The Green Forest tribune., 1917-12-14

Nehemiah remained in Jerusalem twelve years from B. c. Al to B. c. 432 He was then recalled and was in Persia some years, perhaps five or seven, but returned about B. c. 425, the year ArtaXerXes died, for we know that he returned by permission of that king. Therefore, the date of this les son would be sometime in the summer or early autumn of 426 or 427 E. C., 16 or IS years following last Sundays lesson.
 In the section, w. 10-14, we see that the gifts for the house of God and the Levites, who led in worship, had been neglected. Whenever the house of God and it's service of worship is neglected, we may expect that the Sab bath day and the worship of God will also soon fall into contempt. Ezra has dropped out of our history without hint as to his end. He may have re- turned to Babylon, seeing that his work was completed, or have been re- called by the king. Perhaps he brought back information to Nehemiah at the Persian court, of the declension which had already started in the city of Jeru- salem Three times in this chapter the word remember" is emphasized. Perhaps that offers q suggestion as to our outline
 |. "Remember" (v. 14) the Neglect of Gods House. (vv. 1-14). The neg feet of Gods house grew up out of the incursion of heathenism into Jewish life Nehemiah realized that the pur- ity of the race depended upon absolute separation from the mixed multitude. (v 3. Nehemiah also confronted the difficulty of having priest ,(vv. 4, ), who had defiled himself and also desc crated the temple, and finally the DOT tion for the support of the priest and the temple worship had been withheld. (v. 10). This was the state of things with which Nehemiah had to contend.
 II. Remember" (v. 12) the Sab- bath Day. (vv 15-22). Nehemiah's next and most difficult reform was re- garding the fourth commandment. He at once set about to learn the facts; then relates what he saw (v. 15). The record also tells how he testified against them in that they were selling merchandise on the Sabbath day. He contended with the nObleS that they had done evil on the Sabbath day. (v. ID. He testified against them that the merchants and sellers of ware had lodged about and within Jerusalem. (vv. 20, 2I. The root of the trouble with Judah was that they forgot Gods word and followed the devices and de- sires of their own hearts. The Jewish Sabbath in It's outward form on the exact day of the week is not binding upon Gentle Christians (Col. 2:16, ID. It was given to Israel as people, Deut. I, D. as a memorial of their deliverance out of the land of Egypt and the house of bondage. Oeut. Q :6). The Christian. by the death of Christ, is made dead to the letter of the law of Moses, Oeut. ' Al, but the prin- ciple of the Sabbath is older than even | the law of Moses and is as binding upon the Christian believer as are the many other principles which underlte the Mosaic law. In it's exact form, the seventh day. the observance of the | SdDDdLn DeltuSS tO lilt olu pitti thu not to the Christian order. Christ, who i rose from the dead Rom. 7:4), rose on the first day of the week, and we, | as joined to Christ, are not under ob- | Iigations to the Mosaic law, but to | Christ. Therefore, the Lords day, the resurrection day. the first day of the week. (Rev. 1 10; John 21 20; 1:19- l 3, hnu of not of obligation and is more sacred to us than the Sabbath day of these Jews. The Jews in Nehemah's time showed their contempt of the Lords day by making it a day of profit, hence this exhortation which we see set forth in this section. This should be wafn- ing and an exhortation to us in these days of a secularized Sabbath.
 III. "Remember" (v. 29) the Holy Priesthood. (vy. 23-3D. In this section we see that the priesthood had even defiled themselves with women, and again this Nehemiah entered upon a cleansing process, (vv. 30-3D. The use of this word remember" in verses IA, % and % gives strong emphasis to the | tllFPP tuItllidl SluS dSctiiiob NHiNli NJ hemiah was battling.
 w. Summary: AS In Nehemiah's time, so now, Sabbath dissertation Is the surest road to national ruin, and a large proportion of our present calam- ity can be traced to growing irrever- ence for the Lords day. Jesus swept away the cobwebs of Sabbath irrever. ence, but did not tear down the house, He kept the principle, but removed the barnacles with which the Pharisees ana Jews had encountered it. Jesus taught that the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath, (Mark 2 :27 2S), and he set himself as nn example in this regard, for he is Lord of that day as well as the other days of the week.
 The Sabbath is a day of rest and fl observed, workmen without exception will produce more than is possible if it is not observed. Recent confirmation of this principle can be found in the report of the British ministry of muni. lions. To observe te Sabbath or any other divinely ordained principle tends to prosperity q Tiyh. 4:s).
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