In those days I saw in Judah some treading winepresses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading them on asses; as also wine, grapes and figs, and all manner of burdens; and they brought them into Jerusalem on the sabbath day; and I protested in the day on which they sold the victuals.
Nehemiah returns to Jerusalem after time away. He finds the city hard at work on the day God had set apart for rest — winepresses running, donkeys loaded, goods hauled in through the gates. How could a people who had just promised to keep this law drift so far, so fast?
Verse 15 opens with "in those days." That ties it to a failure already exposed earlier in the chapter. The Levites had left their work because the people stopped supporting them. One writer treats the two failures as cause and effect:
They had lost all sense of God's claims about His house. It was only natural that they would also neglect the holiness of the seventh day. God had commanded them to keep that day ever since He redeemed them out of Egypt. He tied it to every covenant He was pleased to make with His people Israel. So breaking the sabbath was the sign that they had gone far in backsliding — that they were in fact close to abandoning God altogether. Here they were sinning against both light and knowledge.
Why did this one command matter so much? One writer shows what made it different from the other nine:
The Sabbath was the essential ordinance of the law. It was the only one of the Ten Commandments that was not based on a moral question. It was simply the expression of the will of God and of His Word, who had instituted this commandment. It served as "a sign between God and the children of Israel" throughout their generations. Keeping it was a matter of simple obedience. There were no reasons drawn from conscience to appeal to. That is where its enormous importance lay.
The same writer sets this failure beside another one, and calls this the worse of the two:
In happier days, moved by first love, the people had done much for the Levites. They soon abandoned it. About the Sabbath they had forgotten something even more serious. They had made a solemn promise to keep it when the covenant was renewed.
One pressure drove both the people of Judah and the foreign traders among them:
Concern for their own affairs and the chase for profit had turned the Jews aside from this great commandment. As a result they let foreigners, men of Tyre, do the same. Their comfort and their standard of living made room for these transgressions. They reached the point where they profaned the sabbath themselves. With an eye to their own gain, they let the men of Tyre profane it too.
All this came after a real spiritual revival. One writer traces the collapse to something that stopped while Nehemiah was away:
We are sure that while Nehemiah was away, no one read the law of God any more. Otherwise they could not have fallen into this evil. All declension begins with the neglect of the Word of God.
He confronted the nobles, then shut the city gates from evening before the sabbath until it was over. The gates he had laboured to rebuild were the point:
But he does not stop at this reproof; he closes the gates of Jerusalem before the sabbath. He had restored those gates at the cost of so much perseverance. What use were they if they stayed open to evil and transgression? He deals with the evil in a straightforward way, and this is how the authority of God works when we let it direct us. It does not compromise when respect for the Word is at stake.
Does any of this bind Christians today? One writer answers by turning to the Lord's day and to our motive for using it:
I do not mean that we are under the sabbath law. What I do say is this: we need grace. The day of grace ought to be at least as important in our eyes as the sabbath was to the man under law. It would be a very sinful thing if we used the Lord's day for our own selfish purposes. The Lord's day has a character of holiness beyond the sabbath day, and a claim of grace on all the children of grace. We are certainly to use it in the spirit of grace and freedom. But to use it for self is not to use it for Christ.
- Neglect — while Nehemiah was away, no one read the Word. Every other collapse followed from there.
- Drift — first they forsook God's house. Then the day that belonged to Him went the same way, a sign they were close to abandoning Him.
- Motive — comfort and profit made room for the sin. The same appetite let outsiders trade in the city.
- Sign — the sabbath tested pure obedience. It rested on God's will and word, not on anything conscience could work out.
- Action — Nehemiah did not stop at a rebuke. He shut the gates. Guard the Lord's day the same way, since using it for self is not using it for Christ.
Men of Tyre also dwelt therein, who brought fish and all manner of ware, and sold it on the sabbath to the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem.
The trouble Nehemiah found was not an army at the wall. It was a market inside it. Foreign traders had settled in Jerusalem and were doing business with God's people on the sabbath. How did a city that had just sworn to keep God's law end up with an open market on the one day set apart to Him?
The sabbath was not one rule among many. Nothing in a person's conscience would have suggested it. That set it apart from the other nine commandments.
The Sabbath was the essential ordinance of the law. It was the only commandment among the ten words which was not based on a moral question. It was simply the expression of the will of God and His Word, who had given this commandment. It served as a "sign between [God] and the children of Israel" throughout [their] generations. Keeping it was a matter of simple obedience. No one could appeal to reasons drawn from conscience. That is exactly where its great importance lay.
Buying from the men of Tyre was more than carelessness. The people had promised to keep this very day when they renewed their covenant with God.
On one side, the people had quickly given up what they once did for the Levites in happier days, when first love moved them (Neh. 12:47). On the other side, they had forgotten something even more serious about the Sabbath. They had solemnly promised to keep it when they renewed the covenant! (Neh. 10:31).
The verse names the sellers as foreigners. The buyers were "the people of Judah." One writer traces the chain: Judah's own appetite for gain came first, and only then did they make room for the traders.
Care for their own affairs and concern for profit had turned the Jews aside from this great commandment. So they let foreigners, men of Tyre, do the same. Their comfort and the conveniences of life made room for these sins. In the end they profaned the sabbath themselves, and for the sake of their own profit they let the men of Tyre profane it.
Another writer admits the arrangement was convenient, then calls it what it was.
The people were breaking it themselves. They let "men of Tyre" and others trade with them, even in Jerusalem itself. Very convenient, no doubt — but an open and shameless breach of the law.
This was not the first failure Nehemiah found on his return. The people had already let the house of God go. One writer sees the sabbath market as the next step down.
They had lost all sense of God's claims on His house. It was only natural that they should also neglect the holiness of the seventh day… So profaning the sabbath was the sign that they had drifted far back, and were in fact on the edge of turning away from God altogether. In this they were sinning against both light and knowledge.
Where did the slide start? Another writer points to what had stopped while Nehemiah was away.
We are sure that during Nehemiah's absence the law of God was no longer read, or they could not have fallen into this evil. All declension begins with the neglect of the Word of God.
Nehemiah's answer was direct. He had built those gates himself, and he knew what they were for.
But he does not stop at this reproof; he closes the gates of Jerusalem before the sabbath (v. 19). What was the use of the gates he had rebuilt with so much patient work, if they stayed open to evil and wrongdoing? He deals with the evil in a straightforward way, and this is how the authority of God proceeds when we allow it to direct us. It does not compromise when it is a question of maintaining respect for the Word.
Commentators are careful here. The sabbath law is not laid on Christians — yet the pull toward using a holy day for self is exactly the same pull.
Now I do not mean to say that we are under the sabbath law. What I do say is that we need grace. The day of grace ought to be at least as important in our eyes as the sabbath was to the man of law. It would be a very sinful thing, beloved brothers and sisters, if we were to use the Lord's day for our own selfish ends… We are to use it in the spirit of grace and freedom. But to use it for self is not to use it for Christ.
- Sign. The sabbath rested on God's will alone, not on moral reasoning. That is what made keeping it a test of simple obedience.
- Slip. The decline began when they stopped reading the Word. The market was the symptom, not the disease.
- Sold. Concern for profit turned Judah aside first. Only then did they let the men of Tyre trade in the city.
- Shut. Nehemiah shut the gates he had worked so hard to build. Walls are worthless if they stay open to evil.
- Self. The Lord's day carries a claim of grace; using it for self is not using it for Christ.
And I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said to them, What evil thing is this which ye do, profaning the sabbath day?
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.
Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us and upon this city? And ye will bring more wrath against Israel by profaning the sabbath.
Nehemiah returns to Jerusalem and finds the Sabbath treated like any ordinary trading day. He confronts the nobles with their own history: the sin that once ruined this city is back, and the men repeating it know how it ended.
The people were not stumbling in ignorance. One writer shows why this particular sin marked how far they had fallen.
They had lost all sense of God's claims about His house. It followed naturally that they should also neglect the holiness of the seventh day. God had commanded them to keep it from the time He redeemed them out of Egypt onward, and He tied it to every covenant He was pleased to make with His people Israel. So profaning the sabbath was the sign that they had gone far in backsliding — that they were in fact close to apostasy. In this matter they were sinning against both light and knowledge.
Nehemiah points back to the fathers for a reason. One writer pictures a son to show why a repeated sin deserves a heavier punishment.
Suppose a child has grown up knowing his father's dishonour, and hearing of his disgrace and punishment. If he had any right feeling, would not that sin be hateful in his eyes above all others? The public example of his father's evil ways would always be before him. But suppose the son made light of it and used it as encouragement to walk the same path. Is it not just that a still more severe punishment should fall on that son?
Nehemiah does not start with the traders. He goes straight to the nobles, and one writer sees the same pattern in the neglect of God's house.
The rulers were in question over the forsaking of the house of God. In the same way, the nobles are at the head and front of the offence over the sabbath. In both cases the source of the evil was in those who ought to have been examples to the people. It is always so in times of general decline, since only the leaders can draw the mass after them into sin. But this very fact made Nehemiah's task all the harder. Single-handed he had to contend with the very men he had a right to count on to support his authority and influence.
The slide came after a real revival. One writer traces it to what stopped while Nehemiah was away.
The decline had set in after the spiritual revival. The slackness in keeping the Sabbath was one more evidence of it… We are sure that during Nehemiah's absence no one read the law of God any more, or they could not have fallen into this evil. All decline begins with the neglect of the Word of God.
Another writer names the motive behind the slackness.
Concern for their own affairs and for profit had turned the Jews away from this great commandment. As a result they tolerated foreigners, men of Tyre, doing the same. Their comfort and the pleasant things of life accommodated these transgressions. They reached the point where they profaned the sabbath themselves, and, with their own profit in view, allowed the men of Tyre to profane it.
Nehemiah does not stop at the warning. One writer follows him from words to action.
But he does not stop at this reproof; he closes the gates of Jerusalem before the sabbath. He had rebuilt the gates at the cost of so much perseverance. What use were they if they stayed open to evil and transgression? He deals with the evil in a straightforward way, and this is how the authority of God works when we let it direct us. It does not compromise where respect for the Word is at stake.
So does the sabbath rule bind Christians today? One writer answers plainly.
They were under law: why were they not keeping the law? Under grace today we have no such obligation, for the Sabbath is not given to us. Rather, the Lord's Day, the first day of the week, is a special day in some sense. It was the day the Lord Jesus was raised from the dead. It was also the day the disciples gathered to break bread (Acts 20:7)… No law demands it. But we should be thankful for this opportunity, and seek to give the Lord every honour we can, apart from any law requiring it.
- Light. They sinned against both light and knowledge. That is why this sin showed how close they were to apostasy.
- More. A generation that knows how God judged its fathers, and copies them anyway, deserves a heavier judgment.
- Leaders. The nobles stood at the head of the offence. In every general decline, the leaders draw the crowd after them.
- Cause. Decline starts where people neglect the Word of God; profit and comfort keep it going.
- Action. Nehemiah rebuked, then shut the gates. God's authority does not compromise about respect for His Word.
And it came to pass, that when it began to be dark in the gates of Jerusalem before the sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut; and I commanded that they should not be opened till after the sabbath. And I set [some] of my servants at the gates, so that no burden should be brought in on the sabbath day.
Nehemiah returns to Jerusalem and finds the day of rest turned into a market day. He does more than complain. He shuts the city and posts guards at the gates. It raises a question we still face: when ordinary business eats away at something holy, what does faithfulness look like?
Nehemiah had already argued with the leaders. Here he moves from argument to action. One writer presses the point about the gates he had worked so hard to rebuild.
But he does not stop at this rebuke. He shuts the gates of Jerusalem before the sabbath (v. 19). What good were the gates he had rebuilt with so much hard work, if they stayed open to evil and wrongdoing? He deals with the evil directly. This is how the authority of God works when we let it guide us. It does not compromise when respect for the Word is at stake.
A wall keeps people out. A gate decides who comes in and when. Shutting the doors at dusk was the gate doing its proper work.
The gates of a city are just as important as the wall, and even more so. They can be opened to let the people of the city come and go. But they can also shut out anything foreign, sinful, infectious, or criminal that tries to settle inside. The gates close at night to keep the citizens from going out at the dangerous hour, and to keep out anything that goes against the city's laws.
No one announced a decision to abandon the day. It slipped away through business. Once the people were trading themselves, they had no ground to stop the traders from Tyre, a trading city on the coast.
Looking after their own affairs and chasing profit had turned the Jews away from this great commandment. So they let foreigners, the men of Tyre, do the same. Their comfort and easy living made room for these wrongs. In the end they broke the sabbath themselves, and for the sake of their own profit they let the men of Tyre break it too.
Another writer traces the problem further back. Nehemiah had been away, and so had the reading of God's law.
We are sure that during Nehemiah's absence the law of God was no longer read, or they could not have fallen into this evil. All decline begins with the neglect of the Word of God.
Commentators differ on how directly this verse transfers to Christians. Some link Nehemiah's closed gates to the way believers guard the first day of the week. They tie it to the neglect of meeting together.
When God's house is abandoned, the Sabbath will be treated as common. Instead of keeping it for the Lord, the people used it to serve their own business interests, and it became an ordinary day. In our day, those who neglect God's Assembly will have little respect for the Lord's Day. If, like Nehemiah, we have the Assembly of God at heart, we will make sure we shut the gates against everything that would pull us away from the Lord's service on the Lord's Day (19).
Others say the command Nehemiah enforced is not one Christians are under. The motive now is thanks, not duty.
They were under law: why were they not keeping the law? Under grace today we have no such obligation, because the Sabbath is not given to us. Instead, the Lord's Day, the first day of the week, is special in some sense. It was the day the Lord Jesus rose from the dead, and the day the disciples gathered to break bread (Acts 20:7). ... No law demands it. But we should be thankful for this chance and seek to give the Lord every honor we can, even with no law to require it.
The merchants pushed back, so Nehemiah's answer became a standing arrangement. The Levites, the tribe set apart for service at God's house, took over the watch.
The merchants were determined to sell their goods as soon as possible, so they came and camped outside the walls overnight. When this happened once or twice, Nehemiah warned them that he would arrest them if they came again. So they did not try it on the Sabbath again (v. 21). Then Nehemiah told the Levites to purify themselves and guard the gates on the Sabbath day (v. 22). He was not only dealing with that question on that one occasion. He saw that it would take constant watchfulness to hold back people's greed.
The same pressure still waits outside, and one writer's advice is simple and personal.
Then beware of the men of Tyre, who will offer their tempting goods in front of the wall. Keep the gates shut — oh, keep the gates closed. Let nothing come in to break your rest in Christ — your joy in God.
- Root. All decline begins with neglect of the Word of God. Nehemiah was away, the law went unread, and the day was lost.
- Rebuke. Nehemiah argued with the nobles first. But he did not stop at words.
- Gate. A gate shuts out what is infectious and against the city's law. Gates rebuilt and then left open to evil are wasted work.
- Guard. First Nehemiah's servants at the gates, then the Levites. Traders camped outside the wall, so one closure never settled it.
- Rest. Keep the gates shut, so that nothing on offer outside breaks your rest in Christ and your joy in God.