Eliaship's Abuse of Priestly Power

Prophets Faithfull to God's Covenant Prophets of Restoration Live in the light of God (Isaiah 2:5)    Nehemiah: The Captivy Cupbearer Rebuilds a Nation Nehemiah 13:4-9 New International Version 4 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. 6 But while all this was going on, I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon, I had returned to the king. Sometime later, I asked his permission 7 and came back to Jerusalem. Here I learned about the evil thing Eliashib had done in providing Tobiah a room in the courts of the house of God. 8 I was greatly displeased and threw all Tobiah’s household goods out of the room.9 I gave orders to purify the rooms, and then I put back into them the equipment of the house of God, with the grain offerings and the incense. For Reflection Stories about abuses of power in religious institutions abound in both the New and Old Testaments. Such narratives serve as a sign of the inherent power of religious institutions, their leaders, and the potential for the perversion of God's will. Such blasphemy is not triggered by fear. Instead, it usually occurs when life experiences are most comfortable and prosperous. Self-deceptive notions of independence begin to displace reliance on God. God fades into the past and is replaced by arrogant egoism. Pray Pray s0 that despite your perceptions that things are going well, you remain a faithful, obedient servant of God.  Pray so that you do not assume that you are the only cause of your success. Pray and remain humble. Forward to a friend