Nehemiah dedicated the finished wall by dividing the Levitical singers into 2 choirs and sending them, with the leaders (also divided) behind them, in opposite directions on the wall, with everyone meeting at the temple. Many of these people were the same ones who in the previous chapter had left their homes in the country to move into Jerusalem. They were celebrating the good things God had done for them and through them because of their obedience in following Him. They were experiencing great joy as a result of giving up something temporal, where they lived, for something eternal, the joy and blessings that accompany obedience. When God asks us to surrender something of temporal worth, He does so for the purpose of replacing it with a prize of eternal value.<\/p>\n
Pastor Richard Cecil taught this concept to his young daughter in a very dramatic way. As she sat upon his knee one day, he said to her, “If you truly love me, you will do whatever I ask.” Then he asked her to remove the inexpensive string of glass beads she was wearing and throw it into the fire. Looking at him with surprise and wonder, she could hardly believe he meant what he said. Yet his steady gaze convinced her he was in earnest. She slowly walked to the fireplace with trembling steps, clutching her cherished possession. At last, she reluctantly threw it into the flames. Then, flinging herself into her father’s arms, she sobbed in bewilderment, not knowing why she had to suffer such a loss. A few days later, on her birthday, she found a little package on the table in her room. When she opened it, her eyes grew wide with excitement as she beheld a lovely necklace of genuine pearls. The card bearing her name was signed, “with love, Father.” She immediately ran to him and cried, “O’ Daddy, now I understand. I’m sorry I didn’t trust you more!” This little girl, like those who moved into the city, discovered that being obedient to God is almost always simply a matter of faith and trust.<\/p>\n
“LORD, we trust You with our lives; please use them in someone else’s life to further Your Kingdom this day.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n =============================================================<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nehemiah 12 KJV<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1<\/sup>\u00a0Now these\u00a0are\u00a0<\/em>the priests and the Levites that went up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,\u00a02<\/sup>\u00a0Amariah, Malluch, Hattush,\u00a0\u00a03<\/sup>Shechaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a04<\/sup>\u00a0Iddo, Ginnetho, Abijah,\u00a0\u00a05<\/sup>\u00a0Miamin, Maadiah, Bilgah,\u00a0\u00a0\u00a06<\/sup>\u00a0Shemaiah, and Joiarib, Jedaiah,\u00a07<\/sup>\u00a0Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, Jedaiah. These\u00a0were\u00a0<\/em>the chief of the priests and of their brethren in the days of Jeshua.\u00a0\u00a08<\/sup>\u00a0Moreover the Levites: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah,\u00a0and<\/em>Mattaniah,\u00a0which was\u00a0<\/em>over the thanksgiving, he and his brethren.\u00a0\u00a09<\/sup>\u00a0Also Bakbukiah and Unni, their brethren,\u00a0were\u00a0<\/em>over against them in the watches. 10<\/sup>\u00a0And Jeshua begat Joiakim, Joiakim also begat Eliashib, and Eliashib begat Joiada,\u00a011<\/sup>\u00a0And Joiada begat Jonathan, and Jonathan begat Jaddua.\u00a012<\/sup>\u00a0And in the days of Joiakim were priests, the chief of the fathers: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah;\u00a013<\/sup>\u00a0Of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan;\u00a014<\/sup>\u00a0Of Melicu, Jonathan; of Shebaniah, Joseph;\u00a015<\/sup>\u00a0Of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai;\u00a016<\/sup>\u00a0Of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam;\u00a017<\/sup>\u00a0Of Abijah, Zichri; of Miniamin, of Moadiah, Piltai;\u00a018<\/sup>\u00a0Of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jehonathan;\u00a019<\/sup>\u00a0And of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi;\u00a020<\/sup>\u00a0Of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber;\u00a021<\/sup>\u00a0Of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; of Jedaiah, Nethaneel. 22<\/sup> The Levites in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, and Johanan, and Jaddua,\u00a0were<\/em>recorded chief of the fathers: also the priests, to the reign of Darius the Persian.\u00a023<\/sup>The sons of Levi, the chief of the fathers,\u00a0were\u00a0<\/em>written in the book of the chronicles, even until the days of Johanan the son of Eliashib.\u00a024<\/sup>\u00a0And the chief of the Levites: Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel, with their brethren over against them, to praise\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em>to give thanks, according to the commandment of David the man of God, ward over against ward.\u00a025<\/sup>\u00a0Mattaniah, and Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, Akkub,\u00a0were\u00a0<\/em>porters keeping the ward at the thresholds of the gates.\u00a0\u00a026<\/sup>\u00a0These\u00a0were\u00a0<\/em>in the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor, and of Ezra the priest, the scribe. 27<\/sup>\u00a0And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites out of all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem, to keep the dedication with gladness, both with thanksgivings, and with singing,\u00a0with\u00a0<\/em>cymbals, psalteries, and with harps.\u00a028<\/sup>\u00a0And the sons of the singers gathered themselves together, both out of the plain country round about Jerusalem, and from the villages of Netophathi;\u00a029<\/sup>\u00a0Also from the house of Gilgal, and out of the fields of Geba and Azmaveth: for the singers had builded them villages round about Jerusalem.\u00a030<\/sup>\u00a0And the priests and the Levites purified themselves, and purified the people, and the gates, and the wall.\u00a031<\/sup>\u00a0Then I brought up the princes of Judah upon the wall, and appointed two great\u00a0companies of them that gave\u00a0<\/em>thanks,\u00a0whereof one\u00a0<\/em>went on the right hand upon the wall toward the dung gate:\u00a032<\/sup>\u00a0And after them went Hoshaiah, and half of the princes of Judah,\u00a033<\/sup>\u00a0And Azariah, Ezra, and Meshullam,\u00a034<\/sup>\u00a0Judah, and Benjamin, and Shemaiah, and Jeremiah,\u00a035<\/sup>\u00a0And\u00a0certain\u00a0<\/em>of the priests\u2019 sons with trumpets;\u00a0namely\u00a0<\/em>, Zechariah the son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Michaiah, the son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph:\u00a036<\/sup>\u00a0And his brethren, Shemaiah, and Azarael, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethaneel, and Judah, Hanani, with the musical instruments of David the man of God, and Ezra the scribe before them.\u00a037<\/sup>\u00a0And at the fountain gate, which was over against them, they went up by the stairs of the city of David, at the going up of the wall, above the house of David, even unto the water gate eastward.\u00a038<\/sup>\u00a0And the other\u00a0company of them that gave\u00a0<\/em>thanks went over against\u00a0them\u00a0<\/em>, and I after them, and the half of the people upon the wall, from beyond the tower of the furnaces even unto the broad wall;\u00a039<\/sup>\u00a0And from above the gate of Ephraim, and above the old gate, and above the fish gate, and the tower of Hananeel, and the tower of Meah, even unto the sheep gate: and they stood still in the prison gate.\u00a040<\/sup>\u00a0So stood the two\u00a0companies of them that gave\u00a0<\/em>thanks in the house of God, and I, and the half of the rulers with me:\u00a041<\/sup>\u00a0And the priests; Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Michaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah,\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em>Hananiah, with trumpets;\u00a042<\/sup>\u00a0And Maaseiah, and Shemaiah, and Eleazar, and Uzzi, and Jehohanan, and Malchijah, and Elam, and Ezer. And the singers sang loud, with Jezrahiah\u00a0their\u00a0<\/em>overseer.\u00a0\u00a043<\/sup>\u00a0Also that day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced: for God had made them rejoice with great joy: the wives also and the children rejoiced: so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off. 44<\/sup>\u00a0And at that time were some appointed over the chambers for the treasures, for the offerings, for the firstfruits, and for the tithes, to gather into them out of the fields of the cities the portions of the law for the priests and Levites: for Judah rejoiced for the priests and for the Levites that waited.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a045<\/sup>\u00a0And both the singers and the porters kept the ward of their God, and the ward of the purification, according to the commandment of David,\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em>of Solomon his son.\u00a046<\/sup>\u00a0For in the days of David and Asaph of old\u00a0there were\u00a0<\/em>chief of the singers, and songs of praise and thanksgiving unto God.\u00a047<\/sup>\u00a0And all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel, and in the days of Nehemiah, gave the portions of the singers and the porters, every day his portion: and they sanctified\u00a0holy things\u00a0<\/em>unto the Levites; and the Levites sanctified\u00a0them\u00a0<\/em>unto the children of Aaron.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Nehemiah dedicated the finished wall by dividing the Levitical singers into 2 choirs and sending them, with the leaders (also divided) behind them, in opposite directions on the wall, with everyone meeting at the temple. 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