Nehemiah 12:1 – 47 The Priests and Levites Who Returned
“Now these are the priests and Levites who went up with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and with Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, Amariah, Malluch, Hattush, Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, Iddo, Ginnethon, Abijah, Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah, Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah, Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah. These were the leaders of the priests and their associates in the days of Jeshua.
The Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, who, with his associates, led the songs of thanksgiving. Bakbukiah and Unni, their associates, stood across from them in the services.
Jeshua was the father of Joiakim, Joiakim was the father of Eliashib, Eliashib was the father of Joiada, Joiada was the father of Jonathan, and Jonathan was the father of Jaddua.
In the days of Joiakim, these were the heads of the priestly families: of the family of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah; of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan; of Malluchi, Jonathan; of Shebaniah, Joseph;
of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai; of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam; of Abijah, Zichri; of Miniamin and of Moadiah, Piltai; of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jonathan; of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi; of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber; of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; and of Jedaiah, Nethanel.
In the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua, during the reign of Darius the Persian, the heads of the families of the Levites and priests were recorded. As for the descendants of Levi, the family heads up to the days of Johanan son of Eliashib were recorded in the Book of the Chronicles. The leaders of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua son of Kadmiel, along with their associates, who stood across from them to give praise and thanksgiving as one section alternated with the other, as prescribed by David the man of God.
Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers who guarded the storerooms at the gates. They served in the days of Joiakim son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor and Ezra the priest and scribe.
The Dedication of the Wall
At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, the Levites were sought out from all their homes and brought to Jerusalem to celebrate the joyous dedication with thanksgiving and singing, accompanied by cymbals, harps, and lyres. The singers were also assembled from the region around Jerusalem, from the villages of the Netophathites, from Beth-gilgal, and from the fields of Geba and Azmaveth, for they had built villages for themselves around Jerusalem.
After the priests and Levites had purified themselves, they purified the people, the gates, and the wall.
Then I brought the leaders of Judah up on the wall, and I appointed two great thanksgiving choirs. One was to proceed along the top of the wall to the right, toward the Dung Gate. Hoshaiah and half the leaders of Judah followed, along with Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam, Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, Jeremiah, and some of the priests with trumpets, and also Zechariah son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micaiah, the son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph, and his associates—Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani—with the musical instruments prescribed by David the man of God. Ezra the scribe led the procession. At the Fountain Gate they climbed the steps of the City of David on the ascent to the wall and passed above the house of David to the Water Gate on the east.
The second thanksgiving choir proceeded to the left, and I followed it with half the people along the top of the wall, past the Tower of the Ovens to the Broad Wall, over the Gate of Ephraim, the Jeshanah Gate, the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel, and the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Sheep Gate. And they stopped at the Gate of the Guard.
The two thanksgiving choirs then stood in the house of God, as did I, along with the half of the officials accompanying me, as well as the priests with their trumpets—Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah— and also Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. Then the choirs sang out under the direction of Jezrahiah.
On that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy. The women and children also rejoiced, so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard from afar.
Provisions for Temple Worship And on that same day men were appointed over the rooms that housed the supplies, contributions, firstfruits, and tithes. The portions specified by the Law for the priests and Levites were gathered into these storerooms from the fields of the villages, because Judah rejoiced over the priests and Levites who were serving.
They performed the service of their God and the service of purification, along with the singers and gatekeepers, as David and his son Solomon had prescribed. For long ago, in the days of David and Asaph, there were directors for the singers and for the songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.
So in the days of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah, all Israel contributed the daily portions for the singers and gatekeepers. They also set aside daily portions for the Levites, and the Levites set aside daily portions for the descendants of Aaron.”
Genealogies have always been very important. These days, many people are trying to trace their roots through DNA testing and various web sites. But in the days of Nehemiah, meticulous record keeping was the norm. Priests, Levites, singers and musicians were special people who were admired and who received preferred treatment. No wonder that many families would attempt to claim association as members of the Tribe of Levi, whether or not this was true.
In addition to those attempting to claim membership in Levi, there were also those who might try to claim that they were part of the group that first came from Babylon, sort of a “first families of Judah” thing. There was also the question of legitimacy; a man who could not prove his ancestry might be barred from temple worship and someone falsely claiming membership in Levi would not receive the benefits due that tribe.
The rest of the chapter describes the magnificent dedication ceremonies after the wall was completed. Two groups of priests, musicians, and other leaders marched around the tops of the walls in opposite directions , singing, blowing trumpets, and shouting praises. (It is thought that the walls were at least 6.5 feet wide, wide enough for people to walk on top of them.) Then both groups met in the temple for an enormous celebration. The noise of the praises reverberated throughout the valleys surrounding Jerusalem. Following these ceremonies, the Jews made provision for continued worship in the temple, bringing those offerings prescribed by Moses.
APPLICATION: Sometimes the lists appear interminable; however, remember how important these records were to the families involved. Ours is the generation of cookies, and not the edible kind. Each time we get on the internet for any purpose, every keystroke is being noted by someone. Not only our names and birthdates but also our preferences of every kind are recorded for the benefit of merchants and others. We are actually the most recorded people who have ever existed.
As you read the description of the celebrations when the walls of Jerusalem were dedicated, note that the order of worship goes all the way back to King David. David was a multi – talented leader with considerable musical ability and a deep love of God. It was David who really organized the singers and musicians. Now centuries later, those same families have continued the traditions and are fulfilling the roles David gave so long ago. David’s record as a believer is an uneven one; however, God used him to establish a tradition of praise and thanksgiving.
What legacy are we leaving to our friends and families? Do those around us know that we honor God and that we worship and praise Him as the One True Living God? Those pagans living around Jerusalem were listening as the roar of the celebrations over the walls went on for hours. Everyone within ear shot knew that the Jews were seriously worshiping God. But what about us? Sometimes small gestures such as prayers can mean a great deal. One man in my husband’s home community was nearly at the point of suicide when my husband visited him and prayed for him. God used those few minutes to save that man and turn his life around. Only years later did my husband find out what had happened that day.
God wants us to carry the fragrance of His grace with us as we go throughout our days. Ask God to show you how you can do this and then ask God for opportunities to do so.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to be sensitive to the people around us and don’t allow our hard hearts to get in the way of Your grace. In the matchless and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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