9/10/2011 12:23:43 PM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus: We must give our praise to God
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Nehemiah 12:27-42
Message of the verses: “ 27 ¶ For the dedication of the new wall of Jerusalem, the Levites throughout the land were asked to come to Jerusalem to assist in the ceremonies. They were to take part in the joyous occasion with their songs of thanksgiving and with the music of cymbals, harps, and lyres. 28 The singers were brought together from the region around Jerusalem and from the villages of the Netophathites. 29 They also came from Beth-gilgal and the rural areas near Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built their own settlements around Jerusalem. 30 The priests and Levites first purified themselves; then they purified the people, the gates, and the wall. 31 I led the leaders of Judah to the top of the wall and organized two large choirs to give thanks. One of the choirs proceeded southward along the top of the wall to the Dung Gate. 32 Hoshaiah and half the leaders of Judah followed them, 33 along with Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam, 34 Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, and Jeremiah. 35 Then came some priests who played trumpets, including Zechariah son of Jonathan, son of Shemaiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Micaiah, son of Zaccur, a descendant of Asaph. 36 And Zechariah’s colleagues were Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani. They used the musical instruments prescribed by David, the man of God. Ezra the scribe led this procession. 37 At the Fountain Gate they went straight up the steps on the ascent of the city wall toward the City of David. They passed the house of David and then proceeded to the Water Gate on the east. 38 The second choir giving thanks went northward around the other way to meet them. I followed them, together with the other half of the people, along the top of the wall past the Tower of the Ovens to the Broad Wall, 39 then past the Ephraim Gate to the Old City Gate, past the Fish Gate and the Tower of Hananel, and on to the Tower of the Hundred. Then we continued on to the Sheep Gate and stopped at the Guard Gate. 40 The two choirs that were giving thanks then proceeded to the Temple of God, where they took their places. So did I, together with the group of leaders who were with me. 41 We went together with the trumpet-playing priests-Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah- 42 and the singers-Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malkijah, Elam, and Ezer. They played and sang loudly under the direction of Jezrahiah the choir director.”
In yesterday’s SD we learned that in this chapter from Dr. Wiersbe’s commentary on Nehemiah that there were three sacrifices described in this eleventh and twelfth chapters of Nehemiah that were to be followed by the church today. Here is a verse from Hebrews: “Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name” (Heb. 13:15).
In this section we will see the people dedicate the wall that they had just completed. In chapter 8-10 we saw that first of all the people were dedicated and now the work that they had accomplished, and this is the correct order, for why dedicate something that the people had done without them being dedicated?
This dedication service began with two groups of people on the walls of Jerusalem that had just been completed and it looks like one went one way and the other the other way and then they meet at the Temple of the Lord. This seemed proper for after all it was the good hand of the Lord who gave the people the ability and the incentive to build these was that were not being dedicated. The people as they marched around the walls were given praise and glory to the Lord for His goodness to them and they were also giving a witness to a watching world. After all at the beginning of his book we learned that one of the enemies had said that even if a fox would walk on this wall it would fall down and now the Gentiles could see that that statement was not true.
As these Jews were marching around the newly built wall they were in a sense saying that we have all worked on these walls but they belonged to the Lord and not to the people who built them. This is important to remember that if we take part in a church building project with money or work it all belongs to the Lord and not to those who worked or gave to the project.
Dr. Wiersbe points out that it is important to believers today that are a part of a church building plan, when it is over they should not lose their focus, but use it as a spring board to continue to work for the Lord. He then goes on to give the most important reason for this service. “It was the expression of joyful praise that came from the choirs and the people.”
We must remember that it was King David who had earlier organized the priests and the Levites and written much of the music that was used at this service. He had also devised the musical instruments that were used in this dedication service, instruments that were used to praise the Lord. It also David who had captured the city of Jerusalem some 500 years earlier and then God made the city of Jerusalem the place where His temple was to be built.
We see in this section that it was not just the Levites and Priests and the musicians who were praising the Lord but the people too were praising the Lord. (Neh. 12:43) We also see in verse 43 that the voices of the people were heard afar off. This was the shout of joy.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I suppose that this section of Scripture brings up a point that I am still trying to understand in a better way, and that is styles of worship. Because of travel to different parts of the world, and believe me it has been somewhat limited, I have seen different styles of worship and what I mean is mostly singing and praising the Lord. I was at a church where people took off their shoes and sang in the isles for three times longer that the Word was preached. This is just an example but it is there to make a point, and that point is that I want to be in a church that I feel comfortable in so that I can praise the Lord. I suppose that this is one of the questions that I still have and will continue to seek answers for it.
My Steps of Faith for Today:
1. Begin how to effectively praise the Lord.
2. Continue to learn contentment.
3. Trust the Lord as I go through some type of illness at this time.
9/10/2011 1:12:02 PM
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