Monday: In Their Cities
Scan over the lists in Ezra 2:1-70 and Nehemiah 7:1-73. What do you notice about them?
The repetition of Ezra 2:1-70 (the list of those who returned from the Babylonian captivity with Zerubbabel and Joshua) in Nehemiah 7:1-73 is deliberate. Again, these lists might seem boring to us, but they reveal an important point, which is that God cares about details that we might not care about.
The walls of Jerusalem were now finished, and the biblical text intentionally wants to demonstrate that the Ezra-Nehemiah generation of returnees were all contributing toward this great accomplishment, even though God alone gave them this success. The present generation built on the accomplishments of the previous one, even though the task was complicated, filled with barriers, and not completed as soon as they would have liked.
The leadership of Ezra and Nehemiah was valued, but the people also did their work. Each group engaged in different tasks performed at different times, but the result is impressive. The beginning (Ezra 2:1-70) is linked with the end (Nehemiah 7:1-73), and not only was the second temple built, but also Jerusalem was remodeled and well established.
Read Nehemiah 7:73. What does it teach us about how successful they were in their desire to do God’s will?
“The children of Israel were in their cities”.
In many ways, the whole return and rebuilding was amazing. A people who many years before had their city devastated, their temple destroyed, and their land ravaged had now returned to that same land and that same city and were rebuilding everything, even the temple. It must have seemed miraculous to them and to those around them, as well. It was all, however, according to the will and the promises of God.
| What in your life right now might seem hopeless, but nevertheless, you are still trusting in the Lord to get you through? |
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Dwelling in their cities probably refers to the fact that they had enough walled cities so that the people could go into the in the face of trouble and be relatively safe. I have only ever seen one walled city, Xian in China. It was in the middle of the modern city and was fairly difficult to see because it was surrounded by the normal high-rise buildings that are the detritus of modern society. Once we were able to climb the wall though we could see the extent of the wall. It was impressive. it was as wide as a two lane highway and was roughly a kilometre square. It would have been all but impossible to breach with the war machines of its day.
Jerusalem would have been somewhat similar. Small by today's city standards, and fairly densely packed with dwellings. The gates would have been closed at night to keep the undesirables out. People would live in unprotected villiages as well. Those who grew crops would have dwellings and in those days I think that those who farmed animals were often tent dwellers as they had to move about a bit to get food for their animals. When trouble arrived in the form an army, everyone would g back to the walled city for protection while they sorted out what to do with the troublemakers.
It s a very different lifestyle from today and I think it is worthwhile spending a little time working out how society operated in those days as it helps us make sense of a lot of what is written in the Bible.
Zerubbabel a name associated in the book of Matthew in the genealogy of Jesus Christ.
When the names are written in the book of the bible they may never have realized, their names would be repeated to ends of earth history.
When I am planning for a travel to Texas, I was excited can't wait to go explore new possibilities.
Probably about a six month later, I start missing my home town where I grew up.
It felt like I had moved from a city to the wilderness.
Why? Home is the biggest value a person has. It gives us the familiar surrounding with friends and family.
In Texas with my father being elderly, he did not want to drive because of the unfamiliar roads he had to relearn.
He missed his family, friends and church he was part of for more than 35 years in Maryland.
In Texas he became home bound and was very inactive.
The Israelites had been away from their homeland more than 70 years and it was not travel.
New culture, new language, new custom and new name all they know has been changed.
They are longing to return home. Nehemiah chapter 1, he cries for the city laying in ruin.
The daily services of the sanctuary, festivities in the yearly sanctuary service, Day of Atonement reconciliation of sin are gone.
Worship as they know it has come to an end. They see and hear new worship style in Babylon.
For those who longed to return home Nehemiah 7:73 is a best gift God could give unto them on this earth.
Have you wandered from God?
Return unto Him, He will return unto you. He who promised will restore you and make you anew.
Hi Maurice, I was taken to visit a walled city in Germany in the Stuttgart area about 6 years ago- also saw some Roman ruins around the place too, shown to me by my husband's cousin.
And when I look at some of the new suburbs in Brisbane and one in Townsville, both cities very far away from each other in the state of Queensland, Australia, I can see that some housing developments are building 'walled' areas or even 'walled' suburbs again, to keep potential robbers/house breakers, out. Resident's cars have to use a code to open the gates and foot visitors are well screened before they can enter too. That is, you have to know someone inside before you can enter the walled-in area. So an old concept is 'new' again.
Godbless today, A Stolz.
We call them 'gated communities' here in Barbados!!!!!
....."nothing new under the sun"!
But our island has its own natural 'wall'. ...the sea!
Ship or plane, the only way in or out!
Takes a lot of imagination for us to appreciate the Jerusalem environment!
Yes, complexes are very popular in the suburbs of Johannesburg, fences and guards at the gate, some have five units and others have 200 with a park in the middle for kids to play.
People are scared because there are too many people who believe in redistribution of wealth by force, i.e. you have it and I don't so I will just take it anyway I can. I believe this is a result of the teaching of evolution and natural selection - the strongest survive.
In Ezra and Nehemiah we see that the LORD rules, He allowed His people to go into captivity to teach them a lesson and He brought them back when they were ready to dedicate themselves to Him and live by His Principles of Life.
The sad reality is the Bible tells this world is only going to get worse until like in the days of Noah when the wickedness of man was great and every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually, praise the LORD that He will come and put an end to evil and after awhile in heaven will return his people to the earth and all will live by His Principles of Life and there will be no evil anymore!!
God is so wonderful! Hopeless is my nature. Only through His grace I have a chance! God is the One who can totally see me different, change me, and even use me to complete His will. I must trust in Him and vive Hum my heart!