Road Trippin With Rachael

Different words and phrases are going to mean different things to different people depending on their context. Nuance also matters as a part of this discussion. When we are talking about our commitment that we are called to have to God for the purposes of this post, I am are speaking in general terms and I am gearing my discussion primarily towards the life as a whole. To be clear, this is not a treatise meant for any specific life stage, nor is is a discussion that is for a specific group of people – it is a list of general principles that can be applied regardless of life stage, income, or background.

As we go through Nehemiah 10, I believe that there are 5 areas we are called to be committed to God in: protecting our homes, trusting God to provide, giving him our best, being open to being used by him, and doing what we can to provide for ministries.

Protecting the Home

As I begin to write about protecting the home, I can almost hear the grunts of agreement that come from gun owners. Absolutely nothing wrong with owning guns – my father owns them – but that is not going to be what I am getting at here. What I am going to be talking about is the application of protecting our homes spiritually. Lest we begin to think of in terms of me on the hippy side, rest assured, that is not where I am going with this part of the blog.

Where I am going, is that we are responsible for what we allow to come into our homes. Each family and each person needs to wrestle with what they are going to consider to be appropriate. with regards to Nehemiah we see this in 10:30 -“We will not give our daughters in marriage to the surrounding peoples and will not take their daughters as wives for our sons.” I’ve said it before and I will now reiterate – this was not a statement about wanting to avoid the marrying of different ethnicities, it was about the religious practices that would be brought into the marriages. And here is where we begin to look more closely at what protecting the home means.

To really explore why Nehemiah brings this up we need to go back to Moses. In Deuteronomy 7:1-4, we are given the rationale for why the Hebrew people were instructed not to intermarry.

1 “When the Lord your God brings you into the land   you are entering to possess,   and he drives out many nations before you — the Hethites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, seven nations   more numerous and powerful than you  — 2 and when the Lord your God delivers them over to you and you defeat them, you must completely destroy   them. Make no treaty with them and show them no mercy.   3 You must not intermarry with them, and you must not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons,   4 because they will turn your sons away from me to worship other gods.   Then the Lord’s anger will burn against you,   and he will swiftly destroy you.

If we jump forward to the New Testament we see Paul instructing the Corinthians that they are not to be yoked with unbelievers (II Corinthians :14). This is because if two people do not have a solid foundation of faith in God, then they will be pulling in two separate directions – going nowhere, or breaking the cart they are pulling. The Hebrews were instructed to marry those who had the same faith in Yahweh, (regardless of these ethnicity) because then they were pulling in the same direction. We see examples of this is Joshua with Rahab, Ruth, and Tamar – all women who were not Hebrews, but all women who heard and responded to God and became a part of the lineage of Jesus Christ. When two believes are married, it is far more likely that they are going to be pulling together, instead of pulling in opposing directions.

But Scripture doesn’t stop there when it comes to protecting the home. As we use Nehemiah as our jumping off point, we can go back to II Chronicles 34:1-7. At various times, God had positioned different kings to lead the people in revival – bring them back to the covenant relationship. Most notably this is seen with King Josiah (II Chronicles 34). Although the people were lead by the leaders (both the kings and the priests into sin), what cemented idolatry into the culture of the people was that it became present in the home. Whenever something is in the home and becomes a natural part of the day to day it doesn’t matter what outside forces are added or removed – this is something that is in the home. If we think back to examples outside scripture, we see this all the time in society. For example, if a child grows up seeing their parent (mom or dad) drink or do drugs, it is likely the son or daughter will struggle with the same issues; as will their children, and so on and so forth. The cycle continues even though the dangers of excessive drinking and drug use are widely publicized and talked about (outside influencers). Although the cycle can be broken, it takes an incredible amount of willpower to overcome the wiring a person is raised with. Likewise, as with idolatry if it is a consistent part of the home generation after generation, even with periodic revivals and the Hebrew people returning en-mass to God, idolatry has permeated the home and breaking the cycle takes more determination and faith. Christians are called to protect themselves and their families by gatekeeping what they allow into the home. Be this shows, reading materials, pictures, language, or even thoughts. This does not mean that you are opposed to ideas that may be different from yours, but what it does mean is use discernment on what both you take in and what you (if you are a parent) allow your children to take in. Make sure that it is age appropriate and that it is discussed.

*As a side note, I firmly believe that parents need to foster an environment where their children believe that they are able to come to them with questions, and not be judged for asking. There is also something to be said for age-appropriateness. What might not be allowed for the seven-year old is fine for the 17-year old. Use discretion and be willing and able to have conversations with kids, teens, and young adults so that they are comfortable coming to ask those questions when they arise.*

Finally, regarding the home – faith isn’t something that only happens on Sunday mornings, or whenever a person/family chooses to attend; it should be a part of the home. Bringing the previous two ideas together (being equally yoked and guarding what comes into the home) means that an individual’s faith and relationship with God is personal and is being lived out daily in the home. The Western flavor of Christianity tends towards extremes: either faith is deeply personal and it isn’t shared at all, OR it is a part of a public persona. Neither is healthy. Yes, faith needs to be public. We are not called to hide our faith, and are actually called to gather together so that we can worship corporately (Hebrews 10:25), edifying each other (I Thessalonians 5:11), and be iron sharpening iron (Proverbs 27:17). We are also called to take responsibility for our own faith and relationship with God (Jeremiah 32:38, Daniel 6:10, & Romans 10:13). Faith cannot be passive, but must be active and if you are a parents, modeling faith needs to be a part of your homelife so your children will also see it.

Rely on God to Provide

As we continue to explore commitment to God, another area of commitment is relying on God to be the provider as we see in 10:31.

Now as a caveat, because there will be someone out there who is going to say that this means they can sit around all day and all their needs are going to be met or that Rachael is advocating for socialism – no. God does provide for our needs, and he can make what we need appear out of seemingly nothing, but the majority of the time he is going to provide by giving us ways to have those needs met. II Thessalonians 3:10 has Paul reinforcing this regarding the church providing for able bodied individuals who weren’t working; if someone is unwilling to work, they don’t eat.

Now back to the main point…

We see several examples throughout scripture of how God both proves that he is the provider, but also how we are to remember that he provides. If we jump ahead to the New Testament, Matthew 6:28-32 has Jesus posing the question – “Look at the flowers and the fields. They have everything that they need to live, and they are beautiful to the eye. Solomon had beautiful robes, but the flowers are even more beautiful. If God can do all this for plants, don’t you think he will also provide for you?” (Paraphrased, mine). This doesn’t mean that there won’t be moments when it is hard. It doesn’t mean that we don’t have to work. It doesn’t mean that we are going to get everything that we want. It means that God provides what is needed.

This theme is carried further by taking a look back to Exodus. In Exodus 16 the Hebrew people were complaining that they needed food, and they complained loudly. God’s answer to them was that he was going to give them manna from heaven, and eventually he would also provide them with quail to eat. To be fair, the Hebrew people did not know how long they would be in the wilderness and I’m sure that they were probably getting low on food considering how quickly they left Egypt. The problem with the situation was not that they were hungry, it was that they were complaining that they should have died with the Egyptians or stayed in Egypt, because at least they had bread.

With all the things they had seen God do, from plagues to opening up the Red Sea for them to walk across dry land to seeing a pillar of smoke by day and fire by night, they have the nerve to say they should have remain slaves in Egypt. This was the problem here. God had provided a means of leaving Egypt in a spectacular show of his glory, and he was about to provide for them again by providing them with bread. But God is faithful to provide for the needs of the people. He heard them, in all their angriness, and he still provided for them.

It is one thing to know that God provides, and it is a different thing to deliberately remember what God has done. This is why Exodus 20:8-11 has God telling the people to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. It isn’t that we shouldn’t do any form of work, but it is to be a reminder that God provides for us week in and week out. We know that if we have been doing the work God has us to to provide for ourselves and our family, that he is going to continue to make sure that it is still there for us. The table and well won’t be empty. In the same way, we celebrate the Lord’s Supper (I Corinthians 11:17-34). It is meant to be a remembrance of what God has done – he gave us the perfect lamb (Jesus) who died in our place, even though we deserved the penalty for our sins, and he did it to reconcile us to himself. We get to remember what it was that God did and how he has provided us with a way to be in fellowship with him.

Give God Their Best

An additional commitment that we, as Christians, make to God is that we are going to give him our best. We see examples of this is 10:32. Now, let’s keep this in perspective; the Hebrews were giving and eighth of an ounce of silver – that sounds like it is not that much, but when you consider how much that was at the time that this was being written, and what the worth of silver and gold was at the time when trading of goods was the primary form of commerce. This was a significant amount of money for each family to contribute to the running of the temple. So what does that mean for us today?

Today, modern believers can look at this and see that it demonstrates two things: faith and reliance on God. Regarding faith, we can look to Acts 4:36-5:11. The Church that was in Jerusalem, which had formed after Pentecost, was made up of believers from all different walks of life and socio-economic backgrounds. Yet, they were all coming together to read the scriptures, to eat together, and they gave what they had to help support one another. This indicates that there were wealthier Christians giving what they had, and poorer Christians giving what they were able to give. This can be more or less. What I can give as a single individual on one income will look different from a married couple with children and a single income, to a married couple without children and both working.

We see this as being faithful, but it is also an example on trusting that God is going to provide as we discussed in the previous section. If you want to dive further into this concept, I suggest that you back and read about the widow’s mite (Mark 12:41-44 and Luke 21:1-4). This is a perfect example of someone giving the very best that they had and doing so faithfully. Even when we give all that we have to give, we can rest on the assurance that God is going to make sure that our needs are going to be met. Although scripture doesn’t go into what happened with the widow after she gave her offering, we have other examples we can look to. I Kings 17:7-16 records the account of the widow feeding Elijah. During a famine where a woman only had barely enough to make a final meal for herself and her son, Elijah the prophet came and asked for a meal. The woman, whether from being hungry for hope or faithful to God, makes Elijah this small loaf of bread. Scripture records that she had flour and oil for all the rest of the famine. By being faithful with a little and trusting Elijah when he said that God would provide, she saw her needs met.

Twinned together are these two concepts of faithfulness and trust. Each by itself is giving only part of your best to God. But they cannot truly be separated. To give God your best is to have faith. To have faith is to trust that God is going to provide for your needs. To trust that God will provide for your needs is to be free to give the best that you have. It all works together.

Let Themselves be Used by God

We have cast lots among the priests, Levites, and people for the donation of wood by our ancestral families at the appointed times each year. They are to bring the wood to our Gods house to burn on the altar of the LORD our God, as it is written in the law. (Nehemiah 10:34 CSB)

Here we open with a reminder that we are all able to be used by God for his purposes. How we are used can look different. When we come to Christ, we are all blessed with spiritual gifts – these gifts are meant to build up the church (I Corinthians 12). This can mean that they serve the local church, the church at large, or even that a particular gift really benefits individuals in a one: one capacity. Even though these gifts are for the Church, they are ultimately meant to be for Christians to do God’s work. This results in, what I consider to be, two main things: that Christians are to be actively involved in the Great Commission, and that all Christians are called to be ministers of the Gospel.

Let’s explore the Great Commissions first. Found in Matthew 28:18-20 and Act 1:8, Jesus commands his followers to go out (both locally and globally) to share who God is, what he has done, and to invite them to have faith in what Christ has done to save them from their sins reconciling them to God. If they come to faith in Christ they are to have trinitarian centric baptism (baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). Mind you, I said we are to be actively involved with the Great Commission, but I did not say that each person had to be a missionary that plants a church or goes oversees. There are certainly those who are called to do that vocationally, but the vast majority of Christians are called to serve in other capacities, and their spiritual gifts support this. In fact, I would say that most Christians are called to reach people locally, than are called to reach people globally on a daily basis. Now, that is just my thoughts on that matter. As someone who grew up in church, I have definitely felt the pressure of being a missionary to go overseas. It was a wrestling match with myself to realize that was not how I was gifted, nor was I called to that. My gifting lies more in the administration/teaching realm, and, for the moment, has shown to be most effective in a local capacity. During my seminary years I had a professor, Dr. Morlee Maynard, who posed the question – and it has become one that I have mauled over in my mind in the years since, “What if 20% of Christians are called to do 80% of the service in the local church, because 80% of Christian are called to do work outside of the church?” I don’t have an answer to the question, but I do think it is worth considering in the context of how each Christian is called to participate in the Great Commission.

Second, let take a look at how each believer is called to be a minister of the Gospel. Now this is not meant to become an argument for or against women in ministry – that is a hot topic at the time that I am writing this – but it is meant to get each of us thinking about how each believer is empowered by the Holy Spirit to share the Gospel. Consider the principle from Deuteronomy 7:6a (CSB)- “For you are a holy people belonging to the LORD your God.” Although directed to the Hebrew people at Mount Sinai, the principle still rings true – we belong to God. If we have the Gospel, and we know how good it is to belong to God, shouldn’t we want to share that with others? Holy can also mean “set apart.” If all believers have been set apart, that means that there is a mission we are meant to accomplish, and that mission is to fulfill the Great Commission. Or consider that “the people [God] formed for [himself] will declare [his] praise” (Isaiah 43:21 CSB). Christians are called to declare God’s praise. Another way to say declare is to proclaim. To proclaim means that we are saying it loudly with confidence, not ashamed or in hiding. Is that not how we are to share the Gospel? The same sentiment can be made by looking to I Peter 2:9. We’ve been called out of darkness, and it is our calling to proclaim what God has done. This directive is given to all believers. As such, each believer needs to take responsibility as proclaimers (ministers) of the Gospel, utilizing their gifts to do so.

Provide for Vocational Ministers

Nehemiah, as a way of showing the showing their commitment to God, also calls the people to support their priests (Nehemiah 10:34-39). I know I just got through stating that all believers are called to be ministers, but I also said we are to use our gifts the way that God calls each of us individually, and that means that there are those individuals who are called to serve the local churches, or a missionary, vocationally. In other words, it is their job/career path that they have devoted themselves to. Hear me out, I do not think that an employed minister should make more money than their average parishioner; nor do I think we should underpay them and use “ministry takes sacrifice” as justification for it. Ministers/Directors/Pastors who are working vocationally should be paid a fair wage for the agreed upon hours they work.

Scripture is clear that those who are called to minister vocationally should be able to have their basic needs met. Exodus 29:28 and Leviticus 2:3 both from the Old Testament address the fact that the priests and Levites needed to be able to have food to eat. Some of it was a part of the ceremonial law, but some of it was also so they could provide for themselves. The Levites did not have land of their own, but were scattered amongst the other Hebrew tribes, where they were able to farm and raise livestock when they were not in the middle of their service. Just to be brutally honest, someone who is in ministry full-time should never have to be on food stamps. I know individuals in ministry who have lived like that; they were not paid a fair wage for the work that they were doing or for the time they were working. For those who are bi-vocational, of course they won’t be receiving a paycheck from the church that is equal to that of a full-time employee – but that doesn’t mean that they should be underpaid for the work they are doing.

Additionally, – and I say this because we live in a world that has sin in it whether someone be a Christian or not – honest work deserves honest pay. A worker should be worthy of the wages that he is receiving (Luke 10:7). And if he or she is not doing honest work to provide for their family and meet their needs, then they do not deserve what they are getting and don’t deserve the title of Christian (I Timothy 5:8). It would be lovely if we lived in a world where we could trust people to work the time that they agree to, and see that they are producing results and/or quality work. But we don’t. Although ministry is different from a corporate job, it is still necessary for a church to be good stewards of the money God has entrusted them with, and I see nothing wrong with a church asking a pastor (whether full-time or part-time) to account for how their time is being used, and mutually agreeing to how results will be tracked – after all, we are dealing with people. I’ve unfortunately known church employees (both ministers and staff) who could not account for the time, or shows positive outcomes/results for the time they claimed to be working – consistently. I would say that they were not worth their wages. That doesn’t mean things wouldn’t change for them – I genuinely think that it was a maturity thing and a lack of guidance by a mentor, – but it does mean that at that moment, as an employee, they were a discredit to the term Christian.

Final Thoughts

As we read through Nehemiah 10 we are confronted with commitments that Nehemiah calls the people to make to God. Failure to protect their homes was largely what got them into the mess of idol worship. This was caused by the influence intermarrying Canaanites brought who didn’t have faith in the LORD, and today this can still be caused by allowing ourselves to unequally yoked (married) to someone who isn’t a Christian. It results in two individuals pulling in different directions and going no where. The Hebrew people and future Christians are reminded that God is our provider. He provided for the Hebrews while they are in the desert, and he still provides ways to meet the needs of people today. Sure, that might mean getting a different job, cutting back on activities, or getting creative with entertainment, but needs can be met and that is what we are promised. Believers are called to give their best. Giving the best means that there is faith that God will continue to provide which allows you to give your best. It creates a circle that we can comfortably rest in. Christians, we are called to be actively involved in the work of God. This is done through the spiritual gifts God blesses us with, along with our own natural abilities. These things allow us to engage in and fulfill the Great Commission, and each believer serves as a minister to that end. Finally, as we are giving a supporting the local church and those who serve vocationally, we are called to hold them accountable to do the work they are paid to do, and to pay them a fair and living wage.