I n Nehemiah chapter thirteen, the temple of God is ill-used by wicked and negligent Israelites, and falls into disarray during the absence of Nehemiah. Among other things, the priest prepares a room in the temple for the wicked Tobiah, and the Levites are denied their portions. When Nehemiah returned, he wasted no time in setting things right: driving Tobiah out, cleansing the rooms, and returning to the Levites their portions and duties. What is the lesson that can be gleaned from this? Jesus Christ refers to Christians themselves as “the temple of God,” so this chapter can be directly applied to us. The Holy Spirit is our “Nehemiah”—getting us back on track and putting us back together when we fall back into our old nature. When we succumb to sin—which we all too often do—we are just like the Israelites, giving away the rooms of God’s temple to wickedness and neglecting the righteous duties assigned to us. But the Holy Spirit always rushes back at us with the guilt-inflicting ...