Sermon Cloud

Nehemiah 7:1-65: "Now when the wall had been built and I had set up the doors, and the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed,  2 I gave my brother Hanani and Hananiah the governor of the castle charge over Jerusalem, for he was a more faithful and God-fearing man than many.  3 And I said to them, 'Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot. And while they are still standing guard, let them shut and bar the doors. Appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, some at their guard posts and some in front of their own homes.'  4 The city was wide and large, but the people within it were few, and no houses had been rebuilt.  5 Then my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles and the officials and the people to be enrolled by genealogy. And I found the book of the genealogy of those who came up at the first, and I found written in it:  6 These were the people of the province who came up out of the captivity of those exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried into exile. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his town.  7 They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel:  8 the sons of Parosh, 2,172.  9 The sons of Shephatiah, 372.  10 The sons of Arah, 652.  11 The sons of Pahath-moab, namely the sons of Jeshua and Joab, 2,818.  12 The sons of Elam, 1,254.  13 The sons of Zattu, 845.  14 The sons of Zaccai, 760.  15 The sons of Binnui, 648.  16 The sons of Bebai, 628.  17 The sons of Azgad, 2,322.  18 The sons of Adonikam, 667.  19 The sons of Bigvai, 2,067.  20 The sons of Adin, 655.  21 The sons of Ater, namely of Hezekiah, 98.  22 The sons of Hashum, 328.  23 The sons of Bezai, 324.  24 The sons of Hariph, 112.  25 The sons of Gibeon, 95.  26 The men of Bethlehem and Netophah, 188.  27 The men of Anathoth, 128.  28 The men of Beth-azmaveth, 42.  29 The men of Kiriath-jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, 743.  30 The men of Ramah and Geba, 621.  31 The men of Michmas, 122.  32 The men of Bethel and Ai, 123.  33 The men of the other Nebo, 52.  34 The sons of the other Elam, 1,254.  35 The sons of Harim, 320.  36 The sons of Jericho, 345.  37 The sons of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, 721.  38 The sons of Senaah, 3,930.  39 The priests: the sons of Jedaiah, namely the house of Jeshua, 973.  40 The sons of Immer, 1,052.  41  The sons of Pashhur, 1,247.  42 The sons of Harim, 1,017.  43 The Levites: the sons of Jeshua, namely of Kadmiel of the sons of Hodevah, 74.  44 The singers: the sons of Asaph, 148.  45 The gatekeepers: the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, the sons of Shobai, 138.  46 The temple servants: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth,  47  the sons of Keros, the sons of Sia, the sons of Padon,  48 the sons of Lebana, the sons of Hagaba, the sons of Shalmai,  49 the sons of Hanan, the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar,  50 the sons of Reaiah, the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekoda,  51 the sons of Gazzam, the sons of Uzza, the sons of Paseah,  52 the sons of Besai, the sons of Meunim, the sons of Nephushesim,  53 the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of Harhur,  54 the sons of Bazlith, the sons of Mehida, the sons of Harsha,  55 the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Temah,  56 the sons of Neziah, the sons of Hatipha.  57 The sons of Solomon's servants: the sons of Sotai, the sons of Sophereth, the sons of Perida,  58 the sons of Jaala, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Giddel,  59 the sons of Shephatiah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of Pochereth-hazzebaim, the sons of Amon.  60 All the temple servants and the sons of Solomon's servants were 392.  61 The following were those who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer, but they could not prove their fathers' houses nor their descent, whether they belonged to Israel:  62 the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, the sons of Nekoda, 642.  63 Also, of the priests: the sons of Hobaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, the sons of Barzillai (who had taken a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by their name).  64 These sought their registration among those enrolled in the genealogies, but it was not found there, so they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean.  65 The governor told them that they were not to partake of the most holy food until a priest with Urim and Thummim should arise." 

For six chapters we've been discussing and unpacking all the work, risks, and trials that Nehemiah and God's people endured to build this wall.  As we open chapter 7, we're reminded, like last week, that the building of the wall is finished.  So, we should shout for joy, throw a party, and move on to our next book right?  Isn't it time for the Jews to just chill, pull up a lawn chair, crack open a Corona (it's almost Cinco de Mayo!) and admire how nice the wall and gates look now that they're restored?  A party should be thrown at this point right?  Nope, not yet.

God gives us another seven chapters; we're only halfway through this great book.  God is showing us that the rebuilding and restoring of the wall was never really the ultimate goal. 

This book is about something greater than toppled, worn, dusty stones; it's about toppled lives and worn and dusty hearts that need to be revived and set back where they belong, in close fellowship with their God.  This is the real mission of Nehemiah.  This is the real work of God.  He wants to revive and restore what has been destroyed by doubt, fear, hopelessness, apathy, and injustice so that the world would know He's a God who rebuilds what Adam and Eve and you and I have torn down.       

God has always intended that His people would so love Him, so trust Him, and so respond to His grace that they would show Him off to each other and this world.  They're to be a display people, a people that tell the world what He's like by living in such a way that provokes questions and curiosity about the God they love and are loved by.

The city of Jerusalem needed to be rebuilt so that His people could not only worship Him freely, but intensely.  So intensely and passionately that surrounding cities would be able to peer in and stand in awe of the goodness and glory of this incredible God who is forever faithful (Jer. 33:9). 

I pray you keep this in mind.  It's not about walls; it's about a people.  A people for His own possession who love Him and live out that love together.  This call is no different for us than it was for Nehemiah and his people some 2,500 years ago.  We are the church, the city of God, the preview of His coming Kingdom and city that are called to the great work of joining Jesus as He builds His church for the sake of the world for the glory of God.  Nehemiah built walls so that God's people could be restored.  We're building the church and the living stones we're using are each one of us and those that have yet to meet the Master Builder.

This is why Nehemiah is such a great book to not only nail down the "why" question when thinking about why we exist, but also the "how" questions as we say yes to this call and look to His wisdom to show us how He gets His work done through you and me. 

Verse 1: "Now when the wall had been built and I had set up the doors, and the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed"

The wall was done in 52 days!  This amazing accomplishment would have seemed miraculous to their enemies.  But the reason why it was such a miracle wasn't because God gave them supernatural strength to lift the rocks by themselves or supernatural powers that could ward off the enemies trying to kill them; it was because these people finally put aside their multiple agendas, multiple opinions, multiple excuses and began to work together under one common vision with one common purpose.

That's why it was so amazing that it was finished in 52 days.  141 years of division and hopelessness kept them from doing what could have been completed in 52 days!  It's humbling and frustrating when you put something off you think is going to be impossible only to find that once you start simply doing it and stop complaining it wasn't nearly as impossible as you thought it would be.  You kind of want to kick yourself for such little faith, such wasted energy and time obsessing over how hard it's going to be.

Q-How many things have you put off doing that would greatly contribute to building God's city (church) because you think it's almost impossible?  How much time and mental energy has been wasted by only thinking about it? 

God loves to use the ordinary to accomplish extraordinary things because He knows He'll be the only one that can credit and get the glory. 

Nehemiah realizes the work has just begun and in order to accomplish God's purposes he needs to appoint leaders to lead God's people in various ways. 

Verse 2: "I gave my brother Hanani and Hananiah the governor of the castle charge over Jerusalem, for he was a more faithful and God-fearing man than many." 

Nehemiah doesn't just appoint anyone to a role of importance until their character and competency is proven. 

He appoints his brother Hanani and Hananiah not because they're friends, not because they're relatives, but because they are faithful and fear God. 

For some of you men who aspire to leadership, my encouragement to you is to faithfully serve the bride of Christ in humility in whatever role and responsibility you have now.  If you're not serving the church, the elders and deacons won't know if you're faithful.  So initiate, and find a way you can serve through Missional Community and when we gather.  This way we'll get to know you in community and we'll get to see your character. 

And for this book the idea of fearing God is prominent.  Do you revere and stand in awe of your God?  Does the reality of His presence and the weight of His glory cause you to worship Him and chase away other fears?  You see, when you fear God you actually have nothing else to fear.  When you revere and worship God, all other circumstances become small in comparison. 

Faithfulness and the fear of God are significant qualities that need to be cultivated so that you can lead. 

Verse 3: "And I said to them, 'Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot. And while they are still standing guard, let them shut and bar the doors. Appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, some at their guard posts and some in front of their own homes.'" 

Nehemiah gives them instruction realizing as good leaders they can follow instruction.  The only way to lead others is by being able to demonstrate submission. 

Q-How do you receive instruction?  Are you joyful for being given direction or do you buck against it because you always have a better way that you'd do things?  Is your life a model of godly submission like Jesus to His Father?

Nehemiah wants them to be wise and realize that their enemy will come and attack them when they're least expecting it. 

So he wants guards to be appointed among the various neighborhoods of the city so they can stand guard in front of their homes and watch over their neighborhoods. 

The next verse shows us why this was important.

Verse 4: "The city was wide and large, but the people within it were few, and no houses had been rebuilt." 

This was the problem Nehemiah is facing after the walls and gates had been established.  He needed God's people to come and live in the city.  The city was wide and large but very few of God's people actually lived there.  They moved to the safety of the suburbs far away from the danger of the city.

As long as the city had only a few of God's people in it, they would be vulnerable to attack.  The neighborhoods were decaying, houses needed to be rebuilt, and God's people, for their own protection, fled the city and were hesitant to come back.  As long as the people were fearful of moving back, the city would always be a place of danger instead of a witness of beauty and God's glory as it was intended by God.

The city wasn't built to be empty; it was built to be filled with God's people who were thriving under God's gracious reign before the watching eyes of the cities of the world. 

Redemptive history is moving towards a great city where Jesus returns and brings with Him the New Jerusalem.  Art, economics, thriving culture, closeness to one another, satisfying labor, and a loving concern for God's people and God's city will mark our eternity.  Jesus will be the center of the city and there will be no need for the sun because His glory will illuminate the city. 

Love, grace, mercy, righteousness, holiness, truth, justice and kindness will flow out of this city as the surrounding nations that were once crushed under the burden of their own sin and the sin committed against them will be healed and be able come to a place where the true God is known and worshipped by His true children.

We start with a Garden in Genesis and we end with a beautiful city at the end of Revelation.  The Garden is now set in the center of the city.  The Jerusalem in Nehemiah's day was to be a preview of the New Jerusalem.  We're to have this vision of what is coming for our future and begin to work backwards to our own day.  What will it look like for us live as a city (the church) within our city (San Diego) where we're demonstrating the great promise of life to come? 

For some of you, this might mean leaving your place of comfort and moving into the neighborhoods that need to be rebuilt and restored.  It might mean moving closer to the city and beginning to work, neighborhood by neighborhood, to see our great city loved and renewed.

But as we've been saying, the city of God on earth for now is the church.  It's where God's people live together and demonstrate the kind of truth, justice, mercy, love and care for one another in tangible and intentional ways.

We often think of the church existing for us.  Meaning, that it's primary purpose is to serve our various felt needs.  We like programs and particular forms of worship.  We love to share our opinions about what we expect, too. 

In fact, as long as those things are in place, the church is healthy in our eyes.  As long as I'm getting my felt needs met, then the church is Spirit-filled.  We don't really care about how many are coming into the church to worship God, we're not really concerned with our collective witness.  In fact, we want the church to be big enough to have great programs (because programs require servants), but not too big that it's uncomfortable and the parking is an issue.  This is how small our vision is.

But this is far from the heart of what God intended and what He's passionate about.  We should be asking, "What does God desire for His church?" not, "What do I prefer in a church?" 

You see, Jerusalem was built for God and that meant that it was to be populated.  It was to be filled.  God's people were to be concerned with who was moving into the city and living life together in worship of their gracious God.

You can imagine the few that lived there were probably pretty stoked that the walls and gates were built and the city wasn't very populated.  Instead of parking problems they had animals that would stink up the place.  They were probably happy they didn't have to smell their neighbor's donkeys.  It was more comfortable this way, more pleasant, and it was incredibly dangerous.

We define danger and safety in terms of violence or the absence of it.  We think if we're not going to be mugged, beaten up or murdered, then we're safe.  But God defines safety very differently.  He defines safety in spiritual terms.  In His view, what in the world do we need to be afraid of with men?  They can only kill the body.  For Him, the most dangerous place is to be cut off from the life of God's covenant people. 

Community is harder, but it's safer.  Doing life together is more difficult, but it's what we really need for our true safety.  It's for our joy, it's for our good, and it's God's design for His people.

Why?  Because our church does not exist for itself; it exists for God.  Therefore it exists to bring others into it.  It was built to be populated.  A full Jerusalem is a safe Jerusalem and a full church is a safe church.  And when I say church, I don't simply mean that gathered people on Sunday.  I mean the collective, shared lives of ordinary followers of Jesus living ordinary lives but with Gospel intentionality.  With a purpose, for a reason. 

So for you, to move into the city means to move into community.  It means to leave the relational suburbia of your life where all your relationships are controlled and managed and kept safe in your emotionally gated life.

For others, the way you populate the city is simply by staying.  You've already moved in, now stay!  Be what God intended for you in His family.  I know it's harder, but it's safer.  And it's for our joy.  As we grow together in our love for Christ we grow in glorifying Him.  We're like collective kindling to build His glory into a roaring flame.  As we do that, our deepest joy and true needs are met. 

Individualism is easier and it is deadly. 

Proverbs 18:1: "Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment."

Together, God puts His desires in our heart.  This is why we're called to delight ourselves in the Lord and the promise is that He'll give us the desires of our heart.  That's an incredible promise.  It means that the more you delight in Him, the more your passions, affections, and delight will be for what He wants. 

Verses 5-6: "Then my God put it into my heart (God's desire placed in his heart) to assemble the nobles and the officials and the people to be enrolled by genealogy. And I found the book of the genealogy of those who came up at the first, and I found written in it:  6 These were the people of the province who came up out of the captivity of those exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried into exile. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his town." 

God puts His desire upon Nehemiah's heart and gives him the idea of gathering the officials of the people to enroll them and then call them to move to the city.

He found a book of genealogy of those who came first and he was going to look them up and call them to move from their own towns to the city.

Leaders and Officials

Verse 7a: "They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, Baanah."

He begins with the leaders.  Zerubbabel is an important civil leader and Jeshua is an important Priest. 

They brought the first group of exiles back and they are mentioned quite a bit in Haggai and Zechariah.  Zerubbabel was from the royal line of Judah.

Jeshua's line had 14 successive generations of high priests.  This is amazing.  Imagine having 14 generations of pastors who are planting churches after you.  What an amazing legacy to leave.  14 generations of pastors after you.  We're told that Jonathan Edwards had 11 children, and of those 11 children of the known male descendents: 

• 300+ became pastors or missionaries
• 120 were professors at various universities
• 110 became attorneys
• 60 were prominent authors
• 30 were judges
• 14 became presidents of universities or colleges
• 3 served in the U.S. Congress
• 1 became Vice President of the United States

Isn't that just startling? 

Nehemiah's next list gives us the names of regular men of Israel.  Just regular dudes working regular jobs, but God broke into the lives of their fathers and grandfathers and that changed everything.  They now carry the name of their fathers and I want you to look at God's incredible faithfulness to hear of such a fruitful legacy.

The names of these men are patriarchs.  These men were appointed by God to lead their families and to love Him above all else.  God calls man to not only bless his own family but to be concerned for the next 20 generations of men that will come after.

Most of you men are young, single, and have no clue what you're doing.  And if that offends you, it only means you've proved my point.  But your Father loves and has brought you into His family so that you not only grow in grace, but also in wisdom and fruitfulness.  

What is keeping you from growing in wisdom and fruitfulness is that you are short-sighted.  You only live for today.  You can't imagine having your next 10 days planned out, let alone the next 10 generations after you.  But our God wants us to be men of fruitfulness who plan for our future.

Another thing keeping you from growing in wisdom is selfishness.  You live in a culture that teaches you that everything in this life and world is for your pleasure and service.  It is a self-serving, self-obsessed, self-satisfying culture of individual desires rather than God's desires. 

But we're taught in Scripture that we do not exist for ourselves but for others.  And we do not exist to live simply for today but for the next 10-20 generations.  The decisions you men make today will echo throughout hundreds of years into the future for thousands of your descendents for better or for worse.

This should affect how you live your life today.  It should affect how you work your job today.  It should affect the way you do relationships.  Who you decide to pursue should be altered because of this truth. 

Does the woman you are interested in right now look like the daughters you want for the next 500 years?  Would you want to photo-copy her and is this the kind of woman you want your sons to marry? Is her love for Christ infectious, is her desire for God's glory strong, is she able to speak the Gospel to you?  No?  This is going to affect the next 20 generations so you should think about your next steps with her.

Ladies, the same applies to you.  Does the man you're interested in have a concern for the next several generations or is he just playing Playstation all day, can't seem to wake up on time for work, and spends his free time surfing the internet looking for free porn?  If he's not thinking about his future and his legacy, move on.  God has placed you here not simply to find a man, but a godly man.  A man who knows what it means to be a man under the good hand of God.  A man who knows how to lead a family and love his wife and give himself away for the gospel.  If he's selfish with Jesus' bride, he's going to be selfish with you.  That's just how it works.

Our decision to find someone and marry them shouldn't be because they're hot.  It should be because they are faithful, fear and love God, and demonstrate that love for God by loving others more than themselves.   Will he love you, will he read the Bible to you, will he pray with his kids and for his kids and tuck them in?  Would you want to copy his life and reproduce it for future generations?  No? 

For those of you already married, you have the opportunity to repent and change.  Perhaps most of you didn't grow up with godly parents that set this example.  But that legacy can be broken and replaced with a godly one.  You can confess your sin and become the kind of mom and dad, grandmother and grandfather who lives for a legacy, the legacy of Jesus through your future generations. 

This is a list of patriarchs of whom God grabbed hold and upon whom He poured His grace, and the result was a full quiver of sons who followed after him.  We want the same for you.

Men of Israel

Verses 7b-38: "The number of the men of the people of Israel:  8 the sons of Parosh, 2,172.  9 The sons of Shephatiah, 372.  10 The sons of Arah, 652.  11 The sons of Pahath-moab, namely the sons of Jeshua and Joab, 2,818.  12 The sons of Elam, 1,254.  13 The sons of Zattu, 845.  14 The sons of Zaccai, 760.  15 The sons of Binnui, 648.  16 The sons of Bebai, 628.  17 The sons of Azgad, 2,322.  18 The sons of Adonikam, 667.  19 The sons of Bigvai, 2,067.  20 The sons of Adin, 655.  21 The sons of Ater, namely of Hezekiah, 98.  22 The sons of Hashum, 328.  23 The sons of Bezai, 324.  24 The sons of Hariph, 112.  25 The sons of Gibeon, 95.  26 The men of Bethlehem and Netophah, 188.  27 The men of Anathoth, 128.  28 The men of Beth-azmaveth, 42.  29 The men of Kiriath-jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, 743.  30 The men of Ramah and Geba, 621.  31 The men of Michmas, 122.  32 The men of Bethel and Ai, 123.  33 The men of the other Nebo, 52.  34 The sons of the other Elam, 1,254.  35 The sons of Harim, 320.  36 The sons of Jericho, 345.  37 The sons of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, 721.  38 The sons of Senaah, 3,930."

Think of Senaah, the last name in v.38.  Can you imagine at the end of days having 4,000 men who bare your name come and say, "We're your sons.  God gave you grace, you loved Him, you were faithful and feared God, and we followed in your footsteps."? 

This doesn't have to be physical descendents.  This can be spiritual descendents who are birthed through discipleship.  Some of you might disciple a handful of men who will produce 4,000 followers of Jesus because of your willingness to pour into them.  You'll stand one day and get to meet them.

Are you willing to live for such a legacy as this?  What if you woke up today thinking to yourself, "What I do and the decisions I make will affect 4,000 men who will come after me."  Imagine waking up every day thinking that.  Imagine loving Christ so much that that is what you do till the day you die and meet Him face to face.   

These are just average men, but their names are in the Bible because God loves to show off what He's done and He's honoring them.  Isn't that beautiful?

The Priests and Levites

Verses 39-43: "The priests: the sons of Jedaiah, namely the house of Jeshua, 973.  40 The sons of Immer, 1,052.  41  The sons of Pashhur, 1,247.  42 The sons of Harim, 1,017. 43 The Levites: the sons of Jeshua, namely of Kadmiel of the sons of Hodevah, 74."

The priests are the Old Testament equivalent to our pastors and the Levites are the Old Testament equivalent to our deacons. 

In order to serve a city, they needed a few thousand priests and Levites.  The same is true for our situation.  We need a few hundred faithful pastors and a few hundred faithful deacons to love our city, the church, by planting more churches that can love the city of San Diego.

The Singers

Verse 44: "The singers: the sons of Asaph, 148." 

I love that God mentions the singers.  This is amazing when you think of it.  God loves His people to sing to Him in songs of praise and worship.  God raises up and gifts particular leaders that will lead us in song.

God wants us to worship Him with our voices and our lives.  To join together and praise God with one voice is a joy for our God and draws us into a deeper awareness of His presence. 

David Cole is our Asaph.  He's working to lead and multiply our musicians and singers so that as we plant churches we can send out leaders that will call you together to worship this great God.  If we don't worship Him, we'll worship something else and He knows our souls need to praise Him. 

The Gatekeepers

Verse 45: "The gatekeepers: the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, the sons of Shobai, 138." 

These are not professionals, but men who are asked to watch over the gates in their neighborhoods.  The gates are important because they are the entrance into the city of God.  They are the access to the people of God and to worship God.  They are also given the responsibility of shutting the gates to the enemies of God who would harm God's people.

The Temple Servants

Verses 46-56: "The temple servants: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth,  47  the sons of Keros, the sons of Sia, the sons of Padon,  48 the sons of Lebana, the sons of Hagaba, the sons of Shalmai,  49 the sons of Hanan, the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar,  50 the sons of Reaiah, the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekoda,  51 the sons of Gazzam, the sons of Uzza, the sons of Paseah,  52 the sons of Besai, the sons of Meunim, the sons of Nephushesim,  53 the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of Harhur,  54 the sons of Bazlith, the sons of Mehida, the sons of Harsha,  55 the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Temah,  56 the sons of Neziah, the sons of Hatipha." 

These are servants to the servants.  These are often people who simply want to work behind the scenes and support others who are in a more visual role of service.  These are disciples who are taking on the service of the church with various functions and responsibilities.  

The Sons of Solomon's Servants

Verses 57-60: "The sons of Solomon's servants: the sons of Sotai, the sons of Sophereth, the sons of Perida,  58 the sons of Jaala, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Giddel,  59 the sons of Shephatiah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of Pochereth-hazzebaim, the sons of Amon.  60 All the temple servants and the sons of Solomon's servants were 392."

These are the offspring of the servants of Solomon.  Notice they aren't sad about being the offspring of servants, but it's an important enough role that God mentions them.

Plus, the coolest name in the entire list is here: Darkon!

The Unclean

Verses 61-65: "The following were those who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer, but they could not prove their fathers' houses nor their descent, whether they belonged to Israel:  62 the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, the sons of Nekoda, 642.  63 Also, of the priests: the sons of Hobaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, the sons of Barzillai (who had taken a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by their name).  64 These sought their registration among those enrolled in the genealogies, but it was not found there, so they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean.  65 The governor told them that they were not to partake of the most holy food until a priest with Urim and Thummim should arise." 

These were people whose ancestry couldn't be verified.  We'll see this more in the next chapters as we look at the problem of intermarriage.

They were both laymen as well as priests.  It was important that the service of God and the worship of God were not done in a way that was ritually unclean.  A priest had to come to decide their case as they submitted to casting lots known as the Urim and Thummim. 

Work out the Gospel

They could not prove their Father's house...whether they belonged to Israel (61).  In other words, they couldn't prove they were God's people.

Q-How do we know we're written into the family of God?  What is our confidence?

They were excluded from the priesthood (64).  In order to fully participate in God's missional agenda, you had to be made clean.  To not be clean would hurt your relational contact with God's people and it would keep you from being able to serve the Lord.

They couldn't partake of the most holy food until a priest showed up and brought the Urim and Thummim to seek God's counsel and sovereignty to let someone in. 

Q-Why does Christ coming and acting as our high priest to represent us before God as our advocate and our substitute satisfy? 

Q-Why was it necessary that He do this? 

Q-What is the "so that we...?"  How are we now made free/clean/etc.?

Jesus moved into our neighborhood and risked everything so that we might be found safe before the Father.  Apply this to verse 4.  Why did He come at what did it cost Him?  What is the "so that..." and how does our identity flow out of this?