Nehemiah 13:1

Nehemiah 13:1 says, On that day they read in the book of Moses in the audience of the people; and therein was found written, that the Ammonite and the Moabite should not come into the congregation of God for ever;  I don’t believe that this means there are certain people who can never be saved.  I believe that this refers more to people with the same attitude that the Ammonites and the Moabites had. 

Verse two adds, Because they met not the children of Israel with bread and with water, but hired Balaam against them, that he should curse them: howbeit our God turned the curse into a blessing.  The Ammonites and the Moabites had opposed the people of Israel, even paying a false prophet to prophesy against them.  People who do this today will be kept from being a part of God’s people, unless they repent and accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord. No one who accepts Jesus Christ as their Savior is barred from God’s kingdom simply because of where they were born or who their parents might be. 

Verse three continues, Now it came to pass, when they had heard the law, that they separated from Israel all the mixed multitude.  We are then told that when the people heard the Law that they separated the people of Isreal from those who were of mixed heritage.  We cannot be a part of God’s kingdom if we try to come God through anything other than accepting the gift of salvation by putting our faith in Jesus Christ alone.  We need to separate ourselves from anyone who proclaims anything else. 

Verse four states, And before this, Eliashib the priest, having the oversight of the chamber of the house of our God, was allied unto Tobiah:  Eliashib the priest oversaw the great chamber, and he was allied with Tobiah in this.  Tobiah was related to Eliashib by marriage first and then by friendship according to Matthew Henry and Eliashib took him in as a boarder, which was not in accordance with God’s law.  He also says that Eliashib’s grandson had married Sanballat’s daughter and he was still proud of that fact, and this was part of his reason for taking in Tobiah, who was also of that family.  We need to make sure that we don’t ally ourselves with non-believers when we are doing God’s work, especially if it is expressly forbidden by God’s word. 

Verse five adds, And he had prepared for him a great chamber, where aforetime they laid the meat offerings, the frankincense, and the vessels, and the tithes of the corn, the new wine, and the oil, which was commanded to be given to the Levites, and the singers, and the porters; and the offerings of the priests.  Eliashib took a great chamber that had been used to store the offerings given to the Levites and gave it to Tobiah.   Eliashib as the high priest should have been setting a good example for the people of Israel, instead he was giving an Ammonite a place of importance in the Temple while doing away with the purpose that the chamber was intended for.  Matthew Henry says that walls of some of the smaller chambers were torn down to make a larger chamber for Tobiah.  We should never ally ourselves with non-believers and give them a place of importance in doing God’s work.