Bad Endings

“Remember them, O my God, because they have desecrated the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites… Remember me, O my God, for good.” – Nehemiah 13:29, 31b

“Well-constructed plots, therefore, should neither begin nor end at an arbitrary point.” - Aristotle

We have come in Nehemiah 13 to the end, chronologically speaking, of the historical events of the Old Testament, and it’s a real downer. This is evident on even a superficial read: there is a glorious climax with the temple and wall of Jerusalem rebuilt, the law rediscovered and covenant restored—the story of Ezra-Nehemiah (which were intended to be read as a single book and presented as such in the oldest manuscripts) should really have ended there. But in the final chapter, we learn that Nehemiah returns from a work trip to find that the people have already broken the covenant. They have desecrated and forsaken the temple and the Levites, profaned the Sabbath and intermarried. Worst yet, Nehemiah appears to lose it, cursing the people, beating them and tearing out their hair.

But the disappointment runs deeper. To see this, we have to go back to the beginning. Ezra 1:1 tells us it all began “that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled.” When you place Ezra-Nehemiah against the backdrop of Jeremiah 25-33, you realize there is an overarching theme against which the story is told. It is seen in this phrase that occurs over and over in Jeremiah, translated “reverse the plight” or “restore the fortunes” (30:3, 18; 31:23; 32:44; 33:7, 11)—the prophecy and promise that God will bring everything bad back to how it was supposed to be. How he will truly restore his people. And in Ezra-Nehemiah, we see this in the restoration of place, building, wall, worship. But Jeremiah also promises that God will make a new covenant that includes writing his law on the hearts of his people who can then truly know and obey him (31:31-34), and it is here that the story in Ezra-Nehemiah falls short. The people remain addicted to covenant-breaking. In fact, the words “remember them” in judgement and “remember me” in mercy echoes the prayers of the exiles in captivity. They may be back in Jerusalem, but they are still captives.

The devotional I happened to read with the kids this morning was entitled “Already… But Not Yet!” Sally Lloyd-Jones writes, “We are living in between Already and Not Yet. Jesus has already rescued us from the punishment of sin. We are forgiven and free! But the world is still broken. We still sin. We still die. Things still aren’t the way they are meant to be. One day—but not yet—Jesus is coming back again. Not as a baby this time, but as a King of the whole world. And then he will mend his broken world.”

Why does the historical story of the Old Testament end on such an abysmal note? Because the answer is not Ezra, or Nehemiah, just as it was not Moses or David or Josiah. It was not the inherent will or self-control of the people. They all fell short; we all fall short. The answer is Jesus. And even now, knowing so much more than the Israelites did then, we still live like them in a not-yet, in a place that requires faith and a wait of unknown duration. In this place, we cling to the promise we know to be true, that one day Jesus will return and all will be restored as it was meant to be.