Nehemiah 12:1-26

8/4/2024

The text today shows how different people have different roles to play. There are certain people who are supposed to be priests, others high priests. Some Levites were called to sing, others to stand watch and keep the gates. 

We see how God is faithful in keeping his promises. 

This passage is meant to memorialize the people to whom the ancient Israelites owed, through God’s providence, the “happy revival and re-establishment of their religion among them”. – Matthew Henry

Hebrews 13:7
Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.

12 These are the priests and the Levites who came up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua: [22 men]. These were the chiefs of the priests and of their brothers in the days of Jeshua.

• Right away we see that this is a complicated passage. I’m going to do my best to walk us through the names and the players and not overwhelm. 

• Nehemiah is remembering the leaders who contributed to the restoration of Gods people.

8 And the Levites: Jeshua [and 5 others], who with his brothers was in charge of the songs of thanksgiving. 9 And [two men] and their brothers stood opposite them in the service. 10 And Jeshua was the [great-great-great grand] father of Jaddua.

• This is the record of the renewal of the ancient practices of God’s people. David had set apart groups of people who were to minister at the temple by singing praises. You can read about this in 1 Chronicles 24 and 25.

• All of this shows that God was watchful over them in their time in exile. He preserved the line of Aaron to make sure there could be a high priest. He saved Levites who could serve as priests in the temple.

12-21 And in the days of Joiakim were priests, heads of fathers’ houses: [of the 20 Levites, 20 sons]

• We’re now getting a run down on the second generation. Joiakim is HP2.

• This is something truly miraculous. 20 fathers left behind 20 good sons who would be good priests for the people. Only one or two are left out from the previous list, people disagree about how to interpret the list.

• But these men are recorded because they were faithful in serving God’s people. God was faithful in providing this young, newly restored nation good leaders to get them off to a healthy start.

22 In the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua (four generations of high priests: from the building of the wall to the time this was written), the Levites were recorded as heads of fathers’ houses; so too were the priests in the reign of Darius the Persian. 23 As for the sons of Levi, their heads of fathers’ houses were written in the Book of the Chronicles until the days of Johanan [HP4] the son of Eliashib [HP3]. 

• v22 begins to tell us about the leaders from the third generation onward. The Levites and the priests are mentioned, implying they too were holding fast to their duties.

24 And the chiefs of the Levites: [three men], with their brothers who stood opposite them, to praise and to give thanks, according to the commandment of David the man of God, watch by watch. 25 [6 men] were gatekeepers standing guard at the storehouses of the gates. 26 These were in the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor and of Ezra, the priest and scribe.

• Reminder, there are a few roles the Levites can have. The whole tribe was set apart for God. They didn’t get their own land and they had religious duties they were expected to do, things like singing, serving as guards or carrying the holy items. 

o Next step up, a group of the Levites were priests. They offered the sacrifices at the temple, taught the people and maintained the temple.

o Lastly is the high priest, and that was always passed down to the oldest living son upon death all the way down the line of Aaron, the brother of Moses.

o “The work of God shall never fail for want of instruments”

These people who were on fire for the Lord, who built the wall, had only one avenue to express their gratitude. Those people could only be thankful for their ancestors who were the remnant of Israel, remaining faithful in a foreign land under persecution. They could only memorialize their ancestors who came before them to rebuild the temple.

Hebrews 6:12 commands us to pay close attention to the leaders of the past

“[be] imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”

Takeaways

Remember your spiritual ancestors

• We cannot repay the debt; we can only pay it forward. Likewise, we are to go out and make disciples. 

God’s work cannot fail. 

• God told his people how he was to be worshiped. He sets the rules, but he’ll also see to it that it’s fulfilled

The heart of man is away from God