Those Blessed in the Holy City of God

Nehemiah 11:1-36

    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.

    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.

Here we find those blessed, the chosen to live in the holy city of God, Jerusalem.  The leaders all lived there, but lots had to be cast to determine the tenth of the rest of the people who the LORD wanted to dwell there.  The lots were no mere random act of chance like tossing dice, but were a method to take man’s influence out of the choice, putting it in the providence of the LORD alone for the outcome.  Those chosen included some from Judah, Benjamin, priests, Levites (servants of the priests), and gatekeepers.  The rest of Israel, including priests and Levites, lived in their ancestral towns all around.  These reclaim their own possessions in their respective cities—Israelites, priests, Levites, Nethinim, and descendants of Solomon's servants, with those of Judah settling from Beersheba to the Valley of Hinnom.  Beersheba was in the far south, and the Valley of Hinnom was on the southern edge of Jerusalem.  Those descendants of Benjamin were mainly to the north and west of Jerusalem.  This passage then describes how God’s chosen were placed where He wanted them, both inside the holy city of His worship and sacrifice, as well as outside the walls surrounding them.  We can loosely compare this to how God chooses some in Christ to live eternally in the New Jerusalem in Christ, while placing others by His lot cast to be outside (Revelation 22:14-15, 1 John 3:24, John 6:29).  There will be those to whom the choice was not made by man, but by God to dwell with Him forever.  He alone determines the lot that is cast by calling us to Himself (John 6:44, 64-65, Romans 9:15-16, 22-24); we do not load the dice by our own decision or earn it by our supposed righteousness, for our goodness falls ever short of God’s standards and our decision for Christ is only possible as a dead man if first given life and faith to trust God’s work in Christ for our salvation (Romans 3:23, 6:23, Ephesians 2:5, 8-10).  This then is a description of choosing those to serve and worship in that time, as well as a type of eternity to come in the New Jerusalem.  We who are chosen by Him will live in His presence forever as our inheritance (Ephesians 1:11, 14, 18, Colossians 1:12, 1 Peter 1:3-4).  Amen!