yes, we are to love our enemies. However, we are not to be complacent about Godlessness in ourselves or in the body of Christ.
Rev. 20
As per usual, there is a lot that I don’t understand here. But what I do see is that same choice that has existed since the beginning. The choice for life or for death. It may seem right now that people can choose their own way without consequence. But the Bible is clear that there is only one way that leads to life, and it is not our own. Jesus said that He is the way and He is the life. Any other choice, including failure to make an intentional choice for Christ, leads to death. Going your own way will certainly not be without consequence at the end of time.