Return from Exile: Nehemiah 11 and 12 (4)

Pray Psalm 68.19, 20.
Blessed be the Lord,
Who daily loads us with benefits,
The God of our salvation!
Selah
Our God is the God of salvation;
And to GOD the Lord belong escapes from death.

Sing Psalm 68.19, 20, 32, 33
(O Store Gud: How Great Thou Art)
Blessed be the LORD, our burden daily bearing,
O God, our God, our Savior and our King!
With us salvation and deliv’rance sharing,
He life from death His people daily brings.
Refrain vv. 32, 33
Sing to the LORD, O kingdoms of the earth!
Ancient of Days—praise Him on high!
Behold He speaks; His Word is going forth;
Ancient of Days—praise Him on high!

Read and meditate on Nehemiah 12.1-26.

Preparation
1. Who were the people listed here?

2. What seem to have been their duties?

Meditation
Sometimes you have to look carefully into the underbrush to spy out a little gem of a creature.

That’s the case here. Another thicket of names, this time priests and Levites from the time of captivity through the present moment and even perhaps beyond (a little back-editing may be indicated). We’re seeing here the people’s concern for order and for making sure the right folks were in the right jobs doing what they were supposed to do.

But let’s look more closely. Some of the Levites served in choirs, positioned to face each other (vv. 8, 9, 24). This would fill the temple with “stereo” and antiphonal sound, increasing the majesty of the worship. The NKJV gets verse 8 right by interpreting “psalms” into the phrase “thanksgiving psalms”. In the temple people sang the psalms. And they sang some of them—such as Psalm 136—antiphonally, that is, in statement-and-response style (v. 24). God gave the psalms to His people to pray and sing them. Do we suppose He has changed His mind and now prefers “heart-felt” prayers and “praise songs”?

We might wonder: Why did they need a team of Levites to watch the storerooms (v. 25)? That’s where all the tithes and offerings were to be kept, as we have seen. Why did the storerooms need guarding? Was it because untrustworthy men served in temple leadership?

Note the name Jaddua in v. 22. Bede (672-735) reports that Josephus identified him as the high priest when Alexander the Great came through the Levant. This suggests that the list was edited after Ezra and Nehemiah were dead. An attempt to keep the ranks updated? To maintain continuity and order? You betcha.

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
“These lived in the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and the in the days of Nehemiah the governor, and of Ezra the priest, the scribe” (Neh. 12.26).

That was then. What of now? Would your name be listed with those who lived to sing “thanksgiving psalms” to God? (Neh. 12.8).

Christians are good at criticizing those whom we feel are unrighteous. I needn’t rehearse the list. But besides coming off as judgmental, we forget to include all the places we are negligent of keeping God’s Laws. Let’s look at a few that Paul lists for us: “…men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power” (2 Tim. 3. 2-5). Unthankful included in that list of ne’er-do-wells? Indeed, it was.

Paul has another list: “…because although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened” (Rom. 1.21). How many people do we hear getting on a bandstand and calling out those who are not thankful to God? Nobody is picketing outside of those people’s place of work or canceling them. Why? Because Christians are a notably unthankful lot, and rarely pick on the sins that so easily ensnare us (Heb. 12.1). Only those sins that entangle others.

What does God want from us in the way of thanksgiving psalms? How do we thank Him properly in this way?

“Oh come, let us sing to the LORD! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms” (Ps. 95.1, 2).
“Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name” (Ps. 100.4).
“Oh, give thanks to the God of heaven! For His mercy endures forever” (Ps. 136.26).
“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” (2 Cor. 9.15).
“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4.4-7).

We are the ones called to give thanks to God today. It is no longer a hired position; but a requirement for all those who belong to God and accept His indescribable gift of Jesus Christ. Let’s make sure our names are on the list of those who lead the praise and thanksgiving psalms for today!

For reflection
1. Why is giving thanks so important to a healthy walk with the Lord?

2. What are we saying to the Lord when we don’t give thanks as we should?

3. Do you think praying and singing the psalms would bring more thanksgiving into your life? Explain.

Thanksgivings, a term commonly found in the Book of Psalms (see Ps. 147:7), means “public acknowledgment,” “to declare aloud, in public, to another.” This word, along with singing and instruments, suggests the use of the Psalms in musical settings with words of praise and instrumental accompaniment. Earl Radmacher (1933-2014), NKJV Study Bible Note on Nehemiah 12.27-29

Pray Psalm 68.26-35.
Praise God and give Him thanks for your church, its pastors, leaders, members, and Kingdom ministries. Encourage your pastor today.

Sing Psalm 68.26-35.
(O Store Gud: How Great Thou Art)
Bless God in all His holy congregations,
even the LORD, the Fountainhead of grace.
He calls His people forth from all the nations
and gathers them before His glorious face.
Refrain vv. 32, 33
Sing to the LORD, O kingdoms of the earth!
Ancient of Days—praise Him on high!
Behold He speaks; His Word is going forth;
Ancient of Days—praise Him on high!

To You, O God, are strength and exaltation;
You fill the skies and dwell in holy awe!
To us You give strength, pow’r, and full salvation.
Blessed be Your Name, our strong, majestic God!
Refrain

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.