NEHEMIAH LESSON 13
We will begin this lesson in Nehemiah 12:1 "Now these [are] the
priests and the Levites that went up with Zerubbabel the son of
Shealtiel, and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,"
Jeshua was the high priest in Zerubbabel's time. Seraiah was the
high priest murdered by Nebuchadnezzar. Jeremiah and Ezra, here, were
not the same as those who have books named for them.
Nehemiah 12:2 "Amariah, Malluch, Hattush," Nehemiah 12:3
"Shechaniah, Rehum, Meremoth," Nehemiah 12:4 "Iddo, Ginnetho,
Abijah,"
We must take time, here, and recognize that Zacharias, the father
of John the Baptist, was descended from this Abijah. His wife,
Elisabeth, was descended from Aaron. They were both descended from the
priestly family of Aaron, in fact.
Nehemiah 12:5 "Miamin, Maadiah, Bilgah," Nehemiah 12:6 "Shemaiah,
and Joiarib, Jedaiah," Nehemiah 12:7 "Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, Jedaiah.
These [were] the chief of the priests and of their brethren in the
days of Jeshua."
All of the names listed were the names of the chief of each of
the priestly families.
Nehemiah 12:8 "Moreover the Levites: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel,
Sherebiah, Judah, [and] Mattaniah, [which was] over the thanksgiving,
he and his brethren." Nehemiah 12:9 "Also Bakbukiah and Unni, their
brethren, [were] over against them in the watches."
We must continue to remember that Jeshua, Binnui, and Kadmiel
were the leaders of the three divisions of the Levitical tribe. The
others, mentioned here, were heads of families of the Levites.
Nehemiah 12:10 "And Jeshua begat Joiakim, Joiakim also begat
Eliashib, and Eliashib begat Joiada," Nehemiah 12:11 "And Joiada begat
Jonathan, and Jonathan begat Jaddua."
Jeshua was the high priest of Zerubbabel's time. Eliashab was
mentioned as high priest, after Nehemiah reached Jerusalem. Joiada was
in office 36 years. It was believed that Jonathan murdered his brother
Jeshua, in the temple, so that he might be high priest. All of those
listed above were high priests.
Nehemiah 12:12 "And in the days of Joiakim were priests, the
chief of the fathers: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah;"
This was the beginning of a list of the priestly families,
starting with the high priest, Joiakim. Each of those mentioned,
above, were the head of their priestly family.
Nehemiah 12:13 "Of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan;"
Nehemiah 12:14 "Of Melicu, Jonathan; of Shebaniah, Joseph;" Nehemiah
12:15 "Of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai;" Nehemiah 12:16 "Of Iddo,
Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam;" Nehemiah 12:17 "Of Abijah,
Zichri; of Miniamin, of Moadiah, Piltai;" Nehemiah 12:18 "Of Bilgah,
Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jehonathan;" Nehemiah 12:19 "And of Joiarib,
Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi;" Nehemiah 12:20 "Of Sallai, Kallai; of
Amok, Eber;" Nehemiah 12:21 "Of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; of Jedaiah,
Nethaneel."
The families of Jedaiah and Joiarib did not put their mark to the
covenant supposedly. They were, probably, listed toward the last for
that reason. These were all the men who were the heads of priestly
families.
Nehemiah 12:22 "The Levites in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, and
Johanan, and Jaddua, [were] recorded chief of the fathers: also the
priests, to the reign of Darius the Persian."
The only thing that I can make of this is, perhaps, they had the
Levites recorded as the chief of the fathers, up until the time that
Darius reigned.
Nehemiah 12:23 "The sons of Levi, the chief of the fathers,
[were] written in the book of the chronicles, even until the days of
Johanan the son of Eliashib."
We know from our previous studies in Chronicles, that there were
records kept of all of the heads of the families, and particularly of
the civil and spiritual leaders. They thought it very important to
keep an accurate genealogy of each family. The book of chronicles,
mentioned above, wss a record book other than the Chronicles in the
Bible. It was terribly important to keep that type of record of the
Levitical families during the Old Testament to see who could be high
priest or priest. We are not told exactly why the record keeping
ceased in the time of Johanan. When the Lord Jesus came to the earth,
He was the High Priest forever. The ministry before the time of Jesus'
visit to the earth was by family heritage. It was ministering the law.
After Jesus was crucified, the ministry is of the Spirit. Anyone who
has the Spirit of God dwelling within them can minister. In fact,
everyone who is a believer should minister in some capacity.
Nehemiah 12:24 "And the chief of the Levites: Hashabiah,
Sherebiah, and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel, with their brethren over
against them, to praise [and] to give thanks, according to the
commandment of David the man of God, ward over against ward."
David had re-set the functions of the temple up, just before he
died. David truly was a man after God's own heart. Again, we see the
beginning of the listing of the chief Levitical familes.
Nehemiah 12:25 "Mattaniah, and Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam,
Talmon, Akkub, [were] porters keeping the ward at the thresholds of
the gates." Nehemiah 12:26 These [were] 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."
We see the keepers of the gates above. Perhaps, the keepers of
the treasury door, as well. Nehemiah was a civil leader in the office
of governor. Ezra, as priest and scribe, was a spiritual leader.
Nehemiah 12:27 "And 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, [with] cymbals, psalteries, and with
harps."
We do not know exactly when the dedication of the wall took
place. Some scholars believe it was dedicated at the end of its
completion. Others believe it was dedicated after Nehemiah went back
to see the king of Persia. It really does not matter when it was done.
Some people do not believe in dedicating things like a wall of a city.
To those people who believe in God, everything they come in contact
with should be dedicated to God. This dedication would be a festive
occasion. There would be much singing, playing of instruments,
praising God, and blowing of the victory trumpet. This was a time of
thanking God for His protection. The wall was a deterrent. God is our
protection, and He was theirs.
Nehemiah 12:28 "And the sons of the singers gathered themselves
together, both out of the plain country round about Jerusalem, and
from the villages of Netophathi;" Nehemiah 12:29 "Also from the house
of Gilgal, and out of the fields of Geba and Azmaveth: for the singers
had builded them villages round about Jerusalem."
We remember, from an earlier lesson, the little towns the people
lived in around Jerusalem. The singers and musicians were all Levites.
The towns, they had chosen to live in, would be fairly close to
Jerusalem. They periodically had to come to Jerusalem to minister with
their music and song.
Nehemiah 12:30 "And the priests and the Levites purified
themselves, and purified the people, and the gates, and the wall."
The purification of the priests and Levites was of a spiritual
nature. The purification of gates and wall would be of a more physical
nature.
Nehemiah 12:31 "Then I brought up the princes of Judah upon the
wall, and appointed two great [companies of them that gave] thanks,
[whereof one] went on the right hand upon the wall toward the dung
gate:"
This was not just the chiefs of the Levites that climbed upon the
wall, but the chiefs of the government, as well. The wall was a
protection for the temple, but it was, also, a protection for people,
as well. This was just saying, that people were spread across the
wall.
Nehemiah 12:32 "And after them went Hoshaiah, and half of the
princes of Judah,"
The singers led a march of the princes. Hoshaiah was, probably,
speaking of Hoshea.
Nehemiah 12:33 "And Azariah, Ezra, and Meshullam,"
In the procession, next came the priests Azariah, Ezra, and then
Meshullam.
Nehemiah 12:34 "Judah, and Benjamin, and Shemaiah, and Jeremiah,"
This was speaking of a group of people who were from the tribes
of Benjamin and Judah next. Shemaiah and Jeremiah, again, were from
priestly families. It appears, the priests and the people were mingled
in together in this procession.
Nehemiah 12:35 "And [certain] of the priests' sons with trumpets;
[namely], 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:" Nehemiah 12:36 "And 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."
These trumpets would be blown in victory by the priests' sons.
The musical instruments would be played, and the singers would sing
praises. This procession across the wall was to be a victorious march.
After this, would come another group of Levites led by Zechariah. Ezra
would be acting as a scribe here.
Nehemiah 12:37 "And 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."
This was another group, who would mount another section of the
wall from the stairs that went up the inside of the wall.
Nehemiah 12:38 "And the other [company of them that gave] thanks
went over against [them], 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;" Nehemiah 12:39 "And 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."
Nehemiah was with this group. They started at the same place the
other group had started, and went in the opposite direction. Some of
this was on the eastern wall.
Nehemiah 12:40 "So stood the two [companies of them that gave]
thanks in the house of God, and I, and the half of the rulers with
me:"
A great deal of the wall was covered with all these people. It
would have been a very strong wall to hold up the weight of that many
people.
Nehemiah 12:41 "And the priests; Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin,
Michaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, [and] Hananiah, with trumpets;"
These were the priests that were blowing the trumpets.
Nehemiah 12:42 "And Maaseiah, and Shemaiah, and Eleazar, and
Uzzi, and Jehohanan, and Malchijah, and Elam, and Ezer. And the
singers sang loud, with Jezrahiah [their] overseer."
The first mentioned, here, were playing instruments and the
singers were singing. This had to be a tremendous, victorious sound of
praise rising up to God.
Nehemiah 12:43 "Also 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."
It was a long-standing tradition to sacrifice at dedications.
Nehemiah completed the dedication by the priests offering tremendous
numbers of sacrifices. Everyone participated. This was a time of
national joy and triumph. Another time the women had participated in a
time of tremendous joy, had been just after the crossing of the Red
Sea.
Nehemiah 12:44 "And 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."
Perhaps, we can safely assume that Nehemiah did some of the
appointing. Some of these things were of a spiritual consequence, so
we may assume the high priest appointed some of those men. We know the
law had been read to all of the people, so there would be no excuse
for not giving the portion that was their obligation to give. The
priests and the Levites lived of these offerings. The priests and the
Levites were not allowed to work aside from in the service of the
LORD. They waited until the offerings were made to receive their
portion.
Nehemiah 12:45 "And both the singers and the porters kept the
ward of their God, and the ward of the purification, according to the
commandment of David, [and] of Solomon his son."
The singers and the porters were in the service of the LORD. They
did not have other occupations. They lived of the daily portions that
were allotted to them. They were purified, as were the priests,
because they were in the service of the LORD. David and Solomon had
instituted the musicians and the doorkeepers in the temple that
Solomon built.
Nehemiah 12:46 "For in the days of David and Asaph of old [there
were] chief of the singers, and songs of praise and thanksgiving unto
God."
The book of Psalms is a book of songs to be sung in worship.
Asaph was the head of the singers in the temple in Solomon's temple.
Many of the Psalms speak of being for Asaph. David felt that
thanksgiving and praise in song was a vital part of worship. He was a
singer and a musician himself. He wrote most of the Psalms, which are
songs.
Nehemiah 12:47 "And 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 [holy things] unto
the Levites; and the Levites sanctified [them] unto the children of
Aaron."
This was explaining that the singers and musicians had a daily
portion. The Levites received of the things offered on the altar. The
high priest and the priests received of the offerings of the altar,
also.
Nehemiah 13 Questions
1. Who was the high priest in Zerubbabel's time?
2. Which high priest was murdered by Nebuchadnezzar?
3. Who was descended from Abijah?
4. Who was Elisabeth, mother of John, descended from?
5. Who were Jeshua, Binnui, and Kadmiel?
6. When was Eliashab was high priest?
7. Who did Jonothan murder to become high priest?
8. Which of the priests did not put their mark on the covenant?
9. There were records kept of all the heads of families of the
Hebrews, especially of whom?
10. Why did the genealogies become unimportant after Jesus?
11. Nehemiah was a _________ leader in the office of governor.
12. When were the two times people believe the wall was dedicated?
13. To all who believe in God, __________ should be dedicated.
14. The singers and musicians were all ____________.
15. Who were purified for the dedication of the wall?
16. Who were some of the people who would be on the wall?
17. Did the ordinary people get on the wall?
18. Who blew the trumpets?
19. What kind of songs would they sing?
20. Who led the second group to mount the wall?
21. Who was in the midst of them?
22. Name the priests that blew the trumpets.
23. Who was involved in all of the rejoicing that was going on?
24. Who did the appointing in verse 44?
25. Who got a daily portion?
26. When did much of the ministry of singing begin?
27. What are the Psalms?
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