The wall is built. The gates are restored. The people returned to God’s Word and renewed their covenant with God.
• The city is now repopulated. It’s time to celebrate God’s goodness and give thanks.
• Nehemiah organises a dedication service for this purpose.
Let’s recap all that has happened up to this point, to help us appreciate this more.
1. Jerusalem was in ruins at the start of this book. Nehemiah secured King Artaxerxes’ permission to return from Susa, Persia to rebuild the walls.
• This was itself remarkable because the King had earlier decreed that the work in Jerusalem be stopped.
2. Nehemiah got him to supply what he needed and came back to Jerusalem. He inspired and encouraged the discouraged people to take up the task.
3. The workers encountered a barrage of opposition throughout their rebuilding.
• From ridicule to violent threats, from intimidation to personal defamation.
• Nehemiah faced problems from the enemies without, as well as strife among his own people within.
• Eventually they overcame all odds and completed the rebuilding in 52 days.
4. Ezra led the people to return to God’s Word. They confessed their sins and renewed their covenant with God.
5. Nehemiah organises the people to repopulate Jerusalem and re-establish the city of God. The people willingly accepted that plan and fulfilled God’s purpose.
For those of us who have been following these events from Neh 1 to Neh 12 over the past 4½ months (since Jan), we can see the hand of God in it.
• From the ruins to what we have today, we can see the providence of God.
• It’s time to celebrate God’s goodness and give thanks. Two things stand out here – SINGING and JOY. Read Neh 12:27-30.
The Levites and singers were called in from the surrounding towns to lead in the thanksgiving.
• That’s one of their major role as Levites, to lead the people in praise and worship.
• (The Levites are the descendants of Levi, the son of Jacob (later renamed Israel), one of the 12 tribes of Israel.)
• 1 Chron 23:2-5 “2[David] He also gathered together all the leaders of Israel, as well as the priests and Levites. 3The Levites thirty years old or more were counted, and the total number of men was thirty-eight thousand. 4David said, "Of these, twenty-four thousand are to supervise the work of the temple of the LORD and six thousand are to be officials and judges. 5Four thousand are to be gatekeepers and four thousand are to praise the LORD with the musical instruments I have provided for that purpose.”
• So they were called in. We will see the important role they play further on.
The purpose of the gathering is clear – to give thanks to God.
• 12:27 - They are “to celebrate joyfully the dedication with songs of thanksgiving and with the music of cymbals, harps and lyres.”
• 12:31 Nehemiah says he has “assigned two large choirs to give thanks.”
• 12:40 “The two choirs that gave thanks then took their places in the house of God…” It is an acknowledgement of God in all that they’ve accomplished.
They purified themselves to prepare for this. This is likely what they did, for the Levites, according to Numbers.
• Num 8:5-7 “The LORD said to Moses: 6"Take the Levites from among the other Israelites and make them ceremonially clean. 7To purify them, do this: Sprinkle the water of cleansing on them; then have them shave their whole bodies and wash their clothes, and so purify themselves.
• Num 8:12 “After the Levites lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, use the one for a sin offering to the LORD and the other for a burnt offering, to make atonement for the Levites.”
David writes in Psalm 24:3-4 “3Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? 4He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false.”
• That’s for OT times. Today, because of the work of Christ on the cross, we prepare ourselves not by doing some ritual but in confession and repentance.
• We examine our hearts and confess our sin. We admit our wrongs and repent, honestly and without pretence.
• We come before God with clean hands and pure hearts.
Read Neh 12:31-39.
Nehemiah organises two large choirs, comprising of the Levite singers, the leaders/officials, the 7 priests with their trumpets and the musicians.
• Both groups with similar formations.
• Ezra leading the first group, moving in anticlockwise direction towards the Dung gate, and Nehemiah with the second group, going in clockwise direction. [See Map]
• Imagine the two LARGE choirs moving on top of the walls, singing songs giving thanks to God as they moved, and playing musical instruments and trumpets.
• If we have a drone to capture the sight from the sky, this would be awesome! Imagine the music and the singing from this two large choirs SURROUNDING Jerusalem, literally. Not a prayer walk, but a walk of praise to God!
Remember what the enemy said about the wall? 4:3 “What they are building – if even a fox climbed up on it, he would break down their wall of stones!”
• We have now two large choirs marching and singing on it. Who has the last word?
• The walk itself is a testimony of the providence of God. Who can thwart God’s will?
Even the enemies have to confess. In Neh 6:16 when the wall was completed in a short 52 days, even the enemies have to admit it was God.
• Neh 6:16 “When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.” It was undeniably God!
Two grand processions. The details of the processions – how they organised themselves and where they walked to - are less important than the SPIRIT in which they were done.
• The people are happily singing and making music to God for what they see. And what are they seeing? The fully restored city of Jerusalem! The act of God!
• If we have a hard time worshipping God, it is because we are not seeing – we are not seeing the character of God and we are not seeing the acts of God in our lives.
• If we are oblivious to WHO He is and WHAT He has done or is doing, then we have nothing to sing about.
Illustration:
A mother dashed into the burning house to save her toddler son. She managed to grab him but in the process got herself badly burnt. Unfortunately, the falling debris hurt the child; he was made blind. The mom was badly disfigured but survived.
She struggled through a long and painful recovery. After some years, knowing that her days are numbered, she decided to donate her cornea to her son, now a boy.
After the surgery, the boy woke up seeing for the first time. He was taken aback by the sight of an ugly-looking, disfigured, blind woman lying next to his bed. His first reaction was despise. We understand, he doesn’t know who she was.
Someone needs to explain. There is a lot of explaining to do. He needs to know that this is his mom, the one who loves him, saved him and has given him his sight.
That why we are proclaiming the Gospel. People need to know WHO God is and WHAT He has done, that He is the One who saved us and given us a new life.
The two choir processions merged. Imagine this, the two large choirs coming together in the house of God, with all the sound of music and singing. Read Neh 12:40-43.
Someone needs to direct this, with two separate choirs coming together. The conductor is Jezrahiah (12:42).
• The Levite singers, the priests, the leaders and officials, and the musicians from both choirs, PLUS all the rest, particularly the women and children, mentioned here likely because they were not in the procession.
• Now together as one people they praise God, in the house of God!
And that’s worship, expressing the worth of God, in their lives and in their nation.
• It’s not just the Levites or the leaders singing. The women and children also rejoiced (12:43b).
• The sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away, because everyone was making some ‘noise’. They were all singing.
• No one is a spectator. No one is watching. Everyone is engaged in praising God, and they are doing it with great joy!
Nehemiah highlighted this to us.
12:27 says the Levites celebrate joyfully, and in the house of God;
12:43 “And on that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy. The women and children also rejoiced. The sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away.”
• And this JOY, Nehemiah says, comes from God. God had given them great joy.
• There is a difference between being happy and having joy. Being happy is tied to external circumstances and transitory.
• Happiness is triggered by what’s happening around and is based on events, places, things and people.
• You passed your exam, you are happy. You get promoted, you are happy. You got married, and you are happy. Or you had your first child.
• It comes, and it goes, when things change. It is transitory.
Joy, on the other hand, goes beyond just happy occasions. It is a gift from God, not dependent upon external circumstances.
• Habbakuk 3:17-19 – "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Saviour. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, He enables me to tread on the heights."
• It’s not the circumstances; it’s Him. God is present in our lives. He is in control. The Sovereign Lord is our strength. And we can be GLAD because of that.
• Challenged by the enemies around him, David writes in Psalm 5:11-12 "But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in You. Surely, Lord, You bless the righteous; you surround them with your favour as with a shield."
• His presence makes us glad. In His presence there is fullness of joy, David says in Psalm 16:11. Can we see Him?
Looking at the wall of Jerusalem can make them happy. But being in God’s presence and knowing God is watching over Jerusalem, that gives them JOY.
• It’s the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22). God can grants us joy in every situation. Paul says we can choose to “rejoice in the Lord always” (Phil 4:4).
• So if we are lacking joy, don’t look elsewhere. Not in people, not in events or things. Going to the movie, seeing a comedy, can make you happy for a moment.
• But that’s not lasting joy. Look to God. Come back to Him. Listen to what He says and see what He is doing. Joy comes from Him.
Nehemiah said, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” (Neh 8:10)
