A time of dedication
Witness to the world: Book of Acts • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 59:31
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The Set up
The Set up
The reading of the Law (chapter 8)
The confession of sins (chapter 9)
The covenant restored and signed (chapter 10)
The repopulating of Jerusalem (chapter 11)
We have seen a list of names in chapter 7, 10, 11, and we will see another list of names here in chapter 12. Having said that, names are important to God, these names, are broken into a simple list, by sections.
Priests/Levites that came with Zerubbabel (vv.1-9)
High priests from Zerubbabel to time of Nehemiah and beyond (vv.10-11)
Then priests “in the days of Joiakim” (high priest between Zerubbabel and Nehemiah (vv.12-21)
The Levites of several generations (vv.22-26)
(Transition) what we see in this as we look at it from the time of the Cyrus decree, Zerubabel/Ezra leaving Babylon, there was worship going on. The priesthood continued, and in our passage tonight we see the confirmed authority of the Priest, Levites that were serving in the temple, were to be serving in the temple and in the leading of worship for the people.
Priests and Levites
Priests and Levites
1 Now these are the priests and the Levites who came up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, 2 Amariah, Malluch, Hattush, 3 Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,
4 Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah, 5 Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah, 6 Shemaiah and Joiarib, Jedaiah, 7 Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah and Jedaiah. These were the heads of the priests and their kinsmen in the days of Jeshua.
8 The Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah who was in charge of the songs of thanksgiving, he and his brothers. 9 Also Bakbukiah and Unni, their brothers, stood opposite them in their service divisions.
Nehemiah is careful to identify the spiritual leaders, the priests and the Levites along with ancestry to show lineage to priesthood. This established the authority to serve.
Those in the renewed community, the repopulated city, the protected city needed to know who their leaders were and that they had the right to lead.
Paul said this about knowing your leaders (1Th5:12-13)
12 But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, 13 and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another.
Leaders should be known, and leaders should lead by example. That is why we are to have elders who are qualified to lead and do lead by example.
Also, knowing your leaders the people can hold their leaders accountable too.
Our list of leaders is not done
High Priests
High Priests
10 Jeshua became the father of Joiakim, and Joiakim became the father of Eliashib, and Eliashib became the father of Joiada, 11 and Joiada became the father of Jonathan, and Jonathan became the father of Jaddua.
This starts from the High Priest that came with Zerubbabel to Nehemiah and beyond.
Priests “in days of Joiakim”
Priests “in days of Joiakim”
Joiakim was the high priest between Zerubbabel and Nehemiah.
12 Now in the days of Joiakim, the priests, the heads of fathers’ households were: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah; 13 of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan;
14 of Malluchi, Jonathan; of Shebaniah, Joseph; 15 of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai; 16 of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam; 17 of Abijah, Zichri; of Miniamin, of Moadiah, Piltai; 18 of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jehonathan;
19 of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi; 20 of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber; 21 of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; of Jedaiah, Nethanel.
Names matter, family matters, authority matters things were to be done in an orderly manner (1Cor14:40)
40 But all things must be done properly and in an orderly manner.
The right people, doing the right job, for the right purpose that leads to the right heart not just for the leaders but for the people.
Levites during the reign of Darius the Persian forward.
Levites during the reign of Darius the Persian forward.
22 As for the Levites, the heads of fathers’ households were registered in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, and Johanan and Jaddua; so were the priests in the reign of Darius the Persian. 23 The sons of Levi, the heads of fathers’ households, were registered in the Book of the Chronicles up to the days of Johanan the son of Eliashib.
24 The heads of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel, with their brothers opposite them, to praise and give thanks, as prescribed by David the man of God, division corresponding to division. 25 Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon and Akkub were gatekeepers keeping watch at the storehouses of the gates.
26 These served 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 and scribe.
Preparing for the dedication
Preparing for the dedication
27 Now at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought out the Levites from all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem so that they might celebrate the dedication with gladness, with hymns of thanksgiving and with songs to the accompaniment of cymbals, harps and lyres. 28 So the sons of the singers were assembled from the district around Jerusalem, and from the villages of the Netophathites,
29 from Beth-gilgal and from their fields in Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built themselves villages around Jerusalem. 30 The priests and the Levites purified themselves; they also purified the people, the gates and the wall.
Nehemiah called them all together from all areas to Jerusalem with their instruments of praise, to celebrate the dedication with gladness.
Yes, there were instruments by specified people, named people here, Levites/Priests who would celebrate the dedication with gladness. To lead the people in songs of thanksgiving.
Nehemiah had the priests and the Levites purify themselves, then the people, then the gates and the wall.
Purification was important, the leaders were first purified to serve, then the purification of the people, then the wall.
Pausing to celebrate
Pausing to celebrate
31 Then I had the leaders of Judah come up on top of the wall, and I appointed two great choirs, the first proceeding to the right on top of the wall toward the Refuse Gate. 32 Hoshaiah and half of the leaders of Judah followed them,
33 with Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam, 34 Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, Jeremiah, 35 and some of the sons of the priests with trumpets; and Zechariah the son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micaiah, the son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph, 36 and his kinsmen, Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah and Hanani, with the musical instruments of David the man of God. And Ezra the scribe went before them.
37 At the Fountain Gate they went directly up the steps of the city of David by the stairway of the wall above the house of David to the Water Gate on the east. 38 The second choir proceeded to the left, while I followed them with half of the people on the wall, above the Tower of Furnaces, to the Broad Wall,
39 and above the Gate of Ephraim, by the Old Gate, by 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. 40 Then the two choirs took their stand in the house of God. So did I and half of the officials with me;
41 and the priests, Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah and Hananiah, with the trumpets; 42 and Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam and Ezer. And the singers sang, with Jezrahiah their leader,
More names, but what is important here beside the names is the time they stopped, paused to celebrate.
When we gather in worship, we pause, though maybe people only pause for an hour, or a couple of hours, whereas the Lord called for a Sabbath rest, a time set aside each week to pause for refreshment, for rest, for worship.
As Christians in whom Christ is our Sabbath, our rest, are we dedicated to Him and to worship of Him that is intentional. God created us to Sabbath
“When we consider our relationship with God, we need to take time to pause, to reflect, to pray, and to celebrate with other believers” (Ogilvie).
They prepared for worship by the purification of the priests, the Levites, the people, then the wall.
Do we prepare for worship? Preachers prepare sermons, song leaders prepare songs, teachers prepare lessons, but do we prepare for worship?
May we consider how can we prepare for worship?
Prepare Saturday night
Pray, praise Sunday before service
Stop, pause, reflect before service starts. quiet our spirit as we prepare to worship, reflecting on the goodness of God and clearing our minds of everything but what we have to bring to the Lord now and what the Lord has for us now.
People participate in worship
People participate in worship
43 and on that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced because God had given them great joy, even the women and children rejoiced, so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard from afar.
44 On that day men were also appointed over the chambers for the stores, the contributions, the first fruits and the tithes, to gather into them from the fields of the cities the portions required by the law for the priests and Levites; for Judah rejoiced over the priests and Levites who served.
45 For they performed the worship of their God and the service of purification, together with the singers and the gatekeepers in accordance with the command of David and of his son Solomon.
46 For in the days of David and Asaph, in ancient times, there were leaders of the singers, songs of praise and hymns of thanksgiving to God.
47 So all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah gave the portions due the singers and the gatekeepers as each day required, and set apart the consecrated portion for the Levites, and the Levites set apart the consecrated portion for the sons of Aaron.
The people participated in worship, not just sit, listen. The people joined in (v.38) and they rejoiced (v.43), they offered great sacrifices (v.43).
They appointed stewards (v.44); they performed worship to their God (v.45)
They participated with the leaders in songs of praise and hymns of thanksgiving to God (v.46)
They set apart, they gave (v.47)
Worship is not to be something we observe, it is something we are to, and do it together. Worship is not a show to watch others, it is for us to be uplifted by uplifting our songs of praise and adoration, to hear and apply God’s word. To build up, to encourage, to edify one another and to give for the work to continue from a willing, purposed, cheerful heart.
Mark Roberts in his commentary said this:
“The Old Testament abounds with physical expressions of worship. People sing, should, stand, kneel, bow, clap their hands, raise their hands, and dance. Rarely to you see that they simply sit. The biblical view, God sits enthroned while worshipers kneel or stand before him as a gesture of submission and servitude.”
Ogilvie said “Christian tradition that minimizes and even discourages physical expressions of worship. when we sin, we sing quietly; when we confess our faith, we do so with reverent reservation. We emphasize the intellectual component of true worship, with some slight allowance for emotional with great restraint. Certainly,true worship involves our mind, for we think about God and communicate cognitively with Him in worship, but perhaps we need to learn more about loving God with all of our hart, and all of our soul, and all of our strength (consider Deut6:5).”
Our singing unites our hearts, souls, minds, bodies. As they sang loud praises at the rededication, surely their hearts were filled with more joy. In closing tonight may we consider a joyful Psalm.
1 O come, let us sing for joy to the Lord, Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
3 For the Lord is a great God And a great King above all gods, 4 In whose hand are the depths of the earth, The peaks of the mountains are His also.
5 The sea is His, for it was He who made it, And His hands formed the dry land. 6 Come, let us worship and bow down, Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. 7 For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. Today, if you would hear His voice,
(Prayer) (Close)