Nehemiah 11:1-3 - Now
the leaders of the people settled in Jerusalem, and the rest of the people cast
lots to bring one out of every ten to live in Jerusalem, the holy
city, while the remaining nine were to stay in their own towns. The people commended all the
men who volunteered to live in Jerusalem. These are the provincial leaders who settled
in Jerusalem (now some Israelites, priests, Levites, temple servants and
descendants of Solomon's servants lived in the towns of Judah, each on his own
property in the various towns…
Nehemiah’s task for God was not fully complete until he made
plans to inhabit the city he had built a wall to protect. The city was sparsely populated at best…and
would have been weak to defend itself if attacked. The Temple stood vulnerable…..and the few
people who had chosen to live inside the gates would have struggled to defend
the great wall they had built.
Some people volunteered to move inside the mighty fortress….but
the others had to be chosen by lot. One
of every ten people living outside the city was identified by casting lots in
the manner of the Urim and Thummim….
the tool the priests used to decide the will of God in other situations…when
there was no clear word from God. They
packed their belongings…rounded up the family and moved inside the city gates….with
the leaders and others that had chosen to live inside the walls of protection
so many had given their time to rebuild.
Life inside the city would have been a bit more demanding
than life in a surrounding town. A stigma from the non-jews living close by
would have been attached to them. It would have
excluded them from trading for supplies they might have needed. They would have given up an established
business or farm….or land used for shepherding. Each one would need to
reestablish themselves in a business inside the city. They would have been held
to a higher accountability to the rules of God…living closer to the Temple…the sounds
of sacrifices and worship reminding them of the God who had brought them there.
Volunteer or forced by lot…the task was the same. Those inside the city had the hard task of
reestablishing their lives….working together as a community of believers in
God...to be a model for everyone that had been born a descendant of Abraham.
They were chosen…convicted on their own accord…or placed there by God’s tool of
decision making ….to be the inhabitants of a great city.
Makes me think about our great nation…that some chose to
come and inhabit so long ago. Looking
for freedom from a king they did not agree with…seeking to serve a God in the
way spelled out by the Bible…they came on boats. Many died that first winter…conditions harsh…food
scant. But they made friends with the
Indians that lived there before them…and they feasted the next fall on the fruits
of their labor together. Maybe it is too
early to think of Thanksgiving… but it came to mind as I read the many names of
people that came together to repopulate Jerusalem.
It is an example to me of what true sacrifice is… both
stories in history showing me what happens when people work together for the
good of all… and release the need to have self come first. Just another reminder for me that I am not the center
of attention…it’s not about me…it’s about God and his agenda. Just like in Matthew 16:24… “Then Jesus said to his disciples,
"Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their
cross and follow me.”
Father…. Thank you for the reminder that the world does not
exist to please me. Help me to grasp the
bigger picture that you created me to help you show the world about your
love. Open my eyes to the tasks around
me that require me to put selfish desires aside…so I can be a part of the community
of believers working together to do your work.
Give me a clear picture of the task you placed me here to do…so I can be
a servant bold and courageous ….one of the volunteers that step out to be used
of you. Amen.
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