Thoughts
Nehemiah 11
The people cast lots to bring one out of every ten to live in Jerusalem, while the others remain in their towns.
The People Who Lived in Jerusalem
From the Tribe of Judah
- Athaiah son of Uzziah, the son of Zechariah,
the son of Amariah, the son of Shephatiah,
the son of Mahalalel, a descendant of Perez. - Maaseiah son of Baruch, the son of Col-Hozeh,
the son of Hazaiah, the son of Adaiah,
the son of Joiarib, the son of Zechariah,
a descendant of Shelah.
From the Tribe of Benjamin
- Sallu son of Meshullam, the son of Joed,
the son of Pedaiah, the son of Kolaiah,
the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ithiel,
the son of Jeshaiah. - His followers: Gabbai and Sallai—928 men.
- Their chief officer: Joel son of Zicri.
- Second in command: Judah son of Hassenuah.
The Priests
- Jedaiah son of Joiarib, Jakin,
- Seraiah son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam,
the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth,
the son of Ahitub, the ruler of the house of God. - Adaiah son of Jeroham, the son of Pelaliah,
the son of Amzi, the son of Zechariah,
the son of Pashhur, the son of Malchijah. - Maasai son of Adiel, the son of Jahzerah,
the son of Meshullam, the son of Meshillemith,
the son of Immer.
The Levites
- Shemaiah son of Hashub, the son of Azrikam,
the son of Hashabiah, the son of Bunni. - Shabbethai and Jozabad, from the heads of the Levites,
had charge of the outside work of the house of God. - Mattaniah son of Mika, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph,
was the leader who began the thanksgiving with prayer. - Bakbukiah, second among his associates.
- Abda son of Shammua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun.
The Gatekeepers
- Akkub, Talmon, and their associates,
who kept watch at the gates . 172 men in total.
The Temple Servants (Nethinim)
- The temple servants lived on the hill of Ophel.
- Supervisors: Ziha and Gishpa.
Uzzi son of Bani, the son of Hashabiah,the son of Mattaniah, the son of Mika, of the descendants of Asaph (the singers). Uzzi was over the singers responsible for the service of the house of God.
The Chief Officer of the Levites: Pethahiah son of Meshezabel, of the descendants of Zerah son of Judah, was the king’s agent in all matters concerning the people.
The Israelites in the Surrounding Towns
Judah’s Towns
- Kiriath Arba (Hebron) and its settlements,
- Dibon and its settlements,
- Jekabzeel and its settlements,
- Jeshua, Moladah, Beth Pelet,
- Hazar Shual, Beersheba and its settlements,
- Ziklag, Meconah and its settlements,
- En Rimmon, Zorah, Jarmuth,
- Zanoah, Adullam, and their villages,
- Lachish and its fields,
- Azekah and its towns.
Benjamin
- Geba, Michmash, Aija, Bethel and its settlements,
- Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah,
- Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim,
- Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat,
- Lod and Ono (the valley of the craftsmen).
Nehemiah 12
The Priests and Levites Who Returned with Zerubbabel
When Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua returned from exile, the priests who came with them were: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, Amariah, Malluch, Hattush, Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah, Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah, Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah, Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah.
The Levites who came with them were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, who led the songs of thanksgiving, and their associates Bakbukiah and Unni, who stood opposite them in service.
After Jeshua, the high priestly line continued through Joiakim, Eliashib, Joiada, Jonathan, and Jaddua.
The Heads of Priestly Families in the Time of Joiakim
In the days of Joiakim, the heads of the priestly families were as follows:
For the family of Seraiah, Meraiah.
For the family of Jeremiah, Hananiah.
For the family of Ezra, Meshullam.
For the family of Amariah, Jehohanan.
For the family of Melicu, Jonathan.
For the family of Shebaniah, Joseph.
For the family of Harim, Adna.
For the family of Meraioth, Helkai.
For the family of Iddo, Zechariah.
For the family of Ginnethon, Meshullam.
For the family of Abijah, Zichri.
For the family of Miniamin, Piltai.
For the family of Moadiah, Shammua.
For the family of Bilgah, Jonathan.
For the family of Shemaiah, Mattenai.
For the family of Joiarib, Uzzi.
For the family of Jedaiah, Kallai.
For the family of Sallai, Eber.
For the family of Amok, Hashabiah.
For the family of Hilkiah, Nethanel.
For the family of Jedaiah, another Jedaiah is mentioned as a later representative.
In the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua, the Levites were recorded by name, along with the priests, during the reign of Darius the Persian.
The chief Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua son of Kadmiel, and their associates who joined in praise and thanksgiving section by section, following the command of David the man of God.
The gatekeepers were Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub, who kept watch over the storerooms by the gates.
At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, the Levites were brought from all their towns to celebrate joyfully
The singers were assembled from the villages around Jerusalem, from the villages of the Netophathites, from Beth Gilgal, and from Geba and Azmaveth.
Nehemiah arranged two great choirs to march along the wall in opposite directions.The first choir proceeded to the right, toward the Dung Gate. Leading them were Ezra the scribe, Hoshaiah, half of the leaders of Judah, Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam, Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, and Jeremiah.
The priests with trumpets were Zechariah son of Jonathan, son of Shemaiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Micaiah, son of Zaccur, son of Asaph, and his associates Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani.
The second choir went to the left, led by Nehemiah, with the other half of the people following.
The people offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy. Men, women, and children all celebrated, and the sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away.
On that day, men were appointed over the storerooms for the contributions, firstfruits, and tithes, to gather into them the portions required by the Law for the priests and Levites.
Everything was organized according to the commands of David and Asaph, who had long ago established the pattern of singing praise and thanksgiving to God.
Nehemiah 13
The Book of Moses is read aloud to the people. The reading reveals that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever be admitted into the assembly of God, because those nations had opposed Israel and hired Balaam to curse them. When the people hear this, they separate all those of foreign descent from the community
Before Nehemiah’s return from Persia, Eliashib the high priest (who was related to Tobiah, the Ammonite enemy) had prepared a large storeroom for Tobiah inside the temple courts.
- This room had previously been used to store grain offerings, incense, temple articles, tithes, and contributions for the Levites, singers, and gatekeepers.
- When Nehemiah learns of this, he is deeply grieved.
- He throws Tobiah’s belongings out of the room, purifies the chambers, and restores the temple storerooms for their proper use.
Nehemiah discovers that the Levites and singers had not received their allotted portions, so they had gone back to work in their fields instead of serving in the temple. He brings back the Levites, and appoints faithful men: Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, Pedaiah the Levite, and Hanan son of Zakkur
Nehemiah sees people working and trading on the Sabbath dayHe rebukes the nobles of Judah, reminding them that their ancestors’ disobedience brought God’s judgment before. He orders the city gates to be closed at sunset before the Sabbath and not opened until after. He stations servants at the gates to ensure no load enters on the Sabbath.
When merchants try to camp outside the walls to sell anyway, he warns them, and after that, they no longer come.He assigns Levites to guard the gates to keep the day holy.
Nehemiah also discovers that many Jews had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. Their children spoke half in the language of Ashdod and could no longer speak the language of Judah.
Nehemiah confronts them sharply. He rebukes, curses, and even physically disciplines some, forcing them to swear an oath to stop this sin. He reminds them that even King Solomon sinned because of foreign wives, though he was beloved by God.
Nehemiah drives away one of Eliashib’s grandsons, who had married the daughter of Sanballat the Horonite, another of Israel’s enemies.
Nehemiah purifies the community and prays multiple times throughout the chapter:
“Remember me, my God, for good.” (Nehemiah 13:31)
Questions
Why does Nehemiah continually ask God to remember him for good things he has done on earth? Are we supposed to?
What songs did they sing? Did they know ancient Israel songs?
Why did Nehemiah beat people and pull their hair? Was that OK?
Application
We see a beautiful arc within these three chapters. In Chapter 11, God’s people worship through service. Some were gatekeepers, some Levites, some singers. In Chapter 12 they worship joyfully through music and thanksgiving. Lastly, in Chapter 13 they worship through choosing holiness after great sin. It’s a reminder that worship isn’t just singing a song on Sunday morning. It’s how we live and honor God day to day
Jo Reads The Bible 
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