Godly Company
And one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was a son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite; therefore I drove him from me… because they have defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites. – Nehemiah 13:28-29
In continuation of our meditation on leadership lessons to be learned from Nehemiah, our focus today shall be the essence of having a godly company and doing away with those in the habit of deliberately violating the tenets of God.
Nehemiah was busy with chastising the Levites and the priests who had disobeyed the instruction of God by marrying from nations they were forbidden to take spouse from. We read how he was in fits while addressing the errant people and helping them to realize the enormity of their offense. Then, he was hit with a bombshell, one of those standing by him, Joiada, the son of the high priest, was also guilty of taking a wife from one of the pagan countries. As if that was not bad enough, he actually married the daughter of the man who was a standing enemy of the Jews, Sanballat the Horonite.
Sanballat was one of the leading detractors of Nehemiah when he started the work of rebuild which he went to do in Jerusalem. He was among those who had sworn that the work would not progress and who did everything they could to destabilize Nehemiah and those doing the work. Therefore, for the son of the high priest, who was the spiritual leader of the people and who should be sworn to the strictest adherence to God’s command, to have so flagrantly violated the law of God was the height of disregard.
Once Nehemiah got to know about this, he wasted no time in driving Joiada away from him. He would neither countenance such a fellow in his company nor have anything to do with someone who has wantonly “defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites.”
This proves that as far as God is concerned, there is no two-way with Nehemiah. He does not have need for diplomacy or nicety either. With this disposition he agreed with David who affirmed that he was only fond of those who fear God and keep His precepts (Psalm 119:63).
One of the burdens of leadership is the need to be nice and diplomatic. However, the compulsion to be politically correct can often land one into a greater trouble with God than the smaller human trouble a leader is trying to avoid. Nehemiah with his uncompromising attitude and stance where God’s matters are concerned provides a worthy template for any conscientious leader to follow. It is pertinent to note that this route may not be popular. But bear in mind that one with God is a majority.
You Will Succeed in Jesus Name!
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