NOTES for Neh 13:1-31

The measures taken by Nehemiah are intended to eradicate various harmful practices, but in every case his efforts are equally directed toward establishing godliness. By removing from the temple the room set aside for Tobiah, who had obstructed the work of restoration, Nehemiah not only vexed his opponent but also opposed the use of the temple for purposes unrelated to standing before God. In attending to the temple's needs, Nehemiah cares not only for the material support of its ministers but also for providing the temple with everything required for worship according to the law. Finally, in his concern for observance of the Sabbath, Nehemiah seeks to ensure that the people's way of life conforms to the commandments and ordinances of the law.

The prophets repeatedly denounced with angry words a formal observance of the letter of the law severed from its deeper essence. But the opposite extreme is also dangerous: under the pretext that the depth of faith is more important than outward ritual “details,” the very ability to penetrate that depth is gradually lost. Nehemiah, for whom every aspect of spiritual life was important and interconnected, remembered this.