Preparing to Meet God

Context of the Passage:

Spiritual awakening doesn’t happen by accident.  Great movements of God are generally preceded by careful preparation.

Outline of the Passage

7:1-5 – Organizing for the Assembly

7:6-60 – The people who came

7:61-64 – Those who came who could not be properly identified

7:65-72 – Instructions on and examples of faithfulness

Exegesis of the Passage

7:1 – gatekeepers, singers, and Levites appointed

• The gatekeepers to guard the city
• The singers (following David’s instructions) and the Levites for worship

7:2 – Hanani was put in charge

• Cf. 1:2 – it was his encouragement that first helped to motivate Nehemiah
• With Hanani, Nehemiah appointed Hananiah – “because he feared God more than most.”
  • The spiritual qualification set him apart from other people

7:3 – Nehemiah gave instructions to the gatekeepers on how to guard the city

• Don’t open the gates in the dark
• Set guards in place throughout the city

7:4-5 – Nehemiah recognized that the city was only sparsely populated

• It is significant that the Lord approved of the census (cf. 1 Chron. 21:1)
• Breneman suggests that “The genealogical list here has a different purpose from the one in Ezra 2; here it is used to choose those who would live in Jerusalem.

7:5 – God put it in my heart

• See 2:12 for same phrase
• The text does not indicate when or how God put it in Nehemiah’s heart
• “To assemble”
  • See 1:9 where Nehemiah was claiming God’s promise to Moses (Deut. 30:2-4) that even after God’s judgment, if His people returned to Him in repentance that He would bring them back to the land from which they had been taken captive.
  • The use of this word suggests that Nehemiah saw the events of 7:5 as God fulfilling His promise
    • Thus, Nehemiah’s purpose was rebuilding the wall, but the Lord’s purpose was much bigger.  He was interested in rebuilding His people.

7:6-60 – These are the records that Nehemiah found regarding those who returned from the captivity in Babylon

• Much of this list is similar to the list in Ezra 2:1-70.

7:61-64 – If Nehemiah could not substantiate that the people were of Hebrew heritage, they were not allowed to serve as priests.

7:65 – The Governor ordered them

• Nehemiah ordered the priests who could not be validated to abstain from practicing as priests until they had an opportunity to hear from the Lord through the Urim and Thummim.

7:70-72 – Some of the people contributed

• This verse emphasizes that not all of the people contributed, but some did
• Not all people will catch the vision or be obedient to give to it financially, but some will

7:73 – The last part of verse 73 seems to fit better with the message beginning in 8:1.

Sermon on the Passage

How do we prepare to meet God?  Note in the passage what Nehemiah led the people to do as they prepared for the assembly of chapter 8.

1. Establish Godly Leadership (2)
2. Organize for Success (3)
3. Challenge the people in their Faith
   • Their Identification in the Body (5-60)
     • The people were instructed to public identify themselves by their family unity
       • This was seen by the fulfillment of God’s Promise (7:5; Cf. 1:9)
     • This established their credentials as the people of Israel
   • Their Purity (61-64)
     • Check records carefully
     • Guard against imposters in leadership (cf. 7:5)
   • Their Obedience (65)
     • Follow the principles of Scripture in the practice of our faith
   • Their Giving (70-72)
     • Challenge the people to participate through giving.