May 16, 2020<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These two chapters of the book of Nehemiah can seem like one big list of names, places, and laws which don\u2019t have much relevance to us today. However, if we dig a little deeper to see what the author of the book is trying to communicate through these things, we see that there is actually a lot going on in these chapters and we can get a much better sense of how it applies to us in our context!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In chapter 10 we see a list of people who sealed the covenant which was referred to at the end of chapter 9. In chapter 9 the people confessed their sins to God, and now they are committing to turning from their sins and obeying the covenant God made with the people of Israel at Mt. Sinai. The list of the names of those who signed and sealed this renewal of the covenant includes people from every walk of life in the community of Israel, intending to demonstrate that the entire community pledged to be diligent in keeping God\u2019s commands and walking in His ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Chapter 11 we see the people of Israel give a \u201ctithe\u201d of their population to go and live in Jerusalem and the author recounts their names and families as well as the other villages surrounding Jerusalem which were populated. If we were to look on a map and see the land area that these villages cover, it really isn\u2019t much compared to how big the nation of Israel was before they were exiled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All of this is tied up with the overall message of the book of Nehemiah. Nehemiah comes with zeal and devotion to rebuild Jerusalem\u2019s walls and to lead the people to honor the Lord. The exiles who had returned to Israel from various lands believed that they were the \u201cremnant\u201d spoken of by the prophets, and that the great restoration promised by the prophets was coming to them!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, we see at each turn in the story of Nehemiah, even in his greatest successes, there is a hint of disappointment. Even though the walls are rebuilt and the people have committed to obeying God\u2019s Law, Jerusalem is a ghost town, and the people have to be chosen by lot in order to decide who will go and live there; in other words, the people are not voluntarily lining up to go and live in the holy city. Outside Jerusalem, the land of Israel is only a fraction of its original size, and all that the land produces does not benefit the people but a foreign king who rules over them (Nehemiah 9:36-37).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is a far cry from the promises of the prophets concerning the blessing and restoration that God will pour out on His people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n