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In Christ, Mark
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
Also, in those days the nobles of Judah were sending many letters to Tobiah, and replies from Tobiah kept coming to them. For many in Judah were under oath to him, since he was son-in-law to Shekaniah son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berekiah. Moreover, they kept reporting to me his good deeds and then telling him what I said. And Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me.
After the wall had been rebuilt and I had set the doors in place, the gatekeepers, the musicians and the Levites were appointed. I put in charge of Jerusalem my brother Hanani, along with Hananiah the commander of the citadel, because he was a man of integrity and feared God more than most people do. I said to them, “The gates of Jerusalem are not to be opened until the sun is hot. While the gatekeepers are still on duty, have them shut the doors and bar them. Also appoint residents of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some near their own houses.”
Now the city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it, and the houses had not yet been rebuilt. So my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials and the common people for registration by families. I found the genealogical record of those who had been the first to return. This is what I found written there:
These are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken captive (they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town, in company with Zerubbabel, Joshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum and Baanah):
The list of the men of Israel:
the descendants of Parosh 2,172, of Shephatiah 372, of Arah 652, of Pahath-Moab (through the line of Jeshua and Joab) 2,818, of Elam 1,254, of Zattu 845, of Zakkai 760, of Binnui 648, of Bebai 628, of Azgad 2,322, of Adonikam 667, of Bigvai 2,067, of Adin 655, of Ater (through Hezekiah) 98, of Hashum 328, of Bezai 324, of Hariph 112, of Gibeon 95, the men of Bethlehem and Netophah 188, of Anathoth 128, of Beth Azmaveth 42, of Kiriath Jearim, Kephirah and Beeroth 743, of Ramah and Geba 621, of Mikmash 122, of Bethel and Ai 123, of the other Nebo 52, of the other Elam 1,254, of Harim 320, of Jericho 345, of Lod, Hadid and Ono 721, of Senaah 3,930
The priests: the descendants of Jedaiah (through the family of Jeshua) 973, of Immer 1,052, of Pashhur 1,247, of Harim 1,017
The Levites: the descendants of Jeshua (through Kadmiel through the line of Hodaviah) 74
The musicians: the descendants of Asaph 148
The gatekeepers: the descendants of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita and Shobai 138
The temple servants: the descendants of Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth, Keros, Sia, Padon, Lebana, Hagaba, Shalmai, Hanan, Giddel, Gahar, Reaiah, Rezin, Nekoda, Gazzam, Uzza, Paseah, Besai, Meunim, Nephusim, Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur, Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha, Barkos, Sisera, Temah, Neziah and Hatipha
The descendants of the servants of Solomon: the descendants of Sotai, Sophereth, Perida, Jaala, Darkon, Giddel, Shephatiah, Hattil, Pokereth-Hazzebaim and Amon
The temple servants and the descendants of the servants of Solomon 392
The following came up from the towns of Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon and Immer, but they could not show that their families were descended from Israel: the descendants of Delaiah, Tobiah and Nekoda 642
And from among the priests: the descendants of Hobaiah, Hakkoz and Barzillai (a man who had married a daughter of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by that name).
These searched for their family records, but they could not find them and so were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. The governor, therefore, ordered them not to eat any of the most sacred food until there should be a priest ministering with the Urim and Thummim.
The whole company numbered 42,360, besides their 7,337 male and female slaves; and they also had 245 male and female singers. There were 736 horses, 245 mules, 435 camels and 6,720 donkeys.
Some of the heads of the families contributed to the work. The governor gave to the treasury 1,000 darics of gold, 50 bowls and 530 garments for priests. Some of the heads of the families gave to the treasury for the work 20,000 darics of gold and 2,200 minas of silver. The total given by the rest of the people was 20,000 darics of gold, 2,000 minas of silver and 67 garments for priests.
The priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the musicians and the temple servants, along with certain of the people and the rest of the Israelites, settled in their own towns.
Nehemiah 6:17-19, 7:1-73a
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
In his heart to select men of integrity
In his heart to account for the people of Jerusalem.
As Chapter 6 closes, Nehemiah’s faithful attachment to God and His provision and protection bore fruit. For the enemies of Israel surrounding Jerusalem found themselves afraid and out of confidence after they realized the labors of the Israelites invested in rebuilding the walls and gates protecting the holy city were “done with the help of God.” (v16). And although Tobiah continued to try and intimidate Nehemiah through the letters he sent back and forth to Judah’s nobles, they had no impact on Nehemiah’s leadership.
As Chapter 7 opens, we read where the “wall had been rebuilt” around Jerusalem and the doors had been set in place. Additionally, Nehemiah had appointed the “gatekeepers,…musicians and…Levites.
He also made one major assignment, placing his brother Hanani “in charge of Jerusalem” along with “Hananiah the commander of the citadel.” Scripture tells us that Hanani wasn’t selected because he was a family member of Nehemiah but rather “because he was a man of integrity and feared God more than most people do.” To the leadership and people of Jerusalem, Nehemiah, the governor of Judah (see 5:14), issued the following orders:
“The gates of Jerusalem are not to be opened until the sun is hot. While the gatekeepers are still on duty, have them shut the doors and bar them. Also appoint residents of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some near their own houses.”
Now fortified by the newly rebuilt walls and gates, scripture tells us Jerusalem was “large and spacious” with “few people in it” mostly because “the houses had not yet been rebuilt.” We get a sense that Nehemiah didn’t have a good account of how many Israelites he had back in the holy city because we read where God put “it into (Nehemiah’s) heart to assemble the nobles, the officials and the common people for registration by families.” The remainder of Chapter 7 details the accounting and the “genealogical record of those who had been the first to return”, a document found by Nehemiah.
We could get bogged down in the numbers and names of who was in Jerusalem but I think God is speaking to us in this passage about the importance of listening for His guidance and then acting on it when we receive it. We can learn a lot from Nehemiah regarding what God expects from us as we seek to serve Him daily.
God had placed it on Nehemiah’s heart to perform a registration of families and Nehemiah responded in obedience, doing exactly what God wanted. We have to think that it was God who led Nehemiah to appoint his brother as the leader of Jerusalem, a man of integrity (an extremely important trait for any leader in God’s eyes) and a man who feared God. What better man to lead God’s holy city than a man who respected and revered the One who deemed the city holy.
Yes, God had placed many things in Nehemiah’s heart and Nehemiah’s obedience had led the people of Israel out of the ashes of ruin and into a holy renaissance.
As we enter into the new year, we can all expect that God is ready to place many things in our hearts as well as He seeks to guide and lead us toward His will for us. How will we respond to what He places on our hearts? Will we, like Nehemiah, react in full obedience and then watch as the rewards of that obedience are played out on God’s grand stage of life? Or will we place our own selfish desires ahead of God’s, doing what we want to do and ignoring His call?
Ask yourself what God would want us to do. I believe you will find every time that He wants us to listen to what He puts in our heart. Let’s commit to do just that in the days and years ahead.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
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