One comment in response to Donald Trump’s proposed peace plan for Ukraine has been fascinating. When it has been pointed out that Trump’s deal with leave much of Ukraine permanently under Russian rule, several people have argued that the war has been going on for three years and so, an imperfect deal is better than “endless war.” Well, I don’t want to get too much into the politics here but it is fascinating that we are now used to the idea that wars are settled within a few weeks, we’ve forgotten that the First and Second World Wars last for four and six years respectively or that even though the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts appeared to be settled quickly, British and American forces were there for many years after. Indeed, historians among you might observe wryly that back in the Middle Ages, England and France fought a war, so long and drawn out that it became known as the 100 Years War.
It can feel like this with regards to sin. We are told to resist sin, to put “sin” (to deeds of the flesh) to death (Romans 8:12-13). It can feel like this is just an endless battle. Maybe at times, it feels like a futile battle too. We try so hard to say no to temptation, to be better people, to do the right thing. Then there’s the slip up, the angry words spoken, the dodgy website accessed or you find yourself there with a can in your hand or you are texting the person you know you shouldn’t. You feel like you’ve failed again and might as well give up.
And all the time, we are reminded by a voice in our head, our conscience, the Holy Spirit urging us not to give up. As the puritan, John Owen put it,
“Be killing sin or it will be killing you.”
So how do we end up comprising with sin as believers and what can we do about it?
How does compromise happen?
Note that there are wider lessons for corporate church life too but I’m focusing on us individually. Here. I want to suggest that there are five reasons demonstrated in this passage.
We stop listening to God’s Word V1-3
The people have to be reminded that God’s Word tells them that they shouldn’t mix with particular foreign people groups. This wasn’t a race thing but rather, there were specific groups that had demonstrated hostility to God by blocking the Israelites during the Exodus. God’s people were warned to have nothing to do with them and not to intermarry with them because they would be led astray. Yet here were the descendants of those people living in the city.
We allow Satan’s lies to live rent free in our head V 4-9
Nehemiah had needed to return to Persia on government business. Given that we have seen how Christ is the true and better Nehemiah, this links to the first cause. He was not there to oversee things and so his wise counsel was neither heard nor heeded.
During this time, Eliashab, one of the priests allowed Tobiah to move in to the city, Worse than that, he was living in the temple, using rooms that were meant to be for storing the offerings. This would have its own consequences as we will see. Tobiah along with Sanballat and Gerhom were those who had sought to oppose the rebuilding of the wall and had mocked and slandered the people.
You may have heard the phrase “living rent free in your head.” It means that you allow the views, words and actions of another person too much attention and priority, they dominate your thoughts and emotions.
I think we can do that as Christians. We can allow the devils’ lies to dominate our thinking. The devil loves to discourage us by accusing us of sin that is already forgiven and by getting us to lose our trust in God.
We lose the heart of worship V10 -11
With the store houses not used for their right purposes, the supply chain had broken down. The Levites who were there to help the people worship God were not being supplied with food and so they had given up and gone home.
When Satan’s lies get hold, we can lose heart in worship. Yet it is as we come to praise God and enjoy him that we learn to trust him and find strength to resist sin and pursue holiness.
We fail to find rest in God 12-22
The Sabbath Day, was meant to be a day of rest when work and trading paused to give space for worship. However traders were coming in to Jerusalem and treating the Sabbath like a normal market day.
You know, we can become so busy, even in Christian things that we fill ourlives with everything except for God. The Sabbath was one day in seven but its aim was to teach God’s people to learn to rest in him. It’s another way of expressing our trust in him.
We see sin as beneficial and fail to see its danger, destructiveness and ugliness V23-30
Not only were those who were not God’s people being allowed into Jerusalem but God’s people were intermarrying with them. The result was that they were drawn into their idolatry. They saw God’s enemies as attractive and useful.
The reality is that we sin because we find sin attractive and we think that we benefit from it. And it does seem attractive and useful doesn’t it. If you are struggling with gambling then you will have the double hope of an adrenaline fix and that you might be able to win enough to clear your debts. Alcohol and drugs promise that your pain will be numbed and those awful emories forgotten.
How do we put things right?
The Holy Spirit is the true and better Nehemiah!
Now and Not Yet
It’s not a great ending … but actually, it’s not the end of the story – all of this is meant to push us forward in the story. There was someone better than Nehemiah to come, something better than a rebuilt temple and rebuilt walls. (set up for Luke!)
For us …
The war isn’t “endless” -we have hope. Living in now and not yet time means there are battles to be fought with sin. But the real hope of Romans 8 is victory in Jesus through the Holy Spirit.
Next steps: Can you identify:
- A specific lie that you’ve allowed to live rent free in your head?
- How that affects how you live?
- What do you need to do about it?
Faithroots 