“Don’t rent space to the enemy.”

I was rocked by this simple phrase from a recent sermon by pastor Justin Sweeney of New Life Church in Biddeford, Maine. He was teaching from the book of Nehemiah. You may remember that Nehemiah was in exile in Babylon when he heard of the ruinous state of the old Jewish capital of Jerusalem. Heartbroken, he asked for and was given permission to return for the purpose of rebuilding the city on the condition that, once the task was completed, he would resume his duties in the royal household. Upon his arrival, he was opposed at every turn by three angry and determined men—Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite, and Gershon the Arab—all leaders of hostile regional powers.

Despite fierce resistance, Nehemiah completed his task. He refortified the city, rebuilt the Temple, appointed leaders, and returned to Babylon, as he had promised. Some years later, he secured permission to revisit his homeland. What he found was shocking. Let’s pick up the story in Nehemiah chapter 13.

⁴ …”Eliashib the priest, who was appointed over the chambers of the house of our God, and who was related to Tobiah, ⁵ prepared for Tobiah a large chamber where they had previously put the grain offering, the frankincense, the vessels, and the tithes of grain, wine, and oil, which were given by commandment to the Levites, singers, and gatekeepers, and the contributions for the priests…

⁷ “…[When I] came to Jerusalem… I then discovered the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, preparing for him a chamber in the courts of the house of God. ⁸ And I was very angry, and I threw all the household furniture of Tobiah out of the chamber. ⁹ Then I gave orders, and they cleansed the chambers, and I brought back there the vessels of the house of God, with the grain offering and the frankincense.¹⁰ I also found out that the portions of the Levites had not been given to them, so that the Levites and the singers, who did the work, had fled each to his field.”

English Standard Version 

One of the very men who had done all in his power to disrupt the work of God was now renting space in the Temple! And if this wasn’t bad enough, the space he was renting was where the offerings meant for the support of the priests were to be kept. As a result, the people stopped tithing. With no means of support, the priests had gone back to farming, thereby neglecting the worship of God.

We can look upon this story with the benefit of hindsight and see the terrible downstream effects of the disobedience of Eliashib the priest in renting out space in the Temple to the enemy. But are we any better? What space have we given the enemy in our minds, in our habits, in our relationships, or in our homes? Have we given the enemy a place of residence that will have a devastating impact upon our own futures and that of our families?

Perhaps it is time that we follow the example of Nehemiah and cast out the enemy, cleanse the Temple, and restore God to His rightful place in our lives.