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- Preaching the Living WORD through
the Written WORD - 2 Tim 4;:2 - |
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NEHEMIAH’S
REFORMS: THE DEDICATION OF THE WALL (Nehemiah 12:1‑47) 9/19/10 Grace Bible Church,
Gillette, Wyoming Pastor Daryl Hilbert I. NEHEMIAH RECORDS NAMES OF
THE PRIESTS AND LEVITES (1‑21) A. [Ne 12:1-7] 1. Nehemiah
recorded the names of 22 leaders among those who returned with Zerubbabel. 2. In giving an accurate record of
Nehemiah’s reforms, he included a list of priests and Levites that returned
to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel and Jeshua in 537 B.C. 3. These priests and Levites were
instrumental in reestablishing the worship in the land. B. [Ne 12:8-9] 1. Nehemiah
mentioned 8 Levites by name. Mattaniah was mentioned again concerning his
participation in the thanksgiving prayer (Ne 11:17). C. [Ne 12:10-11] 1. With
utmost importance, Nehemiah gives the priestly genealogy. 2. Nehemiah records six generations: 1)
Jeshua, 2) Joiakim, 3) Eliashib, 4) Joiada, 5)
Jonathan, 6) and Jaddua. D. [Ne 12:12-21] 1. Nehemiah
records the heads of 21 priestly families in the days of Joiakim, omitting Hattush vs. 2. II. NEHEMIAH RECORDS NAMES OF
THE CHIEF LEVITES (22-26) A. [Ne 12:22] 1. Next,
Nehemiah introduced the heads of nine Levitical families in the days of
Eliashib, Joiada, and Johanan
and Jaddua. 2. Darius the Persian is most likely Darius
II (423-404 B.C.). (Whitcomb, "Nehemiah," The Wycliffe Bible
Commentary, p. 443). B. [Ne 12:23] 1. The
"Book of the Chronicles" (v. 23) is not the canonical Book of
Chronicles but another record of names. (Constable in loc.) C. [Ne 12:24-26] 1. Three of
the nine Levitical families (Hashabiah, Sherebiah and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel)
were probably song leaders. 2. Three of the nine Levitical families
(Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam,
Talmon and Akkub l) were
gatekeepers. III. NEHEMIAH ORGANIZES
DEDICATION OF THE WALL (27-49) A. [Ne 12:27-30] Preparation for the Dedication 1. Nehemiah
brought in Levites from all over Judah so that they could celebrate with the
proper attitude and the proper enthusiasm. Netophah
was a village about fifteen miles south-west of Jerusalem. Beth-haggilal may simply mean the Levite Quarters (beth - house) in Gilgal. 2. The inclusion of the Levites showed that
Nehemiah was giving God the credit and the thanks for the rebuilding of the
wall. He also showed that He wanted to return to God the praise worthy of His
works. Musical talent seemed to have been ascribed mostly to the Levites.
They celebrated in the spirit of the dedication of Solomon’s Temple (2Ch
5:13). 3. The priests and Levites purified
themselves as outlined in the Law in order to properly worship the Lord in
praise (Nu 8:21; Ez 6:20). In addition they
purified the people, the gates, and the wall. B. [Ne 12:31-42] Procession of the Dedication 1. It was
unusual to dedicate a wall, but this wall had great significance. It was a
wall that not only fortified Jerusalem, but revived and confirmed God’s
people in the rebuilding process. 2. Quite possibly by design, Nehemiah had
the two great choirs begin the procession from the Valley wall, at or very
near where he made his evening inspection (Ne 2:13). 3. The choirs were split in two, half on the
right, half on the left (Ne 12:31, 38) and walked on the very wall that
Tobiah said couldn’t hold “a fox” (Ne 4:3). The procession went in two
different directions until they converged at the Inspection Gate in the
northeast corner. 4. The leaders of Judah, along with Ezra and
the chief priests, followed the choir on the right. Whereas Nehemiah and the
other half followed
the choir on the left. 5. The choir on the right started at the
Valley Gate, proceeded southerly and easterly to the
Refuse Gate. From there they turned to the corner and went northerly to the
Fountain Gate, where they climbed the steps of the city of David, passed
David’s house to the Water Gate. They continued northerly to the Inspection
Gate. 6. The choir on the left also started at the
Valley Gate, proceeded northerly to the Tower of
Furnaces, the Broad Wall, the Gate of Ephraim, the Old Gate, and the Fish
Gate. They went easterly to the Tower of Hananel,
the Tower of the Hundred, and the Sheep Gate. Finally they traveled southerly
for a short distance until they reached the Inspection Gate. 7. Both choirs met at the Inspection Gate
and proceeded together to the Temple and stopped at the house of God. C. [Ne 12:43-47] Procedures for the Dedication 1. When
they arrived at the Temple, they offered “great” (gadol
- grow or expand, same word in Ne 12:31 - “great” choir) sacrifices. This
means that they offered a great amount of sacrifices not only for sin, but
also for thanksgiving and free-will offerings. As a result, the people
rejoiced because God had given them joy. They had done God’s will and wor, and joy was the result as well as their strength (Ne
8:10). Note the trickle-down effect (“men, women, and children”) and that all
rejoiced in the Lord. Their rejoicing even affected those outside Jerusalem
(43). 2. In such conditions, the people were
willing to serve the Lord and many appointments to tasks were made (44). 3. They performed worship and service to God
because He was the One who sovereignly orchestrated Nehemiah’s leadership,
the restoration of the wall and the revival of the people. All credit rightly
goes to Him and worship should be in the proper proportion. 4. In addition, they performed the service
of purification (tahor - especially to
make ceremonially clean in order to set apart for God’s holy use, cp. Le
11-15; 1Ch 23:28). They purified the priests, people, gates, and wall (Ne
12:30). In other words they set apart and dedicated every labor and every
possession to the Lord. In the same way the believer is dedicate to the Lord
all that he does and all that possesses. 5. The whole celebration was reminiscent of
the days of David and His song leaders who led the people in praise and
thanksgiving as well a service and dedication. IV. OBSERVATIONS AND
APPLICATIONS A. Leadership recognize all
blessings come from the Lord and give due worth-ship (Ne 12:27). 1. The Lord
is the provider, especially for believers, Who provides the strength,
protection, and increase of all our labors. 2. Therefore, believers must give God praise
at least to the degree that He blessed them. B. Leadership exercises
spiritual rejoicing which promotes the same in others (Ne 12:43). 1. Spiritual
rejoicing and enthusiasm is gained by understanding God’s Word and putting it
into practice. 2. When leadership has spiritual rejoicing
and enthusiasm it is emulated by those underneath their care. C. Leadership understands
that dedication encompasses our labor and possessions (Ne 12:45). 1. It is
not only necessary for the believer to dedicate his life to Lord, but all his
labors and all his possessions. 2. Everything is to be set apart and
dedicated to the Lord for His sovereign and holy use. |
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