Sermon Tone Analysis

15 In those days I saw in Judah people treading winepresses on the Sabbath, and bringing in heaps of grain and loading them on donkeys, and also wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of loads, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day.

And I warned them on the day when they sold food.

16 Tyrians also, who lived in the city, brought in fish and all kinds of goods and sold them on the Sabbath to the people of Judah, in Jerusalem itself!

17 Then I confronted the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this evil thing that you are doing, profaning the Sabbath day? 18 Did not your fathers act in this way, and did not our God bring all this disaster on us and on this city?

Now you are bringing more wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath.”

19 As soon as it began to grow dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut and gave orders that they should not be opened until after the Sabbath.

And I stationed some of my servants at the gates, that no load might be brought in on the Sabbath day.

20 Then the merchants and sellers of all kinds of wares lodged outside Jerusalem once or twice.

21 But I warned them and said to them, “Why do you lodge outside the wall?

If you do so again, I will lay hands on you.”

From that time on they did not come on the Sabbath.

22 Then I commanded the Levites that they should purify themselves and come and guard the gates, to keep the Sabbath day holy.

15 In those days I saw in Judah people treading winepresses on the Sabbath, and bringing in heaps of grain and loading them on donkeys, and also wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of loads, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day.

And I warned them on the day when they sold food.

16 Tyrians also, who lived in the city, brought in fish and all kinds of goods and sold them on the Sabbath to the people of Judah, in Jerusalem itself!

17 Then I confronted the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this evil thing that you are doing, profaning the Sabbath day? 18 Did not your fathers act in this way, and did not our God bring all this disaster on us and on this city?

Now you are bringing more wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath.”

19 As soon as it began to grow dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut and gave orders that they should not be opened until after the Sabbath.

And I stationed some of my servants at the gates, that no load might be brought in on the Sabbath day.

20 Then the merchants and sellers of all kinds of wares lodged outside Jerusalem once or twice.

21 But I warned them and said to them, “Why do you lodge outside the wall?

If you do so again, I will lay hands on you.”

From that time on they did not come on the Sabbath.

22 Then I commanded the Levites that they should purify themselves and come and guard the gates, to keep the Sabbath day holy.

Nehemiah 13:15-22

Profaning the Sabbath Day (above)

God’s Unique Blessing to His People: the Rhythm of Work and Rest

Godly Work and Godly Rest

For God

2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.

3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.

For God’s Creation

10 “For six years you shall sow your land and gather in its yield, 11 but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave the beasts of the field may eat.

You shall do likewise with your vineyard, and with your olive orchard.

12 “Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your servant woman, and the alien, may be refreshed.

For God’s People

8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.

On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates.

11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day.

Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Look what God says next—God has just finished giving the Covenant of the 10 Commandments, explaining what He expects His people to do, then ends this passage with a final Command (we can call this the 11th Commandment):

13 “Pay attention to all that I have said to you

The word we translate from the Hebrew as “Pay Attention” means to stand as if on guard, to keep a watch.

Pay Attention (

What are we to guard?

God’s commandments.

What are we to guard against?

The not living out of God’s Commandments.

The military nature of this command is telling.

With rifle in hand, you stand at the gate ready to raise the alarm; With binoculars in hand, you stand on top the wall scanning the horizon for any enemy on its way to attack.

Pay attention.

Stand Guard.

Watch always.

The World’s Work and the World’s Rest

Godly Work First, then Godly Rest.

Godly Work

Is Your Work, Godly Work?

3 Ways to tell if your work is Godly work

Did you notice?

Godly work is the spirit you bring to work

Marcus Warner: the relationship is bigger than the problem

Godly Rest vs.

The Rest of the World

What is Rest?

Physical Rest & Spiritual Rest

Spiritual Rest

Entertainment vs. Edification

Sabbath Rest

Is Sabbath the Same as Godly Rest?

Profaning the Sabbath Day (above)

15 In those days I saw in Judah people treading winepresses on the Sabbath, and bringing in heaps of grain and loading them on donkeys, and also wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of loads, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day.

And I warned them on the day when they sold food.

16 Tyrians also, who lived in the city, brought in fish and all kinds of goods and sold them on the Sabbath to the people of Judah, in Jerusalem itself!

17 Then I confronted the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this evil thing that you are doing, profaning the Sabbath day? 18 Did not your fathers act in this way, and did not our God bring all this disaster on us and on this city?

Now you are bringing more wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath.”

19 As soon as it began to grow dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut and gave orders that they should not be opened until after the Sabbath.

And I stationed some of my servants at the gates, that no load might be brought in on the Sabbath day.

20 Then the merchants and sellers of all kinds of wares lodged outside Jerusalem once or twice.

21 But I warned them and said to them, “Why do you lodge outside the wall?

If you do so again, I will lay hands on you.”

From that time on they did not come on the Sabbath.

22 Then I commanded the Levites that they should purify themselves and come and guard the gates, to keep the Sabbath day holy.