Nehemiah 12:27-47 (ESV)
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. And the sons of the singers gathered together from the district surrounding Jerusalem and from the villages of the Netophathites; also from Beth-gilgal and from the region of Geba and Azmaveth, for singers had built for themselves villages around Jerusalem. And the priests and the Levites purified themselves, and they purified the people and the gates and the wall.
Then I brought the leaders of Judah up onto the wall and appointed two great choirs that gave thanks. One went to the south on the wall to the Dung Gate….with trumpets…..with the musical instruments of David the man of God. And Ezra the scribe went before them. At the Fountain Gate they went up straight before them by the stairs of the city of David, at the ascent of the wall, above the house of David, to the Water Gate on the east.
Then the other choir of those who gave thanks went to the north, and I followed them with half of the people, on the wall, above the Tower of the Ovens….and they came to a halt at the Gate of the Guard. So both choirs of those who gave thanks stood in the house of God, and I and half the officials with me; and the priests….with trumpets…..and the singers sang…..And they offered great sacrifices that day and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and the children also rejoiced. And the joy of Jerusalem was heard far away.
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. 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. 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. 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.
Summary Points:
-Prepare/purify yourself for the gatherings of God’s people
-Your labor in the Lord will never be in vain (I Cor 15:58)
-Rejoice in the Lord. It is a gift (Rom 15:13), a fruit (Gal 5:22-23), a command (Phil 4:4), and a privilege (Ps 122:1)
-Pray for renewal/revival in the church and the nation