Nehemiah Pt. 10: Materials & Labor

The construction of the structure is complete, now the real Kingdom Building begins. God’s people have returned from exile, they have rebuilt the walls and gates…What now? Does God just want us to be physically secure and that is enough? Or is that not what really matters to him? I believe He wants more for His people.

He wants to build things in His people and build other people with His people. What does God want to build in your life? What does He want to build in others with you? We can be Material & Labor!

Do you have a VISION of the life God wants you to live? What He wants to build. Kingdom building is ultimately about people, God’s People. This passage immortalizes thousands of people who responded to God’s call to Go! They surrendered their lives to become building materials for God [Potter & clay]

Nehemiah 7 [ESV]

1 After the wall had been rebuilt and I had set the doors in place, the gatekeepers, the musicians and the Levites were appointed.

The final aspects of ‘The Wall & ‘The Gates’ were now completed
The people who will facilitate worship are put in place
The physical structure is necessary, but people make it work

2 I put in charge of Jerusalem my brother Hanani, along with Hananiah the commander of the citadel, because he was a man of integrity and feared God more than most people do.

Why does the Governor, Nehemiah, put these two guys in charge?
Leadership of God’s people starts with integrity and a proper view of God
The leadership of God’s people is always spread around
Nehemiah was returning to Persia

3 I said to them, “The gates of Jerusalem are not to be opened until the sun is hot. While the gatekeepers are still on duty, have them shut the doors and bar them. Also appoint residents of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some near their own houses.”

Tighter than normal control of when you can enter or exit the city
The newly formed city / community was vulnerable and needed extra security
Once again Nehemiah makes security a community wide deal [Why?]

4 Now the city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it, and the houses had not yet been rebuilt. 5 So my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials and the common people for registration by families.

The need was to populate the city…God is always growing His people
Registration would provide for the return of family property in the city

I found the genealogical record of those who had been the first to return. This is what I found written there: 6 These are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken captive (they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town, 7 in company with Zerubbabel, Joshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum and Baanah):

The people God who believed what was predicted in Jeremiah 29:10-14
Only names listed were families from ‘The Province’ surrounding the city
God lists the names of the men was led the return from Persia

“For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you My promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will hear you. You will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.” ~ Jeremiah 29:10-14

Then under the heading: ‘The List of The Men Israel’ [also found in Ezra 2]

This is going to be very close to the list found in Ezra 2
UP-DATED LIST?
God remembers His followers, the 30,000 or so who left Persia

I want to stress how much God cares about everyone who steps out in faith for Him

Verses 8-38 list 40 distinct families without specific duties [25,406 people]

Verses 39-42 list the Priests [4 families 4,289 people]

Verses 43-45 list the Levites, Musician & Gatekeepers [10 families 360 people]

The 1^st 40 families listed didn’t even have a particular ‘Temple Job’
These people were inspired by God’s vision for their life! [counter culture]
Then you have the Priests, they were 1/6 of those who returned, LEADERSHIP
Levites = specialized ministry support, admin for priests [1 levite per 40 priests]
Musicians = worship leaders
Gatekeepers = Hosts / Body Services

Verses 46-56 list the Temple Servants [32 families]

Verse 57-60 list the descendants of the Servants of Solomon [10 families]

Total of Temple Servants & descendants of the Servants of Solomon [392 people]

These were families who for generations embraced their role as ‘Servants’
There is a satisfaction in serving the Lord in simplicity, without upward mobility

61 The following were those who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer, but they could not prove their fathers’ houses nor their descent, whether they belonged to Israel: 62 the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, the sons of Nekoda, 642 people.

Undocumented… Not in the register but here in Scripture!
We have their town and family names
These people wanted to obey God even if they were not officially included

63 Also, of the priests: the sons of Hobaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, the sons of Barzillai (who had taken a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by their name). 64 These sought their registration among those enrolled in the genealogies, but it was not found there, so they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. 65 The governor [Zerubbabel?] told them that they were not to partake of the most holy food until a priest with Urim and Thummim should arise.

They didn’t have the proper documentation to be ‘priests’ but God lists them
A High Priest could use the Urim & Thummin to hear from God about it

V. 66-69: The whole assembly together was 42,360, besides their 7,337 male and female servants, and they also had 245 male and female singers. There were 736 horses, 245 mules, 435 camels and 6,720 donkeys.

All the previous people listed only add up to 30,457…
The only names given were the people of the province of Judah
Judah’s territory was most of the surrounding area of Jerusalem, but not all
You have foreign servants & foreign singers…they had to import singers…
Not a lot of animals for 42,000 people

70 Now some of the heads of fathers’ houses gave to the work.

In Ezra 2 it is specific: they gave freewill offerings for the House of God
Here it is more general, ‘The work’: wall, gates and the Temple surroundings
Communal Giving / shared condition
All gave to the treasury then leadership spent it as consensus

The governor gave to the treasury 1,000 darics of gold, 50 basins, 30 priests’ garments and 500 minas of silver. 71 And some of the heads of fathers’ houses gave into the treasury of the work 20,000 darics of gold and 2,200 minas of silver. 72 And what the rest of the people gave was 20,000 darics of gold, 2,000 minas of silver, and 67 priests’ garments.

Darics were gold pieces used by the Persian empire: ¼ oz of Gold
Basins were for ceremonial washing
Priest’s garments were a very detailed uniform and quite costly [Shared Use]
Minas of sliver were approximately one pound bars of sliver
Notice the numbers…vs Ezra 2:69 According to their ability they gave to the treasury of the work 61,000 darics of gold, 5,000 minas of silver, and 100 priests’ garments. [Two Different Offerings?]

73 So the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the temple servants, and all Israel, lived in their towns. And when the seventh month had come, the people of Israel were in their towns.

The nation of Israel is ‘Re-Constituted’
They they are ready to live as God’s people… they need to know how

Why are all of these people listed here and in Ezra chapter 2? Individuals matter to God…each and every one… A personal, intimate, relational God.

BIG IDEAS

God is always focused on the on-going ‘people part’ of kingdom building projects.

God desires His new building projects to have shared leadership and high security.

God calls His people to various roles in the ‘Building’ but they all matter. [He Knows]

God calls His people to sacrifice financially to fund Kingdom Work.

God calls His people to live in relational, worship based community centered on Him.

APPLICATION

What is God currently building in YOU?

What role can YOU play to share leadership & protect our Body?

Why does God record the financial giving in scripture here and elsewhere?

What is your vision for a life surrendered to God in worshipful, relational community?