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Hello, my ‘Walking with Jesus’ friends,
I wonder if you’ve ever lived in a place where significant growth was happening to your city? Lots of new people, new houses, new businesses, new schools and churches etc. My wife and I have had that privilege several times and it’s exciting to see lots of new growth. But did you know city growth requires good city planning or rapid growth can become a mess very quickly! Back in Jerusalem, in 445bc, some city planning was underway and let’s join the process today.
Nehemiah 11 reports Jerusalem actually had a problem of too FEW residents and so a plan was put in place to invite one out of every 10 families who were living in the small villages and open areas OUTSIDE the city. Invite these families to what? To move INTO Jerusalem, to grow the population. You’ll recall Nehemiah had led the rebuild of the city wall to include some open space for new city growth!
In summary, Nehemiah writes: “The people commended ALL who volunteered to live in Jerusalem.” (Nehemiah 11:2) For some it was a sacrifice to leave the home they’d built out in the open country and move into ‘the city’! I wonder how you or I would have responded to that invitation?
While Nehemiah doesn’t give us the date, the next significant event which occurred in Jerusalem was the dedication of the great city wall, which you may recall was constructed by the people in only 52 days! Nehemiah 12:27-43 gives us a wonderful report of the events of that dedication day which included musicians and choirs!
The Levites led this great celebration with songs of thanksgiving and music of harps, cymbals and lyres. Musicians came from many villages around the region. Nehemiah organized this great event, and he gives us some details from his personal perspective.
“I had the leaders of Judah go up on top of the city wall. I also assigned two large choirs to give thanks to God. One choir was to proceed on top of the wall to the right to the Dung Gate, followed by a large group of leaders…Ezra the teacher of the Law led this procession…” (Nehemiah 12:31-37)
You’ll recall my friends that as Nehemiah led the reconstruction project rebuilding this city wall around Jerusalem, he made sure the wall was wide enough for warriors on top of the wall, and I suspect Nehemiah had this dedication day in mind and the large number of people in this procession on top of the city wall.
“The second choir proceeded in the opposite direction. I followed them on top of the wall, together with half the people – past the Tower of the Ovens, to the Broad Wall, over the Gate of Ephraim, the Jeshanah Gate, the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel and the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Sheep Gate…” (Nehemiah 12:38,39)
That detailed description gives us a glimpse of the vastness of the city wall the people had rebuilt around Jerusalem and the fact that almost every section had a gate or tower with a specific name. If you visit Jerusalem today, much of the old city still has a large city wall around it with gates and towers which gives you a clear understanding of what Nehemiah’s wall must have been like.
Nehemiah then joined the two choirs and led them up to the Temple of God in Jerusalem on this dedication march: “The two choirs that gave thanks then took their places in the house of God; so did I, together with half the officials, as well as the priests… with their trumpets…” (Nehemiah 12:40-42) From the days of King David, music was always central to such major events in Jerusalem designed to give God great thanks and praise. (1 Chronicles 15)
Nehemiah gives us these words as a summary overview of this great dedication day: “On that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy… The sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away.” (Nehemiah 12:43) Do you see the combination of worship music and sacrifice?
Nehemiah then records that he administratively organized other aspects of efficiency in how the Temple was cared for and the management of all the offerings and resources the people would bring to the Temple. (Nehemiah 12:44-47) Finally, Nehemiah made sure God’s Word was central to this great dedication day, as it had been with Ezra’s readings in the weeks previous. “On that day the Book of Moses was read aloud in the hearing of the people…” (Nehemiah 13:1)
Let’s pause right here. Nehemiah was sent by King Artaxerxes to Jerusalem with one initial grand task… lead the rebuilding of the city wall around Jerusalem. Nehemiah did that amazingly well, even though we have no record of Nehemiah having any organizational leadership role back in Susa at the palace of the king. Nehemiah was a cupbearer, remember?
But the account of Nehemiah shows me how God often works. Do you see it? The Holy Spirit of God anointed Nehemiah with great organizational skills, leadership gifts, motivational skills as well as great wisdom and discernment which could only have come from God all for the accomplishment of a wide range of leadership challenging tasks. I see no evidence Nehemiah was trained by the king for all these things, but God gave Nehemiah all he needed to meet the challenges facing Jerusalem in 445bc.
Now I urge us all to take great encouragement from this remarkable story of Nehemiah. Whatever life challenges are facing you, God understands it all. And if God has allowed those challenges and if your heart is fully committed to honoring God with your life, then you can expect God will do with you what He did with Nehemiah and Ezra and so many others.
Are you fully trusting God to do in you what HE knows you will need to face the practical challenges of life God knows are coming toward you?
That’s something to pause and reflect about isn’t it, and here’s a worship song to help us, and I’ll meet you back here tomorrow for one final time with Nehemiah.
Today’s Scripture: Nehemiah 12:27-13:1.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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