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it is the people

Nehemiah 7:1-73

Nehemiah 7:1 When the wall had been rebuilt and I had the doors installed, the gatekeepers, singers, and Levites were appointed.
Nehemiah 7:2 Then I put my brother Hanani in charge of Jerusalem, along with Hananiah, commander of the fortress, because he was a faithful man who feared God more than most.
Nehemiah 7:3 I said to them, “Do not open the gates of Jerusalem until the sun is hot, and let the doors be shut and securely fastened while the guards are on duty. Station the citizens of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some at their homes.”
Nehemiah 7:4 The city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it, and no houses had been built yet.
Nehemiah 7:5 Then my God put it into my mind to assemble the nobles, the officials, and the people to be registered by genealogy. I found the genealogical record of those who came back first, and I found the following written in it:
Nehemiah 7:6 These are the people of the province who went up among the captive exiles deported by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Each of them returned to Jerusalem and Judah, to his own town.
Nehemiah 7:7 They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah. The number of the Israelite men included
Nehemiah 7:8 Parosh’s descendants 2,172
Nehemiah 7:9 Shephatiah’s descendants 372
Nehemiah 7:10 Arah’s descendants 652
Nehemiah 7:11 Pahath-moab’s descendants: Jeshua’s and Joab’s descendants 2,818
Nehemiah 7:12 Elam’s descendants 1,254
Nehemiah 7:13 Zattu’s descendants 845
Nehemiah 7:14 Zaccai’s descendants 760
Nehemiah 7:15 Binnui’s descendants 648
Nehemiah 7:16 Bebai’s descendants 628
Nehemiah 7:17 Azgad’s descendants 2,322
Nehemiah 7:18 Adonikam’s descendants 667
Nehemiah 7:19 Bigvai’s descendants 2,067
Nehemiah 7:20 Adin’s descendants 655
Nehemiah 7:21 Ater’s descendants: of Hezekiah 98
Nehemiah 7:22 Hashum’s descendants 328
Nehemiah 7:23 Bezai’s descendants 324
Nehemiah 7:24 Hariph’s descendants 112
Nehemiah 7:25 Gibeon’s descendants 95
Nehemiah 7:26 Bethlehem’s and Netophah’s men 188
Nehemiah 7:27 Anathoth’s men 128
Nehemiah 7:28 Beth-azmaveth’s men 42
Nehemiah 7:29 Kiriath-jearim’s, Chephirah’s, and Beeroth’s men 743
Nehemiah 7:30 Ramah’s and Geba’s men 621
Nehemiah 7:31 Michmas’s men 122
Nehemiah 7:32 Bethel’s and Ai’s men 123
Nehemiah 7:33 the other Nebo’s men 52
Nehemiah 7:34 the other Elam’s people 1,254
Nehemiah 7:35 Harim’s people 320
Nehemiah 7:36 Jericho’s people 345
Nehemiah 7:37 Lod’s, Hadid’s, and Ono’s people 721
Nehemiah 7:38 Senaah’s people 3,930.
Nehemiah 7:39 The priests included Jedaiah’s descendants of the house of Jeshua 973
Nehemiah 7:40 Immer’s descendants 1,052
Nehemiah 7:41 Pashhur’s descendants 1,247
Nehemiah 7:42 Harim’s descendants 1,017.
Nehemiah 7:43 The Levites included Jeshua’s descendants: of Kadmiel Hodevah’s descendants 74.
Nehemiah 7:44 The singers included Asaph’s descendants 148.
Nehemiah 7:45 The gatekeepers included Shallum’s descendants, Ater’s descendants, Talmon’s descendants, Akkub’s descendants, Hatita’s descendants, Shobai’s descendants 138.
Nehemiah 7:46 The temple servants included Ziha’s descendants, Hasupha’s descendants, Tabbaoth’s descendants,
Nehemiah 7:47 Keros’s descendants, Sia’s descendants, Padon’s descendants,
Nehemiah 7:48 Lebanah’s descendants, Hagabah’s descendants, Shalmai’s descendants,
Nehemiah 7:49 Hanan’s descendants, Giddel’s descendants, Gahar’s descendants,
Nehemiah 7:50 Reaiah’s descendants, Rezin’s descendants, Nekoda’s descendants,
Nehemiah 7:51 Gazzam’s descendants, Uzza’s descendants, Paseah’s descendants,
Nehemiah 7:52 Besai’s descendants, Meunim’s descendants, Nephishesim’s descendants,
Nehemiah 7:53 Bakbuk’s descendants, Hakupha’s descendants, Harhur’s descendants,
Nehemiah 7:54 Bazlith’s descendants, Mehida’s descendants, Harsha’s descendants,
Nehemiah 7:55 Barkos’s descendants, Sisera’s descendants, Temah’s descendants,
Nehemiah 7:56 Neziah’s descendants, Hatipha’s descendants.
Nehemiah 7:57 The descendants of Solomon’s servants included Sotai’s descendants, Sophereth’s descendants, Perida’s descendants,
Nehemiah 7:58 Jaala’s descendants, Darkon’s descendants, Giddel’s descendants,
Nehemiah 7:59 Shephatiah’s descendants, Hattil’s descendants, Pochereth-hazzebaim’s descendants, Amon’s descendants.
Nehemiah 7:60 All the temple servants and the descendants of Solomon’s servants 392.
Nehemiah 7:61 The following are those who came from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer, but were unable to prove that their ancestral families and their lineage were Israelite:
Nehemiah 7:62 Delaiah’s descendants, Tobiah’s descendants, and Nekoda’s descendants 642
Nehemiah 7:63 and from the priests: the descendants of Hobaiah, the descendants of Hakkoz, and the descendants of Barzillai — who had taken a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and who bore their name.
Nehemiah 7:64 These searched for their entries in the genealogical records, but they could not be found, so they were disqualified from the priesthood.
Nehemiah 7:65 The governor ordered them not to eat the most holy things until there was a priest who could consult the Lights and Darks.
Nehemiah 7:66 The whole combined assembly numbered 42,360
Nehemiah 7:67 not including their 7,337 male and female servants, as well as their 245 male and female singers.
Nehemiah 7:68 They had 736 horses, 245 mules,
Nehemiah 7:69 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.
Nehemiah 7:70 Some of the family heads contributed to the project. The governor gave 1,000 gold coins, 50 bowls, and 530 priestly garments to the treasury.
Nehemiah 7:71 Some of the family heads gave 20,000 gold coins and 2,200 silver minas to the treasury for the project.
Nehemiah 7:72 The rest of the people gave 20,000 gold coins, 2,000 silver minas, and 67 priestly garments.
Nehemiah 7:73 The priests, Levites, gatekeepers, temple singers, some of the people, temple servants, and all Israel settled in their towns. When the seventh month came, and the Israelites had settled in their towns.

it is the people

This chapter is mostly made up of a list that already appeared in Ezra. It fits in Nehemiah’s story because it records the people who came back from exile. After the construction of the wall for defense, it was time to transition to focus on the people. While the land is important because of God’s promises, it is the people of God who will inherit it.

When I originally wrote this, the church I had been attending had been going through an ordeal for months because we have outgrown the space where we gather, and have been seeking a larger building. So far, the Holy Spirit had prevented us from getting one. Along the way, we discovered that our most urgent need is not a building, but ways to meet the needs of people.

LORD, help us to focus on loving the people who need you, and training the people who know you.