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Nehemiah 13:1-2  On that day the Book of Moses was read aloud in the hearing of the people and there it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever be admitted into the assembly of God, because they had not met the Israelites with food and water but had hired Balaam to call a curse down on them. (Our God, however, turned the curse into a blessing.)

The portion of the ‘Book of Moses’ to which Nehemiah was referring here was Deuteronomy 23:3-6.  Throughout the closing chapter of his book, Nehemiah was pouring out his heart, expressing his deep sorrow and concern for the disregard the LORD’s Chosen People were showing for the ‘laws’ their God had so graciously given them – laws that were never intended to be a burden to them, but a blessing, laws which if embraced and observed faithfully as a gracious blessing and not a burden would make their communal lifestyle and culture something that would be enjoyed by them, as well as demonstrating to the nations around them the abundant goodness of their God.  Moses had also said to them: “See, I have taught you decrees and laws as the LORD my God commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take possession of it.  Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’  What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the LORD our God is near us whenever we pray to him?  And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today?” (Deuteronomy 4:5-8)

As Nehemiah is declaring to them, the laws, especially the laws concerning Sabbath observance and avoidance of any compromise with other worldviews, were intended to distinguish them as God’s favoured people.  Sadly, five hundred years later, when Jesus came among them, their ‘spiritual’ leaders will have missed the real heart of this intention and will have reduced the ‘laws’ to over 600 burdensome ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’ that had the opposite effect to what was intended in Deuteronomy 4:5-8!

Since Jesus had openly denounced the utter hypocrisy that the ‘traditions’ of Judaism had produced, God’s people today, his Church, the Bride of Christ, has often over-reacted so that we are so busy trying to be ‘relevant’ and ‘non-judgemental’ in our culture that in many cases it is very hard to see any difference between the life-style of the world and the life-style of Christians.  The world says it’s OK to engage in sexual activity outside the covenant of marriage, so why shouldn’t we do the same?  The world wants every day of the week to be the same, so why shouldn’t we?  Why set aside one day in seven for corporate worship and spiritual reflection so that the world might notice our God is honoured and trusted?

In his high-priestly prayer Jesus indicated that we are to be “in the world but not of the world” (John 17:14-16), and the Apostle Paul elaborated on this in Romans 12:2 and 1 Corinthians 6:20; but what distinctive evidence is there that we appreciate the importance of being ‘different’? – which, in fact would make us more relevant!  Adopting such a worldview and living it out in practice is anything but popular, or even acceptable, but the opposition is exactly what Nehemiah himself experienced, as people seeking to live godly lives have also experienced ever since – and Jesus gave us ample warning that this would be the case! (cf John 15:18; 1 John 3:13).  And let us remember Nehemiah’s little ‘add-on’: God is quite capable of turning cursing into blessing!

– Bruce Christian