Latest / A Chapter a Day Bible Reading / October 30 - Nehemiah 12

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October 30 - Nehemiah 12 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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  Hello friends, it's Sean here it is Wednesday, it's the 30th of
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  October and you have tapped on play and invited me into your
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  day. Hello friends.
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  So good to have your company as we continue on this journey
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  through the records of Nehemiah after he and his people have
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  returned to their homeland of Israel after generations of
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  exile in Babylon. And yes, today we are going to
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  read more lists of names that are difficult to pronounce and
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  that might not seem like the most riveting Bible passage as
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  we go through it. But wouldn't it be amazing to
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  have been one of these people? To be one of these people who
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  travels all the way back to this promised land that they have
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  heard about, for most of them have never been there.
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  And to be able to re establish what it means to be their
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  nation, this special holy nation set apart from God.
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  So every time you hear me read a name, know that that name is
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  attached to a person who would have walked with wide eyed
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  wonder at the way that the God of the universe was providing in
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  such real, tangible, physical ways in their life and their
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  experience. And no wonder what way God is
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  doing that today in your life and in my life that we just
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  aren't seeing as obviously as these people would have seen.
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  So maybe that's something to reflect on as we read through
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  these lists of names of those who are the priests and the
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  Levites of that community settling back into Jerusalem and
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  into Israel. So let's read it together, shall
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  we? Let us read together Nehemiah
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  chapter 12. Here is a list of the priests
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  and Levites who returned with Zerubbabel, son of Sheeltiel and
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  Jeshua the high priest. Soraya, Jeremiah.
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  Ezra, Amariah Malik, Hatash, Shecheniah, Haram, Merrimoth,
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  Ido. Ginathon Abijah, Manayamin,
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  Moadiah. Bilgar, Shamiah, Joyrib, Jediah,
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  Salou, Amok, Hilkiah and Jediah these were the leaders of the
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  priests and their associates in the days of Joshua.
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  The Levites who returned with them were Joshua, Binuai,
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  Cadmil, Sherebiah, Judah and Matanaya, who with his
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  associates was in charge of the songs of Thanksgiving.
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  Their associates Bakbukaya and Unni stood opposite them during
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  the service. Joshua the high priest was the
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  father of Joyakim. Joyakim was the father of
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  Eliashib. Eliashib was the father of
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  Joyeda. Joyeda was the father of
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  Johanan. Johanan was the father of Jadua.
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  Now when Jehoiakim was high priest, the family leaders of
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  the priests were as follows. Mariah was the leader of the
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  family of Saraiah. Hananiah was the leader of the
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  family of Jeremiah. Mashalam was the leader of the
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  family of Ezra. Jehoanan was the leader of the
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  family of Amariah. Jonathan was the leader of the
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  family of Malik. Joseph was the leader of the
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  family of Shecheniah. Adna was the leader of the
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  family of Haram. Zelkai was the leader of the
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  family of Merrimoth. Zechariah was the leader of the
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  family of Ido. Mashalam was the leader of the
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  family of Ginneton. Zikri was the leader of the
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  family of Abuja. There was also a leader of the
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  family of Mineamin. Piltai was the leader of the
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  family of Moadiah. Shamua was the leader of the
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  family of Bilgah. Jehanathan was leader of the
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  family of Shamaya. Matanaya was the leader of the
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  family of Joyarib. Uzhai was the leader of the
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  family of Jediah. Kalai was the leader of the
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  family of Salu. IBA was the leader of the family
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  of Amoq. Hashabaya was the leader of the
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  family of Hilkiah. Nathanel was the leader of the
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  family of Jediah. A record of the Levite families
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  was kept during the years when a liarship, Joyedah, Johanan and
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  Jadua served as high priest. Another record of the priests
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  was kept during the reign of Darius the Persian.
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  A record of the heads of the Levite families was kept in the
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  Book of History down to the days of Johanan, the grandson of a
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  liarship. These were the family leaders of
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  the Levites. Hashabaya, Sherebaya, Jeshua,
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  Binuwai, Cadmill and other associates who stood opposite
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  them during the ceremonies of praise and Thanksgiving, one
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  section responding to the other as commanded by David, the man
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  of God. This included Matanaya,
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  Bakbukaya and Obadiah. Meshalim, Talmon and Akob were
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  the gatekeepers in charge of the store rooms at the gates.
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  These all served in the days of Joyakim, son of Jeshua, son of
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  Jehoshidak, in the days of Nehemiah the governor, and of
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  Ezra the priest and scribe. For the dedication of the new
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  wall of Jerusalem, the Levites throughout the land were asked
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  to come to Jerusalem to assist in the ceremonies.
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  They were to take part in the joyous occasion with their songs
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  of Thanksgiving and with the music of symbols, harps and
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  liars. The singers were brought
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  together from the region around Jerusalem and from the villages
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  of the Natophathites. They also came from Beth Gilgal
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  and the rural area near Gibba and Azmavath, for the singers
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  had built their own settlements around Jerusalem.
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  The priests and Levites first purified themselves, then they
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  purified the people, the gates and the wall.
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  I led the leaders of Judah to the top of the wall and
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  organised 2 large choirs to give thanks.
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  One of the choirs proceeded southward along the top of the
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  wall to the Dung Gate. Heshaya and half the leaders of
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  Judah followed them, along with Azariah, Ezra, Meshalam, Judah,
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  Benjamin, Shamaya and Jeremiah. Then came some priests who
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  played trumpets, including Zechariah son of Jonathan, son
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  of Shamaya son of Matanaya son of Macchiah son of Zakah, A
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  descendant of Asaph and Zechariah's colleagues were
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  Shamaya, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Mai, Nathaniel, Judah,
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  and Hanani. They used the musical
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  instruments prescribed by David, the man of God.
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  Ezra the scribe LED this procession at the fountain gate.
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  They went straight up the steps on the ascent of the city wall
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  toward the city of David. They passed the House of David
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  and then proceeded to the Watergate on the east.
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  The second choir, giving thanks, went northward around the other
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  way to meet them. I followed them together with
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  the other half of the people along the top of the wall,
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  passed the tower of the Ovens to the broad wall, then passed the
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  Ephraim Gate to the Old City gate, passed the Fish Gate and
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  the Tower of Hananel and on to the Tower of the 100.
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  Then we continued on to the sheep gate and stopped at the
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  guard gate. The two choirs that were giving
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  thanks then proceeded to the Temple of God where they took
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  their places. So did I together with the group
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  of leaders who were with me, we went together with the trumpet
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  playing priests, Alaikim, Marseilla, Mini Amin, Makaya,
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  Elio and I, Zechariah and Hananiah, and the singers
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  Marseilla, Shamaya, Eleazar, Uzzai, Jehovah, Nan, Malkajah,
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  Elam and Izah. They played and sang loudly
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  under the direction of Jezrehiah, the choir director.
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  Many sacrifices were offered on that joyous day, for God had
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  given the people cause for great joy.
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  The women and children also participated in the celebration,
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  and the joy of the people of Jerusalem could be heard far
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  away on that day. Men were appointed to be in
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  charge of the store rooms for the offerings, the first part of
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  the harvest, and the tithes they were responsible to collect from
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  the fields outside the towns the portions required by the Lord
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  for the priests and Levites. For all the people of Judah took
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  joy in the priests and Levites and their work.
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  They performed the service of their God and the service of
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  purification as commanded by David and his son Solomon.
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  And so did the singers and gatekeepers.
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  The custom of having choir directors to lead the choirs and
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  hymns of praise and Thanksgiving to God began long ago in the
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  days of David and Asaph. So now in the days of Zerubbabel
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  and Nehemiah, all Israel brought a daily supply of food for the
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  singers, the gatekeepers and the Levites.
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  The Levites in turn gave a proportion of what they received
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  to the priests, the descendants of Aaron.
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  Our Lord. We hear the long history of your
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  people singing praises to you all the way back to David and
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  Asaph, the OG couple who wrote all those psalms and really
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  solidified praise and singing to You as what we do.
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  Lord, let our hearts always be filled with praise to You.
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  Let our lips never be far away from the songs of praise
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  bursting forth from them. No matter what goes down today,
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  Lord, I pray that you keep our hearts in a posture of praise
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  towards You, so that as we celebrate the good things that
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  You have given us in our lives, we remember to always attribute
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  them back to you, the author, the origin of all good things
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  that we enjoy. So we lift you up and we praise
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  you, our wonderful, wonderful provider.
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  And God, you are incredible. And we really do just offer you
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  our hearts of praise and we offer these humble sacrifices to
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  you and pray all of these things in the saving name of Jesus,
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  Amen.