Book of Nehemiah Series #13
Securing & Dedicating the Completed Work
Nehemiah 11 & 12
By Pastor Jim May
Nehemiah’s manual labor in building the walls of Jerusalem and rebuilding the temple was nearly done. Now there remained the task of securing and protecting the work that they had accomplished and the task of repopulating the nation, and especially the city of Jerusalem itself. Nehemiah understood what would happen if the city were left undefended and under-populated, so measures were taken to ensure that this would be done.
The picture that comes to my mind here is the same picture that we find in Matthew 12:43-45, where Jesus tells us that an empty, cleansed and garnished heart, that has been set free from the bondages of sin, and left empty after the enemy has been cast out, must be filled with something, or the enemy will come back with a vengeance.
"When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation."
Nehemiah knew that people would have to inhabit Jerusalem and that there would have to be sufficient numbers for carrying on the business of daily life as well as sufficient number to defend the city against any renewed attacks from Sanballat and Tobiah, or any of the other enemies in the land. Without sufficient defenders, the city would be destroyed once again because there were many who did not want it to be there.
In order for the city to be populated, there were two steps taken. First, anyone who wanted to volunteer to move into the city would be welcomed. These folks were counted as heroes and had a special praise given to them for their commitment to the city and to Israel.
Why were these people given special recognition? Well the answer is simple. Jerusalem is the key for the nation of Israel and its freedom. As long as Jerusalem stands, and the temple is in operation, Israel is a nation and they can worship God as they should. If Jerusalem would fall into the hands of their enemies, and the temple worship should cease, then Israel would fall apart as a nation and go back into slavery.
Therefore, the city of Jerusalem was always, and still is to this day, the central focus and the first objective of any outside invasion of an enemy army. Those who lived in the city would always bear the brunt of every invasion. They would always be the first to fight, the first to die, and the first to be taken away as slaves if they were defeated and captured. They would also be the ones who suffer greatly should any invading army decide to lay siege to the city and try to starve them out. Those who did not live in the city would live in relative peace as their homes would never be the main focus of any attack and they would always have the opportunity to run and hide, escaping the slavery that the city dwellers would face. Nearly all of those Jews who had escaped being carried off into Babylon were those who lived outside of the city. They were left alone to till the land and pay the tribute taxes to their conquerors. They lived under the control of their enemy but they weren’t nearly treated as badly as the slaves who were led away captive.
Because of this fact, there weren’t enough of the heroic volunteers to live in the city and face the task of defending it. So the second step had to be taken, and that step was a kind of ancient “draft”.
Nehemiah called for a “draft” by casting lots. In other words, everyone’s names, that had not volunteered to move into Jerusalem was placed into a large container and then names were drawn at random. Those whose names were drawn by lot were then to move into the city and join those who had volunteered.
I know what that stigma is like. In 1969, during the height of the Vietnam War, I was drafted to serve in the U S Army. There were a lot of people during that time who were running to Canada to avoid the draft, but I couldn’t do that. I had too much pride for that. But the pride that I had for my country and my self-respect wasn’t quite enough to override my fear and I was just too “chicken” to volunteer to join the military.
So what does a “Proud Chicken” do? I waited around until I was drafted and forced to go. Of course a draftee doesn’t always get to choose his military occupation, and he seldom gets to choose where he will be stationed. He is simply at the mercy of those who are in power and they determine where he will go, and what he will do when he gets there. Those who volunteered to serve often were able to choose a better position and a better duty station. It was often the draftees who bore the brunt of the battle because we were considered expendable since draftees were a dime a dozen.
When there wasn’t enough volunteers to fill the ranks and build the forces needed to fight the war, the draft was initiated to force the ranks to be filled. The volunteers received special treatment and recognition. We all went to the same war, we all fought the same enemy, but the difference was in the willingness of the soldiers to join the ranks.
That’s the same scenario we see happening here in Jerusalem. When enough volunteers were not coming forth, then many were drafted to live in the city.
Beginning at Nehemiah 11:3 and continuing until Nehemiah 12:25 we see the names of the people in Israel at that time and where they would finally settled. I won’t take the time to read through those names and events, though I am sure that we could glean some good information from doing so if we were to really study the names, their meanings and where they finally settled, and what they were assigned to do in Israel.
Let us simply total them all together to say that each man was in his place, some voluntarily and some by appointment, but they were all in their place. Every one of them did their duty and all of them worked together to rebuild a nation that had been utterly destroyed. The Children of Israel were on their way to recovery and as long as they continued to serve the Lord, God would bless them and make His people into a strong nation once again.
Nehemiah 12:27-30, "And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites out of all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem, to keep the dedication with gladness, both with thanksgivings, and with singing, with cymbals, psalteries, and with harps. And the sons of the singers gathered themselves together, both out of the plain country round about Jerusalem, and from the villages of Netophathi; Also from the house of Gilgal, and out of the fields of Geba and Azmaveth: for the singers had builded them villages round about Jerusalem. And the priests and the Levites purified themselves, and purified the people, and the gates, and the wall."
I have been in services where a new church building would be dedicated to the Lord. I have seen new homes, new cars and even new businesses dedicated to the Lord. But that was nothing like the dedication ceremony and feast that Israel had when they finally completed the walls, finished the lottery to populate the city and then prepared to dedicate a whole new city to the Lord.
The search went out for every Levite they could find, to bring them from their homes, into the city, so they could serve after their calling and help dedicate the city. Israel understood that God had appointed the Levites for a special type of service unto God. They were the only ones who were approved for work in the temple. They had to form the Levitical Choir that led Israel in worship in the temple. They were the ones who had to carry the sacrifice to the altar, to sprinkle the blood of the sacrifice upon the horns of the altar, to carry the incense into the Holy Place and to bring Israel into the presence of God one more time. So every Levite they could find was pressed into service on behalf of the nation.
The priests and Levites then fulfilled the Law of Moses by going through the purifying and cleansing process as prescribed by the Law of Moses, and they then performed the purification process for the people, the gates and the walls of the city. Let’s read about this process in the Book of Numbers.
Numbers 8:6-15, "Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them. And thus shalt thou do unto them, to cleanse them: Sprinkle water of purifying upon them, and let them shave all their flesh, and let them wash their clothes, and so make themselves clean. Then let them take a young bullock with his meat offering, even fine flour mingled with oil, and another young bullock shalt thou take for a sin offering. And thou shalt bring the Levites before the tabernacle of the congregation: and thou shalt gather the whole assembly of the children of Israel together: And thou shalt bring the Levites before the LORD: and the children of Israel shall put their hands upon the Levites: And Aaron shall offer the Levites before the LORD for an offering of the children of Israel, that they may execute the service of the LORD. And the Levites shall lay their hands upon the heads of the bullocks: and thou shalt offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, unto the LORD, to make an atonement for the Levites. And thou shalt set the Levites before Aaron, and before his sons, and offer them for an offering unto the LORD. Thus shalt thou separate the Levites from among the children of Israel: and the Levites shall be mine. And after that shall the Levites go in to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation: and thou shalt cleanse them, and offer them for an offering."
Perhaps also there was the fulfilling of the requirements for the cleansing and separation of sin from the Levites and priests that was given by God to Moses in Numbers 19:1-9, "And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD hath commanded, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring thee a red heifer without spot, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke: And ye shall give her unto Eleazar the priest, that he may bring her forth without the camp, and one shall slay her before his face: And Eleazar the priest shall take of her blood with his finger, and sprinkle of her blood directly before the tabernacle of the congregation seven times: And one shall burn the heifer in his sight; her skin, and her flesh, and her blood, with her dung, shall he burn: And the priest shall take cedar wood, and hyssop, and scarlet, and cast it into the midst of the burning of the heifer. Then the priest shall wash his clothes, and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp, and the priest shall be unclean until the even. And he that burneth her shall wash his clothes in water, and bathe his flesh in water, and shall be unclean until the even. And a man that is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and lay them up without the camp in a clean place, and it shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for a water of separation: it is a purification for sin."
Just as a short note here. It is interested to read that there is an intense search going on, and there has been for some years now, to find a perfect red heifer to be used in cleansing the priests for service in the temple that is to be built during the Tribulation. Some have been found that they thought would be perfect but minor flaws were found to discredit each one so far. How far are we from locating a “perfect red heifer”? Maybe today one will be found, or maybe tomorrow. In any case this is just one more sign of the times that tell us how close we are to the coming of the Lord. Let me read you an article that I found just yesterday.
According to Jewish tradition and scripture, Solomon’s temple must be rebuilt before the coming of the Messiah. Jews do not believe that Christ was the Messiah and they have been watching for Him for almost two thousand years. The Jews know that the Temple must be rebuilt on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem before they can be saved by the Messiah at His coming.
There has been a rumor around for over 20 years that the Jews have the Temple of Solomon already built and the pieces are hidden around the country awaiting the proper time to assemble it. The Jews know that they will have to act fast to rebuild the Temple if they are given the chance. Because the Temple site is also over the "Sacred Rock of Abraham", the Jews will have to destroy the Dome of the Rock that now occupies this space.
The Temple cannot be rebuilt until the Jews are cleansed because they cannot even venture upon the Temple Mount because they are unclean. This is one reason the Jews have allowed the Moslems to occupy the Temple mount and build the Dome of the Rock and a huge Islamic mosque there. They cannot stop this the Moslems because they cannot set foot on the Temple Mound without offending God. If you cannot set foot on the Mount you cannot defend it nor can you build a temple there. The Jews know this well and have been looking for a sign from God that it is time to rebuild the Temple. What is this sign? It is the birth of a perfect red heifer that can then be used for the cleansing ritual that will then allow Jews upon the Temple Mount.
The birth of a perfect red heifer will be one of the most important events to happen to the Jews in almost 2000 years. They have been looking for this sign since the original Temple was destroyed in 70 AD. They have never found a perfect red heifer in all those centuries of looking and waiting.
The Jews know that a perfect red heifer is very unusual so they don’t expect to find one until God wants one to be born. If one is born, it will be a sign that they must soon rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem.
The Jews have awaited the Messiah for thousands of years. They don’t believe He has come yet. Before He comes the Temple must be rebuilt in Jerusalem. They cannot rebuild the Temple until they are cleansed. They cannot be cleansed until they perform the cleansing ritual described in the book of Numbers.
For nearly 2000 years No red heifer has been born. But in March of 2002 an announcement was made that a perfect red heifer has been born in Israel and is being hidden in an unknown location in Israel.
If this is a perfect red heifer, then the Jews may believe that they have a sign from God that it is time to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. If so Israel will be very hard to deal with in the future because they believe they have a sign from God and know what they must do.
They will not be swayed by the US or any country or for any reason. Their over-riding concern is to satisfy God’s command a rebuild the Temple. There will be no reasoning with them because nothing else matters but what God wants the Jews to do.
The birth of a small, perfect red cow could be the link to triggering many events leading to the building of the third Temple.
(Just so that no one will start trying to set dates for the coming of the Lord, let me say that I also read that this Red Heifer was disqualified because they found 5 white hairs on it. The Jews are still looking for their Red Heifer.)
Whether they used the ashes of a Red Heifer, or were just ceremonially cleansed by water, the Levites were cleansed, the people were cleansed, and they were all separated from their sins as their sin was pushed ahead until the day that they would be completely washed away by the Blood of Jesus Christ upon the cross. For now Israel was able to walk upright before God through the fulfilling of the ceremonial law.
First there was a large crowd described as “two companies” that was assigned the task of walking upon the top of the wall, in a wide place, toward the “Dung Gate” where they were to perform a ceremonial sacrifice. They took with them two eucharistic loaves of leavened bread, one was eaten and the other burnt.
One-by-one groups of Levites, priests, trumpeters, musicians and singers would go from one gate to the next, all around the walls of the city. They were blasting on their trumpets, playing their music, singing praises to the God of Israel. Each one in turn, would add to the praise of the one before, until it seemed that the whole wall, circling the entire city was alive with music and praise for Almighty God.
The sound was so loud that Nehemiah 12:43 says, "Also that day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced: for God had made them rejoice with great joy: the wives also and the children rejoiced: so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off."
On this great day of celebration and dedication, the time was perfect for the appointment of some of the positions of service on behalf of all Israel. Certain priests were appointed to be overseers of the chambers of the treasuries, to lay up safe in them some things that were very important to Israel’s worship, and take care of them, and make sure that they were put to the use for which they were designed. These treasures were to come from the Firstfruits of the land, from all the tithes that were paid into the treasury and from the offerings given by the people.
Nehemiah 12:45, "And both the singers and the porters kept the ward of their God, and the ward of the purification, according to the commandment of David, and of Solomon his son."
This simply tells us that the singers took turns and when their time came for their course of priests to serve in the temple, then they would be there to sing God’s praises because they couldn’t all be there all the time. Also, those who were chosen to be the porters who diligently kept the gates of the temple, that no impure person or thing in a ceremonial sense entered, would serve in their courses as well.
The ceremonies and duties of the priests in their courses was then taught and kept by all those who would one day become a part of that Levitical Priesthood as well when they came of age.
As we close this lesson, let us be mindful of the fact that God did not save us just so that we could enjoy the freedom from sin that we have right now. He wants us to give back to him, what He has given us! He has given us a new life. Let’s give that new life back to him in worship and in dedicated and committed service.
Let us also remember that God has a job for each of us do and we must stay in our place, live upright before Him, cleanse ourselves through the Word and through prayers of repentance for sin. Let us be ever ready to worship Him and to serve Him wherever He will lead us.
The difference today is that this is always a voluntary army. While God may call you, “draft” you if you will; it is still always your choice as to whether you will answer that call or not.
Are you a part of God’s Holy priesthood? Then let’s shout it from the wall that Jesus saves today. Praise God for He is coming soon. We will see the walls of that New Jerusalem. We will walk those streets of Gold. But until that day, let’s sing forth his praise and let the world see Jesus in us.
Next week we will come to the final message in our series on Nehemiah. Join us then to see the final conclusion of this great book given by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit for you and I.
