Remember Me
Words of Faith 9-3-26
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2026
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Nehemiah 13
[15] In those days I saw men in Judah treading winepresses on the Sabbath and bringing in grain and loading it on donkeys, together with wine, grapes, figs and all other kinds of loads. And they were bringing all this into Jerusalem on the Sabbath. Therefore I warned them against selling food on that day. [16] Men from Tyre who lived in Jerusalem were bringing in fish and all kinds of merchandise and selling them in Jerusalem on the Sabbath to the people of Judah. [17] I rebuked the nobles of Judah and said to them, "What is this wicked thing you are doing—desecrating the Sabbath day? [18] Didn't your forefathers do the same things, so that our God brought all this calamity upon us and upon this city? Now you are stirring up more wrath against Israel by desecrating the Sabbath."[19] When evening shadows fell on the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I ordered the doors to be shut and not opened until the Sabbath was over. I stationed some of my own men at the gates so that no load could be brought in on the Sabbath day. [20] Once or twice the merchants and sellers of all kinds of goods spent the night outside Jerusalem. [21] But I warned them and said, "Why do you spend the night by the wall? If you do this again, I will lay hands on you." From that time on they no longer came on the Sabbath. [22] Then I commanded the Levites to purify themselves and go and guard the gates in order to keep the Sabbath day holy.
Remember me for this also, O my God, and show mercy to me according to your great love.

         What would you like to be remembered for? It is an interesting question. Of all the things that Nehemiah did— the rebuilding of the walls, the resettling of Jerusalem, the leading of a revival, the social reformation of the people— there were only three things that he asked to be remembered by God. 1)Restoring the integrity of the tithes to support the Temple. 2) Restoring integrity to the Sabbath. 3) Calling the people to spiritual integrity in their families.

        When Nehemiah returned from his trip to Persia, he found that the commitment of the people to the Sabbath had not held very well. We can understand. It is difficult when there are financial needs just to set aside that seventh day to honor the Lord. But Nehemiah did not “understand”. It was a compromise that infuriated Nehemiah.

        There is some humor in the description of his response. He said: If you do this again… I will "lay hands on you". We get the idea that it was not a prayer meeting that Nehemiah had in mind. But how much can you do to keep people from backsliding?

        Today in Israel, the Sabbath is observed with rigid austerity in many neighborhoods. Barricades go up at sundown on Fridays to prevent anyone from driving in the Orthodox neighborhoods. The barricades actually may be more to protect a lost driver than anything else.   Driving in an Orthodox neighborhood on Shabbat can draw an angry “Nehemiah like” response.

        The truth is, we cannot legislate the Sabbath or very many other religious rules at all. Shabbat is ultimately something we must honor in our hearts. Shabbat is a time we must choose in our lives because we honor God and the rhythm of life He designed, not because we fear the Nehemiah "laying on of hands".

         What are the truths here? Perhaps we would say: Dear brother Nehemiah, people only change their actions when their hearts are changed. Dear brothers and sisters of Jerusalem, the more you choose to do business with the world, the more they will be waiting outside your gate.

         Dear friends, the answer is not in the rules. The answer is in the Sabbath Rest in Him. Rest in His grace, not in the keeping of laws. Remember me for this also, O my God, and show mercy to us all according to your great love.

       Lord, the rules have never made me holy. So I rest today in Your grace alone that You shall make me holy with Your righteousness. Give me integrity always to choose You over the profit offered outside the city gates. Help me to find my Sabbath in You. In Jesus' name, Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2025
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2025 Jeffrey D. Hoy.