Nehemiah found financial problems

We are talking about permissiveness, or compromise, that can creep into our lives and that Nehemiah found on his return to Jerusalem. He'd been to Persia and came back to find some issues that needed to be addressed. We looked yesterday at matters of compromise in our faith - we saw that the people of Israel had accepted the actions of the priest in allowing Tobiah to set up housekeeping in the temple.
Actions have consequences, no?
Yes!
This second issue was connected to the first one . . .
Since the high priest had moved Tobiah into the temple, there was not enough room for the people's offerings and tithes.
This set off a chain reaction that is described in our chapter. Here is the catalyst:

Before this, Eliashib the priest had been put in charge of the storerooms of the house of our God. He was closely associated with Tobiah, 5 and he had provided him with a large room formerly used to  store the grain offerings and incense and temple articles, and also the tithes of grain, new wine and olive oil prescribed for the Levites, musicians and gatekeepers, as well as the contributions for the priests. (Nehemiah 13:4-5)

Now, Tobiah more than likely had a wife, so they would have needed to have a kitchen area set up, not just Tobiah's couch and recliner. She may have been a cook of some renown, so kitchen utensils and serving items would have been required. All of these things take up room.
If young kids were still part of the family, they would have needed places to sleep, places to store their musical instruments for their lessons, places to study their assignments, etc, etc. Maybe all of this is why the other verse mentions another room being given over to Tobiah, as well.

The chain of reaction continues: there is not enough room now for the offerings and the tithes. If we look back at chapter twelve, we remember there was a system for taking care of those who ministered within the temple:

At that time men were appointed to be in charge of the storerooms for the contributions, firstfruits and tithes. From the fields around the towns they were to bring into the storerooms the portions required by the Law for the priests and the Levites, for Judah was pleased with the ministering priests and Levites. . . So in the days of Zerubbabel and of Nehemiah, all Israel contributed the daily portions for the musicians and the gatekeepers. They also set aside the portion for the other Levites, and the Levites set aside the portion for the descendants of Aaron. (Nehemiah 12:44,47)

Here's the next step in the slide of finances: since there were not enough storerooms for the tithes, the priests simply told the people they were not required to bring in the tithes. No storage room? Just don't bring in the first fruits, the offerings, or even the tithes to take care of the helpless in the community.
Not only did this undermine the people's faith, because they were no longer giving to God and to those who needed help:

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,    when it is in your power to act. (Proverbs 3:27)

. . . . but it made it impossible for the Levites and musicians to minister in the temple.  They were starved out! They had no choice but to go and work in the fields to support their families -- and then their temple duties were neglected.

I also learned that the portions assigned to the Levites had not been given to them, and that all the Levites and musicians responsible for the service had gone back to their own fields. (v. 10)

So, Eliashib set off a chain of events that had some very significant consequences!

To apply this to our lives, spiritual permissiveness often spreads from one area of our lives to another. It begins as a tiny thing, something that we consider fairly unimportant -- the tiny trickle then widens and grows as compromise spreads in our thinking and our actions. If we are not careful, it can become a huge torrent!
Now, we are not under the law of the tithe, as we have discussed before. We are to give as the Lord has prospered us.

On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. (I Corinthians 16:2)

However, it's easy to see how permissiveness can affect our giving. When we have allowed compromise in, we may begin to see our giving as a chore, instead of a privilege. We may begin to think of all the fun things that we could buy with that money, and grow resentful, instead of giving cheerfully.

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (II Corinthians 9:7)

The prophet Malachi was confronting the people at this time -- he told them they were robbing God by not bringing in their offerings.

You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.  (Malachi 3:9-10a)

Nehemiah sure found things in a mess when he returned!
We'll continue studying to see a couple more problems that he found -- and then we will see how he solved these problems!