Nehemiah 12:27-47 - Great Sacrifice and Joy Travels Far

Nehemiah 12:27-47

Nehemiah Dedicates the Wall

27 Now at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought out the Levites in all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, both with thanksgivings and singing, with cymbals and stringed instruments and harps. 28 And the sons of the singers gathered together from the countryside around Jerusalem, from the villages of the Netophathites, 29 from the house of Gilgal, and from the fields of Geba and Azmaveth; for the singers had built themselves villages all around Jerusalem. 30 Then the priests and Levites purified themselves, and purified the people, the gates, and the wall.

31 So I brought the leaders of Judah up on the wall, and appointed two large thanksgiving choirs. One went to the right hand on the wall toward the Refuse Gate. 32 After them went Hoshaiah and half of the leaders of Judah, 33 and Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam, 34 Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, Jeremiah, 35 and some of the priests’ sons with trumpets—Zechariah the son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Michaiah, the son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph, 36 and his brethren, Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani, with the musical instruments of David the man of God. And Ezra the scribe went before them. 37 By the Fountain Gate, in front of them, they went up the stairs of the City of David, on the stairway of the wall, beyond the house of David, as far as the Water Gate eastward.

38 The other thanksgiving choir went the opposite way, and I was behind them with half of the people on the wall, going past the Tower of the Ovens as far as the Broad Wall, 39 and above the Gate of Ephraim, above the Old Gate, above the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel, the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Sheep Gate; and they stopped by the Gate of the Prison.

40 So the two thanksgiving choirs stood in the house of God, likewise I and the half of the rulers with me; 41 and the priests, Eliakim, Maaseiah, Minjamin, Michaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, with trumpets; 42 also Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. The singers sang loudly with Jezrahiah the director.

43 Also that day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and the children also rejoiced, so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard afar off.

Temple Responsibilities

44 And at the same time some were appointed over the rooms of the storehouse for the offerings, the firstfruits, and the tithes, to gather into them from the fields of the cities the portions specified by the Law for the priests and Levites; for Judah rejoiced over the priests and Levites who ministered. 45 Both the singers and the gatekeepers kept the charge of their God and the charge of the purification, according to the command of David and Solomon his son. 46 For in the days of David and Asaph of old there were chiefs of the singers, and songs of praise and thanksgiving to God. 47 In the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah all Israel gave the portions for the singers and the gatekeepers, a portion for each day. They also consecrated holy things for the Levites, and the Levites consecrated them for the children of Aaron.

When Nehemiah dedicated the completed wall of God’s city, he invited the Levites across the land to Jerusalem that they might celebrate the dedication with gladness, with thanksgiving and singing, with cymbals and stringed instruments and harps to praise the LORD loudly that all might hear and join in the celebration.  Because God moved them to such joyful exuberance as they offered sacrifices with praise and accompanying orchestra expressing their hearts, that joy was heard far away by those living around them, both believing Jew and unbelieving people alike.  It was a testimony of grace and thanksgiving for all God is and had done.  It should be the same with believers today, that we joyfully worship with the sacrifices (Romans 12:1) of ourselves as we consecrate our hearts, minds, and bodies to serve Him as priests who are building not a wall around a physical temple, but the house of God (1 Peter 2:4-5, 1 Timothy 3:15) being made of individual stones of grace made by God together into the unseen church not made (Acts 17:24, 2 Corinthians 5:1) with hands.  How much more then should we rejoice in God’s work in constructing His house as we participate in the building through ministering the gospel to those inside and outside these walls, near and far, that all may hear the true joy of our hearts in His salvation as a testament of God’s good grace in His Son who sacrificed Himself as our Passover Lamb to take away our sins inherited from our forefather Adam and continued in the corrupted hearts we all carry with us day to day?  He sacrificed Himself on the tree of our curse under sin (Galatians 3:13) that we might receive Him (John 1:12) and His work for us to earn our right to be His children (Galatians 3:14) solely by His good grace of forgiveness and reconciliation by turning our lives from continuing in sin to receiving Him as we trust the work He did and who He is.  Great sacrifice and joy travels far and wide; let the joy of our salvation ring out for all to hear as we live for Him (Romans 12:2) as living sacrifices at work in building God’s house to live and worship in! 

Nehemiah 12:1-26 - Priests Praise and Give Thanks

Nehemiah 12:1-26

The Priests and Levites (cf. Ezra 2:36–40)

1 Now these are the priests and the Levites who came up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, 2 Amariah, Malluch, Hattush, 3 Shechaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, 4 Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah, 5 Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah, 6 Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah, 7 Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah.

These were the heads of the priests and their brethren in the days of Jeshua.

8 Moreover the Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah who led the thanksgiving psalms, he and his brethren. 9 Also Bakbukiah and Unni, their brethren, stood across from them in their duties.

10 Jeshua begot Joiakim, Joiakim begot Eliashib, Eliashib begot Joiada, 11 Joiada begot Jonathan, and Jonathan begot Jaddua.

12 Now in the days of Joiakim, the priests, the heads of the fathers’ houses were: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah; 13 of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan; 14 of Melichu, Jonathan; of Shebaniah, Joseph; 15 of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai; 16 of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam; 17 of Abijah, Zichri; the son of Minjamin; of Moadiah, Piltai; 18 of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jehonathan; 19 of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi; 20 of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber; 21 of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; and of Jedaiah, Nethanel.

22 During the reign of Darius the Persian, a record was also kept of the Levites and priests who had been heads of their fathers’ houses in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua. 23 The sons of Levi, the heads of the fathers’ houses until the days of Johanan the son of Eliashib, were written in the book of the chronicles.

24 And the heads of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel, with their brothers across from them, to praise and give thanks, group alternating with group, according to the command of David the man of God. 25 Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers keeping the watch at the storerooms of the gates. 26 These lived in the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor, and of Ezra the priest, the scribe.

The priests and Levites are focused on here in the time of the Judean governor Nehemiah and Ezra the scribe who was also a priest.  The Levitical priests specially set aside by God for His service were to regularly praise and give thanks to the LORD in worship with the leaders of the priests specifically recorded here from the chronicles.  We who are now in Christ do not have only certain individuals of a certain lineage or calling to be named as priests to our God.  We find in Revelation 1:6, 5:10, 20:6 that all who are called into our Lord are priests meant to serve and give thanks with our praises (1 Peter 2:5, 9) to the Father and Son in the power of the Holy Spirit living in us now.  We serve and praise Him because the Father sent His Son to sacrifice Himself in our place for our sin and minister over that sacrifice as our High Priest to bring praise and honor to the Father.  As we then imitate Christ, we also fulfill our calling to minister the gospel to one another in His sacrifice and our own lives as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1) in that same pattern of priests and sacrifices which no man can do for us as some attempt to make us believe.  As ministers of His grace we serve as priests to rule with Him (2 Timothy 2:12) and give joyful thanks with never-ending praises in all we sacrifice to serve our great God and Savior (Titus 2:13, 2 Peter 1:1), Jesus the Christ, who alone intercedes (Romans 8:26-27, 34, Hebrews 7:25, 1 Timothy 2:5) for us.  Our lineage and authority to be priests comes from being in Christ alone and not by the hand of any man or earthly inheritance, obtained by receiving the Lord under His authority and spiritual lineage, and therefore our identity as priests to our God is absolute according to His decree as His servants and (Romans 11:29, Galatians 3:15, Hebrews 6:17-18) is irrevocable.  Like those gone before us in the time of Ezra, we who are in Christ are priests who praise and give thanks for our salvation and minister the gospel to others to the praise and glory (Ephesians 1:6, 12, 14, 1 Peter 1:7-8) of God. 

Nehemiah 11:1-36 - Desire to Live in the City of God

Nehemiah 11:1-36

The People Dwelling in Jerusalem

1 Now the leaders of the people dwelt at Jerusalem; the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to dwell in Jerusalem, the holy city, and nine-tenths were to dwell in other cities. 2 And the people blessed all the men who willingly offered themselves to dwell at Jerusalem.

3 These are the heads of the province who dwelt in Jerusalem. (But in the cities of Judah everyone dwelt in his own possession in their cities—Israelites, priests, Levites, Nethinim, and descendants of Solomon’s servants.) 4 Also in Jerusalem dwelt some of the children of Judah and of the children of Benjamin.

The children of Judah: Athaiah the son of Uzziah, the son of Zechariah, the son of Amariah, the son of Shephatiah, the son of Mahalalel, of the children of Perez; 5 and Maaseiah the son of Baruch, the son of Col-Hozeh, the son of Hazaiah, the son of Adaiah, the son of Joiarib, the son of Zechariah, the son of Shiloni. 6 All the sons of Perez who dwelt at Jerusalem were four hundred and sixty-eight valiant men.

7 And these are the sons of Benjamin: Sallu the son of Meshullam, the son of Joed, the son of Pedaiah, the son of Kolaiah, the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ithiel, the son of Jeshaiah; 8 and after him Gabbai and Sallai, nine hundred and twenty-eight. 9 Joel the son of Zichri was their overseer, and Judah the son of Senuah was second over the city.

10 Of the priests: Jedaiah the son of Joiarib, and Jachin; 11 Seraiah the son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, was the leader of the house of God. 12 Their brethren who did the work of the house were eight hundred and twenty-two; and Adaiah the son of Jeroham, the son of Pelaliah, the son of Amzi, the son of Zechariah, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malchijah, 13 and his brethren, heads of the fathers’ houses, were two hundred and forty-two; and Amashai the son of Azarel, the son of Ahzai, the son of Meshillemoth, the son of Immer, 14 and their brethren, mighty men of valor, were one hundred and twenty-eight. Their overseer was Zabdiel the son of one of the great men.

15 Also of the Levites: Shemaiah the son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Bunni; 16 Shabbethai and Jozabad, of the heads of the Levites, had the oversight of the business outside of the house of God; 17 Mattaniah the son of Micha, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, the leader who began the thanksgiving with prayer; Bakbukiah, the second among his brethren; and Abda the son of Shammua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun. 18 All the Levites in the holy city were two hundred and eighty-four.

19 Moreover the gatekeepers, Akkub, Talmon, and their brethren who kept the gates, were one hundred and seventy-two.

20 And the rest of Israel, of the priests and Levites, were in all the cities of Judah, everyone in his inheritance. 21 But the Nethinim dwelt in Ophel. And Ziha and Gishpa were over the Nethinim.

22 Also the overseer of the Levites at Jerusalem was Uzzi the son of Bani, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micha, of the sons of Asaph, the singers in charge of the service of the house of God. 23 For it was the king’s command concerning them that a certain portion should be for the singers, a quota day by day. 24 Pethahiah the son of Meshezabel, of the children of Zerah the son of Judah, was the king’s deputy in all matters concerning the people.

The People Dwelling Outside Jerusalem

25 And as for the villages with their fields, some of the children of Judah dwelt in Kirjath Arba and its villages, Dibon and its villages, Jekabzeel and its villages; 26 in Jeshua, Moladah, Beth Pelet, 27 Hazar Shual, and Beersheba and its villages; 28 in Ziklag and Meconah and its villages; 29 in En Rimmon, Zorah, Jarmuth, 30 Zanoah, Adullam, and their villages; in Lachish and its fields; in Azekah and its villages. They dwelt from Beersheba to the Valley of Hinnom.

31 Also the children of Benjamin from Geba dwelt in Michmash, Aija, and Bethel, and their villages; 32 in Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah; 33 in Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim; 34 in Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat; 35 in Lod, Ono, and the Valley of Craftsmen. 36 Some of the Judean divisions of Levites were in Benjamin.

The desire to live in the city of God drove the people to cast lots to determine who would enter in; only one out of ten were able to dwell in Jerusalem, and this was the only fair way to determine this.  The leaders were exempt from this lottery because they all had to live there to lead the people of the LORD from where they met Him in the house of God, the rebuilt temple in the manner of Solomon’s that was destroyed seventy years earlier and the nation was largely taken captive in Babylonian exile.  The various people who were chosen to live there are described here, and the priests and Levites who were given their inheritance outside the gates surrounding the city are mentioned, as well as all the others in surrounding towns of Judah spelled out in this passage.  The desire for us to live in the new Jerusalem as the celestial city of God (Revelation 3:12) when He sets up His house among us (Revelation 21:1) does not require us to cast lots to win the lottery for the prize of being in His presence there; we are chosen by Him in the willful choice He has already made (Romans 8:28, Ephesians 1:4, 1 Peter 2:9, Revelation 17:14) for we who are His chosen and called ones to spend eternity there in the walls of the kingdom come as His will is done on earth as in heaven.  May our desire be to live in the city of God as we live for that now (Romans 8:19, 23, 2 Peter 3:12-13, Hebrews 13:14, Philippians 3:20) with eager anticipation to be in His presence as chosen by Him to worship Him face to face forevermore in this city He is building even now (1 Peter 2:4-5) using our hands to honor the Lord who rescued us from the darkness of His wrath on our sin that once bound us as exiles from the kingdom. 

Nehemiah 10:1-39 - Signed and Sealed in the Covenant

Nehemiah 10:1-39

The People Who Sealed the Covenant

1 Now those who placed their seal on the document were:

Nehemiah the governor, the son of Hacaliah, and Zedekiah, 2 Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, 3 Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah, 4 Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch, 5 Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, 6 Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch, 7 Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin, 8 Maaziah, Bilgai, and Shemaiah. These were the priests.

9 The Levites: Jeshua the son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, and Kadmiel.

10 Their brethren: Shebaniah, Hodijah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan, 11 Micha, Rehob, Hashabiah, 12 Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, 13 Hodijah, Bani, and Beninu.

14 The leaders of the people: Parosh, Pahath-Moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani, 15 Bunni, Azgad, Bebai, 16 Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin, 17 Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur, 18 Hodijah, Hashum, Bezai, 19 Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai, 20 Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir, 21 Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua, 22 Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah, 23 Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub, 24 Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek, 25 Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah, 26 Ahijah, Hanan, Anan, 27 Malluch, Harim, and Baanah.

The Covenant That Was Sealed

28 Now the rest of the people—the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the Nethinim, and all those who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, everyone who had knowledge and understanding— 29 these joined with their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse and an oath to walk in God’s Law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, and His ordinances and His statutes: 30 We would not give our daughters as wives to the peoples of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons; 31 if the peoples of the land brought wares or any grain to sell on the Sabbath day, we would not buy it from them on the Sabbath, or on a holy day; and we would forego the seventh year’s produce and the exacting of every debt.

32 Also we made ordinances for ourselves, to exact from ourselves yearly one-third of a shekel for the service of the house of our God: 33 for the showbread, for the regular grain offering, for the regular burnt offering of the Sabbaths, the New Moons, and the set feasts; for the holy things, for the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and all the work of the house of our God. 34 We cast lots among the priests, the Levites, and the people, for bringing the wood offering into the house of our God, according to our fathers’ houses, at the appointed times year by year, to burn on the altar of the LORD our God as it is written in the Law.

35 And we made ordinances to bring the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of all fruit of all trees, year by year, to the house of the LORD; 36 to bring the firstborn of our sons and our cattle, as it is written in the Law, and the firstborn of our herds and our flocks, to the house of our God, to the priests who minister in the house of our God; 37 to bring the firstfruits of our dough, our offerings, the fruit from all kinds of trees, the new wine and oil, to the priests, to the storerooms of the house of our God; and to bring the tithes of our land to the Levites, for the Levites should receive the tithes in all our farming communities. 38 And the priest, the descendant of Aaron, shall be with the Levites when the Levites receive tithes; and the Levites shall bring up a tenth of the tithes to the house of our God, to the rooms of the storehouse.

39 For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the offering of the grain, of the new wine and the oil, to the storerooms where the articles of the sanctuary are, where the priests who minister and the gatekeepers and the singers are; and we will not neglect the house of our God.

Nehemiah the governor, the priests, the Levites and their brethren, and the leaders of the people of God all signed the agreement before God with their seals of their signet rings as their signatures.  We are likewise signed and sealed in God’s covenant with His signet ring which is His Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13, 14) as our eternal seal guaranteeing we are His forever and will no longer face condemnation for our sin forgiven in our reconciliation.  Because God keeps His covenant always, the Jews of Nehemiah’s day made their own covenant in return with this truth in mind in their humble repentant hearts.  The new covenant which the Lord made with us in Christ is absolute because it was not made by our covenant promise to Him, but solely on His part with us (Matthew 26:28, Romans 11:27, 2 Corinthians 3:7-8, Hebrews 7:22-24, 25, Romans 8:10, 38-39, John 10:28-29) and so cannot be broken or abrogated by us.  We who are now in Christ cannot be pried loose from His covenant hand of eternal certainty of that eternal, not temporary or conditional, promise.  The Jews in the return from exile did their best to promise their covenant devotion but like us all, we fall short (Romans 3:23, 6:23) in sin and require redemption in Him alone.  That is the gospel hope we obtain when we receive the one who has made this new covenant in His sacrificial lifeblood given as our eternal Passover () to guarantee we remain in Him as we have further assurance by His presence in us now to put the word of His laws into our hearts to desire and be able to do them.  The Jews in the day of Nehemiah meant well, but were unable in the weakness of their will to follow through and needed to learn this (Galatians 3:22-23, 24, 29) to seek the Messiah who is Jesus Christ to come for lasting peace in the eternal covenant (Hebrews 9:15, 12:23-24, 13:20-21, Romans 3:25-26) made by Him that we cannot do on our own.  We are signed and sealed by Him for eternal, not temporary, life. He is the first fruits of grace whom we follow in response to offer ourselves now as living sacrifices and not the material ones as the people of God did here in this account of their deliverance from bondage to sin and return from exile to Him.  Our signed and sealed covenant promise is all by the grace of our Lord and our response should be eternal thankful hearts of willing obedience to be pleasing children.  Little children, keep yourselves (1 John 5:21) from idols and do not neglect the house of God.

Nehemiah 9:22-38 - Here We Are, Servants of God!

Nehemiah 9:22-38

22 “Moreover You gave them kingdoms and nations,
And divided them into districts.

So they took possession of the land of Sihon,
The land of the king of Heshbon,
And the land of Og king of Bashan.

23 You also multiplied their children as the stars of heaven,
And brought them into the land
Which You had told their fathers
To go in and possess.

24 So the people went in
And possessed the land;
You subdued before them the inhabitants of the land,
The Canaanites,
And gave them into their hands,
With their kings
And the people of the land,
That they might do with them as they wished.

25 And they took strong cities and a rich land,
And possessed houses full of all goods,
Cisterns already dug, vineyards, olive groves,
And fruit trees in abundance.
So they ate and were filled and grew fat,
And delighted themselves in Your great goodness.

26 “Nevertheless they were disobedient
And rebelled against You,
Cast Your law behind their backs
And killed Your prophets, who testified against them
To turn them to Yourself;
And they worked great provocations.

27 Therefore You delivered them into the hand of their enemies,
Who oppressed them;
And in the time of their trouble,
When they cried to You,
You heard from heaven;
And according to Your abundant mercies
You gave them deliverers who saved them
From the hand of their enemies.

28 “But after they had rest,
They again did evil before You.
Therefore You left them in the hand of their enemies,
So that they had dominion over them;

Yet when they returned and cried out to You,
You heard from heaven;
And many times You delivered them according to Your mercies,
29 And testified against them,
That You might bring them back to Your law.

Yet they acted proudly,
And did not heed Your commandments,
But sinned against Your judgments,
Which if a man does, he shall live by them.’

And they shrugged their shoulders,
Stiffened their necks,
And would not hear.

30 Yet for many years You had patience with them,
And testified against them by Your Spirit in Your prophets.
Yet they would not listen;
Therefore You gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.

31 Nevertheless in Your great mercy
You did not utterly consume them nor forsake them;
For You are God, gracious and merciful.

32 “Now therefore, our God,
The great, the mighty, and awesome God,
Who keeps covenant and mercy:

Do not let all the trouble seem small before You
That has come upon us,
Our kings and our princes,
Our priests and our prophets,
Our fathers and on all Your people,
From the days of the kings of Assyria until this day.

33 However You are just in all that has befallen us;
For You have dealt faithfully,
But we have done wickedly.

34 Neither our kings nor our princes,
Our priests nor our fathers,
Have kept Your law,
Nor heeded Your commandments and Your testimonies,
With which You testified against them.

35 For they have not served You in their kingdom,
Or in the many good things that You gave them,
Or in the large and rich land which You set before them;
Nor did they turn from their wicked works.

36 “Here we are, servants today!
And the land that You gave to our fathers,
To eat its fruit and its bounty,
Here we are, servants in it!

37 And it yields much increase to the kings
You have set over us,
Because of our sins;
Also they have dominion over our bodies and our cattle
At their pleasure;
And we are in great distress.

38 “And because of all this,
We make a sure covenant and write it;
Our leaders, our Levites, and our priests seal it.”

Once unfaithful and now repentant, the people of God submitted with the exclamation, “Here we are, servants today!”  As they reflected on the word of the scriptures preached to them, they humbled themselves before the great, gracious, and merciful God who keeps His covenant promises in that grace, seeing their sins as they had previously turned away from the LORD and genuinely turning from them once revealed by His word proclaimed to them.  They knew that if they had done His will by keeping His word, they would live, but chose instead to reject it, kill the prophets bringing His word to them, and suffered the consequences of disobedience under the hands of their adversaries.  Over and over they repeated this pattern of disobedience yet God showed mercy when they turned back each time until the exile for seventy years to get their attention and motivate them to turn from sin to Him and stay obediently rooted in His word.  They now acknowledged that it was only by His great mercy that they did not get their just due of punishment (Romans 6:23) as they cried out to heaven for deliverance to save them.  They remembered that God in His faithfulness to the promise to Abraham, this God had given them such abundance in the promised land of Canaan, multiplied them, protected them, and yet they had not been thankful in return by serving Him.  Now in retrospect they understood and so cried out from their side of the covenant, “Here we are, servants today!”  They finally were truly grateful and committed themselves to the LORD under a covenant promise, certain in intent and recorded for remembrance in writing, and sealed by their leaders, priests, and Levites as witnesses to their commitment to His sovereign promises and their dedication to service.  Do we likewise reflect in the scriptures on our deliverance from sin’s just due we owe that has been forgiven by grace alone in Christ and His work on the cross, committing our lives in service with singleness of mind in true devotion (Luke 10:27, Romans 12:1, 2 Thessalonians 1:11, 1 Peter 4:19, Acts 20:32) to keep His word in response?  May we then stay in His word and reflect on it that we do not stray away from this new covenant in His lifeblood that gives us life from His death (2 Corinthians 5:14, Colossians 3:3, 1 Peter 2:24) and our death to self (Matthew 16:24, Romans 6:6, Galatians 2:20) to life in Jesus Christ (John 5:24) our Lord and Savior.  Our constant mantra should be, “Here we are, servants today!” 

Nehemiah 9:1-21 - Slow to Anger, Ready to Pardon Sin

Nehemiah 9:1-21

The People Confess Their Sins

1 Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, in sackcloth, and with dust on their heads. 2 Then those of Israelite lineage separated themselves from all foreigners; and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. 3 And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for one-fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshiped the LORD their God.

4 Then Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani stood on the stairs of the Levites and cried out with a loud voice to the LORD their God. 5 And the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said:

“Stand up and bless the LORD your God
Forever and ever!

“Blessed be Your glorious name,
Which is exalted above all blessing and praise!

6 You alone are the LORD;
You have made heaven,
The heaven of heavens, with all their host,
The earth and everything on it,
The seas and all that is in them,
And You preserve them all.
The host of heaven worships You.

7 “You are the LORD God,
Who chose Abram,
And brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans,
And gave him the name Abraham;

8 You found his heart faithful before You,
And made a covenant with him
To give the land of the Canaanites,
The Hittites, the Amorites,
The Perizzites, the Jebusites,
And the Girgashites—

To give it to his descendants.
You have performed Your words,
For You are righteous.

9 “You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt,
And heard their cry by the Red Sea.

10 You showed signs and wonders against Pharaoh,
Against all his servants,
And against all the people of his land.
For You knew that they acted proudly against them.
So You made a name for Yourself, as it is this day.

11 And You divided the sea before them,
So that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land;
And their persecutors You threw into the deep,
As a stone into the mighty waters.

12 Moreover You led them by day with a cloudy pillar,
And by night with a pillar of fire,
To give them light on the road
Which they should travel.

13 “You came down also on Mount Sinai,
And spoke with them from heaven,
And gave them just ordinances and true laws,
Good statutes and commandments.

14 You made known to them Your holy Sabbath,
And commanded them precepts, statutes and laws,
By the hand of Moses Your servant.

15 You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger,
And brought them water out of the rock for their thirst,
And told them to go in to possess the land
Which You had sworn to give them.

16 “But they and our fathers acted proudly,
Hardened their necks,
And did not heed Your commandments.

17 They refused to obey,
And they were not mindful of Your wonders
That You did among them.

But they hardened their necks,
And in their rebellion
They appointed a leader
To return to their bondage.

But You are God,
Ready to pardon,
Gracious and merciful,
Slow to anger,
Abundant in kindness,
And did not forsake them.

18 “Even when they made a molded calf for themselves,
And said, ‘This is your god
That brought you up out of Egypt,’
And worked great provocations,

19 Yet in Your manifold mercies
You did not forsake them in the wilderness.
The pillar of the cloud did not depart from them by day,
To lead them on the road;
Nor the pillar of fire by night,
To show them light,
And the way they should go.

20 You also gave Your good Spirit to instruct them,
And did not withhold Your manna from their mouth,
And gave them water for their thirst.

21 Forty years You sustained them in the wilderness;
They lacked nothing;
Their clothes did not wear out
And their feet did not swell.

When the people heard the word of God after so long neglecting it, they spent half the day hearing it spoken and repenting with confession of sin and worship of Him.  They then stood up and blessed the name of the LORD, exalting His glorious name in their hearts and minds above all blessing and praise threat their lips uttered out loud.  They acknowledged He alone was the Lord and Creator of all things, that He keeps it all in His hand to preserve life and receive thankful worship in return as His just due moves even among the angels in the heavenly realms as we do in the earthly.  They remembered how God chose Abraham and rewarded his faith that took God unquestioningly at His seemingly impossible promises and how He made a covenant of a promised land to fill and multiply as the sand of the beach and stars of the heavens with descendants according to that same faith which continues today with those trusting that word of promise in Christ (Galatians 3:6, James 2:21) as Abraham did before us.  They sang out loud of the faithfulness of the LORD to deliver them out of bondage in Egypt and their escape from death passing through the Red Sea as a picture of baptism (1 Corinthians 10:2) we now are immersed in in Christ as we escape bondage to sin and find escape from death to life (John 5:24) in Him by that same trusting faith of Abraham as we hear and find faith to receive Him and His work as the word proclaimed to us assures us.  He led them through the wilderness and spoke His word inscribed on stone tablets for them to read and remember until He sent His Spirit into our hearts to write His laws upon our very hearts to have readily at hand to contemplate and follow Him through the wilderness of the world today.  They praised Him for the bread from heaven to sustain them just as Christ is our bread from heaven (John 6:32-33, 51, 57-58) who sustains us with Himself as the Living Word of our daily bread now.  They lamented how their forefathers refused to keep obeying Him in their pride and ignored His word on cold stone table matching their hearts devoid of it being there and ignored the wonder of the works He had done for them.  Even then, God in His immense grace was slow to anger and ready to forgive them if they repented of their sins; Je did not utterly forsake them, though He had every right to do so.  This grace in mercy is now sealed in the new covenant of grace in the work Christ did that cannot be taken away now no matter how we fall in sin along the journey to the kingdom to come.  In His manifold mercies, God did not forsake them in the wilderness and will not abandon (John 10:28-29, Hebrews 13:5) us either.  God sustained His people then and they lacked no necessities of life.  He will do so for us as His chosen people like Abraham as well because by faith we have received the Son and believed (John 17:8, Romans 4:22-24, 25, 5:1) the words and work Je has done for us.  We acknowledge that He will lead and sustain us to the end as He conforms us to the image of Christ in our wandering through life because He has given us the Spirit to lead (Isaiah 30:21, John 14:26, 1 Corinthians 2:13, 16, 1 John 2:27) and word in our hearts as well as on tablets and books to remind us.  We still praise Him as we understand more fully that He is slow to anger (Romans 6:23) and stands ever ready to pardon our (1 John 1:9) sin as we confess it in acknowledgment and turn from sin to Him each day along life’s narrow way. 

Nehemiah 8:1-18 - A Day of Holy Joy in God’s Strength

Nehemiah 8:1-18

1 Now all the people gathered together as one man in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate; and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded Israel. 2 So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men and women and all who could hear with understanding on the first day of the seventh month. 3 Then he read from it in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate from morning until midday, before the men and women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.

4 So Ezra the scribe stood on a platform of wood which they had made for the purpose; and beside him, at his right hand, stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Urijah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah; and at his left hand Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam. 5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. 6 And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God.

Then all the people answered, “Amen, Amen!” while lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.

7 Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, helped the people to understand the Law; and the people stood in their place. 8 So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading.

9 And Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn nor weep.” For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law.

10 Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

11 So the Levites quieted all the people, saying, “Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved.” 12 And all the people went their way to eat and drink, to send portions and rejoice greatly, because they understood the words that were declared to them.

The Feast of Tabernacles (cf. Leviticus 23:33–43)

13 Now on the second day the heads of the fathers’ houses of all the people, with the priests and Levites, were gathered to Ezra the scribe, in order to understand the words of the Law. 14 And they found written in the Law, which the LORD had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths during the feast of the seventh month, 15 and that they should announce and proclaim in all their cities and in Jerusalem, saying, “Go out to the mountain, and bring olive branches, branches of oil trees, myrtle branches, palm branches, and branches of leafy trees, to make booths, as it is written.”

16 Then the people went out and brought them and made themselves booths, each one on the roof of his house, or in their courtyards or the courts of the house of God, and in the open square of the Water Gate and in the open square of the Gate of Ephraim. 17 So the whole assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and sat under the booths; for since the days of Joshua the son of Nun until that day the children of Israel had not done so. And there was very great gladness. 18 Also day by day, from the first day until the last day, he read from the Book of the Law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day there was a sacred assembly, according to the prescribed manner.

All God’s people gathered together in the square as Ezra opened God’s word to them, reading all day from the morning until midday, while the men and women and all who could understand listened paid close attention.  Ezra stood on a platform that our modern pulpit is devised from to stand there and open the book of scripture and all the people stood up in reverence to hear the word read distinctly as he explained the sense of the passages and helped them understand it all.  We call this expository preaching today.  Ezra read and communicated the sense of the scripture, the people stood and heard and said amen as they understood, and the preacher Ezra blessed the LORD their great God as he looked over the assembly from up above behind the pulpit.  The people lifted hands in praise and bowed in submissive humility as they honored God in being attentive to His word that they had neglected for far too long.  Though the people wept at knowing they had not been keeping His word as it was now revealed from hearing scripture preached to them, Ezra encouraged them to take heart because this was a holy moment before the LORD to hear and respond to His word, and that they should instead remember that the joy of the LORD is their strength.  They were to be still as they considered these things and honor God with joy in their calling as His own brought to repentance as they went home to celebrate the great things the LOED had shown them that day as the scriptures were opened to those hearts, minds, and very souls.  The next day they built booths to remember their journey that led them through the wilderness into the promised land and the bounty of milk and honey realized in the end.  All those who had returned from the seventy years of captivity now reflected on that grace and goodness of the LORD that was revealed in hearing His word and found great joy and gladness in these words made real to them.  All through that feast Ezra daily read from the word of God to them and they celebrated after that week came to a close with the memories and lessons learned down deep in their souls of all they had heard and learned about God and themselves in His providence of grace over them through all their suffering and wandering to that point.  May we also look back at our own journeys in Christ and reflect from the words of God preached to us in all the places He had brought us through, good and bad, to bring us to the grace of our salvation and ongoing sanctification (2 Corinthians 3:18) where we now bow in humility (Psalm 95:6, 96:9, Ephesians 3:14-15, 18-19) and life holy hands (1 Timothy 2:8, Psalm 134:2) in willing obedience of thanksgiving for all He is and has done in His great mercy and love for we the people of God who have been called out of darkness into His marvelous grace as we read and hear daily in His word!  We remember this account of A Day of Holy Joy in God’s Strength as we the people of God hear His word preached and understanding explained.  Each day becomes one of holy joy as we realize that the joy of the Lord is our strength.  Amen and amen.