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Nehemiah 7
- IntroductionAs far back as I can remember, my dad researched the genealogy of our family. He had us traced way back to Europe even. He would rattle on about it when I was a kid but I wasn’t all that interested. Every once in awhile a story or a person in our history would peak my interest. One in particular was a guy named Francis Cooke. Francis Cooke was a passenger on the Mayflower and a signer of the Mayflower Compact.My family have been members of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants for several years now. They don’t just let you into this group on your word. You have to go through a process by which you must prove your family connection to a passenger on the ship.You need to have your relationship to each generation above you proven by legal records in a chain. This means you have to prove your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents and so on with proofs such as marriage licenses, and birth certificates. You would need to collect all of this information from each generation on your side and your wife’s parents. You also have to enter your children’s information for use in potential future applications. You end up spending your time searching legal records like probate records, death certificates, marriage and birth records, some land records, divorce records, court records, and even looking through some old family Bibles. It’s an involved process. All of this just to prove your connection back a few hundred years. Now imagine you’re in the time of the book of Nehemiah and you need to prove that you are from a specific family and tribe in order to live in the city of Jerusalem behind the newly built walls.As we have been walking though the book of Nehemiah we have come to a day in chapter 7 where the walls had been completed and Nehemiah now had to populate the city. There weren’t many people living in the city even though it was quite large. He was unfazed by the continual opposition to his leadership and in chapter 7 he stays focused on seeing the city restored and the glory of God being realized there. He continues the restoration effort by making moves to help the city function properly and to sustain that proper functioning.Part of this process was determining who could live in the city now that it was rebuilt. For this Nehemiah turns to the book of genealogy. Often when we see lists of names in scripture our eyes kind of glaze over. However, this is the Word of God and it is useful and there is something He is saying through it.Let’s turn now to the Word of God in Nehemiah chapter 7.Read Nehemiah 7
Nehemiah 7 ESV 1 Now when the wall had been built and I had set up the doors, and the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed, 2 I gave my brother Hanani and Hananiah the governor of the castle charge over Jerusalem, for he was a more faithful and God-fearing man than many. 3 And I said to them, “Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot. And while they are still standing guard, let them shut and bar the doors. Appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, some at their guard posts and some in front of their own homes.” 4 The city was wide and large, but the people within it were few, and no houses had been rebuilt. 5 Then my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles and the officials and the people to be enrolled by genealogy. And I found the book of the genealogy of those who came up at the first, and I found written in it: 6 These were the people of the province who came up out of the captivity of those exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried into exile. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his town. 7 They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel: 8 the sons of Parosh, 2,172. 9 The sons of Shephatiah, 372. 10 The sons of Arah, 652. 11 The sons of Pahath-moab, namely the sons of Jeshua and Joab, 2,818. 12 The sons of Elam, 1,254. 13 The sons of Zattu, 845. 14 The sons of Zaccai, 760. 15 The sons of Binnui, 648. 16 The sons of Bebai, 628. 17 The sons of Azgad, 2,322. 18 The sons of Adonikam, 667. 19 The sons of Bigvai, 2,067. 20 The sons of Adin, 655. 21 The sons of Ater, namely of Hezekiah, 98. 22 The sons of Hashum, 328. 23 The sons of Bezai, 324. 24 The sons of Hariph, 112. 25 The sons of Gibeon, 95. 26 The men of Bethlehem and Netophah, 188. 27 The men of Anathoth, 128. 28 The men of Beth-azmaveth, 42. 29 The men of Kiriath-jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, 743. 30 The men of Ramah and Geba, 621. 31 The men of Michmas, 122. 32 The men of Bethel and Ai, 123. 33 The men of the other Nebo, 52. 34 The sons of the other Elam, 1,254. 35 The sons of Harim, 320. 36 The sons of Jericho, 345. 37 The sons of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, 721. 38 The sons of Senaah, 3,930. 39 The priests: the sons of Jedaiah, namely the house of Jeshua, 973. 40 The sons of Immer, 1,052. 41 The sons of Pashhur, 1,247. 42 The sons of Harim, 1,017. 43 The Levites: the sons of Jeshua, namely of Kadmiel of the sons of Hodevah, 74. 44 The singers: the sons of Asaph, 148. 45 The gatekeepers: the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, the sons of Shobai, 138. 46 The temple servants: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth, 47 the sons of Keros, the sons of Sia, the sons of Padon, 48 the sons of Lebana, the sons of Hagaba, the sons of Shalmai, 49 the sons of Hanan, the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar, 50 the sons of Reaiah, the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekoda, 51 the sons of Gazzam, the sons of Uzza, the sons of Paseah, 52 the sons of Besai, the sons of Meunim, the sons of Nephushesim, 53 the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of Harhur, 54 the sons of Bazlith, the sons of Mehida, the sons of Harsha, 55 the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Temah, 56 the sons of Neziah, the sons of Hatipha. 57 The sons of Solomon’s servants: the sons of Sotai, the sons of Sophereth, the sons of Perida, 58 the sons of Jaala, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Giddel, 59 the sons of Shephatiah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of Pochereth-hazzebaim, the sons of Amon. 60 All the temple servants and the sons of Solomon’s servants were 392. 61 The following were those who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer, but they could not prove their fathers’ houses nor their descent, whether they belonged to Israel: 62 the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, the sons of Nekoda, 642. 63 Also, of the priests: the sons of Hobaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, the sons of Barzillai (who had taken a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by their name). 64 These sought their registration among those enrolled in the genealogies, but it was not found there, so they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. 65 The governor told them that they were not to partake of the most holy food until a priest with Urim and Thummim should arise. 66 The whole assembly together was 42,360, 67 besides their male and female servants, of whom there were 7,337. And they had 245 singers, male and female. 68 Their horses were 736, their mules 245, 69 their camels 435, and their donkeys 6,720. 70 Now some of the heads of fathers’ houses gave to the work. The governor gave to the treasury 1,000 darics of gold, 50 basins, 30 priests’ garments and 500 minas of silver. 71 And some of the heads of fathers’ houses gave into the treasury of the work 20,000 darics of gold and 2,200 minas of silver. 72 And what the rest of the people gave was 20,000 darics of gold, 2,000 minas of silver, and 67 priests’ garments. 73 So the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the temple servants, and all Israel, lived in their towns. And when the seventh month had come, the people of Israel were in their towns.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------This is the Word of the Lord. Let’s pray and ask Him to help us understand it and apply it to our lives.PrayTo begin, I want to draw your attention to the very first verse in this passage. The wall was completed and now Nehemiah sets up the doors. He also makes sure the gatekeepers, singers, and Levites are in place. Before anything else he makes sure that they can properly worship God. The Levites were to return to their service in the temple from what they had been doing, in helping to rebuild the wall.But then Nehemiah does something that may be a little unexpected. He puts other people in charge.I. Nehemiah appointed other leaders.Nehemiah had set a time to return with the king and he was appointing leaders in keeping with his promise.Nehemiah 2:6 ESV 6 And the king said to me (the queen sitting beside him), “How long will you be gone, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me when I had given him a time.He had given the king a time when he would return and this was his way of setting up a succession plan of sorts so there was someone to lead when he went back to the king.Nehemiah doesn't hold onto power in such a way that prevents others from leading. He holds to his word but he also appoints others to lead. He arranges for the basic security needs of the city.Nehemiah gives charge over Jerusalem to Hanani and Hananiah. Now, Hanani is the same one from chapter 1 verse 2 who traveled from Judah and had brought the news to Nehemiah that the walls were in ruins and that the gates had been destroyed by fire.The text tells us that the other man, Hananiah was a more faithful and God-fearing man than many. Nehemiah didn’t just pick a warm body. He appointed faithful and qualified men for the job. Too many times in churches, men get put in leadership because a hole needs filled instead of looking at the faithful qualifications of the man. We should look around, see who is already faithfully serving and appoint those as leaders instead of choosing in the world’s ways or by the world’s standards.The gates were not to be opened until the heat of the day when the sun had been up for some time. That way any enemies who were near or lying in wait to attack would be discovered. It also had the effect that the people of the city would be awake and ready to defend themselves.The walls had been rebuilt but it was a large city with few people in it. They had yet to rebuild the houses. Many lived outside the city.All of the guards were to be chosen from the inhabitants of the city. Only those living in the city would be guards who would be placed close to home so that they might be more careful and diligent in their duties. Someone from outside the city might not be quite as carful with their watch over other people’s homes. Nehemiah exhibited great wisdom in how the security of the city was designed.In the next section, which takes up the bulk of the chapter, Nehemiah lists what he found in the book of genealogy. It’s a list of the Jews who returned from exile in Babylon a few years earlier with Zerubbabel. The list here is nearly identical to the one found in Ezra 2.II. Nehemiah validates the identity the returned exiles. (Community)Why would Nehemiah spend the time to do this? We see lists of names like this in the Bible from time to time. Genealogies were crucial to the history of Israel.This was Nehemiah’s way of authenticating who was able to live in Jerusalem. They people had come back from exile and were living in their towns. Eventually, they will devise a system to bring some of them into the city to repopulate it. But for now we have this genealogy that lists authentic Jews. He’s validating the identity of the true people of God so that the city can be purified.Nehemiah wanted to find out which families had returned in order to encourage people in his own day to settle and rebuild Jerusalem. The work on the wall was finished but the work on the city was not. Houses needed to be rebuilt and the city needed protection.We look at these things and think, “well, this is good leaderhip.” But I want you to see where this comes from. Verse 5 says:Nehemiah 7:5 ESV 5 Then my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles and the officials and the people to be enrolled by genealogy. And I found the book of the genealogy of those who came up at the first, and I found written in it:God put it on Nehemiah's heart to do this. He was sensitive to the leading of the Lord. What was it that made him sensitive to how God was leading? He was connected to God through His Word and prayer. God put in Nehemiah’s heart an assembly of God’s people.Whenever anything good in Nehemiah is seen in scripture, such as his desire of the welfare of the Jewish people and the good of the city of Jerusalem, he attributed that good to God. He recognized that the good in him was from the Lord. And when sin or wrong doing was pointed out to him through an outcry in an earlier passage, he repented for the wrong of which he and his associates had been guilty.So we can see two purposes in what Nehemiah was doing in this genealogy as led by the Lord:Purposes:1. Increase the number of inhabitants.2. Ensure ethnic purity and separateness of the people in the city.God had set up laws surrounding who could be a priest and serve in the temple. The priestly heritage of people had to be validated as well. This was a serious undertaking for them. Look at verse 64.Nehemiah 7:64 ESV 64 These sought their registration among those enrolled in the genealogies, but it was not found there, so they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean.Not only were there some who claimed priestly heritages that were not able to prove it but they were declared unclean. They would therefore have to follow the regulations for becoming clean again.III. God provided for the continuity of the work and people.Derek Thomas points out that, the temple, the city, the feasts, and these family names are points of continuity that remind the Jews that they are a distinct line of blessed people.Nehemiah recounts the story of the first returners from exile so that the people would remember their history and where they came from. Likewise, it’s important for Christians today to remember the history of the world and more importantly the history of the church. We need to teach and be taught about the faithful lives of missionaries, pastors, and Christians who were heroes for the sake of the gospel. We should especially know about those who gave their lives for the cause of Christ. Read biographies of people like these. If you need help choosing some, talk to me. I’d love to help you in your reading and study.This chapter is not simply a list of names. Nehemiah is pointing out three marks that should always be true of the people of God.Consecrated service in action.Sanctification that doesn’t wear out and costs something.Generous giving and stewardship.Here they were many years ahead looking back to the generosity of those who came before them. They had given to the work of reconstructing the temple. These are generous and large amounts. Hearing these amounts ought to have caused some concern in the Jews about their level of giving currently.Those who were truly part of the community gave to the work of the community.ConclusionNehemiah was building an earthly city but it was built after the prophecy of Jeremiah in Jeremiah 31:38-40.Jeremiah 31:38–40 ESV 38 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when the city shall be rebuilt for the Lord from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. 39 And the measuring line shall go out farther, straight to the hill Gareb, and shall then turn to Goah. 40 The whole valley of the dead bodies and the ashes, and all the fields as far as the brook Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, shall be sacred to the Lord. It shall not be plucked up or overthrown anymore forever.”Nehemiah was building an earthly city but God is building an eternal city for his people.This is the city that the author of Hebrews told us that Abraham looked for.Hebrews 11:10 ESV 10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.When Jesus returns, God’s people, the church, will see this city.Revelation 21:2 ESV 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.The Jews needed to be reminded that they were a covenant people. God had made promises to them and He would fulfill them.We too, as followers of Christ are a covenant people. Earlier in Jeremiah chapter 31, the new covenant is described.Jeremiah 31:31–34 ESV 31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. 33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”As people of the new covenant, a people bought with the very blood of Jesus Christ on the cross, we can take some cues from what we see in what Nehemiah does and the importance he places on certain features of a people of God.We must:Consecrated service in action. Service born out of true conversion and seeking the advancement of God’s kingdom above all other desires. It’s those who are made holy, doing the work of ministry to the world. Making disciples.2. Sanctification that doesn’t wear out and costs something.We must be focused on the gospel and persevering in the journey of sanctification. Many of us are fine following Jesus until it starts to cost us something. It will always cost you something. Grace is a free gift. But if you are truly a follower of Christ you will be giving somethings up. You’ll be repenting of sin. Turning down invitations to partake in habitual sins that you have struggled with. You’ll be prioritizing the growing of your faith and the affection of your heart for Jesus and turning away from those things that steal your affection. If we are unwilling to give up those things which try to take God’s place in our lives, in what state is our faith truly?3. Generous giving and stewardship.Not only did the people give quite generously to the work in former days, but in the days of Nehemiah they needed to continue to give. We see the example in that Nehemiah as leader was generous as well. I don’t know any other way to say it other than to say that God wants to fund the work He does through our church by our church giving faithfully and generously to support that work. People freak out when a pastor talks about money but you can not get around this principle in scripture: God’s people are a generous people.So as we focus on these three features of the people of God, what can we do to see those features exhibited in us?Build the community. Jesus will build His church. We are responsible to participate by caring for one another, protecting one another from false teaching and sinful living, sharing with one another, and making disciples in our own lives.Work for continuity of God’s people. This point is why we must be continually committed to regenerate church membership. Membership is more than the ability to vote. It’s the church saying that as far as we can tell, this person is on the team. Just as Nehemiah had to make sure that only those truly of Israel were in the city, we must make sure that when it comes to those who are actual members of the church and under the authority and responsibility of the care of the church are as best we can tell, true Christians. It’s why we are not hasty to baptise or bring into membership but we discuss it with prospective members, we pray, and we look at their lives.Be separate from the world. Be different. I don’t mean you can’t go to certain restaurants or movies. Though for some, it might mean that. What I mean by be separate is that we as Christians should have different desires, decisions, and deeds at a core level than the world. If you’re a new believer you may only have a bud of these things in your life but the longer you walk with the Lord and are discipled, those things should become stronger and stronger. That is sanctification. God will spend the rest of your life making you more like Jesus, conforming you to His image. So don’t seek the approval of this world. If the world hates you for the sake of Jesus, you’re doing something right. Be different. And be prepared to tell them why.1 Peter 3:14–16 ESV 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. Nehemiah 7ESV
Nehemiah 2:6ESV
Nehemiah 7:5ESV
Nehemiah 7:64ESV
Jeremiah 31:38–40ESV
Hebrews 11:10ESV
Revelation 21:2ESV
Jeremiah 31:31–34ESV
1 Peter 3:14–16ESV
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