“…and I then discovered the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, preparing for him a chamber in the courts of the house of God. And I was very angry, and I threw all the household furniture of Tobiah out of the chamber.” Nehemiah 13:7-8
The perfect Christian. They turn the other cheek. They forgive any and all wrongs done to them seventy times seven. They embrace and tolerate any and all lifestyle choices because they are to love their neighbor. They are to never show emotion or become upset. When you combine all of these elements, you have a thoroughly soggy individual that although standing for the beliefs of Jesus Christ, seems to be standing for nothing. An individual seemingly so limited by their beliefs that the world tramples them underfoot. So where exactly does this world view of a Christian come from? It certainly doesn’t come from God’s Word.
In Nehemiah chapter 13 we see Nehemiah have not one but three righteously angry outbursts. He has been gone from Jerusalem for 10-12 years to report back into to the king and resume his cupbearer position. And the Jerusalem he returns to is not the one he left. He first finds that the high priest has turned the storeroom of the temple of God into rental property for an opponent of God. Nehemiah does not ignore it in love or let it go in forgiveness. In his righteous anger he physically tosses the pagan renter’s stuff out into the street. He next finds that the people have been openly violating the Sabbath, even to the point of allowing pagan vendors into the city to do business on the Sabbath day. Nehemiah doesn’t simply dismiss the offense, arguing that he is limited as a man of God to openly rebuke others, instead he threatens that if they come back, he will physically remove them. Doesn’t sound very Godly, does it? And in the third count, Nehemiah discovers that the people have backslidden into intermarrying with the Ammonites and Moabites, people groups that God had forbidden His chosen people to marry ever since the Baal episode over a thousand years before. And just how does Nehemiah, a mighty and righteous man of God react in this situation of open and blatant disregard and violation of God’s Law? He confronts the offenders, places a curse of God on them, beats them, and pulls out their hair. Wow, not a very Christian thing to do Nehemiah.
As Christians we are responsible for the law of God. First to uphold it personally. Then to see it taught to those that proclaim Christ as their Savior and to see it upheld by those that proclaim it’s truth. In a famous episode in John chapter 2, we even see Jesus become angry as the temple of God becomes an open marketplace for personal profit. He takes the time to braid a whip and drives the evil doers out of the house of God. Now hear me clearly, I am not suggesting that you beat everybody that is sinning against God today, if that were true you and I would both have to start by whipping the man in the mirror. But what is clear is that God’s Word is truth, and we are called to it. As we proclaim God’s truth to the world it cannot be altered, changed, or adulterated to fit our current world’s likes and desires. And when the truth of God is openly violated, we should get angry…but not sin. Take that righteous anger to the Lord in prayer. Pray for the person, society, or nation that is violating the law of God. Show your dislike openly to the Lord and pray for repentance in that group. The Christ-follower is called to be bold in sharing the Gospel, walking in the light of Christ, and personally walking in the Law of God. As you do all three, walk confidently and unafraid, allowing your feet to stand firmly for the truth of God.
“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” 1 Corinthians 16:13
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