Is Tobiah in Your Temple?

The Old Testament book of Nehemiah recounts the story of the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem after the Israelites had been taken captive. Nehemiah was cupbearer to the Persian King, Artaxerxes. Nehemiah had been told that the people of Jerusalem were in great distress because the wall of Jerusalem was broken down and its gates burned with fire. He reacted to this news by mourning, fasting and praying. He confessed the sins of Israel and beseeched God to keep His promise to restore those who would return to Him and keep His commandments. God answered his prayer through King Artaxerxes by allowing Nehemiah to return to Judah. The king also sent letters to the governors of the provinces along with officers and horses to protect Nehemiah on his journey. The book goes on to recount how the wall of Jerusalem was rebuilt amid much opposition.I will probably explore some of that subject in later posts, but I wanted to focus on something I had never taken notice of in my earlier readings of the book.One of the main people who opposed the building of the wall was a man named Tobiah the Amonite. Nehemiah 2:10 says, "When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Amonite official heard about this, they were very much disturbed that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites." Not a very friendly greeting. Repeatedly throughout the book there are references to Tobiah and others attempting to thwart the work. In Nehemiah 4:3, Tobiah is quoted as saying, "What are they building-even a fox climbing up on it would break down their wall of stone." Now for the part I had never noticed before. Nehemiah had returned to King Artaxerxes. While he was away from Jerusalem, Eliashib, the High Priest, had prepared a room in the Temple for Tobiah the Amonite! Nehemiah 13:5 states that Eliashib, "had prepared a large room for him, where formerly they put the grain offerings, the frankincense, the utensils and the tithes of grain, wine and oil prescribed for the Levites, the singers and the gatekeepers, and the contributions for the priests." So, here was their enemy who had repeatedly tried to thwart their plans, LIVING IN THE TEMPLE! Nehemiah came back to Jerusalem, threw Tobiah and his belongings out of the Temple, had it cleansed and the articles of worship restored. When I read this passage I was flabbergasted! Why on earth would the priest allow Tobiah to live in the Temple? Apparently they were related by marriage somehow, but still...how did Israel's enemy end up living in a chamber that was supposed to be reserved for the articles of worship? As I chewed on this for a while, I started thinking about I Corinthians 6:19-20, "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies." This made me think of the "Tobiahs" that we allow to take up residence in our Temples. What is it that occupies the places in our minds and hearts that should be dedicated to our worship of God? God deserves our wholehearted devotion, not bits and pieces of us. For a long time the Tobiah in my temple was anger and bitterness. I had made an idol of happiness. Instead of keeping my eyes on Jesus and choosing to dwell in the shelter of the Most High, I focused on me. Now, I would try to pass it off as hurt and disappointment and deceive myself for awhile, but God would always bring me to the place of recognizing it as sin and repenting of it. It took me a long time, however, to completely throw that Tobiah out. There are so many things that we can allow to take up residence, we have to always be on our guard against the devil's schemes. I Peter 5:8 says, "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." We need to take our focus off ourselves and keep it on Jesus. We need to ask God to shine His light into our lives and show us our sins. Then we need to repent, not just once but daily-sometimes hourly if we're honest. We also need to be filled to overflowing with His living water so there's no room in our temples for Tobiah. Let's pray with the Psalmist, "Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Psalm 139:23,24