Perfume and Gold!!!
Those Who Have Eyes To See!!
Those Who Have Ears That Hear!!
I was greatly displeased and threw all Tobiah’s household goods out of the room. Nehemiah 13: 8
Nehemiah was a foreshadowing of the Messiah-Jesus to come.
That we would see who He was and what He would do for mankind.
Nehemiah came to Jerusalem and cleansed the temple.
A man-Tobiah- was living in the priest’s rooms.
Tobiah was not a priest and was abusing the office, the space, making it a secular space.
So Nehemiah came and removed Tobiah, throwing him with his secular things out of God’s temple.
When Jesus came, one of the things He did was cleanse the temple.
He took cords as a whip, moving all the animals for sale out of the temple courts and knocking over the money changers’ tables, kicking them all out.
He removed the secular from the temple.
Which is show that He would restore all people to holiness.
Nehemiah also foreshadowed that the Messiah would rebuild God’s Kingdom and how He would do it.
For Nehemiah came and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
He led people in the same mission, rebuilding Jerusalem.
He had perfumers and gold workers and people of every walk of life, doing construction work, rebuilding the physical walls of this Holy City.
Which gave people unity, order, and safety.
He then returned people back to God and His ways.
God specifically mentions vocations of two rebuilders in Nehemiah’s time.
A perfumer and a goldsmith.
Perfumers are people who work with oils, making pleasing smells.
It more of art not hard labor job.
But God is letting us know, that a fragrant offering, a pleasing aroma, was part of the rebuild of His Kingdom.
Which in Leviticus is always a sacrifice, an offering on the altar of the Lord.
That the rebuilding of the Holy Kingdom of God would require a sacrifice.
Which came through Jesus Christ on the cross.
And gold workers, goldsmiths were specifically mentioned too.
Which also was more of art skill, less of hard labor.
So why mention them specifically?
Because throughout the Bible, gold is faith.
And it’s our faith in Jesus Christ, the Jewish Messiah, our faith in His sacrifice, His fragrant offering, that would rebuild this Kingdom of God.
So Nehemiah foreshadowed that a sacrifice and faith would be required to rebuild God’s Kingdom.
Which is what Jesus our Messiah brought!
Jesus gave up His life on the cross.
This paid for Adam and Eve’s disobedience in Eden— that had led all of mankind to have disobedient hearts towards God.
His payment on the cross, that loosed forgiveness on earth to all mankind.
Now we just receive our forgiveness, our new hearts, by believing, and speaking that He is the Lord.
All who believe, are now the newly rebuilt Kingdom of God.
No longer just a physical space.
But now a spiritual eternal place in the hearts of those who believe.
That we now have unity, for we have one mission, one purpose, to build the Kingdom of God under Jesus.
That we now have order, for we have One Leader. the Jewish Messiah, Jesus.
That we now have safety, for Jesus His offering paid for eternal death, and we will now live forever, under His protection.
That we now have been given new hearts that are turned to follow God and His ways, making us holy.
May we know that we know that we know everything in the Bible testifies of Jesus, the Messiah, Who He was going to be, Who He is, Who He will be and What He offers all mankind.
May we know that we know that we know He offers all mankind His pleasing aroma sacrifice that we be part of this eternal Kingdom of God forever.
May we know that we know that we know we can all have this faith that is required to receive this unity with God, this right order of our hearts, the safety for all eternity having life forever, and walking in God’s life giving ways that bring us physical and emotional healing today, by just calling on Jesus and asking Him to be our Lord.
love kathlynn