Today in God’s Word

Today in God's Word—April 2023

East Tallassee Church of Christ

April 25, Nehemiah 12

And they offered great sacrifices that day and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy, the women and children also rejoiced. And the joy of Jerusalem was heard far away. - Nehemiah 12:43

There's a certain forcefulness, a dynamic impact that comes from the sound of a very large group of people reacting with enthusiasm to what is happening in their presence. The sound is almost like a solid substance. Perhaps you've felt it at a major college football game. Most of us have never had the opportunity to worship with such a crowd, but I have been in groups of perhaps 2,500 or so worshipers. There is an undeniable force in those combined voices as well.

Chapter 12 is focused on the dedication of the wall at Jerusalem. It also deals with two related subjects — the organization of the priests and Levites, and the people's willing support of the temple and those who served there. The completion of the wall increased the confidence and security of the people.

The list of high priests and leaders among the Levites at the beginning of the chapter helps us understand why and how such a celebration as the wall dedication could have been done. The purification rituals, the many sacrifices and the pageantry that accompanied such an event required an enormous number of priests and Levites.

Nehemiah and Ezra knew and impressed on those servants and the whole population that obeying God’s commands was the key to Judah's continued security, existence and wellbeing. The emotional wave they rode as they celebrated and dedicated the wall was exciting, but emotion does not have the power to sustain itself. The ongoing welfare of the returned remnant of the Jews depended on conviction and devotion, not just enthusiasm and emotion. Generations of Israelites had failed to honor and obey God. Revivals were

short-lived. If the people focused on God and served him in their worship and walk, they could overcome the sad pattern of failure that had characterized their history.

The dedication ceremony was an amazing spectacle, with two great choirs and long processions of priests and Levites. They walked in opposite directions around the nine-foot-wide top of the wall. The two groups met at the temple. Their joyful songs of thanksgiving shook the ground. People far away from the city heard the celebration. Imagine the satisfaction that Nehemiah and all who had worked with him must have felt as they realized what God had done for and through them.

The emphasis on spiritual things did not end when the dedication ceremony was over. The leaders appointed Levites to collect, store and distribute the offerings from the people for the priests and other Levites. The appropriate portions were collected from the people in the surrounding towns and villages, then divided according to the schedule established by David and Solomon. So the singers, the gatekeepers, the rest of the Levites and the priests got their allotments from the people's offerings.

The immediate effect of finishing and dedicating the wall was good. But trouble began when Nehemiah went back to see Artaxerxes. When Nehemiah returned, he had to forcefully discipline the people and enforce the law they had neglected and broken in his absence. The last chapter of the book is about Nehemiah’s final reforms.

As wonderful as big crowds and enthusiastic events may be, let’s remember that our relationship with God is grounded in his faithfulness and our everyday submission to his will. Our security doesn’t come from living in a walled city. But we are secure in the Lord’s keeping when we humbly commit to follow and obey him in every aspect of our lives.

Copyright © 2023 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.