Filling the City

Nehemiah and the team have finished the wall in the face of attacks from within and without as well as the last chapter's events of accusations of insurrection against the Empire. The best thing Nehemiah did in the midst of all his trouble is what you and I must do as well: JUST KEEP BUILDING.

Now, at the conclusion of the work, Nehemiah's attention shifts to the maintenance, protection, and population of the city. After all, the purpose of the work was more than just setting up the city. It was about bringing God's people to a home of safety. So Nehemiah goes to work to protect and fill it.

Nehemiah 7:1–4 (ESV) 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.

After appointing trustworthy people in the right positions, Nehemiah knows the city needs people if it is to survive and thrive. There's an important lesson here for the modern Church. We aren't in the business of buildings and facilities, we are in the business of bringing God and people together. Nehemiah 7 turns to the population yet to inhabit the walls.

Nehemiah 7:5 (ESV) 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:

I love Nehemiah's constant work to credit God for everything he does and everything he accomplishes. This is the heart of a Godly leader. They do great things, but they let the world know it was God who stirred them to action and provided for them along the way. 

Nehemiah gathers those who survives the exile and made the return back to the city with Ezra and himself in the successive waves.

Nehemiah 7:6–7 (ESV) 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:

After a long exhaustive list of the names and temple servants and priests who returned, the chapter closes out with the details about what some returnees did to fill the city with inhabitants:

Nehemiah 7:70–72 (ESV) Now some of the heads of fathers’ houses gave to the work. The governor gave to the treasury 1,000 darics of gold, 50 basins, 30 priests’ garments and 500 minas of silver. 71 And some of the heads of fathers’ houses gave into the treasury of the work 20,000 darics of gold and 2,200 minas of silver. 72 And what the rest of the people gave was 20,000 darics of gold, 2,000 minas of silver, and 67 priests’ garments.

The people GAVE money to build houses so that people who had returned and would return still had a place to live. Think of this picture, those who came back knew they had to prepare a place for themselves and those yet to come. So what did they do? They sacrificed their own means to make a place for others. 

What a picture of the Church. We are not just interested in building a fine facility or community for ourselves, our minds have to be on the matters of preparing spiritual homes for those God would bring to His heavenly city. 

In a real way, every Church is filling the heavenly city with people as God redeems from the nations a people for Himself. So the question is: If you have been saved and brought into the house of God, are you making sure to give so that others might come in after you? Are you sacrificing to make room for others? The church is not strong because of the buildings she has, the church is strong because of the people she has - a people ready to give for the sake of others and welcome any who would come. In other words, a people very much different than the people of this world.