In the last post we saw that the wall and the gates were finished. Nehemiah had organized the teaching of the Law to all of the Israelites in the region, using Ezra as the main teacher. So, Nehemiah's work as originally planned was basically finished. He could have returned to Persia where he would have enjoyed his former lifestyle which was one of status and luxury in the king's palace. But he decided to stay in Jerusalem for a total of twelve years, knowing there was much to be done.
Chapter 9 - A Review of the History of the Israelites
After they had celebrated the "Feast of Tabernacles" for even a longer period of time that allotted, the people then gathered together again. But this time not for celebration, but rather for a sobering awareness of their sins and the sins of their ancestors. They were sad. They fasted (did not eat), wore sackcloth (very scratchy burlap-type of material). and poured dust on their heads. This was show of mourning and regret. They were ready to pray and confess their sins to God. It mentions in verse 2 that they also separated themselves from all people of foreign descent. {The Israelites were big on "purity of blood". They thought (for good reason) that this was extremely important. They considered God to be the God of the Israelites only. Not so. Their God was the ONLY God. He was the Creator. The only thing exclusive about the Israelites was that they, as the descendants of Abraham, were God's chosen people. Remember, God "chose" Israel to lead the lost world to the Living God. But this thought about "exclusiveness" was ingrained in these people. Four hundred years later the Apostle Peter had to be shocked into the reality that God was the God of the Heavens, the Earth, and the Universe, and everything therein, including Gentiles. More about this later.} A group of Levites (actually listed by name in verse 5) lead them in a prayer of confession and praise. As you read this prayer in verses 5b-36 you will see how the Israelites throughout the generations had let down God, and God had always exercised compassion, forgiveness, and deliverance for His chosen people. This was a good, howbeit brief, overview of their History dating back to their bondage in Egypt. In the very last verse (38), the people proposed to the Levites that they make an official binding agreement with God. They were serious with this, which is evidenced by the fact that they wanted the Levite priests to affix their seals onto it.
Chapter 10
This binding agreement was important to these people. They meant business in the re-dedication of their lives to God and His Law. The first 27 verses of this chapter actually gives a list of names of those who participated in sealing the agreement, the first of which was Nehemiah himself. At this time in the NIV, Nehemiah had been referred to as the governor. {I hadn't planned on spending much time on this chapter, but the steps these people took to prove their sincerity is noteworthy. I believe there will be a revival such as this yet again, perhaps in my lifetime.} After the binding agreement was made and officially sealed in the presence of all of Judah's leaders and the Levite priests as listed, they then made certain that ALL of the people shared in this promise. In verses 28-29 it says that they then went to the priests, Levites, guards singers, servants in the Temple, Israelites who did not intermarry with pagan worshipers, and their families. Then in remaining verses of the chapter they went over what they were promising in more specific terms than obeying the Law in general.
The promised :
> We will not allow our daughters to marry the people who belong to the nations near us.
> We will not allow their daughters to marry our sons.
> The 7th day of the week will be a special holy day for us.
> Every 7th year we will not farm the land and we will cancel all debts.
> We will pay money every year to maintain the Temple
> We will bring the best of their crops, their fruit and their animals to God.
> We promise to pay tithes (one tenth of our crops and livestock)
> We will provide for the Levites so they could perform their duties as stated in the Law.
> We will never again neglect the Temple
I must note that there were many more specifics within the Law that could have been mentioned also, but I think this chapter sufficiently shows the sincere intent of these contrite people.
Chapter 11
As stated earlier the city of Jerusalem was sparsely populated. Many Israelites came from the land of Judah and Benjamin to help rebuild the wall, but now it was time for them to return to their homes. This would leave Jerusalem almost barren of Israelites again. For a city to thrive and grow, it must have enough residents to create and maintain a local government and create an economy which would perpetuate growth. Under the leadership of Nehemiah, they devised a plan to re-populate the "City of David". They decided that one out of every ten families needed to relocate to Jerusalem. Those families were selected through casting lots. The Scripture makes of point of mentioning that the other ninety percent of the people expressed appreciation for these people willingly doing their part by giving up their homes in order to populate Jerusalem. In verses 4b-24, Nehemiah lists people who were inhabitants of Jerusalem, including the descendants of Judah and Benjamin, the priests and Levites, the gatekeepers, the Temple servants, and the musicians. {I'm glad these people were mentioned in these verses. These were very important people who made personal sacrifices and even placed their own lives and the lives of their families in danger. It's fitting that they are mentioned in the Holy Bible. What bigger honor could be bestowed on them?} In the remaining verses of this chapter Nehemiah records the names of towns and villages in Judah and Benjamin, which I believe was an effort to honor the people of those places who contributed so much.
Next post: Wrapping Up the Book of Nehemiah
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