Explore the Bible Lesson Preview February 1, 2015 Do Your Appointed Part Background: Nehemiah 7:1-73 Lesson: Nehemiah 7:1-8

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1 Explore the Bible Lesson Preview February 1, 2015 Do Your Appointed Part Background: Nehemiah 7:1-73 Lesson: Nehemiah 7:1-8 Motivation: People often ask Where do I fit in? Within this study we ll find some keys to help them find an answer. It may be a great time to review the PLACE assessment which is available to all church members. Check our website for details. Examination: I. A Role to Play (1-3) HCSB, p. 786; 7:1-3 Though the wall had been rebuilt, the danger was not over. Nehemiah s transfer of the gatekeep ers from their positions in the temple to protection of the city is understandable. The walled city is in effect an extension of the temple courtyard. The mention of the singers and Levites suggests that Nehemiah needed these well-organized groups to take part in the city s defense. And with Tobiah s associates well entrenched in the city, he needed people he could trust such as Hanani and Hananiah. No explanation is given on why the gates should remain closed until the sun was hot, a time when activity slowed. It may imply mid-morning rather than early morning, in order to give 1 / 6

2 plenty of time for all the guards to come on duty. Another possibility is to understand the word until (Hb `ad ) as during, a less common meaning (Jdg 3:26; 2 Kg 9:22; Jb 20:5; Jnh 4:2). This reading would suggest that the instruction was to not keep the gates open during the siesta period of the day, when the guards might become lethargic. A. Building is a Means to an End When the wall had been rebuilt and I had the doors installed, the gatekeepers, singers, and Levites were appointed. (1) Nehemiah s goal for over six months had been to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Having accomplished that task, he now moved to the utilization of the wall in the defense of Jerusalem. A major mistake among God s people is the belief that if you build it, they will come. Building means preparation which involves people. In other words, the completed wall was a valuable resource, but was only a piece of the overall defense of Jerusalem. Without the right people to keep watch, the wall would become false security. It s also instructive that he enlisted the most spiritual first. B. Loyalty Often Trumps Skill Then I put my brother Hanani in charge of Jerusalem, along with Hananiah, commander of the fortress, because he is a faithful man who feared God more than most. (2) With spies inside the walls of Jerusalem (6:17-19), Nehemiah appointed loyal leaders. It s been said that lack of trust within any organization will sow the seeds of failure. After enlisting the most spiritual, Nehemiah appointed the most loyal. C. Specific Communication is Vital I said to them, Do not open the gates of Jerusalem until the sun is hot, and let the doors be shut and securely fastened while the guards are on duty. Station the citizens of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some at their homes. (3) Whether we fully understand the instructions, we can be certain that the citizens of Jerusalem fully did. The order is specific, urgent and inclusive. Most problems within an organization stem from lack of clarity. II. A Place to Belong (4-65) A. Problem The city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it, and no houses had been built yet. (4) HCSB, p.786, 7:4-5: Most of the inhabitants of Jerusalem before the exile had been killed, deported, or scattered because of the catastrophe of 586 B.C. During the previous 80 years, thousands had returned from Babylonia, but the city s population 2 / 6

3 still was small. Nehemiah was aware of the difficulty of trying to defend a sparsely populated city. The solution came when God put it into Nehemiah s mind (lit heart ) to gather the people to deal with the problem. Before Nehemiah could put his plan into action (11:1-2) he needed accurate census records of those who had returned from exile. B. Prayer Then my God put it into my mind (5a) We know from previous passages that Nehemiah was a prayerful man (1:4, 2:4). But prayer is a two way path: as we pray to God and meditate on His Word, He will also communicate with us. C. Plan the people to be registered by genealogy (5) While the following list of names provides tough reading, it was necessary to Nehemiah s overall strategy for restoring the nation. He had to have a firm grasp on the resources available before determining how to use them. D. Purpose I found the genealogical record of those who came back first, and I found the following written in it: (5b). The remainder of the chapter is virtually identical to Ezra 2. Here are the notes from that lesson preview: 1. The Names Provided a Census People are important to God! An entire book of the Old Testament ( Numbers) is filled with such lists of people. Some of the names are representative of families since the list doesn t add up to the 42,360 in this exodus (Ezra 2:64, Neh. 7:66). 2. The Names Provided a Claim to the Land each to his own town (73) Since over 100 years had been spent in exile (c. 597 c.458 BC) until Ezra s census, no one was returning who had ever seen the land they were reclaiming. Therefore, an orderly process had to be established to redistribute the land to its rightful heirs. 3. The Names Provided a Certificate of Achievement Many Jews never returned to the promised land. Having established themselves in a civilized, prosperous area (Susa), the thought of pioneering probably was not enticing. It should not be overlooked that the people listed sought a right relationship with God above convenience and comfort. 3 / 6

4 a. Jews (6-38) These are listed either by head of family or ancestral home. J. Vernon Mc Gee makes an interesting application: Azgad s descendants 2,322 (17): Who in the world was Azgad? He was a man who was carried away in the Babylonian captivity. During the seventy years, plus a few more, his family had been multiplying. There were 2,322 descendants and each one of them could say, I am related to Azgad. When one was challenged to prove he was an Israelite, he could say, Azgad was my great-great-great-great-great grandfather. I know who I am. There are people today who say, Well, I think I am a child of God. I hope I am a child of God. My friend, you can know that you are a child of God. First John 5:12 says, He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. If you have trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior you have Him and you have life. If you don t believe what He says, then you are calling Him a liar. If you have put your faith in Christ, you have life on the authority of God s Word. And God has written it down. The son of Azgad could say, I know who I am. Look here, my name is written down. J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible, Vol 2, p b. Priests (39-42) Four families of Levi are identified (down from 24 families in David s time 1 Chron. 24:1-19). c. Temple personnel (43-56) d. Palace personnel (57-60) e. Uncertain Origin (61-62) Some confusion existed concerning claim to the land (61) and claim to the priesthood (64). HCSB, p.786, 788, 7:73b-10:39: The narrative about the repopulating of Jerusalem breaks off in 7:73a and does not resume until 11:1. Thus chapters 8-10 seem to be parenthetical break that was actually part of the Ezra Memoir and originally stood chronologically between Ezra 8 and 9. Many scholars argue that this narrative was moved to its present position to link the ministries of Ezra and Nehemiah. While it is likely that 4 / 6

5 Ezra 8 (and probably Ezr 9) is part of Ezra Memoir, this does not necessarily mean that the material has been displaced. While biblical writers sometimes present their material thematically and not chronologically (Ezr 4:6-24; Luke), there are no compelling reasons why Ezra could not be present for this reading of the law (Ezr 8) during the time of Nehemiah. It is not without biblical precedent (though it is odd) that Ezra-Nehemiah turned from the Nehemiah Memoir he had used for Neh 1:1 7:73a and began drawing on the later section of the Ezra Memoir for Nehemiah 8 and possibly part of Nehemiah 9. With the additional information provided by Ezra s census combined with the knowledge of those who had accompanied him, Nehemiah was now ready to mobilize the people for action. Inherent within this study are several applicable truths: Application: 1. God has a plan for his people. 2. He equips each for the task at hand. 3. Each individual is important to the work at hand Leader Pack Item: Map: Jerusalem Boundary Illustrator p.75 Gates and Gatekeepers Notes: **You may access David s Lesson Preview in MP3 format and notes at: estudy.org Dates: 1/28 Milestones begins; 1/30-2/1 Passion Conf. in Houston; 2/1 Super Bowl 5 / 6

6 Sunday; 2/8 HUB Girls Event; 2/15 Parent Commitment; 2/15-17 Next Gen Staff Retreat; 2/20 Scott Nute Global Ministry Benefit Dinner; 2/22 MIYCO; 2/27 ReCreate Date Night; 2/27-28 Legacy 685 Conference; 2/28 Men: Serve; 3/8 Daylight Saving Time starts; 3/9-13 RUSHMORE 1; 3/16-17 Senior Adult Revival; 3/16-20 RUSHMORE 2; 3/18 CBU 7:00 in WC & Main Foyer; 3/28 SPF Hippity Hoppin Easter Event; 4/2 Broken for You; 4/3 Good Friday Church offices closed; 4/5 Easter Sunday and Launch of Spanish Campus; 4/11 Pastoral Care, Widows & Widowers lunch; 4/17 Marriage and Relationship Conference; 4/17-18 HUB Guys Event; 4/25 Men: Serve; 4/26 Make it Your Church Orientation. 6 / 6