Nehemiah 7:1-5 After the wall had been rebuilt and I had set the doors in place, the gatekeepers, the musicians and the Levites were appointed. 2 I put in charge of Jerusalem my brother Hanani, along with Hananiah the commander of the citadel, because he was a man of integrity and feared God more than most people do. 3 I said to them, “The gates of Jerusalem are not to be opened until the sun is hot. While the gatekeepers are still on duty, have them shut the doors and bar them. Also appoint residents of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some near their own houses.” 4 Now the city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it, and the houses had not yet been rebuilt. 5 So my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials and the common people for registration by families. I found the genealogical record of those who had been the first to return. ESV
This was taking place in 445 BC, almost 30 years after Esther had become queen of Persia. The Book of Esther comes after the Book of Nehemiah, but her story actually came first. God had been working for almost a century to prepare those in exile to come back to Jerusalem through Esther, Ezra and now Nehemiah with the 3rd return of exiles to their home.
Ezra and Nehemiah work together as God re-establishes Israel. Nehemiah 7 goes on to list about 50,000 people in groups according to their descent as well as their gifted assignments. We read about priests, Levites, musicians, gatekeepers and temple servants.
Levites were working in the local ministry and in the local neighborhoods. These would be kind of like staff, pastors or ministry leaders. They would be praying for people, teaching and other pastoral ministry is their primary role.
Gate keepers were not working in the place of gathering. They were working in a home neighborhood where they lived, much like community Group Leaders, or Destiny Table leaders. They were doing ministry with those who lived near them, or had a relationship with them.
Singers are mentioned 18 times. This is the band. These are the creatives. They had a very specialized role where their work is primarily at the temple, or the Church, leading God’s people in worship.
Order and organized efforts were all part of what God was doing as people began to come and things began to grow. Our lives are enriched today because of their work to restore the ancient stream of God’s work in the earth. I’m so glad these people didn’t say, “Well I’m just not into organized religion.”
God’s family is a family of forgiven, dysfunctional, imperfect people. Great advice to singles is to stop looking for perfect mate and focus on being your best in Christ. Great advice for Christians is stop looking for perfect church. Start loving, serving and giving to sacrificially express the loving nature of Christ.
You cannot serve the eternal purposes of God alone! Because He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob we need fathers and mothers in the faith, brothers and sisters in the faith and sons and daughters in the faith.
Nehemiah restored the work of God not only to serve his generation well, but to serve generations after him as well. Their work has influenced our lives.
Jesus was coming and there was work to do. We are preparing for the 2nd coming of Christ. Their work was preparing for the first coming of Christ.
This East Gate Nehemiah restored is where Jesus would later make His triumphant entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.
Not only was the East Gate central to the first coming of Christ, it is central to the second coming of Christ. The East Gate gives the most direct access to the Temple from the Mount of Olives.
Zechariah 14 says when Jesus returns, He will stand on the Mount of Olives and an earthquake will divide the mountain North and South, where a fault line actually exists in this direction. This means that the very Mountain of God will form a valley that opens toward the Dead Sea from this East Gate!
In Ezekiel 47 we read this crazy prophecy:
Ezekiel 47:1-12 “…water will flow from under the Temple…8 toward the East where it will enter the Dead Sea. When it empties into the sea, the salty water there becomes fresh. 9…where the river flows everything will live…The fish will be of many kinds…12 Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river… because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.” NIV
Zechariah 14:8 On that day life-giving waters will flow out from Jerusalem, half toward the Dead Sea and half toward the Mediterranean, flowing continuously in both summer and winter. NLT
In Nehemiah’s day, Jesus was coming and there was great work that needed to be done. This did not happen haphazardly, but this happened sacrificially. It was the result of devotion and generosity. Nehemiah 7 names all these people and lists how they served and describes how sacrificially they all contributed financially.
In our day, Jesus is coming back and there is great work that needs to be done. He really is coming back. These prophecies really will come to pass. May we all learn to live our lives in light of the eternal purposes of God.
Everywhere we go….
We Bring GP2RL Action Point: Continue to read two chapters of Nehemiah each day asking God to help us all to more effectively love, serve and give.