Nehemiah 7

CHAPTER 7THEME: Nehemiah’s register of the peopleAs we begin this chapter, we see that the wall has been completed. Now the people begin to protect the city of Jerusalem. Many of the homes have already been built, but inside the city there is still much work to be done. They are still clearing out the debris. It is necessary to protect the city because the enemy that tried to thwart and hinder the rebuilding of the walls would now like to destroy the city.

Nehemiah 7:1

After the wall was finished, Nehemiah set the doors at the different gates, and then he appointed these men to protect the city. The porters were the watchmen. They were the ones who took care of the wall. They were on guard duty all around the wall, letting those on the inside know what was going on outside. If an enemy or some danger approached, they would sound the alarm. They watched both day and nightit was a twenty-four-hour job. The standards for this job were high, but we will find that some of the rules that were set up were not enforced as they should have been. The guards of the wall were not to be indifferent to who came and went inside the city walls. At this point I want to say something that I trust will not be misunderstood. We are told today that we are not to be indifferent to those who come and go in our fellowship, because we are not to fellowship with all who are professing Christians. Notice what Paul says in 1Co_5:11: “But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.” Today, although we are to give doctrine top priorityfor instance, we cannot make those who deny the inerrancy of Scripture our brothers and fellowship with them in worshipPaul is not dealing with doctrine when he says we are not to keep company with one who is a fornicator. He is talking about that man or woman in the church who will not deal with that sin in his or her life. Fellowship has been based on doctrine. We break fellowship with those who do not agree with us on doctrinal issues. But Paul is stating here that conduct is a basis for breaking fellowshipas well as doctrine. There was a preacher in Southern California who got into trouble on a morals charge. He moved to another area and the same thing happened. Yet the people in his new church had been warned about him. They had been willing to overlook his sin because his doctrine was right. His conduct about wrecked the churchin fact, it almost wrecked two churches. We seem to have a lopsided view. We emphasize doctrine, and that is as it should be; but what about morals? When Paul writes not to keep company with a brother who is a fornicator or covetous, he is not referring to doctrine. What about a man who is money-hungry? What about a man who is not honest in his dealings? Are we to have fellowship with him? Let us also understand that breaking fellowship with another believer on a point of doctrine does not mean that we are to sit in judgment upon him. To a young preacher Paul writes: “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity” (2Ti_2:19). You don’t know and I don’t know who are really God’s children, but God knows His own. You and I are not called upon to carry a crusade against them, because God will judge them. We are just to break fellowship with them: we are not to sit in judgment upon them. The point is that we as believers are to be on our guard. An apt motto for us is: Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. In addition to appointing porters to guard the city of Jerusalem, Nehemiah appointed singers. I am not in that group, I can assure you. In the next chapter we are going to find Nehemiah saying, “The joy of the LORD is your strength.” The spirit of praise is the spirit of power. This means that we should be a rejoicing group of folk, but joy is often absent from the contemporary church. It is not made up of a happy group of people. Oh, they will laugh at a good story and enjoy a banquet, but Bible study is not a joy to them. If you could stand where I have stood for many years, you would see how apparent this is in the faces of the congregation. The troublemakers in the church are generally the ones who do not enjoy Bible study. In Eph_5:18-19 Paul describes the mark of a Spirit-filled Christian when he says, “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.” Although I can speak, I can’t sing. However, I can sing in my heart. If I have any music in me that is where it isit has never come out. But my heart does sing at times, and I often long to be able to sing with my voice also. The word psalms in this verse means “to praise.” Oh, how sweet is the name of Jesus. The word hymn means “to ascribe perfection to Deity.” Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts. This is what we are to sing abouthow wonderful He is! This will bring joy into your life. I was sitting in the study of a fellow pastor some time ago and noticed this motto on his wall: “Joy is the flag that is flown in the heart when the Master is in residence.” When you are walking in the will of God, and you are in the center of His will, and you are having fellowship with Him, you will have joy in your life. How wonderful it is! Having porters and singers made for a great city, but that is not all. Levites were also appointed. They were ministers. God calls ministers. Pro_18:16 says, “A man’s gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.” How true that is. If God has called you to be a minister, He will make room for you. That is, He will give you a place to serve.

Nehemiah 7:2

Hanani was not Nehemiah’s blood brother. You will recall, at the beginning of the Book of Nehemiah, that while he was serving in the court of Artaxerxes one of his brethren from Jerusalem came and told him about the condition of the Remnant that had returned. He was one of Nehemiah’s fellow-Israelites rather than a blood brother. Hanani apparently was one of the leaders in Jerusalem, and it had been he who informed Nehemiah as to the conditions in Jerusalem, as we read in chapter 1. So Nehemiah already knew this man. That is why he said, “I gave my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the ruler of the palace, charge over Jerusalem….” Did Hanani receive this position because he was an educated man and had been to seminary?

Is that the way your Bible reads? Well, mine does not read that way either. He was one of the men placed in charge over Jerusalem because he “was a faithful man, and feared God above many.” He was “faithful,” not “educated.” I wish I could get this point over to our seminary students today. Now don’t misunderstand what I am about to say. We need an educated ministry. The desire for an educated ministry was the origin of our school system in the United States. Education is necessary, but it is possible to go to seed in that direction. There are many men in the ministry who lack characteryet they are educated.

Someone has made the statement, “You can even educate a fool.” That is true, and there are many educated fools in this world, not only in the ministry but everywhere else. But the thing that God wants is faithfulness. In 1Co_4:2 Paul says, “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.” Can your pastor depend on you? Can your fellow Christian depend on you? Are you faithful? Education is profitable if you are faithful.

It is not worth anything if you are not faithful.

Nehemiah 7:3

Each entrance to the city was to be watched during the day. At night, when anything could happen, all were to maintain watchfulness. Each one was to watch at least his own household. So God holds us responsible for at least our own households. The Lord Jesus Christ said, “And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch” (Mar_13:37). That should be the attitude of each believer.

Nehemiah 7:4

Not all of the building inside was completed at this time. It was possible that a man might become interested in building his own house and forget to watch. The whole spirit of building the walls and gates had been with the trowel in one hand and the sword in the other. My, how we need both of them in the Lord’s work today! The remainder of this chapter is a genealogical record.

Nehemiah 7:5

This is the same genealogy as found in Ezra, the second chapter. Why in the world would God waste so much printer’s ink and give us the same genealogy again? I will tell you why. The Word of God says, “…the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance” (Psa_112:6). God says, “I know these folk and I want you to know that I know them.” He has listed their names in one place, then made a carbon copy. I have been told that in some of the bureaus in Washington they make fifteen copies of everything, and God has His carbon copies also.

It is as though God says, “You may not find these names interesting, but I do. These are My folk.” This genealogy is just a leaf out of God’s memorial book. There are quite a few genealogies found in Scripture. In Genesis 49 the twelve tribes are listed. In 2 Samuel 23 we find the list of David’s mighty men. The first few chapters of 1 Chronicles are lists of names.

Nehemiah 3 gives us another listing. Romans 16 is made up of a roster of names. Hebrews 11 also lists those who were faithful. These are just names to us, but God remembers each person and records his name in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Nehemiah 7:17

Who in the world was Azgad? He was a man who was carried away in the Babylonian captivity. During the seventy years, plus a few more, his family had been multiplying. There were 2,322 descendants and each one of them could say, “I am related to Azgad.” When one was challenged to prove he was an Israelite, he could say, “Azgad was my great-great-great-great-great grandfather. I know who I am.” There are people today who say, “Well, I think I am a child of God. I hope I am a child of God.” My friend, you can know that you are a child of God. 1Jn_5:12 says, “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” If you have trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, you have Him and you have life. If you don’t believe what He says, then you are calling Him a liar. If you have put your faith in Christ, you have life on the authority of God’s Word. And God has written it down. The son of Azgad could say, “I know who I am. Look here, my name is written down.”

Nehemiah 7:61

There were those who could not prove they were Israelites. They said, “We think we are Israelites. We hope we are. We try to be.” Thinking, hoping, and trying to be Israelites did not make them such. It did not help them. They had to know who they were. When they could not show their genealogy, they were put out.

Nehemiah 7:64

They could not declare their genealogy. You not only need to be saved, you need to know it, my friend.

Nehemiah 7:65

The discerning of the priesthood in that day was by the Urim and the Thummim in the breastplate of the priest. It was the way in which the high priest ascertained God’s will. It was God’s provision in that day, but today we determine God’s will through His Word. And it tells us how we can have eternal life.

Nehemiah 7:73

This is the last verse of the chapter. The children of Israel are back in the land now. Under the leadership of Nehemiah a tremendous work has been done. But his work is not finished. There is more to do.