Nehemiah 7 ~ more faithful and God-fearing

Nehemiah 7

  
        

Now when the wall had been built and I had set up the doors, and the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed, ² I gave my brother Hanani and Hananiah the governor of the castle charge over Jerusalem, for he was a more faithful and God-fearing man than many. ³ And I said to them, “Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot. And while they are still standing guard, let them shut and bar the doors. Appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, some at their guard posts and some in front of their own homes.” ⁴ The city was wide and large, but the people within it were few, and no houses had been rebuilt.

⁵ Then my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles and the officials and the people to be enrolled by genealogy. And I found the book of the genealogy of those who came up at the first, and I found written in it: ⁶ These were the people of the province who came up out of the captivity of those exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried into exile. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his town. 



 ⁷ They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel: ⁸ the sons of Parosh, 2,172. ⁹ The sons of Shephatiah, 372. ¹⁰ The sons of Arah, 652. ¹¹ The sons of Pahath-moab, namely the sons of Jeshua and Joab, 2,818. ¹² The sons of Elam, 1,254. ¹³ The sons of Zattu, 845. ¹⁴ The sons of Zaccai, 760. ¹⁵ The sons of Binnui, 648. ¹⁶ The sons of Bebai, 628. ¹⁷ The sons of Azgad, 2,322. ¹⁸ The sons of Adonikam, 667. ¹⁹ The sons of Bigvai, 2,067. ²⁰ The sons of Adin, 655. ²¹ The sons of Ater, namely of Hezekiah, 98. ²² The sons of Hashum, 328. ²³ The sons of Bezai, 324. ²⁴ The sons of Hariph, 112. ²⁵ The sons of Gibeon, 95. ²⁶ The men of Bethlehem and Netophah, 188. ²⁷ The men of Anathoth, 128. ²⁸ The men of Beth-azmaveth, 42. ²⁹ The men of Kiriath-jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, 743. ³⁰ The men of Ramah and Geba, 621. ³¹ The men of Michmas, 122. ³² The men of Bethel and Ai, 123. ³³ The men of the other Nebo, 52. ³⁴ The sons of the other Elam, 1,254. ³⁵ The sons of Harim, 320. ³⁶ The sons of Jericho, 345. ³⁷ The sons of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, 721. ³⁸ The sons of Senaah, 3,930. ³⁹ The priests: the sons of Jedaiah, namely the house of Jeshua, 973. ⁴⁰ The sons of Immer, 1,052. ⁴¹ The sons of Pashhur, 1,247. ⁴² The sons of Harim, 1,017. ⁴³ The Levites: the sons of Jeshua, namely of Kadmiel of the sons of Hodevah, 74. ⁴⁴ The singers: the sons of Asaph, 148. ⁴⁵ The gatekeepers: the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, the sons of Shobai, 138. ⁴⁶ The temple servants: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth, ⁴⁷ the sons of Keros, the sons of Sia, the sons of Padon, ⁴⁸ the sons of Lebana, the sons of Hagaba, the sons of Shalmai, ⁴⁹ the sons of Hanan, the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar, ⁵⁰ the sons of Reaiah, the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekoda, ⁵¹ the sons of Gazzam, the sons of Uzza, the sons of Paseah, ⁵² the sons of Besai, the sons of Meunim, the sons of Nephushesim, ⁵³ the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of Harhur, ⁵⁴ the sons of Bazlith, the sons of Mehida, the sons of Harsha, ⁵⁵ the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Temah, ⁵⁶ the sons of Neziah, the sons of Hatipha. ⁵⁷ The sons of Solomon's servants: the sons of Sotai, the sons of Sophereth, the sons of Perida, ⁵⁸ the sons of Jaala, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Giddel, ⁵⁹ the sons of Shephatiah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of Pochereth-hazzebaim, the sons of Amon. ⁶⁰ All the temple servants and the sons of Solomon's servants were 392. ⁶¹ The following were those who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer, but they could not prove their fathers' houses nor their descent, whether they belonged to Israel: ⁶² the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, the sons of Nekoda, 642. ⁶³ Also, of the priests: the sons of Hobaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, the sons of Barzillai (who had taken a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by their name).  

⁶⁴ These sought their registration among those enrolled in the genealogies, but it was not found there, so they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. ⁶⁵ The governor told them that they were not to partake of the most holy food until a priest with Urim and Thummim should arise.

Totals of People and Gifts

⁶⁶ The whole assembly together was 42,360, 

⁶⁷ besides their male and female servants, of whom there were 7,337. And they had 245 singers, male and female.  

⁶⁸ Their horses were 736, their mules 245, ⁶⁹ their camels 435, and their donkeys 6,720. 

⁷⁰ Now some of the heads of fathers' houses gave to the work. The governor gave to the treasury 1,000 darics^{[A daric was a coin weighing about 1/4 ounce or 8.5 grams]} of gold, 50 basins, 30 priests' garments and 500 minas^{[A mina was about 1 1/4 pounds or 0.6 kilogram]} of silver. ⁷¹ And some of the heads of fathers' houses gave into the treasury of the work 20,000 darics of gold and 2,200 minas of silver. ⁷² And what the rest of the people gave was 20,000 darics of gold, 2,000 minas of silver, and 67 priests' garments.  

⁷³ So the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the temple servants, and all Israel, lived in their towns. And when the seventh month had come, the people of Israel were in their towns.


 What is the difference between the return of Jacob's sons and the children of Judea.   
   

Exodus 12:37
  And the people of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about 
six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children.

In the Exodus, God created tremendous and might acts. The Children of Israel were afraid and unworthy. The strength of God Almighty was revealed. People just could not obtain His Holiness.   

 In the return from Babylon, the Children of Abraham are again enslaved, yet this time the Holiness of God works upon the 3 generations of kings in the Persian Empire. Three different kings promised to return slaves to a country in utter ruin. Why would we see this much detail in 500 B.C. Why would the details be so recorded for people to see millenniums later.... maybe to show us we don't like Biblical detail but find the Babylonian Chronicles completely fascinating even in the details of feeding a descendant of King David.  

List of Assyrian and Babylonian Chronicles Dynastic Chronicle (ABC 18) (translation ) (another version of Column 5 ) Weidner Chronicle (ABC 19) (translation ) Chronicle of the Kassite and Isin Dynasties, also known as Walker's Chronicle (called "Chronicle 25", but not available in ABC) (translation ) Chronicle of Early Kings (ABC 20) (translation ) Synchronistic History (ABC 21) (one translation and another translation ) Chronicle P (ABC 22) (translation and another translation ) Chronicle of the Market Prices (ABC 23) (translation ) Eclectic Chronicle (ABC 24) (translation ) Religious Chronicle (ABC 17) (translation ) Nabonassar to Shamash-shum-ukin Chronicle (ABC 1) (translation ) Esarhaddon Chronicle (ABC 14) (translation ) Shamash-shuma-ukin Chronicle (ABC 15) (translation ) (another translation ) Akitu Chronicle (ABC 16) (translation ) Early Years of Nabopolassar Chronicle (ABC 2) (translation ) Fall of Nineveh Chronicle (ABC 3) (translation ) Late Reign of Nabopolassar Chronicle (ABC 4) (translation ) First years of Nebuchadnezzar Chronicle, also known as Jerusalem Chronicle (ABC 5) (translation ) Third year of Neriglissar Chronicle (ABC 6) (translation ) Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7) (text and translation ) Artaxerxes III Chronicle (ABC 9) (translation ) Alexander Chronicle (ABC 8 = BCHP 1) (text and translation ) Alexander and Arabia Chronicle (BCHP 2) (text and translation ) Diadochi Chronicle (ABC 10 = BCHP 3) (text and translation ) Arses and Alexander fragment (BCHP 4) (translation ) Antiochus and Sin Temple Chronicle (ABC 11 = BCHP 5) (text and translation ) Ruin of Esagila Chronicle (BCHP 6) (text and translation ) Antiochus, Bactria, and India Chronicle (ABC 13A = BCHP 7) (text and translation ) Juniper garden Chronicle (BCHP 8) (text and translation ) End of Seleucus I Chronicle (ABC 12 = BCHP 9) (text and translation ) Seleucid Accessions Chronicle (ABC 13 = BCHP 10) (text and translation ) Invasion of Ptolemy III Chronicle (BCHP 11) (text and translation ) Seleucus III Chronicle (ABC 13B = BCHP 12) (text and translation ) Politai Chronicle (BCHP 13) (text and translation ) Greek Community Chronicle (BCHP 14) (text and translation ) Gold Theft Chronicle (BCHP 15) (text and translation ) Document on land and tithes (BCHP 16) (text and translation ) Judicial Chronicle (BCHP 17) (text and translation ) Bagayasha Chronicle (BCHP 18) Chronicle Concerning an Arsacid King (BCHP 19) (text and translation ) Euphrates Chronicle (BCHP 20) (text and translation  


Dry dusty tomes later, we discover historical accuracy is to be cheered and marveled over. We have so many movies over the Exodus, why not 2 ades march 16 597 B.C?

No one disputes the end of the country of Judea.  God took all of the details of utterly ruined and forsaken land and raised Israel up from the dead. 

  Acts 1:6-11    

 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” ⁷ He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. ⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” ⁹ And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. ¹⁰ And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, ¹¹ and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

 We could say the 2nd Exodus, called the Exile - is - again the Gospel truth.  

A foreshadowing of Jesus. 

1 Corinthians 15

15 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, ² and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

³ For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, ⁴ that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, ⁵ and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. ⁶ Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. ⁷ Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. ⁸ Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. ⁹ For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. ¹⁰ But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. ¹¹ Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

¹² Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? ¹³ But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. ¹⁴ And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.


1 Corinthians 13:13   
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love! 


1 Corinthians 6:14 
By his power God 
raised the Lord from the dead,
 and he will raise us also.

Isaiah 63:7  
I will tell of the kindnesses of the LORD, the deeds for which he is to be praised, according to all the LORD has done for us--yes, the many good things he has done for the house of Israel, according to his compassion and many kindnesses.  

Nehemiah was a slave.

 
Father God,
When we earnestly expect Your goodness, we lift our eyes from drooped knees and hands and In YOUR GOODNESS we look up to find New Hope. And in this Expectation, You give to us like Daniel finding new paths and new opportunities by the Power of the same (yesterday, today and tomorrow) Holy Spirit being above us. 

You, Father God consent to dwell in us who believe in the Holy Spirit.

We give You Thanks believing all things work together for Good for those who Love the Lord.

We know Father God the Holy Spirit pleads our case to You. Sometimes even as we sigh. You have redeemed us from the slavery of hopelessness. We look to You, Loving and Good, Father God for Your Acts of Righteousness.

And because we are the Beloved. The Easter People who say Alleluia in Jesus, we will give justice with mercy and walk humbly with Jesus. As the disciples did, with joy and awe and wonder in Your Goodness. You feed us daily with Your goodness and provisions. You forgive us, You deliver us, You protect us. For only Your Goodness and Righteousness by covering us in Your Name. Jesus the Lord. The Lord. The Lord. Compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in loving kindness and truth. Jesus keeps loving kindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin. Jesus who makes us His own.

Jesus the Living Water saving all of us for believing in Him. Amen and Amen. Alleluia. 

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †