“Remember me…O my God…[for] what I have faithfully done…” (Nehemiah 13:14).

“Some time later [Nehemiah]…came back to Jerusalem” (10:6b-7a). Had he been away months, years? However long it’s been, and it appears to have been years, the people have moved past the great rebuilding project and instead of a “happily ever after,” Nehemiah finds they have dramatically forsaken all the oaths they swore in 10:30-39. Tobiah, a foreigner who openly undermined the building project (2:10,19; 4:3,7-8), has been given living quarters in the Temple, by the priest. The people have made the Temple a place of commerce, used on the Sabbath not for worship but for buying and selling. They no longer support the Levites, and many Jews have intermarried. Without direction and motivation from Nehemiah or their priests (who are now having to work the fields for a living), they have abandoned all accountability to God. Do you find yourself wondering, "How could they? They saw God’s protection as they built the wall. Their hearts broke upon hearing the Law. They swore to follow its precepts." 

But don’t we also fail to keep our promises to others, to God?  Who keeps us accountable? Our bosses, parents, spouse, friends, small group? Who will arrest our slide into disobedience? Nehemiah knows the answer. He asks God to “remember” him for what he has done for the people (10:14, 22b, 29, 31b). We need others to motivate and encourage us, yes, but if it’s not our Bible, a Christian friend unafraid to call us out, and ultimately God, we will slide, too. 

Nehemiah angered plenty of people by dislodging Tobiah (13:8-9), banning the merchants (13:19-22), and berating his own people (13:25-28). We may anger others by insisting on godly behavior and that may deter us from speaking up, but we must remember our ultimate accountability. Our careers, family members, maybe even some possessions require our accountability. There’s nothing wrong with working, with sacrificing for our families, with buying and selling. But if these start to take precedence then we have pushed aside God for our own goals, not for His honor and glory. Nehemiah knows to Whom he is ultimately accountable, and Who deserves honor above all. Nehemiah doesn’t seek a political commendation, a plaque on the city wall, or financial compensation for himself. He wants God to “remember” him and his obedience in helping His people. 

Who’s your Nehemiah, pushing you, reminding you, maybe berating you to relocate yourself in seeking God’s approval above all? It is in Him - not your job, family, or possessions - that your best identity lies, your unshakable identity.