Nehemiah 12 – Study

For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each passage has a four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: Nehemiah  12:1-43

1 These were the priests and Levites who returned with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and with Joshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, 2 Amariah, Malluk, Hattush, 3 Shekaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, 4 Iddo, Ginnethon, Abijah, 5 Mijamin, Moadiah, Bilgah, 6 Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah, 7 Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah and Jedaiah. These were the leaders of the priests and their associates in the days of Joshua.

8 The Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and also Mattaniah, who, together with his associates, was in charge of the songs of thanksgiving. 9 Bakbukiah and Unni, their associates, stood opposite them in the services.

10 Joshua was the father of Joiakim, Joiakim the father of Eliashib, Eliashib the father of Joiada, 11 Joiada the father of Jonathan, and Jonathan the father of Jaddua.

12 In the days of Joiakim, these were the heads of the priestly families: of Seraiah’s family, Meraiah; of Jeremiah’s, Hananiah; 13 of Ezra’s, Meshullam; of Amariah’s, Jehohanan; 14 of Malluk’s, Jonathan; of Shekaniah’s, Joseph; 15 of Harim’s, Adna; of Meremoth’s, Helkai; 16 of Iddo’s, Zechariah; of Ginnethon’s, Meshullam; 17 of Abijah’s, Zikri; of Miniamin’s and of Moadiah’s, Piltai; 18 of Bilgah’s, Shammua; of Shemaiah’s, Jehonathan; 19 of Joiarib’s, Mattenai; of Jedaiah’s, Uzzi; 20 of Sallu’s, Kallai; of Amok’s, Eber; 21 of Hilkiah’s, Hashabiah; of Jedaiah’s, Nethanel.

22 The family heads of the Levites in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan and Jaddua, as well as those of the priests, were recorded in the reign of Darius the Persian. 23 The family heads among the descendants of Levi up to the time of Johanan son of Eliashib were recorded in the book of the annals. 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.

25 Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon and Akkub were gatekeepers who guarded the storerooms at the gates. 26 They served in the days of Joiakim son of Joshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor and of Ezra the priest, the teacher of the Law.

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.

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 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.

A. Find Out:    

1. Who are next listed? v.1,7b,8,12,22-24,25
2. What was next going to happen and who were called up for it? v.27
3. Who also were called up from where? v.28,29
4. Who led by doing what? v.30
5. Who got who to go where? v.31a
6. Where did the two choirs go? v.31b-39
7. Where did they end up and with whom? v.40-43

B. Think:

1. How far back do these lists go? (See table at beginning)
2. Who is at the heart of the dedication of the walls of the city?
3. What does that say about all this?

C. Comment:

  Again records kept of who went to Jerusalem and who were involved in re-establishing it. The list goes back about 80 years to when Zerubbabel and Jeshua were rebuilding the Temple (v.1) The lists include the priests who led and the Levites who also were part of it then (v.1,7b), first the leading priests (v.1c-7a), then the Levites (v.8,9), then the heads of the priestly families – different from the leaders (v.10-21) and then the family heads of the Levites (v.22,23) and Levite leaders (v.24). Also recorded are the officials who were the gatekeepers and who also guarded the storerooms alongside the gates (v.25). All of these served through the period of rebuilding the temple and rebuilding the walls (v.26). Why are they recorded? To honour them for their service to God, we suggest.

  This is then followed by those involved in the ceremonial of dedicating the wall – giving thanks to God for it. The Levites (v.27) and the singers (v.28) are brought in and priests and Levites lead a ceremony of ritual cleansing (v.30). Nehemiah himself then takes a lead and has the leaders go up on the walls (v.31) together with two choirs (v.31,38) who process in opposite directions around the wall and then process to the Temple (v.40) together with the priests (v.41-43)

D. Application:

1. Dedication is an act of thanksgiving to God.
2. Is praise and thanksgiving a key element of our lives?

Passage: Nehemiah 12:44 – 13:3

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.

13:1 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.

A. Find Out:

1. What were collected for who? v.44
2. That enabled them to do what? v.45
3. Whose practice were they following? v.46
4. So what did Israel do at that time? v.47
5. What did they hear in the reading of the Law? v.1
6. Why had that been? v.2
7. So what did they do? v.3

B. Think:

1. What do the closing verses of Ch.12 tell us about life in Jerusalem?
2. What was the point being made in 13:1-3?
3. How might 2 Cor 6:15-17 shed light here?

C. Comment:

  We have just seen the dedication of the completely restored walls of the city which had included choirs of singers, and now the account turns to the provision made for those singers and for those who ministered in and around the Temple.

  The Law required giving to the priests and Levites to enable them to get on and focus solely on serving in the Temple in Jerusalem , and so now they make sure that men are appointed to collect and store that provision (v.44) for them, and their service clearly pleased the people. This service and provision included those who simply served around the Temple, and at the gates and who were singers for the Temple (v.45) and in this they were following the practice that David had followed of appointing singers for the Temple (v.46) to provide ongoing praise and thanksgiving to the Lord.

  But while this was going on, at the same time, having heard what the Law said about not marrying Ammonites or Moabites (v.1) because of their past history with Israel (v.2) there was a separating out of those who were foreigners and they were excluded from all of the life and administration carried out by Israel as the people of God (v.3). In these ways they sought to ensure they completely followed the Law.

D. Application:

1. God has rules for good reasons.
2. God’s rules help us see how to live best according to His design.