The book of Nehemiah doesn’t end the way we might expect. After the victory of rebuilding the wall and a national spiritual renewal, chapter 13 brings us into deeply uncomfortable territory: everything falls apart.

In Pulling Our Hair Out, Pastor Kelly Kinder unpacks the closing chapter of Nehemiah and what it reveals about the fragility of human faithfulness. It’s not a fairytale ending—it’s a real-world snapshot of what happens when we stop tending to our spiritual lives.

While Nehemiah was away, spiritual compromise crept back in. The temple was misused. Ministry was neglected. The Sabbath was disregarded. Marriages were defiled. Nehemiah didn’t ignore it—he confronted it with courage and clarity.

Kelly walks us through the four areas Nehemiah had to clean house:
1. Compromise in Purity
An enemy of God, Tobiah, had been given residence in the temple. Nehemiah threw him out—literally. It’s a powerful image of what it means to cleanse our lives from subtle spiritual compromises.

2. Neglect in Giving
The Levites and temple servants weren’t being supported, so they left their ministry posts. Nehemiah restores order and calls the people to recommit their resources. It challenges us to consider whether we’re faithfully supporting God’s work.

3. Disregard of the Sabbath
The people had returned to doing business on the day God had set apart for rest and worship. Nehemiah shuts the city gates and calls the people to honor what God designed for their good.

4. Defilement of Marriage
Intermarriage with foreign nations had diluted their spiritual identity. Nehemiah’s response is intense—but so is the danger of spiritual compromise through unaligned relationships.

Kelly doesn’t sugarcoat it: spiritual decline is rarely sudden—it’s usually subtle. Like a tire with a slow leak, you don’t notice the danger until you’re stuck. That’s why vigilance matters.

The final words of the book—“Remember me, O my God, for good”—are a humble reminder that even the most faithful leaders need grace. And that grace is found not in our performance, but in Christ, the perfect covenant-keeper.

If you’ve noticed a spiritual leak in your life, this message invites you not to shame, but to restoration. God is ready to meet you where you are—and rebuild what’s been compromised.

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