Nehemiah 13:4 And before this, Eliashib the priest, having the oversight of the chamber of the house of our God, was allied unto Tobiah: 5 And he had prepared for him a great chamber, where aforetime they laid the meat offerings, the frankincense, and the vessels, and the tithes of the corn, the new wine, and the oil, which was commanded to be given to the Levites, and the singers, and the porters; and the offerings of the priests.
Eliashib is the high priest. He is the highest spiritual leader in the nation. Tobiah is a wicked enemy of God and all His work. All through the book of Nehemiah Tobiah is mentioned as being an enemy and in opposition to all that God is doing. There have been ten mentions of this man and his wicked deeds.
But then we come to a surprising verse. The man of God has now allied himself with the enemy of God. How does that happen? What can take place that will turn the enemy of God into your friend? There is no mention of Tobiah repenting and turning to God. There is no mention of him changing at all. The man of God has slipped. The man of God is no longer standing for truth.
In this passage of Scripture, the man of God throws the work of God out of a room and puts the enemy of God in that very room. What was once used for the worship of God is now to be used for the enemy of God.
Nehemiah is out of town. The high priest, the man of God, is a compromiser. He wants to get along with the enemies of God. He makes the concessions. He adapts to the enemy of God. He calls for no repentance. He calls for nothing or at least nothing is mentioned. Now the devil is in the house of God.
Are you a compromiser? Are you willing to sell who you are and what you believe for the favor of the very enemies of God? Are you ready to open God’s house for the very enemies of God?
Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash
Leave a Reply