When The Cats Away
By Dr. Bill Rains, Senior Pastor | September 20, 2026
Father, thank You for this tremendous story in the Word of God of Nehemiah having to cleanse the house of God. Thank You for the lessons we learn from it. Help us to please You in all that we do. Give us listening ears and hearts that will apply, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
On September 20, 2026, Dr. Bill Rains, Senior Pastor, preaches When The Cats Away from Nehemiah 13:1-14. When godly leadership is absent, compromise and treachery quickly invade the house of God—yet courageous cleansing can restore what has been lost.
1. A Time of Commitment to Bible Teaching
On the day of the wall dedication the Scriptures were read, and the people discovered that the Ammonites and Moabites were forbidden from entering the congregation of God forever. Why? Because they had refused to help Israel with bread and water and had hired Balaam to curse them—yet God turned the curse into a blessing. When the people heard the law, “they separated from Israel all the mixed multitude.” Under Nehemiah’s leadership they did not argue with the Word; they obeyed it. The same question confronts us: Will the Word of God be our authority, or will we be our own authority? Scripture is clear about relationships—“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers” (2 Corinthians 6:14) and the call to separate even from those who claim to be brothers yet live in open sin (1 Corinthians 5). Commitment means we do what God says even when we do not fully understand or personally like it, because God knows best.
2. A Time of Compromise and Treachery in the House of God
While Nehemiah was away on business before King Artaxerxes, the high priest Eliashib allied himself with Tobiah—the proven enemy of God’s people—and prepared a great chamber for him inside the temple courts. The sacred vessels and tithes that belonged to the Levites, singers, and porters were pushed aside so an enemy could live in the house of God. The Levites and singers, unpaid, fled to their own fields. When the cat is away, the mice will play. In the absence of God-called leadership, things quickly go awry. Moses was gone only forty days and Aaron led the people into the golden calf. Familiarity can breed contempt; new leadership without the same love, tears, and sacrifice for the work of God often lowers standards, forms committees, and watches the anointing march out the door. The glory departs.
3. A Time of Cleansing in the House of God
When Nehemiah returned and understood the evil, “it grieved me sore.” He cast out all the household stuff of Tobiah, commanded the chambers to be cleansed, and brought back the vessels of God with the meat offerings and frankincense. He contended with the rulers—“Why is the house of God forsaken?”—gathered the people, restored the tithes, and appointed faithful men over the treasuries. Anything cannot be allowed in the house of God. Tobiah has become pastor of too many churches today. The temple of God is also our body, heart, soul, and mind. We need regular cleansing. Even if we have little, we must offer our best to the Lord who came from glory, walked among sinners, and suffered on the cross for us.
When godly leadership is absent, compromise creeps in.
But when a Nehemiah returns, the house of God can be cleansed again.
Will we keep the standards, or will we let the mice play?
Dr. Rains closes with a personal challenge: Lord, I want a heart that is willing to do something special, something extra for You. I never want to degenerate to where just any old thing will do before a holy God. Let us offer our best—because He is worthy.
