Bible Bits and Bytes

I also shook out the folds of my robe and said, “In this way may God shake out of his house and possessions every man who does not keep this promise. So may such a man be shaken out and emptied!”
At this the whole assembly said, “Amen,” and praised the LORD. And the people did as they had promised.

Moreover, from the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, until his thirty-second year—twelve years—neither I nor my brothers ate the food allotted to the governor.  But the earlier governors—those preceding me — placed a heavy burden on the people and took forty shekels  of silver from them in addition to food and wine. Their assistants also lorded it over the people. But out of reverence for God I did not act like that. 16 Instead, I devoted myself to the work on this wall. All my men were assembled there for the work; we  did not acquire any land.

Furthermore, a hundred and fifty Jews and officials ate at my table, as well as those who came to us from the surrounding nations.  Each day one ox, six choice sheep and some poultry were prepared for me, and every ten days an abundant supply of wine of all kinds. In spite of all this, I never demanded the food allotted to the governor, because the demands were heavy on these people.

Remember me with favor, O my God, for all I have done for these people.

My Thoughts:

In stark contrast to those who would burden the people they were supposed to be helping, Nehemiah and his men did the opposite. They were entitled to food and other perks from the governor, because of what they were doing, but they did not take advantage of this.

Nehemiah made it clear - he had a mandate to fix the walls of Jerusalem, and that was his only mandate. Therefore, all his efforts and those of his men were all devoted to this end. They all banded together and made themselves self-sufficient. They were there to do a job, and to not add to the burden of the people when they did it, and this they did.

The lesson here for me seems to be ‘stick to what you know’ and don’t burden others in the process. Good advice I think.

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Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their Jewish brothers.  Some were saying, “We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain.”

Others were saying, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our homes to get grain during the famine.”

Still others were saying, “We have had to borrow money to pay the king’s tax on our fields and vineyards.  Although we are of the same flesh and blood as our countrymen and though our sons are as good as theirs, yet we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but we are powerless, because our fields and our vineyards belong to others.”

When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry.  I pondered them in my mind and then accused the nobles and officials. I told them, “You are exacting usury from your own countrymen!” So I called together a large meeting to deal with them  and said: “As far as possible, we have bought back our Jewish brothers who were sold to the Gentiles. Now you are selling your brothers, only for them to be sold back to us!” They kept quiet, because they could find nothing to say.

So I continued, “What you are doing is not right. Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our Gentile enemies?  I and my brothers and my men are also lending the people money and grain. But let the exacting of usury stop!  Give back to them immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves and houses, and also the usury you are charging them—the hundredth part of the money, grain, new wine and oil.”

“We will give it back,” they said. “And we will not demand anything more from them. We will do as you say.”
Then I summoned the priests and made the nobles and officials take an oath to do what they had promised.

My Thoughts:

The people working on the wall all began to complain to Nehemiah about the excessive taxes they were having to pay to the nobles of the country - just in order to get grain. All they had was mortgaged to them, and they were no better than slaves on their own land.

I like how the text first says about Nehemiah’s reaction: “When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry”. But then Nehemiah takes it a step further - and here is a lesson for my and my quick temper: “I pondered them in my mind”….so Nehemiah took the time to ponder, to let the heat of the moment pass and to form a plan when his mind was unclouded by anger. He confronts the nobles, who owned the slaves, and accused them of buying more just so they could offer them up to be redeemed - he also accused them of usury - which was morally wrong.

He shows them how they look to others, and asks them “Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our Gentile enemies?”  Two-fold reasons there - both of which did hit home with the nobles and leaders. They told Nehemiah they would return the excessive payments, and not demand anything more. This was good, but not quite good enough - Nehemiah called together the priests and made the nobles and officials take an oath to do what they had promised. Nothing like making it public to keep them accountable. I see a government lesson here….one that has not been learned. As for me - I see a clear warning to watch my motives - to only do what I believe God wants me to do - and then do it with all my heart.

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From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah  who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other,  and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me.

Then I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall.  Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!”

So we continued the work with half the men holding spears, from the first light of dawn till the stars came out.  At that time I also said to the people, “Have every man and his helper stay inside Jerusalem at night, so they can serve us as guards by night and workmen by day.”  Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water.

My Thoughts:

Here Nehemiah accounts how he was prepared for anything, while still carrying on the work of repairing the wall. He divided his men in half - one half going on with the repair work, the other half was armed and standing guard to make sure no one interfered with it. Everyone was extra vigilant - kind of doing work with one hand, and having a weapon at the ready with the other.

Nehemiah kept one person with him, the man with the trumpet. He told all the men under his command to keep a listen for it - for when and where the trumpet sounded, that is where the trouble was, and to come and help when they heard it.

This would make it very difficult for anyone to interfere - they had forever lost the element of surprise. And behind it all, was God, for Nehemiah told the people also that their God was with them - and He could not be defeated.

The lesson here for me? To remember that I am never alone, that I always have God with me, and that all I need to keep myself safe and do His work, is Him. I have a real tendency to ‘do it all myself’ - and need to learn to ‘do what He asks, and He will prevail’ - regardless of whether I think I can do it or not.

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When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews,  and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, “What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble—burned as they are?”

Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, “What they are building—if even a fox climbed up on it, he would break down their wall of stones!”

Hear us, O our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity.  Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight, for they have thrown insults in the face of  the builders.

So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.

But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the men of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry.  They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it.  But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.

Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.”

Also our enemies said, “Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.”

Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.”

Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows.  After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”

When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to his own work.

My Thoughts:

As great as the job was that Nehemiah and all the people with him were doing, not everyone was happy about it. I don’t know who Sanballat was, but he was incensed that the Jews dared to try and repair the wall. He and his cronies used ridicule and insult to try and discourage the men repairing the walls. They thought that their hurtful words could bring enough discouragement to the people to stop the work.

Nehemiah prays to God about these naysayers - asking God to turn the insults back on those who said them, and to let them come to the ruin they would like to inflict on others. Interesting that Nehemiah and his men (and women) do not answer the insults of these others directly - they pray, and trust that God will take care of it for them.

Progress was being made, and it was obvious - for now the wall had risen til it was half its original height - what a sense of accomplishment they all must have  had to see the result of their work!  They had worked hard, as the text says ‘the people worked with all their heart’.

The naysayers grew ever more angry, and plotted evil against Nehemiah and the people re-building the wall. But, “we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat” - a good lesson in there for me. Do all you can do, pray about it, then expectantly wait for God to act. I need to stop thinking I can do it better than God.

Even some of the Jews nearby were afraid of the threats, and became timid in the face of them. Nehemiah responded to the threat by posting guards at the most vulnerable points in the wall - then stood and reminded the people  of who they represented - the great and awesome God - and who could defeat Him? The result? The naysayers knew that their plot had been exposed and responded to - and thus defeated before it even started.

And the work continued.

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The repairs next to him were made by the priests from the surrounding region.  Beyond them, Benjamin and Hasshub made repairs in front of their house; and next to them, Azariah son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah, made repairs beside his house.  Next to him, Binnui son of Henadad repaired another section, from Azariah’s house to the angle and the corner,  and Palal son of Uzai worked opposite the angle and the tower projecting from the upper palace near the court of the guard. Next to him, Pedaiah son of Parosh  and the temple servants living on the hill of Ophel made repairs up to a point opposite the Water Gate toward the east and the projecting tower.  Next to them, the men of Tekoa repaired another section, from the great projecting tower to the wall of Ophel.

Above the Horse Gate, the priests made repairs, each in front of his own house.  Next to them, Zadok son of Immer made repairs opposite his house. Next to him, Shemaiah son of Shecaniah, the guard at the East Gate, made repairs.  Next to him, Hananiah son of Shelemiah, and Hanun, the sixth son of Zalaph, repaired another section. Next to them, Meshullam son of Berekiah made repairs opposite his living quarters.  Next to him, Malkijah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs as far as the house of the temple servants and the merchants, opposite the Inspection Gate, and as far as the room above the corner;  and between the room above the corner and the Sheep Gate the goldsmiths and merchants made repairs.

My Thoughts:

This last section listing off all who were doing repairs on the walls is interesting. Quite a few of those making the repairs here were doing so in front of or opposite their own homes. My first thought was ‘why didn’t they make repairs before this?’ But then, maybe they needed supplies and someone to lead them in the effort.

More interesting gate names here too - the Water Gate, the Horse Gate, the East Gate, the Inspection Gate, and the Sheep Gate.  Here too, I first read about towers on the wall that project out over it. Wonder how many of these there were.

Besides the townspeople, there were priests, goldsmiths, merchants, and temple servants, all having a hand in these repairs. What an example all this is to me!

What I came away with is that God can enable you to do anything He has in mind for you - the fact that it isn’t part of your ‘normal’ routine or skills does not matter. What matters is listening to God, and being willing to do whatever I feel He wants me to do.

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Next to him, the repairs were made by the Levites under Rehum son of Bani. Beside him, Hashabiah, ruler of half the district of Keilah, carried out repairs for his district.  Next to him, the repairs were made by their countrymen under Binnui  son of Henadad, ruler of the other half-district of Keilah.  Next to him, Ezer son of Jeshua, ruler of Mizpah, repaired another section, from a point facing the ascent to the armory as far as the angle.  Next to him, Baruch son of Zabbai zealously repaired another section, from the angle to the entrance of the house of Eliashib the high priest.  Next to him, Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, repaired another section, from the entrance of Eliashib’s house to the end of it.

My Thoughts:

The litany of names continues, with the next section being repaired by the Levites (the tribe of the priests, I think). Next to him, repairs were done by Hashabiah, ruler of half the district of Keilah - and the one next to that by the men of the other half-district of Keilah.

Next was the ruler (another ruler!) of Mizpah, repairing from ‘the point facing the ascent to the armory as far as the angle’ - I love how they describe some of these by landmarks rather than foot or yard.

Then came Baruch, who not only repaired the next section from the angle to the entrance of the house of the high priest - but he did it zealously!  The Meremoth repaired the wall to the other end of the house of the high priest (must have been a big house?).

Amazing how all these people came together and worked without complaint, and some even zealously to repair a city that had meaning for them all. Jerusalem was a unifying thing for all of them - just as Jesus is the unifying One for all Christians, no matter where they live - and we all should be repairing the damage done by others and ourselves.

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I just realized that the short post that will follow, will be my 600th post on this blog!! I am amazed and encouraged that I have stuck with this mostly daily reading/studying the Word of God…and for 600 more posts!  God has blessed me greatly in this endeavor!

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The Valley Gate was repaired by Hanun and the residents of Zanoah. They rebuilt it and put its doors and bolts and bars in place. They also repaired five hundred yards  of the wall as far as the Dung Gate.

The Dung Gate was repaired by Malkijah son of Recab, ruler of the district of Beth Hakkerem. He rebuilt it and put its doors and bolts and bars in place.

The Fountain Gate was repaired by Shallun son of Col-Hozeh, ruler of the district of Mizpah. He rebuilt it, roofing it over and putting its doors and bolts and bars in place. He also repaired the wall of the Pool of Siloam,  by the King’s Garden, as far as the steps going down from the City of David.  Beyond him, Nehemiah son of Azbuk, ruler of a half-district of Beth Zur, made repairs up to a point opposite the tombs  of David, as far as the artificial pool and the House of the Heroes.

My Thoughts:

I am struck by the number of people involved in this project! I know I shouldn’t be, but wow - and from so many different places - and as far as I can tell, they are all volunteers. I find that amazing!

The  list continues - the Valley Gate repaired by Hanun and the residents of Zanoah - they not only repaired the gate, but also 500 yards of the wall, as far as the Dung Gate.

The Dung Gate was repaired by Malkijah, ruler of the district of Beth Hakkerem. From the text it implies that he did this all by himself, as no one else is mentioned.

The Fountain Gate (now I’m wondering just how many gates there were?) was repaired by Sahllun, ruler of the district of Mizpah - another ruler in on the physical labor! This one was a bit different - it was roofed over as well as having the usual bars and bolts and doors. He also repaired the all of the Pool of Siloam by the King’s Garden.

Next to him was Nehemiah (our author?), who was ruler of the half-district of Beth Zur, who made repairs up to a point opposite the tombs of David (tombs? Plural?)

I am struck that each of these groups or individuals did their own small part, which only made sense when considered together with all the others. I may think the little bit I may do for God might be very insignificant, but in His plan, taken with all the other ‘little bits’, accomplish more than I know.

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The Jeshanah  Gate was repaired by Joiada son of Paseah and Meshullam son of Besodeiah. They laid its beams and put its doors and bolts and bars in place.  Next to them, repairs were made by men from Gibeon and Mizpah — Melatiah of Gibeon and Jadon of Meronoth — places under the authority of the governor of Trans-Euphrates.  Uzziel son of Harhaiah, one of the goldsmiths, repaired the next section; and Hananiah, one of the perfume-makers, made repairs next to that. They restored  Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall.  Rephaiah son of Hur, ruler of a half-district of Jerusalem, repaired the next section.  Adjoining this, Jedaiah son of Harumaph made repairs opposite his house, and Hattush son of Hashabneiah made repairs next to him.  Malkijah son of Harim and Hasshub son of Pahath-Moab repaired another section and the Tower of the Ovens.  Shallum son of Hallohesh, ruler of a half-district of Jerusalem, repaired the next section with the help of his daughters.

My Thoughts:

Continuing the list of people repairing/replacing parts of the wall of Jerusalem is interesting reading!
Another new (to me) name for a gate in the wall, the Jeshanah Gate was repaired by Joiada and Meshullam. The author takes care to repeat that they “laid its beams, and put its doors and bolts and bars in place”.

Next to them, repairs were made by men from Gibeon and Meronoth - who were under the authority of the governor of the Trans-Euphrates.

Uzziel - a goldsmith - repaired the next section, and next to that was the work of Hananiah, one of the perfume-makers! Wow - little out of their ordinary line of work! But they were there, doing their part. They restored the wall as far as the “Broad Wall”. Wonder what that means.

Rephaiah - a ruler of the half-district of Jerusalem - repaired the next section, and next to his work was that of Jedaiah - who repaired the wall opposite his own house. Hattush made repairs next to him.

Malkijah and Hasshub repaired the next section and the Tower of the Ovens. There has to be some story about that name!

Shallum - the other ruler of a half-district of Jerusalem repaired the next section, with the help of his daughters! So - it wasn’t just the men - everyone was in on this endeavor!

The variety of people all united in this one cause is striking - and makes me think of all the difficulty we have in this modern world of getting any diverse group to agree to do anything! I need to fit myself into the work of God too - and ask His help in finding the exact place where He wants me to be…

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Eliashib the high priest and his fellow priests went to work and rebuilt the Sheep Gate. They dedicated it and set its doors in place, building as far as the Tower of the Hundred, which they dedicated, and as far as the Tower of Hananel.  The men of Jericho built the adjoining section, and Zaccur son of Imri built next to them.   The Fish Gate was rebuilt by the sons of Hassenaah. They laid its beams and put its doors and bolts and bars in place.  Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, repaired the next section. Next to him Meshullam son of Berekiah, the son of Meshezabel, made repairs, and next to him Zadok son of Baana also made repairs.  The next section was repaired by the men of Tekoa, but their nobles would not put their shoulders to the work under their supervisors.

My Thoughts:

This chapter begins the listing of who did the work of repairing and rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem.

It starts with Eliashib, the high priest (interesting that the high priest was not too proud to get down and work on this project - sets the tone for everyone else). He and his workers repaired the Sheep Gate ((and again I wonder where and why it got that name). They dedicated the gate, and set its doors and bars in place. Wonder what the dimensions of the gates were - pretty large I would think. This group built as far as the Tower of the Hundred, which they dedicated and then on to the Tower of Hananel.

Next to them the men of Jericho built, and next to them Zaccur. Not any expanded words on these men - wonder why?

The Fish Gate was rebuilt by the sons of Hassenaah, and they laid the beams and set the doors and bolts and bars in place (pretty sturdy gate - and secure!)

Then came Meremoth, Meshullam, and Zadok. Interestingly, the next section was rebuilt by the men of Tekoa, but their nobles refused to work alongside the men.

The lesson I see in this was the variety of kinds of men, their occupations and regular duties all set aside to help in the massive work of rebuilding the wall. That took some kind of cooperation - this was a lot of different groups, who I’m sure did things differently from their neighbors - and Nehemiah was in charge of this whole thing - whew!  To me, it shows how each one of us, even me, can be part of the plan - that God has a unique thing that can only be done by me - if I accept it - and I do!

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