|
Sermon
of 05-24-03
Nehemiah 7 - Do You Belong To God?
by Dr. D.A. Farmer, pastor
Matthew 18:11;
"For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost."
We come now to Chapter 7 of Nehemiah, which is the longest chapter in the book. But don't panic, we're not going to read it all. We've already looked at the 1st 6 chapters. We've seen that Nehemiah was a cupbearer to the King who requested to inspect the walls and gates around the Jerusalem and repair them. We compared the walls and gates of Jerusalem to the broken down walls and gates in own lives. Once again we continue looking at the walls and gates that Nehemiah re-built and compare them to our walls and gates.
Here Nehemiah seeks to continue the achievements that he has brought about. In chapter 7 he wants to appoint wise successors and establish sound policies. Listen to Nehemiah 7:1-3;
"Now it came to pass, when the wall was built, and I had set up the doors, and the porters and the singers and the Levites were appointed,
V:2 That I gave my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the ruler of the palace, charge over Jerusalem: for he was a faithful man, and feared God above many.
V:3 And I said unto them, Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun be hot; and while they stand by, let them shut the doors, and bar them: and appoint watches of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, every one in his watch, and every one to be over against his house."
Even though the wall was finished, Nehemiah did not cease taking precautions. He realized they could still be attacked. And rather than open the gates at dawn, as most cities did, he directs, "Do not open them until the sun is hot." This would prevent any possibility of a surprise attack while the people were asleep. He appoints residents to stand guard at the weak points of the city wall. This is teaching us that we must never let our guard down.
Do you recall any Christian men who let their guard down and fell? Here's a hint; TV evangelist. They let down their guard and took their eyes off Jesus and the devil struck! That is a lesson for us today. We must never let our guard down and take our eyes off Jesus even for a moment. The devil knows our weak points and is ready to strike at any moment.
The rest of the chapter is given over to preserving the purity of the doctrine that God taught. It was necessary to ensure that only true Israelites lived within Jerusalem. Listen to Nehemiah 7:4-5;
"Now the city was large and great: but the people were few therein, and the houses were not
builded. V:5
And my God put into mine heart to gather together the nobles, and the rulers, and the people, that they might be reckoned by genealogy. And I found a register of the genealogy of them which came up at the first, and found written therein,"
After verse 5 follows a list of names of families who came back to Jerusalem under the leadership of Ezra. Later read Ezra 2:1-70, this is the list Nehemiah found and repeats here in Nehemiah 7.
Many of these people were among the ones who helped Nehemiah re-build the wall. Nehemiah is not only giving credit to these people, but is also recognizing that they will be responsible to carry on what he has begun. So having appointed leaders who would follow him, men of integrity, courage and faithfulness, he now sees to it that their followers are also true Israelites.
From Verse 6 through verse 60 we have a list of the families of those who were able to prove their heritage. To me the spiritual application here is that we need to know that we really belong to God too. You will never be a successful servant of Christ, nor ever faithfully work and serve Him, until you are certain that you know Him as your personal Savior and belong to Him completely.
I believe we all need to know our Spiritual family background. Otherwise our service will be weak and largely ineffective.
Verse 61 - 65 lists some who could not prove their ancestry: "And these were they which went up also from Telmelah, Telharesha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer: but they could not show their father's house, nor their seed, whether they were of Israel. V:62
The children of Delaiah, the children of Tobiah, the children of Nekoda, six hundred forty and two. V:63
And of the priests: the children of Habaiah, the children of Koz, the children of Barzillai, which took one of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite to wife, and was called after their name. V:64
These sought their register among those that were reckoned by genealogy, but it was not found: therefore were they, as polluted, put from the priesthood. V:65
And the Tirshatha said unto them, that they should not eat of the most holy things, till there stood up a priest with Urim and
Thummim."
These people searched for their family records, but they could not find them. So verse 64 says they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. I hope it was clear that certain men among the priests were denied the right to minister because they could not prove their heritage.
Today, there are those men who try to minister in God Churches who are uncertain they even belong to God. I've seen pastors, seminary professors, and Conference leaders who I'm not sure were called by God to hold the position they hold. Some have wreaked havoc in the church they serve instead of seeking God's advice and counsel. They have their own ideas and opinions of how they believe things should be done. This only caused problems. And God's Church suffers because of it too.
I find this reference to the Urim and Thummim is interesting. These were two stones which names mean "Lights" and "Perfections". The high priest wore these two stones on his garment by which he could ask God for help and advice. God also made known His will through these stones. What would happen is; a halo of light would encircle the Urim on approval on matters brought before God. But if a cloud shadowed appeared over the Thummim, it was evidence of disapproval from God (see PP 351).
There are times I wish we still had these two stones. Just think, when we can't come to an agreement, we could ask God for His guidance. Later read these verses; 1 Sam. 23:9-12; 28:6; 30:7, 8.
Nehemiah says in verse 65 these supposed priests are not allowed to minister "until a high priest arrives who has the Urim and Thummim."
The closing verses, 66-69, give the number of people who returned to Jerusalem.
"The whole congregation together was forty and two thousand three hundred and threescore,
V:67 Beside their manservants and their maidservants, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred thirty and seven: and they had two hundred forty and five singing men and singing women. V:68
Their horses, seven hundred thirty and six: their mules, two hundred forty and five: V:69
Their camels, four hundred thirty and five: six thousand seven hundred and twenty asses."
Then there follows an account of a great offering that was taken for the rebuilding of the walls in verses 70-72. "And some of the chief of the fathers gave unto the work. The Tirshatha gave to the treasure a thousand drams of gold, fifty basins, five hundred and thirty priests'
garments. V:71 And some of the chief of the fathers gave to the treasure of the work twenty thousand drams of gold, and two thousand and two hundred pound of silver. V:72
And that which the rest of the people gave was twenty thousand drams of gold, and two thousand pound of silver, and threescore and seven priests' garments."
And finally, a note on how the borders of the city were settled in verse 73.
"So the priests, and the Levites, and the porters, and the singers, and some of the people, and the Nethinims, and all Israel, dwelt in their cities; and when the seventh month came, the children of Israel were in their cities."
As we draw this to a close let us remember again the factors that enabled Nehemiah to stand against the pressures and temptations of his day. These are the same factors that will enable us to stand today:
First, Nehemiah had a great awareness of the magnitude of the task that God had given him to do. He had a ministry to perform and a lifestyle to model for others. He never forgot that God had sent him to Jerusalem to work and demonstrate to people how to live. That held him steady when there were pressures against him like we looked at last week.
And 2nd, Nehemiah never forgot his own identity. He knew who he was. He knew he belonged to God and that he was part of his people.
3rd, he was free from the influence of others. He refused to listen to every bit of advice that came along like we saw last week. He refused counsel from those who did not have access to the mind and wisdom of God.
And then, 4th, in a very common sense way Nehemiah was careful to put into practice what he knew. How practical was this man? He sets up guards, assigns responsibilities, shares the labor, and investigates carefully. That is a great factor in his success. And it will be ours too if we follow the same plan.
Finally, 5th, above all else, Nehemiah was a praying man. He subjected everything to the wisdom of God.
One of the most helpful Scriptures that has guided me throughout my life is one I learned as a young Christian man. Listen to Proverbs 3:5-6;
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your paths."
Do you want God directing your life? Then begin to do these simple things we have learned from Nehemiah so far.
|
