Return from Exile: Nehemiah 11 and 12 (2)

Pray Psalm 96.1-4.
Oh, sing to the LORD a new song!
Sing to the LORD, all the earth.
Sing to the LORD, bless His name;
Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.
Declare His glory among the nations,
His wonders among all peoples.
For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised;
He is to be feared above all gods.

Sing Psalm 96.1-4.
(Mit Freuden Zart: All Praise to God, Who Reigns Above)
Sing to the LORD! O, bless His Name! All nations tell His glory!
Salvation’s tidings loud proclaim; let earth rehearse His story!
For God is greatly to be praised; His throne above all gods is raised!
Fear Him and sing His glory!

Read Nehemiah 11.1-24; meditate on verses 20-24.

Preparation
1. What kind of order did these people establish?

2. Who was ultimately in charge of this order?

Meditation
God, Paul reminds us, is a God of order (1 Cor. 14.33, 40). In a sinful world, nothing runs on its own. Everything is upheld continuously by God’s Word of power (Heb. 1.3) so that the cosmos continues as He intends. Among people, order is also a necessity, but we must take responsibility to achieve it. We may not always like the way things are ordered, and our order may need to be revised from time to time. But order is necessary, or confusion will certainly reign.

The people of God understood the need for order. Everyone has a place in the divine economy. From early on in their experience, God ordered them by tribes and families, assigning them places to live, appointing judges and elders to oversee them, and giving them His Law to guide them in the ways of love.

So as the people began to settle in Jerusalem and throughout the land, they readily accepted the need for order and set about achieving it. People went to their proper inheritances (v. 20). Two overseers kept the Nethinim in order, those Levites appointed by David to serve the rest of the Levites (v. 21; cf. Ez. 8.20). Uzzi had charge of all the Levites (v. 22). He was one of the singers, the descendants of Asaph. The Persian king understood how important singing was to the temple project, so he specifically allotted “a quota day by day” to meet their needs (v. 23).

And the whole project went forward, settled in, and became organized under the watchful eye of Pethahiah, of the tribe of Judah, “the king’s deputy in all matters concerning the people” (v. 24).

Order is not some slavish taskmaster. It’s God’s way of doing things. Our duty is to discover as much as we can about God’s order and to work to achieve.

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
“Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven.
Your faithfulness endures to all generations;
You established the earth, and it abides.
They continue this day according to Your ordinances,
for all are Your servants” (Ps. 119.89-91).

“Who has ascended into heaven, or descended?
Who has gathered the wind in His fists?
Who has bound the waters in a garment?
Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is His name, and what is His Son’s name,
If you know?” (Prov. 30.4)

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1.1).
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him
nothing was made that was made” (Jn. 1.1-3).

“God…has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high…” (Heb. 1.1-3).

If you love order, continuity, security, and power, then you will love the way God orders His world and those who live in it. And when all follow His Laws, there is harmony and peace.

The quickest trip to chaos is to step outside the boundaries of His Law where we cannot be ordered and blessed. Consequently, we are miserable and then blame God, which makes no sense, because He is a God of order (1 Cor. 14.33, 40). As Solomon wrote, “The foolishness of a man twists his way, and his heart frets against the LORD” (Prov. 19.3). Or as The Living Bible states it, “A man may ruin his chances by his own foolishness and then blame it on the Lord!” Neither is preferable to staying always “within the boundaries where God’s love can reach and bless you” (Jude 21 TLB).

Even Math can be fun when the proper Order of Operations is followed.
Imagine the blessings of following God’s Good Order of operations for His universe!

For reflection
1. Would you describe your walk with and work for the Lord as “well-ordered”? Explain.

2. Is there a connection between order and beauty? Order and efficiency? Order and the glory of God? Explain.

3. What is one thing you could to bring more order to your daily life in the Lord?

Let us seek first the favor of God, and his glory; let us study to be patient, contented, and useful in our several stations, and wait, with cheerful hope, for admission into the holy city of God. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on Nehemiah 11

Pray Psalm 96.5-13.
Give thanks to God Who orders all things according to His wisdom and for His glory.

Sing Psalm 96.5-13.
(Mit Freuden Zart: All Praise to God, Who Reigns Above)
All other gods are idols vain; the LORD created heaven.
Splendor and strength with Him obtain; to Him be glory given!
All fam’lies, praise this mighty LORD! Give strength and glory to His Word;
exalt the LORD of heaven!

Bring off’rings sweet to Him, our LORD, in holy garments praise Him!
Tremble before Him, all the earth; among the nations raise Him!
The earth is fixed, it will not move; the peoples will His justice prove.
Exalt the LORD and praise Him!

Let heaven sing with lusty voice; let earth and sea sing sweetly!
Let fields and trees in Him rejoice, for He is coming swiftly
to judge the world in righteousness, the peoples in His faithfulness.
He comes; exalt Him greatly!

T. M. and Susie Moore

Two books can help us understand our own captivity and lead us to seek revival and renewal in the Lord. The Church Captive asks us to consider the ways the Church today has become captive to the world. And Revived! can help us find the way to renewal. Learn more and order your free copies by clicking here and here.

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter, available free by clicking here.