Did not your forefathers do the same things, so that our God brought all this disaster on us and on this city? And now you are rekindling His wrath against Israel by profaning the Sabbath!" Did not your fathers do the sameThis phrase serves as a poignant reminder of the cyclical nature of disobedience among the Israelites. The Hebrew word for "fathers" (אָבוֹת, avot) refers to the ancestors of the Israelites, emphasizing the generational continuity of sin. Historically, the Israelites had repeatedly fallen into patterns of disobedience, leading to divine judgment. This phrase underscores the importance of learning from past mistakes to avoid repeating them. so that our God brought all this disaster upon us and upon this city
The term "disaster" (רָעָה, ra'ah) in Hebrew conveys a sense of calamity or evil that is allowed by God as a consequence of sin. The historical context here refers to the Babylonian exile, a direct result of Israel's persistent disobedience. The "city" mentioned is Jerusalem, which had faced destruction due to the people's failure to uphold God's commandments. This serves as a sobering reminder of the tangible consequences of sin. And now you are rekindling His anger against Israel
The word "rekindling" (מֵבִיאִים, mevi'im) suggests the act of reigniting something that was once subdued. In this context, it refers to the Israelites' actions that provoke God's wrath once more. The historical backdrop is the post-exilic period, where Nehemiah is striving to restore proper worship and adherence to the Law. The phrase highlights the seriousness of their actions in potentially inviting divine judgment again. by profaning the Sabbath
The term "profaning" (מְחַלְּלִים, mechalelim) means to desecrate or treat something sacred with irreverence. The Sabbath (שַׁבָּת, Shabbat) was a covenant sign between God and Israel, a day set apart for rest and worship. By neglecting the Sabbath, the Israelites were not only breaking a commandment but also undermining their unique relationship with God. This phrase emphasizes the importance of honoring God's ordinances as a reflection of faithfulness and devotion. Persons / Places / Events 1. NehemiahA Jewish leader and cupbearer to the Persian king Artaxerxes, Nehemiah was instrumental in rebuilding Jerusalem's walls and instituting religious reforms. 2. JerusalemThe central city of Jewish worship and the location of the Temple, Jerusalem was the focal point of Nehemiah's rebuilding efforts and reforms. 3. The SabbathA day of rest and worship commanded by God, the Sabbath was being profaned by the Israelites, leading to Nehemiah's rebuke. 4. The FathersRefers to the ancestors of the Israelites who had previously disobeyed God's commandments, leading to their exile and suffering. 5. God's WrathThe consequences of disobedience to God's laws, which Nehemiah warns will come upon Israel again if they continue to profane the Sabbath. Teaching Points The Importance of ObedienceNehemiah's rebuke highlights the necessity of obeying God's commandments to avoid His wrath and maintain His favor. Historical LessonsThe reference to the "fathers" serves as a reminder to learn from past mistakes and not repeat them. Sabbath as a Covenant SignThe Sabbath is a sign of the covenant between God and His people, and its observance is a reflection of their relationship with Him. Community ResponsibilityNehemiah's actions show that the community is responsible for upholding God's laws, and leaders must take action to correct disobedience. Consequences of DisobedienceThe passage serves as a warning that disobedience leads to negative consequences, both individually and collectively. Bible Study Questions 1. How does Nehemiah's response to the profaning of the Sabbath reflect his understanding of the importance of obedience to God's laws? 2. In what ways can we apply the lessons from Nehemiah 13:18 to our own observance of rest and worship in today's context? 3. How does the historical context of the Israelites' disobedience and exile inform our understanding of the consequences of not following God's commandments? 4. What role do community and leadership play in maintaining faithfulness to God's commands, as seen in Nehemiah's actions? 5. How can we ensure that we are learning from the past mistakes of our "fathers" to avoid bringing "wrath" upon ourselves and our communities? Connections to Other Scriptures Exodus 20:8-11The commandment to keep the Sabbath holy is given, establishing its importance in the covenant between God and Israel. Jeremiah 17:21-27Jeremiah warns of the consequences of not keeping the Sabbath, similar to Nehemiah's warning, emphasizing the importance of obedience to God's commands. Isaiah 58:13-14Highlights the blessings associated with honoring the Sabbath, contrasting with the wrath mentioned by Nehemiah. People Artaxerxes, Balaam, Eliashib, Hanan, Israelites, Joiada, Levites, Mattaniah, Pedaiah, Sanballat, Shelemiah, Solomon, Tobiah, Tobijah, Tyrians, ZaccurPlaces Ammon, Ashdod, Babylon, Jerusalem, MoabTopics Act, Adding, Bring, Bringeth, Calamity, Causing, Desecrating, Didn't, Evil, Fathers, Fierceness, Forefathers, Holy, Keeping, Pollute, Profaning, Sabbath, Stirring, Thus, Town, Trouble, Wrath, YetDictionary of Bible Themes Nehemiah 13:15-18 7429 Sabbath, in OT Nehemiah 13:15-21 5818 contempt Nehemiah 13:15-22 5242 buying and selling
5407 merchants Nehemiah 13:15-27 5345 influence
8466 reformation Library Sabbath Observance
'In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day: and I testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals. 16. There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, which brought fish, and all manner of ware, and sold on the sabbath unto the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem. 17. Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy ScriptureThe True Manner of Keeping Holy the Lord's Day.
Now the sanctifying of the Sabbath consists in two things--First, In resting from all servile and common business pertaining to our natural life; Secondly, In consecrating that rest wholly to the service of God, and the use of those holy means which belong to our spiritual life. For the First. 1. The servile and common works from which we are to cease are, generally, all civil works, from the least to the greatest (Exod. xxxi. 12, 13, 15, &c.) More particularly-- First, From all the works of our …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety Two Famous Versions of the Scriptures
[Illustration: (drop cap B) Samaritan Book of the Law] By the blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea, on the coast of Egypt, lies Alexandria, a busy and prosperous city of to-day. You remember the great conqueror, Alexander, and how nation after nation had been forced to submit to him, until all the then-known world owned him for its emperor? He built this city, and called it after his own name. About a hundred years before the days of Antiochus (of whom we read in our last chapter) a company of Jews …
Mildred Duff—The Bible in its Making The Last Days of the Old Eastern World
The Median wars--The last native dynasties of Egypt--The Eastern world on the eve of the Macedonian conquest. [Drawn by Boudier, from one of the sarcophagi of Sidon, now in the Museum of St. Irene. The vignette, which is by Faucher-Gudin, represents the sitting cyno-cephalus of Nectanebo I., now in the Egyptian Museum at the Vatican.] Darius appears to have formed this project of conquest immediately after his first victories, when his initial attempts to institute satrapies had taught him not …
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 9 The Formation of the Old Testament Canon
[Sidenote: Israel's literature at the beginning of the fourth century before Christ] Could we have studied the scriptures of the Israelitish race about 400 B.C., we should have classified them under four great divisions: (1) The prophetic writings, represented by the combined early Judean, Ephraimite, and late prophetic or Deuteronomic narratives, and their continuation in Samuel and Kings, together with the earlier and exilic prophecies; (2) the legal, represented by the majority of the Old Testament …
Charles Foster Kent—The Origin & Permanent Value of the Old Testament Questions About the Nature and Perpetuity of the Seventh-Day Sabbath.
AND PROOF, THAT THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK IS THE TRUE CHRISTIAN SABBATH. BY JOHN BUNYAN. 'The Son of man is lord also of the Sabbath day.' London: Printed for Nath, Ponder, at the Peacock in the Poultry, 1685. EDITOR'S ADVERTISEMENT. All our inquiries into divine commands are required to be made personally, solemnly, prayerful. To 'prove all things,' and 'hold fast' and obey 'that which is good,' is a precept, equally binding upon the clown, as it is upon the philosopher. Satisfied from our observations …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 Jesus Heals on the Sabbath Day and Defends his Act.
(at Feast-Time at Jerusalem, Probably the Passover.) ^D John V. 1-47. ^d 1 After these things there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. [Though every feast in the Jewish calendar has found some one to advocate its claim to be this unnamed feast, yet the vast majority of commentators choose either the feast of Purim, which came in March, or the Passover, which came in April. Older commentators pretty unanimously regarded it as the Passover, while the later school favor the feast …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel Ezra-Nehemiah
Some of the most complicated problems in Hebrew history as well as in the literary criticism of the Old Testament gather about the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. Apart from these books, all that we know of the origin and early history of Judaism is inferential. They are our only historical sources for that period; and if in them we have, as we seem to have, authentic memoirs, fragmentary though they be, written by the two men who, more than any other, gave permanent shape and direction to Judaism, then …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Nehemiah 13:18 NIVNehemiah 13:18 NLTNehemiah 13:18 ESVNehemiah 13:18 NASBNehemiah 13:18 KJV
Nehemiah 13:18 Commentaries
Bible Hub |
