Nehemiah, Part 11: Zealous for Good Works
August 6, 2026 | by: Dale Thiele | 0 Comments
Posted in: Pastoral Encouragement
This summer the men are invited to study the book of Nehemiah with one of four groups that will meet twice per month. Nehemiah, however, has valuable truths for the whole church family. I will use this avenue to share some of my findings from studying Nehemiah.
In Titus 2:11-14 the apostle Paul reminds his young mentee about the goodness of Jesus Christ. He starts by saying that Jesus has brought “salvation for all people” (v. 11) and ends with “who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works” (v. 14). Jesus does not merely save us from sin, as awesome as that is, he also saves us for good works. Salvation is a complete transformation.
This last phrase, “zealous for good works,” is a good descriptor of Nehemiah. Certainly, he did not know Christ as revealed in the New Testament. But he knew God as a faithful and gracious covenant-keeping God, promising to redeem his people from their sin. And Nehemiah lived by faith, turning to God in prayer at every step. The book of Nehemiah closes by drawing attention to his zeal for good works, which ultimately is a zeal for the glory of God.
We are going to skim through chapters 11 and 12 today. When the wall surrounding Jerusalem was finished, we learn “The city was wide and large, but the people within it were few, and no houses had been rebuilt” (7:4). This issue is finally addressed in chapter 11, after the worship and covenant renewal service recorded in chapters 8-10. 11:1 states, “The rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to live in Jerusalem the holy city, while nine out of ten remained in the other towns.” The rest of the chapter records the names of the family heads who moved into Jerusalem, just over 3,000 families.
In chapter 12 we have a record of the priests and Levities who ministered in the temple. And then we read about the dedication of the wall in Jerusalem. Ezra and Nehemiah lead two groups of singers to travel along the wall in opposite directions, with both groups ending at the temple. 12:43 gives the summary, “And they offered great sacrifices that day and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and children also rejoiced. And the joy of Jerusalem was heard far away.” The people’s joy was rooted in seeing God’s hand provide for their needs.
Chapter 13 closes the biblical account of Nehemiah with a string of issues which Nehemiah confronts. There is an interruption in Nehemiah’s presence in Jerusalem. In 13:6 Nehemiah says, “I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I went to the king. And after some time I asked leave of the king and came to Jerusalem.” It appears that while Nehemiah was 1,000 miles away, moral conviction wavered in Jerusalem. There are four issues Nehemiah confronts when he returns, each revealing his zeal for good works.
First, he kicks Tobiah out of the temple chamber that was to be used for worship utensils (v.4-9). Eliashib the high-priest allowed Tobiah, one of Nehemiah’s enemies (see 2:10), to live in the temple. The worship of God was compromised by this accommodation.
Second, he found that Levites had “fled each to his field” because the people neglected to give their tithes (v. 10-14). The Levites had to get a “second job” to make ends meet. Nehemiah established new managers of the storehouses and ensured that the temple service would not be neglected.
Third, Nehemiah closes the gates of the city on the Sabbath to stop the unlawful buying and selling (v.15-22). He confronts the people by saying, “Now you are bringing more wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath” (13:18). Keeping the Sabbath demonstrated a humble dependence on the Lord.
Fourth, Nehemiah confronted the intermarriage with the people of Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab (v. 23-29). The concern was covenantal faithfulness. God warns in Deuteronomy 7:4, “they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods.” Nehemiah was zealous that the people remain faithful to Yahweh, the one true God.
Obedience to the law of God is good works. Nehemiah’s confrontation of the law-breaking in Jerusalem reveals his zeal for good works. What reveals your zeal for good works? If people looked at your life and activity, would they see a zeal for good works? Christ came to purify for himself a people who are zealous for good works.
