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“Before this, Eliashib the priest had been put in charge of the storerooms of the house of our God. He was closely associated with Tobiah, and he had provided him with a large room formerly used to store grain offerings and incense and temple articles, and also the tithes of grain, new wine and olive oil prescribed for the Levites, musicians and gatekeepers, as well as the contributions for the priests.” NIV

Yesterday we saw how, as God’s Word was read, the people were convicted about failing to exclude ‘’from Israel all who were of foreign descent’’ (3b). This did not refer to all foreigners without exception, but just those who would not worship Israel’s God. (Ruth, the Moabitess, is an example of someone from a foreign land who joined herself to the Lord and His people, and her name is to be found in the ancestry of the Messiah, Jesus: Matthew 1:5). Let’s not forget that Jesus, before returning to heaven, told His disciples to ‘’go and make disciples of all nations’’ (Matthew 28:19).

‘See the benefit of the public reading of the word of God; when it is duly attended to it discovers to us sin and duty, good and evil, and shows us wherein we have erred. Then we profit by the discovery when by it we are wrought upon to separate ourselves from all that evil to which we had addicted ourselves.’ Matthew Henry.

In today’s verses we see one particularly grave example of such sin. The priest, Eliashib, had a close connection with Tobiah the Ammonite – one of Nehemiah’s greatest enemies (Neh.2:10). He allowed him to use a large room in the temple, and all behind Nehemiah’s back. To allow a pagan, and an enemy to boot, to enter the temple was a grievous violation of God’s law.

F.B. Meyer, in his typical fashion, wonderfully applies this saying, ‘If we have given up a chamber in our heart to any Tobiah, we must be prepared to do likewise.’

PRAYER: ‘’Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.’’ (Psalm 139:23,24).

“On that day the Book of Moses was read aloud in the hearing of the people and there it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever be admitted into the assembly of God, ² because they had not met the Israelites with food and water but had hired Balaam to call a curse down on them. (Our God, however, turned the curse into a blessing.) ³ When the people heard this law, they excluded from Israel all who were of foreign descent.” NIV

‘’All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work’’ (2 Timothy 3:16,17)

When the people heard god’s Word, they allowed themselves to be ‘corrected’ by it. They repented. They took immediate steps, or so it seems, to put right what they had discovered to be wrong. So as we read and study our Bibles and listen to sermons, let us do so with a willingness to change.

‘’As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead’’ (James 2:26).

“⁴⁴ At that time men were appointed to be in charge of the storerooms for the contributions, firstfruits and tithes. From the fields around the towns they were to bring into the storerooms the portions required by the Law for the priests and the Levites, for Judah was pleased with the ministering priests and Levites. ⁴⁵ They performed the service of their God and the service of purification, as did also the musicians and gatekeepers, according to the commands of David and his son Solomon. ⁴⁶ For long ago, in the days of David and Asaph, there had been directors for the musicians and for the songs of praise and thanksgiving to God. ⁴⁷ So in the days of Zerubbabel and of Nehemiah, all Israel contributed the daily portions for the musicians and the gatekeepers. They also set aside the portion for the other Levites, and the Levites set aside the portion for the descendants of Aaron.” NIV

‘Here Nehemiah provides what seems like an odd conclusion to such a grand and joyful event; these verses seem “anti-climactic”. And yet they teach us an important truth. Great celebrations come to an end quickly; the people’s enthusiasm subsides and things get back to “normal.” But most of our lives are spent in the “normal” routines of daily living, and it is here that our spirituality is tested. Nehemiah did not want his readers to forget that…After a grand celebration it is easy to neglect one’s ongoing duties, and Nehemiah was not going to let that happen if he could help it.’ Tom Hale: ‘The Applied Old Testament Commentary’, p.765.

As I read Tom’s words, it caused me to reflect that it is exhilarating to be on the mount of transfiguration, but at some point we have to come down from the mountain top and minister to the demonised person in the valley. We go to the great, highly atmospheric conference or Bible week – the big Christian event – and it is all so thrilling. But then we have to come and live all that teaching out in the mundane moments of life; in the nitty-gritty of home, work, school, university, community.

Worship involves not only music, song and thanksgiving; it also entails material giving. It’s not just about praying, singing and preaching, but also giving money to the work of God. Many a believer has discovered by experience that God is ‘no man’s debtor’. But singing and dancing with hands in the air is more appealing to some than sinking their hands in their pockets.

Remember, Jesus Himself taught, ‘’It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).PRAYER: Thank you, Lord, for the privilege of giving.

“⁴³ And on that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy. The women and children also rejoiced. The sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away.“NIV

Before moving on, I want to linger over this 43^rd verse and savour it. If every church were like this, how magnetic our influence would be. I do not think most people would automatically connect the words ‘joy’ and ‘church’. As noted previously, C.S. Lewis described joy as ‘the serious business of heaven’. But, as someone said, when people look at the church, they tend to see those who have ‘managed to extract all the bubbles from the champagne of life!’

We note here that their joy was:

• A consummate joy: It was ‘’great joy’’. It was a God-given joy. We can surely say it was the fruit of the Spirit, long before Paul wrote about it. Peter writes about being ‘’filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy’’ (1 Peter 1:8). What do we know of this? Dare we ask to experience it? Might we too find, like D.L.Moody did, that it’s almost too much for a physical frame to take?
• It was a comprehensive joy: It wasn’t just for the adults. The ‘children’ also felt it. On the night I became a Christian – around the age of 7 or 8 – I was aware of a joy was so intense I wanted to bounce up and down on my bed with the sheer exhilaration! The memory of it lingers years later. Oh, may God bless our children with His joy which will be their strength.
• It was a contagious joy: The impact was far-reaching, as you can see from the final sentence. Joyful saints are a powerful advert for the gospel.  The ‘’great sacrifices’’ offered in the Old Testament were but a foretaste of the finished work of Jesus on the cross. How much more joy is now possible for those who trust in Christ.

PRAYER: Lord, please fill us with your joy.

“³¹ I had the leaders of Judah go up on top of the wall. I also assigned two large choirs to give thanks. One was to proceed on top of  the wall to the right, towards the Dung Gate. ³² Hoshaiah and half the leaders of Judah followed them, ³³ along with Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam, ³⁴ Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, Jeremiah, ³⁵ as well as some priests with trumpets, and also Zechariah son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micaiah, the son of Zakkur, the son of Asaph, ³⁶ and his associates – Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah and Hanani – with musical instruments prescribed by David the man of God. Ezra the teacher of the Law led the procession. ³⁷ At the Fountain Gate they continued directly up the steps of the City of David on the ascent to the wall and passed above the site of David’s palace to the Water Gate on the east.³⁸ The second choir proceeded in the opposite direction. I followed them on top of^[c] the wall, together with half the people – past the Tower of the Ovens to the Broad Wall, ³⁹ 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. At the Gate of the Guard they stopped.⁴⁰ The two choirs that gave thanks then took their places in the house of God; so did I, together with half the officials, ⁴¹ as well as the priests – Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah and Hananiah with their trumpets – ⁴² and also Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malkijah, Elam and Ezer. The choirs sang under the direction of Jezrahiah. ⁴³ And on that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy. The women and children also rejoiced. The sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away.

In this wonderful depiction of the procession to the temple, I noticed these two small details:

‘’Ezra the scribe led the procession’’ (36b).

‘’I followed them on top of the wall…’’ (38a).

‘’The two choirs that gave thanks then took their places in the house of God; so did I, together with half the officials…’’ (40).

We know that Ezra and Nehemiah were strong, big-name leaders. But here they were among the people, taking their place in the crowd. Their leadership had significantly helped to bring about this moment, but they did not dominate the occasion. They did not tell everyone else what to do while they stood apart from it. They led by example.

Leadership in the footsteps of Jesus is not just by word but by deed, not only by exhortation but by example. So may God help us all for ‘’…who is equal to such a task?’’ (2 Corinthians 2:16).

Leaders and led are on level ground in the ‘temple’ – before God and at the foot of Christ’s Cross.

“²⁷ At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, the Levites were sought out from where they lived and were brought to Jerusalem to celebrate joyfully the dedication with songs of thanksgiving and with the music of cymbals, harps and lyres. ²⁸ The musicians also were brought together from the region around Jerusalem – from the villages of the Netophathites, ²⁹ from Beth Gilgal, and from the area of Geba and Azmaveth, for the musicians had built villages for themselves around Jerusalem. ³⁰ When the priests and Levites had purified themselves ceremonially, they purified the people, the gates and the wall.“NIV

Just because you have the singers and musicians in place, and you’re starting to make a good sound, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re offering God acceptable worship. As Matt Redman observed in one of his songs, the Lord looks for more than a song, for a song in itself is not what He requires. He searches much deeper within, looking into the heart. He wants not merely the praise of lips, but that of lives devoted to Him (30).

Am I saying we can’t worship God unless we are totally pure? Of course not. If that were the case then who could worship Him? But intrinsic to genuine worship is the desire to please God in every way. It is incongruous to think that anyone would deliberately go and play in the mud and then come to His table with unwashed hands. Thank God, on-going cleansing is available through Jesus’ blood.

‘’Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure’’ (1 John 3:3)

“²⁷ At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, the Levites were sought out from where they lived and were brought to Jerusalem to celebrate joyfully the dedication with songs of thanksgiving and with the music of cymbals, harps and lyres. ²⁸ The musicians also were brought together from the region around Jerusalem – from the villages of the Netophathites, ²⁹ from Beth Gilgal, and from the area of Geba and Azmaveth, for the musicians had built villages for themselves around Jerusalem.“NIV

C.S. Lewis referred to joy as ‘the serious business of heaven.’

In looking for a quote from Blaise Pascal, I also found a wonderful introduction to it written by John Piper. He says:

‘’Blaise Pascal was a French mathematical genius who was born June 19, 1623. After running from God until he was 31 years old, on November 23, 1654 at 10:30 pm, Pascal met God and was profoundly and unshakably converted to Jesus Christ. He wrote it down on a piece of parchment and sewed into his coat where it was found after his death eight years later. It said,

Year of grace 1654, Monday 23 November, feast of St. Clement . . . from about half past ten at night to about half an hour after midnight, FIRE. God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob, not of philosophers and scholars. Certitude, heartfelt joy, peace. God of Jesus Christ. God of Jesus Christ. “My God and your God.” . . . Joy, Joy, Joy, tears of joy. . . Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ. May I never be separated from him.’ ‘’

In the church we are thankful to God for musicians and singers; for those who devote these talents to the service of the God who first bestowed them. But if there is a missing note in much church worship, it may be a lack of the ‘’joy’’ that is ‘’the fruit of the Spirit’’ (Galatians 5:22). Superficial bounciness and rhythmic movement are not necessarily to be equated with joy, and they cannot compensate for it. Without authentic joy you can still have polished performances, but we need more than this. With joy you can still hit a few duff notes, but still have the all-important note.

As I try to pray my way through this book of Nehemiah, I have found myself praying that we will all be filled with the joy God wants us to have. In today’s reading we see singers, musicians, instruments and joy! That is an unbeatable combination.

PRAYER: Lord God, please cause us to experience your joy which will be our strength

“²⁴ And the leaders of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, Jeshua son of Kadmiel, and their associates, who stood opposite them to give praise and thanksgiving, one section responding to the other, as prescribed by David the man of God.” NIV

It’s obvious that at this time they were endeavouring to organise their worship according to God’s Word. Note the words in (24b): ‘’…as prescribed by David the man of God.’’ (See also 36, 37, 45, 46).

I remember a line in a song by John Pantry.  It was entitled ‘Empty Handed’. The line I’m thinking about goes, ‘Oh how I wanted to be godly…’ There’s such longing in these words.

Don’t you also feel that longing  – to be a man, a woman, of faith, of prayer, of the Word and of the Spirit – to be a man, or woman, of God? I know there is a deep cry in my heart in this direction. At times great waves wash over it, as if to carry it away; as if to destroy it. Yet I find it is always there, just below the surface.

Being a man, or woman of God doesn’t mean you will never mess up. It doesn’t mean you will be flawless. Read David’s story from beginning to end. He did not always cover himself in glory. Yet in spite of his many sins, failures and glaring faults, his heart was for God.

‘How long the influence of David has lingered over the world, like the afterglow of a sunset!. Mark the characteristic in him which laid the foundation of his supremacy over the hearts of his countrymen. He was pre-eminently ‘’a man of God.’’ Notwithstanding his terrible fall, his people recognised that his salient characteristic was Godward.’ F.B.Meyer: ‘Great verses through the Bible’, p.171.

Meyer goes on to quote these words, ‘It is not what we give to Jesus, but what we take from Him, that makes us strong, helpful, and victorious day by day.’ Then he adds this comment, ‘Accept this as a fact, that in Jesus God has made all his fullness dwell. There is nothing we require, for life or godliness, that is not stored in Him; but the terrible loss of our lives is that we take so little.’

PRAYER: Lord, thank you that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled. So, cause me to be hungry and thirsty, for Jesus’ sake, Amen

“²⁴ And the leaders of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, Jeshua son of Kadmiel, and their associates, who stood opposite them to give praise and thanksgiving, one section responding to the other, as prescribed by David the man of God.“NIV

This seems to describe a kind of antiphonal singing, with ‘’one section responding to the other’’.

One of the beautiful things about corporate worship is the blessing we experience from the contributions of other believers. In our public gatherings we are, ideally, learning to be sensitive to God and to each other. We are constantly discovering how to respond ‘’to the other’’. This is not restricted to music, nor is it confined to Sundays. Worship is a 7 day a week activity. It’s a way of life – a whole lifestyle. It goes way beyond the physical gatherings. It includes how we relate to one another.

Thank God, many can still ‘meet’ digitally. But we’re conscious that we miss quite a lot when we’re not in the same room. Nevertheless, we are blessed to still be able to see one another, to listen to each other, and share in prayer. It is still possible to respond to one another in ways which honour God and build up His church. In so doing, the Spirit composes in us, and sings through us, a beautiful love song to God. We all get to be in this ‘choir’ – even the ones who are tone deaf!

PRAYER: Lord make us a symphony, a symphony of worship…