After another stirring week of lumberjacking, we head back to altitude. The great opposition to the building of the wall is the topic for Nehemiah 4. We discussed the importance of the wall, the leadership skills of Nehemiah, the implications of failure both for Israel and Nehemiah, and the reaction of the surrounding countries. This was a lot of tactical discussion, tree top stuff to be sure. What is happening in the whole forest?
Curses and Jealousy
I would like to focus on verses 4-5 for a moment. It is interesting to me that Nehemiah is asking for the sort of divine intervention that Israel received in the initial taking of Jerusalem. He is asking for curses as if these others were on the wrong side of the Sinai Covenant. He is asking that these other nations receive the same fate as Israel received for breaking the Sinai Covenant. But he goes farther than this. Verse 5 is truly amazing. Nehemiah is using a different type of imagery here. This is the language of the sacrifice of atonement.
Nehemiah assumes that God is angry at the interference with the wall building. We are not given any evidence of this. The Wrath of God, in Old Testament terms, is usually a bit more stern than merely staying the hand of an enemy. Notice the language of the first half of verse 5. Do not cover up their sins from your sight, he says. The implications are startling. Nehemiah is dealing with these enemies in the context of the way that Israel deals with God. He asks of God, do not offer the same covering up of sin that You offer to Israel. Is Nehemiah suggesting that non-Jews have access to the Covenant relationship at Sinai?
Of course this is ridiculous. Moses was dealing with not only a people, but a theocracy, a government and a nation. Israel was the specific nation of the Sinai Covenant. And yet, let’s look at Jonah for a moment. While this book is very short, it is also very dense and Jesus Himself refers to the sign of Jonah; therefore, I don’t want to dwell on all that is here. Let us focus on the topic of an enemy that repents and God shows mercy. Jonah is obedient and does what God instructs for him to do, and yet when God shows mercy, Jonah is none too pleased. Jonah wants the curse and God shows mercy. Nehemiah wants the curse, and yet God merely stays the hand of the enemy. Jonah, one of the twelve minor prophets, is dated 200 years prior to Nehemiah. It is very likely that Nehemiah was familiar with the story of Jonah. He asks God not to overlook the sin of his enemies and deliver upon them curses instead.
At this point in my scholarship, it would be premature to say how many times that the prophets hint that the Redemptive plan of Christ is greater than just genetic, ethnic or political Israel. It should suffice to say that these two instances are not isolated. Jeremiah and Isaiah in particular hint at such a broadening of the Redemptive plan and it can be argued that other prophets do as well. Clearly, both Peter and Paul believe this to be the case as their sermons are always grounded in the Old Testament prophets. Paul certainly believes that the inclusion of the Gentiles has value in creating jealousy within the ethnic entity of Israel. This jealousy is revealed in Jonah and now we see it in Nehemiah.
Back at 20,000 feet
Remember that there is a purpose to the rebuilding of Jerusalem. Israel may believe that it is all about them, but God does not see it this way. God says that it is all about Him. Without the example of the Law as played out by the Pharisees, with which foil can Jesus teach about the purposes of the Law? Without the foil of the Sanhedrin, how can Jesus teach about the difference between Law and Gospel? Jerusalem is the stage for the great drama. That stage must be rebuilt, but God’s purpose for that stage is far different than the expectation of Israel.
But then, the Gospel is always unexpected. The Gospel is external to us. The Gospel cannot be known by natural man by natural revelation. The Gospel is special revelation and requires that it be told to us. The Gospel is News, not experience. The Gospel is the indicative on which the imperative is based.
We see from Nehemiah and the behavior of his brethren that they are having a crisis of faith. Nehemiah and Ezra seek to rebuild the old ways. The people believe that God has forsaken them. These are a broken people that Nehemiah exhorts to action. At the end of this, keep in mind what will happen to the Second Temple as well. God’s purpose is to point back to Jesus and our absolute need for Him. Perhaps, Nehemiah suspects this, just a little, as he calls upon God not to show mercy on the enemies of Israel.
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