Devotions

To Praise and To Give Thanks

by  • 

The people are settling in to the whole region of Judah. This had once been theirs, and it is again but now under the rule of the Persian Governor. At least he is one of their own, Nehemiah. They still have their genealogies, they have maintained their connection to God’s covenant with Abraham. We find the names of those that returned. We find tribes and Priests, and Levites. We also find those that have specific roles, the gatekeepers, the bakers, those that mix incense and fragrances, and the singers. This they remembered from David’s day, there is power in praise. 

The Villages in Their Territories

Nehemiah 11:25–36
Now that the work in Jerusalem is done, they can focus on the settlements. Here in Nehemiah 11:25, “The whole region in which the villages here mentioned were situated had been completely devastated by the Chaldean invasion; and, therefore, it must be assumed, that these villages had been rebuilt”.1 Nehemiah was now the governor, but this was their homeland “As a province of the Persian empire, the whole territory governed by Nehemiah was called Yehud (Judah), and was bounded on the north by the province of Samaria, and on the south by Idumea (Edom). But historically the part of it which ran from Jerusalem northward had belonged to Benjamin; so the two tribes occupied their respective territories, defined briefly in verses 30b, 31a, with Levi distributed among them both (36)”.2 

They Were Written in the Book

1 Chronicles 9:1–21
Genealogies matter to the Jewish people, and we see this in 1 Chronicles 9:1 where “From the beginning of the Hebrew nation, public records were kept, containing a registration of the name of every individual, as well as the tribe and family to which he belonged. “The book of the kings of Israel and Judah” does not refer to the two canonical books that are known in Scripture by that name, but to authenticated copies of those registers, placed under the official care of the sovereigns; and as a great number of the Israelites (1 Ch 9:3) took refuge in Judah during the invasion of Shalmaneser, they carried the public records along with them. The genealogies given in the preceding chapters were drawn from the public records in the archives both of Israel and Judah; and those given in this chapter relate to the period subsequent to the restoration; whence it appears (compare 1 Ch 3:17–24) that the genealogical registers were kept during the captivity in Babylon”.3

In 1 Chronicles 9:2 we get the names of the first group to return. “1 Chronicles 9 is made up of two lists: verses 2–34, those who resettled Jerusalem; verses 35–44, the genealogy of Saul. The main subject matter is the list of Jerusalem residents, since the latter section really introduces the account of Saul’s dynasty (ch. 10). Occupation of Jerusalem is a key feature in the restoration of post-exilic Israel”.4

Guardians of the Entrances

1 Chronicles 9:22–27
This description of the gatekeepers begins in 1 Chronicles 9:17 where they are described as we would expect as gaurdians of the entrances.There were several other duties for the gatekeepers, “The section deals with three aspects of the gatekeepers’ ‘service’ or ministry (vv. 19, 28), their authority (vv. 17–23), their leadership (vv. 24–27), and their additional work (vv. 28–32).”5

In 1 Chronicles 9:26 “the four mighty gatekeepers” are mentioned, “The four principal gatekeepers (vv. 24–27) are presumably those named in verse 17. The temple doors were closed each night, though a key (v. 27) is mentioned nowhere else in the Old Testament. The morning (v. 27) was the time for praise (cf. 1 Chr. 23:30) and sacrifice”.6

And Some of Them Were …

1 Chronicles 9:28–34
There are a number of different jobs where special service was required and “Since Kohath was the grandfather of Aaron, Moses, and Miriam (Exod. 6:20; Num. 26:59), the Kohathites were considered the most important of the three major Levitical families (that is, Kohathites, Gershonites, and Merarites)”.7 We have seen the visible gatekeepers but there are many other jobs that are not so visible. These are the workers behind the scenes that make our coming together possible. “The Kohathites were … responsible to care for and move the ark, table, lamp-stand, altars, vessels of the sanctuary, and the screen (Num. 3:29–31). The Kohathites could not touch these objects and could move them only after they had been properly prepared by Aaron and his sons”.8

The Priests and The Levites

Nehemiah 12:1–9
These came “with Zerubbabel” in Nehemiah 12:1, “according to Ne 12:7, “the chief of the priests,” the heads of the twenty-four courses into which the priesthood was divided (1 Ch 24:1–20). Only four of the courses returned from the captivity (Ne 7:39–42; Ezr 2:36–39). But these were divided by Zerubbabel, or Jeshua, into the original number of twenty-four”.9

 

Priests During the Reign of Darius the Persian

Nehemiah 12:10–22
As they lamented earlier, they are now slaves under foreign rule. No longer a king of their own so, “This enumeration was of great importance, not only as establishing their individual purity of descent, but because the chronology of the Jews was henceforth to be reckoned, not as formerly by the reigns of their kings, but by the successions of their high priests”.10 

To Praise and To Give Thanks

Nehemiah 12:23–26
We find the singers, in Nehemiah 12:24, arrayed with “the heads of the Levites: Hashabiah, Sherebiah, Jeshua son of Kadmiel, and their brothers opposite them, to praise and to give thanks by the command of David the man of God, section alongside section”. This seems to be in line with “David’s system the phrase, watch corresponding to watch, applied to the gatekeepers (1 Chr. 26:16). Here it seems to govern primarily the singers, who are also shown standing opposite one another, both earlier in this verse and in verse 9”.11

Study Verses

Today’s Reading

  • Nehemiah 11:25-36
  • 1 Chronicles 9:1-34
  • Nehemiah 12:1–36

Operation Exodus

is helping Jewish people return to their homeland. You might fund one that desires to go home. http://operationexodususa.org/Overview

Return to Israel – Ezra

We often read one book of the Bible at a time and that is easier for everyone to follow. The order of our readings, beginning with Ezra, are from the Tyndale One Year Chronological Bible because the return from Babylonian exile includes Haggai, Zechariah, Nehemiah, Esther, a few Psalms, and other connections. Covering these events chronologically as they happened, gives a much better context and helps us understand the move of God as He is reestablishing His people. Review the whole series beginning with Go Up To Jerusalem.

References

  • 1. Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, p. 300). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
  • 2. Kidner, D. (1979). Ezra and Nehemiah: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 12, p. 132). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
  • 3. Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, p. 254). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
  • 4. Selman, M. J. (1994). 1 Chronicles: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 10). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
  • 5. Selman, M. J. (1994). 1 Chronicles: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 10, p. 133). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
  • 6. Selman, M. J. (1994). 1 Chronicles: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 10, p. 135). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
  • 7. Logan, P. (2003). Kohathites. In C. Brand, C. Draper, A. England, S. Bond, E. R. Clendenen, & T. C. Butler (Eds.), Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (p. 1000). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers
  • 8. Logan, P. (2003). Kohathites. In C. Brand, C. Draper, A. England, S. Bond, E. R. Clendenen, & T. C. Butler (Eds.), Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (p. 1000). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
  • 9. Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, p. 301). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
  • 10. Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, p. 301). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
  • 11. Kidner, D. (1979). Ezra and Nehemiah: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 12, p. 137). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.