A Renewed Devotion

We looked at the book of Ezra over the first three months of the year. Then we continued into Nehemiah beginning in April. This morning, we are just about coming the end of that story.

The nation of Israel was taken into captivity for about 70 years, but the stories of Ezra and Nehemiah describe its restoration. The temple in Jerusalem was rebuilt. The wall surrounding the city was rebuilt too. The people’s covenant with God was renewed. The people recommitted themselves to God’s word and to repopulate the city of Jerusalem. That’s a brief summary of what’s taken place. There was rebuilding. There was renewal. There was recommitment, and there was repopulation. And now, Nehemiah is putting the final touches on his memoirs, so to speak, and wrapping up his story.

The first part of chapter 12, verses 1-26, is something you’re probably familiar with if you’ve been here since the beginning of the year. It’s a list of the priests and the Levites that had been serving from the time the Israelites first returned to Jerusalem until the time of Nehemiah.

This is the final time we’re going to get a list of names. We’re not going to read it all, but I do want to point out a couple things. First, the first and last verse in this section show us the sweep of the chronology.

In verse 1 it talks about those who came up with Zerubbabel. Those were part of the initial group who returned. And then, down in verse 26 it mentions those who served in the days of Nehemiah the governor and Ezra, the priest and scribe. This span covers over 90 years.

A list of names probably isn’t very exciting for you to see, but there is one lesson we can take away from it. This list is an expression of corporate unity. It’s an expression of how many different people were involved in bringing about the nation’s restoration. The priests and the Levites were serving throughout all this time.

The books we’ve been studying this year are named after Ezra and Nehemiah, but they are not the only ones who get the credit for what’s happened. Nehemiah, as a great leader among the people, doesn’t just say, “Ezra and I made it happen.” No, he includes the other leaders as well. He recognizes them. This list is a recognition of the many people that had served. It’s an expression of unity. It’s an expression of teamwork.

That’s an important lesson to take to heart, particularly for those who serve in leadership. Never ignore the contributions of others. Don’t be deceived into thinking that nobody else has contributed to what you’ve helped accomplish. Don’t minimize what others have done. Not everyone’s work is going to be as notable, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t deserve some kind of recognition.

The Apostle Paul models this for us in his letters. He doesn’t say, “Pray for me, guys, because if I die, or if I go to jail, God’s work is going to stop. I am indispensable to God’s plan.”

No, he tells the Philippians, “You are partners with me in the work of the gospel.” Numerous times, he refers to his friends, not as employees, but as “fellow workers.” They’re on the same team, and he gives them credit. He honors them. He expresses the unity they have.

Why does he do that? Because he recognizes that his abilities and responsibilities are gifts from Jesus Christ. And he recognizes that all of God’s people have been given a place and a function in the body of Christ.

You need to remember that. We’re all on the same team. We’re going to make different contributions, but that doesn’t mean any one of us matters more than the rest.

That’s the message of 1 Corinthians 12:4, where Paul writes—Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

A couple paragraphs later, Paul uses the human body as an example. And he basically says, “The foot shouldn’t be upset because it’s not a hand. And the ear shouldn’t be upset because it’s not an eye. And no part should look down on another. We need to honor one another. We’re not the same, but we’re all united in Christ by the grace of God through our faith in His death and resurrection.

We can apply that same principle in our families too. Husbands, don’t ever assume your role in the family is more important than your wife’s. Wives, don’t assume that your role is more important than your husband’s. God made us different, but that doesn’t mean any of us is more valuable than the other. And while wives are instructed to submit to their husbands, husbands are instructed to love their wives, to honor them, to value them. We need to find ways to express the unity we have rather than try to elevate ourselves over others.

Now, immediately after this list of names is over, Nehemiah describes a very special ceremony. We aren’t given the exact timing here, but Nehemiah tells us that the people held a special celebration to dedicate the wall that had been rebuilt.

There is an expression of corporate unity, once again, but secondly, we see an expression of joyful worship. The people are celebrating together.

Back in verse 24, as Nehemiah describes the priests and the Levites, he lists one of their duties. He says they were placed there to praise and to give thanks, according to the commandment of David the man of God.

I am grateful to God for the people he has given our church to lead us in joyful worship. The singers, the instrumentalists, the audio-visual team. We don’t want to take them for granted. We are a blessed church.

For the Israelites, the people charged to lead in music were a portion of the Levites. So, Nehemiah divides them and sends them out to lead the people.

Look at verse 27 with me. It says—And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites in all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, with thanksgivings and with singing, with cymbals, harps, and lyres. [28] And the sons of the singers gathered together from the district surrounding Jerusalem and from the villages of the Netophathites; [29] also from Beth-gilgal and from the region of Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built for themselves villages around Jerusalem. [30] And the priests and the Levites purified themselves, and they purified the people and the gates and the wall.

Verse 31 tells us that Nehemiah split the people into two groups—actually, it says he split them into two great choirs. The first choir was led by Ezra, and they went south along the wall. The second choir included Nehemiah, and they headed north. What did they do? They walked together on the wall, praising God for what He had done.

This wasn’t somber, boring, tedious, lifeless ceremony. This was joyful worship. This was loud. You had cymbals. You had trumpets. Those are not quiet instruments. This was a parade, if you will. This was a time to celebrate.

You’ve got two separate groups marching around the wall with instrument and with singing, and they come together at the Temple. Verse 40 says they were giving thanks.

Look at verse 43 with me. It says—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.

I understand that there is a kind of immature, naïve, and empty excitement that many people try to pass off as Christian joy. That’s a real danger. But if your idea of the Christian life doesn’t have any room for joyful worship, something is seriously missing.

It's going to look different for each of us, but we are here to worship in joy. Some of you clap, some of you don’t; that’s not what matters. What matters is that we are worshipping and praising God for what He has done. We give Him the glory.

We’re not excited because we have a building we get to call our own. We worship today because the God of the universe, the God who created us, has reconciled us to Himself through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We have become His children. We’ve been adopted.

There’s one song we sing that has a line that asks, “Now will the righteous Judge of men condemn me for that debt of sin now cancelled at the cross?” I’m not usually a vocally expressive person, but every time I hear that question, my soul cries out, “No! Absolutely not! I am freed from my sin!”

And you can be freed from the guilt of your sin too, if you will turn from it and trust in Jesus Christ. God will give you true joy and true peace.

And if you know a member of our church who doesn’t every express joy in life, that doesn’t mean he’s a holy man or a holy woman. It means something’s not right. God’s people are to be joyful people because of what Christ has done.

When Jesus died, the curtain in the Temple was torn in two. That action was a symbol that the Israelite system, as God’s means of knowing Him, had come to an end. It had been fulfilled. We don’t need a Temple anymore. We don’t need a high priest in the line of Levi. We have a great High Priest now who gives us direct access to the Father—Jesus Christ. And eternal life is to know Him, and through Him, to know the Father. One of the results of that reality is joyful worship.

This is what God wants for His people. Don’t miss that. One more time, verse 42 says the people rejoiced because God had made them rejoice with great joy. Is the same true for you? I hope so.

There’s one final attribute we see expressed in our passage today, and that is biblical obedience. We see corporate unity. We see joyful worship. And thirdly, we see biblical obedience.

The people aren’t just singing and dancing in gratitude to God; they turn their joy into action. Specifically, they act in obedience to God’s word. This is something we’ve already seen, but we see it one more time as the chapter comes to an end.

In verse 24, it said that the chiefs of the Levites were there to praise and to give thanks, according to the commandment of David the man of God.

In verse 36 it says that they sang with the musical instruments of David the man of God.

In their joy, they never forgot that God had already prescribed how He was to be worshiped. The people were not free to worship however they felt like it. They needed to worship God as He had commanded.

So, as they dedicate the wall, the people also reestablish the men who will be in charge of taking care of the things of the Temple.

Let me read from verse 44 to verse 3 of the following chapter. And notice the attention given to their obedience to Scripture.

On that day men were appointed over the storerooms, the contributions, the firstfruits, and the tithes, to gather into them the portions required by the Law for the priests and for the Levites according to the fields of the towns, for Judah rejoiced over the priests and the Levites who ministered. [45] And they performed the service of their God and the service of purification, as did the singers and the gatekeepers, according to the command of David and his son Solomon. [46] For long ago in the days of David and Asaph there were directors of the singers, and there were songs of praise and thanksgiving to God. [47] And all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah gave the daily portions for the singers and the gatekeepers; and they set apart that which was for the Levites; and the Levites set apart that which was for the sons of Aaron.

[13:1] On that day they read from the Book of Moses in the hearing of the people. And in it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God, [2] for they did not meet the people of Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them—yet our God turned the curse into a blessing. [3] As soon as the people heard the law, they separated from Israel all those of foreign descent.

They made provision for the temple workers, and they purified themselves according to God’s commands. This is the truest expression of worship—obedience to the word of God.

This is how Nehemiah’s description of this dedication ceremony ends—the people have turned back to the word of God.

Isn’t that a beautiful thing? Isn’t that what we want in our own lives? In our own church? In churches all across this nation? This is what we should be aiming for and praying for, more than any other change that could come about. We want to see ourselves and others walk in humble obedience to the word of God.

That’s been part of my prayers these past couple weeks as I’ve been with the kids coming to camp. I know they’re cute little kids, but I see them and I think about what their lives will be like when they grow into adulthood. Are they going to walk with God? We don’t know, but that’s what I pray sometimes when I look at them.

That’s what we parents should be praying for our kids. That’s what you grandparents should be praying for your grandkids. That’s what you should be praying about for your coworkers and your bosses and your classmates. We want them to come to the knowledge of the truth and walk with Jesus Christ. We want them to be gathered together with us one day around the throne of Jesus Christ, worshiping Him forever.

So, is this Israel’s happily ever after? Was the work of Ezra and Nehemiah enough to turn this nation around for good? No. God used it for a time, but the people struggled. And it was a struggle for Nehemiah too. Today, we have a happy message. We have an obedient people coming back to the word of God. But as we’ll see next time, Nehemiah ends his recollection of the events with a description of more reforms that needed to take place. Today is a day of celebration, but until Christ comes, the work is never finished.

We’ll continue the story next time. Let’s close in prayer.