When Nehemiah left Jerusalem things were going very well. Ezra had read the law, the Levites interpreted it, and the people wept, confessed their sins, and gave thanksgiving to God for all His many blessings. They even made a binding agreement, a written covenant that they would obey God’s commands.

Neh 10:29
all these now join their brothers the nobles, and bind themselves with a curse and an oath to follow the Law of God given through Moses the servant of God and to obey carefully all the commands, regulations and decrees of the LORD our Lord.

Notice they even bound themselves with a curse!

Then Nehemiah went back to Susa (leisurely travel time distance of about eight months or less each way). The unthinkable happened in Jerusalem while he was gone. The temple was desecrated, temple support was neglected, the Sabbath was violated, and the men of Judah had married foreign wives.

Of special significance is the violation of the Sabbath. The men were desecrating the Sabbath by participating in merchandising in Jerusalem on the Sabbath, thereby doing what Nehemiah called a “wicked thing”. Remember, they had promised they would not neglect the house of God. They were selfishly marketing their products in violation of the rules of that day. This is reminiscent of the Hebrew people when Moses left the camp and the people created a golden calf to worship. When God’s authority figure (Nehemiah) leaves people automatically return to evil ways.

One of the first things recorded by Nehemiah upon his return to Jerusalem is the following:
Neh 13:7
and came back to Jerusalem. Here I learned about the evil thing Eliashib had done in providing Tobiah a room in the courts of the house of God.

Tobiah was one of the leading opponents to the rebuilding of Jerusalem under Nehemiah. He was definitely not one of the good guys! Imagine how Nehemiah must have felt when he saw his enemy given credibility and sanction in the House of God. 

The ever faithful Nehemiah again instituted religious reform. It is at this time that he begins the dedication of the wall. Can you even begin to imagine that great celebration with the choral processions, musical instruments, and choirs as they traveled the distance around Jerusalem? Read that passage again in Nehemiah 12 and try to picture it in your mind!

Neh 12:43b
The sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away.

The people offered sacrifices, brought their tithes, and read from the Book of Moses.

So what does all this have to do with us today? What connections can we make today concerning the desecration of the Sabbath?
In Nehemiah’s day, his enemy Tobiah (an Ammonite) was given what seems to be a permanent place in the house of God. Do we allow room for ungodly practices in our churches? Do our commonly accepted rituals and celebrations have ungodly origins?