As we think of the greatness of God and the massive number of people around the world, it’s easy to feel small and insignificant. Even Christians can start to feel as if God doesn’t know or care about the details of our lives. However, as David Platt points out in this message from Nehemiah 7, the God who redeems us knows everything about us—and he cares for us! Followers of Jesus can find their identity in Christ and take comfort that they are in a long line of believers who, over centuries, have been redeemed and preserved by God’s grace and steadfast love. This should compel us to live for God’s glory in the time and place in which he has placed us.
As we think of the greatness of God and the massive number of people around the world, it’s easy to feel small and insignificant. Even Christians can start to feel as if God doesn’t know or care about the details of our lives. However, as David Platt points out in this message from Nehemiah 7, the God who redeems us knows everything about us—and he cares for us! Followers of Jesus can find their identity in Christ and take comfort that they are in a long line of believers who, over centuries, have been redeemed and preserved by God’s grace and steadfast love. This should compel us to live for God’s glory in the time and place in which he has placed us.
You are listening to Radical with David Platt, a weekly podcast with sermons and messages from pastor, author and teacher David Platt. For those of you who are visiting or maybe you've missed recent weeks, the background here is a man named Nehemiah, just an ordinary guy among the people of God who were in exile, who got a burden to rebuild the broken walls around the city of Jerusalem, and he realized he could do something about it. So he went to the Persian king at the risk of his life, and he asked for permission to travel to Jerusalem and rebuild the walls. And the king gave him not just permission but support. Nehemiah traveled to Jerusalem, pulled everybody together and over the course of 52 days, despite all kinds of opposition from inside and outside, they rebuilt the entire wall around Jerusalem. That's what the end of Nehemiah 6 tells us. That's where we were last week. And then Nehemiah 7 says up the doors and the gatekeepers, the singers and the Levites had been appointed. 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, 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. The city was wide and large, but the people within it were few and no houses had been rebuilt. 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 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. They came with Zerubbabel, jeshua, nehemiah, azariah, rahamiah, nahamani, mordecai, bilshan, mishporeth, bigvi, neum, bahana.
Speaker 1:The number of the men of the people of Israel the sons of Parosh 2,172. The sons of Shephathiah 372. The sons of Erah 652. The sons of Pahath-Moab, namely the sons of Jeshua and Joab 2,818. The sons of Elam 1,254. The sons of Zatu 845. The sons of Zechariah 760. The sons of Benui 648. The sons of Bebi 628. The sons of Asgad 2,322. The sons of Adonai 667. The sons of Bigvi 2,067. The sons of Adon 655.
Speaker 1:The sons of Atar, namely of Hezekiah, 98. The sons of Hashem 328. The sons of Bazi the sons of Bazi 324. The sons of Heraph 112. The sons of Gibeon 95. The men of Bethlehem and Naphthah 188. The men of Anathoth 128. The men of Beth, asmapheth 42. The men of Kiriath-Jerim, kephira and Beroth 743. The men of Ramah and Geba 621. The men of Mikmas 122. The men of Bethel and Ai 123. The men of the other Nebo 52. The sons of the other Elam 1,254. The sons of Haram 320. The sons of Jericho 345. The sons of Lod, hadid and Ono 7.21. The sons of Senea 3.930.
Speaker 1:The priests the sons of Judea, namely the house of Joshua, 973. The sons of Emer 1.052. The sons of Pasher 1.247. The sons of Haram 1,017. The Levites the sons of Jeshua, namely of Kadmiel, of the sons of Hadeva 74. The singers the sons of Asaph 148. The gatekeepers the sons of Shalom, the sons of Atar, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akub, the sons of Hatita, the sons of Shobai 138.
Speaker 1:The temple servants the sons of Zion, the sons of Hatita, the sons of Nikodah, the sons of Gazim, the sons of Yuzah, the sons of Paseah, the sons of Besai, the sons of Meunim, the sons of Nefushasim, the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakifah, the sons of Harher, the sons of Bazleth, the sons of Meirah, the sons of Harsha, the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Tima, the sons of Neziah, the sons of Hatipha, the sons of Solomon's servants, the sons of Sotai, the sons of Sopharath, the sons of Peridah, the sons of Jaelah, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Gidel, the sons of Shephathiah, the sons of Hatil, the sons of Pokereth Hazabiam, the sons of Ammon. All the temple servants and the sons of Solomon's servants were 392. The following were those who came up from Telmela, telharsha, kerub, adon and Emer, but they could not prove their fathers' houses for their descent and whether they belonged to Israel. The sons of Deliah, the sons of Tobiah, the sons of Nakona 642. Also of the priests the sons of Hobiah, the sons of Nakota 642. Also of the priests the sons of Hobiah, the sons of Hacchaz, the sons of Barzillai, who had taken a wife of the daughters of Barzillai, the Gileadite, and was called by their name. 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, the governor told them that they were not to partake of the most holy food until a priest with Urim and Thummim should arise.
Speaker 1:The whole assembly together was 42,360, besides their male and female servants, of whom there were 7,337. And they had 245 singers, male and female. Their horses were 736, their mules 245, their camels 4. And their donkeys 6,720. Now some of the heads of fathers' houses gave to the work. The governor gave to the treasury 1,000 derricks of gold, 50 basins, 30 priest's garments and 500 minas of silver. And some of the head of fathers' houses gave to the treasury of the work 20,000 derricks of gold and 2,200 meters of silver. And what the rest of the people gave was 20,000 derricks of gold, 2,000 meters of silver and 67 priest's garments. So the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the temple servants and all Israel lived in their towns. And when the seventh month had come, the people of Israel were in their towns.
Speaker 1:I trust you are applauding my attempts to pronounce all of those names correctly and I trust nobody in this room knows which ones I got accurate or inaccurate, unless you're a Hebrew scholar, in which case you can take it next time. Did my best. So why did I just spend almost 10 minutes of your life and mine reading all these names and all these numbers? Here's why Because I want you to hear God saying very clearly to you today, through this entire chapter you matter, you, right where you're sitting right now, you Not just the person beside you, in front of you, behind you, you matter to God. This is clear from the beginning of this chapter in God's word.
Speaker 1:So, verse 8. The sons of Parish Not 2171 or 2173. They were 2172. Not 2,171 or 2,173. They were 2,172. The sons of Shephatiah Not about 300, 350 of them, approximately 375. No 372 period, and on and on and on with every single verse. 372, period, and on and on and on with every single verse.
Speaker 1:Every single person among the people of God counted. Now, there are obviously caveats here. This is only a list of the males, of sons and fathers, as was the cultural custom of that day, and this list in many ways replicates a list of names and numbers that we see back in Ezra, chapter two, and some have pointed to minor discrepancies in the list, to say one of them's not accurate, but clearly we don't know exactly how this count was taken, potentially updated with more information. Now, years after Ezra, chapter two, there's all kinds of discussion and possibilities about exactly how these numbers were counted, but that's kind of the point they were counted because each person among the people of God counts. So apply this picture from Nehemiah 7 in this gathering just this gathering today, of God's people in different locations around Metro DC online, because God doesn't just see thousands of us listening to this word right now. God sees you and you count. You matter God. We're talking about the sovereign creator and ruler of all things. God sees you, god knows you, god knows you. God sees and knows every single thing that's going on in your life right now, every single thing that's on your mind, every single thing that's in your heart. Sees all your hearts and all your highs and all your lows, and not just you, as if you came out of nowhere. You matter and your heritage matters your background that has shaped who you are. Your family, your home, the place where you were born. Your heritage matters to God. This again was part of the custom of the day In Nehemiah 7, we see this throughout the Bible to list people by families or clans or tribes, in part because of the influence that a family had on shaping a person, and not just family, but a village or a town, a place where they were from. Notice, nehemiah 7 lists both family names as well as places, cities, towns, villages, all of which shaped the makeup of each of these individual people in different ways, each of them with unique stories, and this is true for all of us too Our backgrounds and our families and our ethnicities and our histories. They all matter. It's the picture you matter, your heritage matters, and all this means that what you do with your life matters. Like. Do you realize what these names and numbers in Nehemiah 7 represent? They're more than just a listing of people. Like.
Speaker 1:Look back at verse 6. These are the people of the province who came up out of the captivity of those exiles who Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had carried into exile. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his town. They came with Zerubbabel. These were the people who decided, decades before this, not just to put their names on the list, but to lay down their lives on the line, to pack up their families, leave Babylon behind, move back to a totally ruined Jerusalem, to restore the people of God in the promised land. They were the ones who decided to come back with Zerubbabel and rebuild a nation. They were the pioneers of faith who trusted God and his promises through his prophets that he was gonna restore his people in this land. And they sacrificed, they gave of their lives to make that possible.
Speaker 1:Look at verse 70. Some of the heads of the fathers gave to the work. The governor gave these things, and then some of the heads of the fathers gave into the treasury all this gold and silver. What the rest of the people gave was gold and silver and garments. All of this to help rebuild the temple in the city. That's what the book of Ezra is all about.
Speaker 1:And then to rebuild the walls around the city, which is what the book of Ezra is all about. And then to rebuild the walls around the city, which is what the book of Nehemiah is about. And Nehemiah is listing their names and their numbers and he's essentially saying to the people of God who had just rebuilt these walls and I'm going to make this language personal because God in his word is saying the same thing to you, right where you are sitting today One remember who you are as a child of God. As these walls around Jerusalem had been finished, nehemiah locks eyes with the people and says remember who you are as a child of God, as a part of this story that started long before you. And God is saying the same thing to every single person in this gathering who's a follower of Jesus. And if you're not a follower of Jesus, I want to invite you today to become a follower of Jesus. Not, I want to invite you, even as I say that God desires relationship with you. God loves you so much. In a world of eight billion people. You matter to God. God loves you personally so much that he so you, like every single other person in the world, including all of us in this gathering.
Speaker 1:You have sinned against God. You've turned aside from God and his ways to yourself and your own ways, and your sin separates you from God, and if you die in this state of separation from God, you'll spend eternity separated from God In judgment. Do your sin, but the good news of the Bible, the greatest news in the world, is that God has not left you alone in your sin. God has come to the world in the person of Jesus, and Jesus lived a life of no sin, unlike anybody else, and then, even though he had no sin for which to die. Jesus chose to die on a cross to pay the price for our sins, and then, three days later, he rose from the grave in victory over sin and death. So that you, so that anyone anywhere, no matter who you are, no matter what you have done if you will turn from your sin and trust in Jesus as the Savior, the Lord of your life, god will forgive you of all your sin and restore you to relationship with him, now and forever. I invite you God is inviting you today, to trust in him and begin a relationship with him. What are you waiting for?
Speaker 1:Your life now and for eternity hinges on this, and when you do, when you place your faith in Jesus and for all who have, you are not just one in a multitude of God's children. Like you count, I only have six kids, but I don't just look at them as a group and think, yeah, I just love you guys as a whole. No, every single one of my kids has such a unique place in my heart. I love each of them so much it hurts, and any parent knows that. Each of them matters so much to me, and I'm an imperfect father. God is a perfect, holy, heavenly father, and he says to each one of his children personally you matter to me, your life matters so much to me. God says this about you and it's thought God says this about you, on his thought. God says this about you Do not look to this world to define you. Look to God, your Father, to define you. Realize who you are, not based on what this person or that person or this message or that message in the world says. Based on what God, your Creator, who loves you and has made you fearfully and wonderfully in His image and desires the best for you. Define yourself based on who he says you are. Remember you who you are as a child of God and then remember who is gone before you in the family of God.
Speaker 1:It's beautiful what Nehemiah is saying with this list of people in Nehemiah 7. What God is saying to us today we're in a long line of people who have faithfully walked with God before us. And think about this for a minute. Don't miss this. You've got to see this. This list of people in Nehemiah 7 led to the rebuilding of Jerusalem among God's people, which led centuries later to the place where Jesus came and lived and died and rose again, which led to the founding of the church, which led to the spread of the gospel from Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria and beyond, all the way, 2,000 years later, to the spread of the gospel to you and me and all the places in the world where we have heard the gospel.
Speaker 1:Do you realize what this means? Nehemiah, chapter 7, is our history. This is our history. This is our heritage. These are the people of God who went before us. This is our story.
Speaker 1:And then you start thinking about fast forward to the people of God who specifically shaped your life and my life, who shared the gospel with you and me and our families or different churches in different countries around the world, and this church family. This is nothing short of awesome. Do you realize your life is a part of something so much bigger and grander than you are? It spans history, generations. So remember who you are, remember who's gone before you in the family of God, and remember how they've given their lives for the glory of God. And we're a part of a heritage, a family of faith that includes Nehemiah going to a Persian king and Ezra risking his life, and Zerubbabel and Moses and Abraham and Sarah before them, and Peter and John and Mary and Lydia and Paul after them, people who have given their lives to pass the gospel on from generation to generation, who've faithfully walked with God, including people in our lives who have walked with God and passed the gospel on to us. So, in light of who you are, in light of the heritage of people who've given their lives for the glory of God, nehemiah was saying then, and God is saying to you and me today resolve to continue the work of God in the time and place in which you are living.
Speaker 1:In Nehemiah 7, god had not brought back these people, these families, to sit back and settle into their villages while the city of Jerusalem lay in ruins. So, in the same way, I ask you has God brought you to this time and place in the history of his people for you to sit back in casual, comfortable, cultural, routine religion while you just watch him work as a spectator in the world? Is that God's design for your life? No way. You were created for so much more than that. You're a child of God. You're unique. You are not just other people. You are a unique and significant part of the people of God, which means you have a unique and significant part to play in the building up of his kingdom in the world, to realize why you're here in this time and place. Not to coast through casual, comfortable, routine religion until you get to heaven. No, don't settle for that. You're a part of a coming kingdom. You have the greatest news in the world you have the Holy Spirit of God in your heart. You're a child of God.
Speaker 1:So, to use our question from this entire series, what could God do if every single person among his people said just like Nehemiah said, and scores of other people named and numbered said I'm going to play my part in the work of God in my day. I'm going to give my resources, I'm going to spend my life building up God's people, advancing God's kingdom in the world in my day? And do we realize the time and place in which we are living? There are more people alive today in the world who have never heard the gospel than ever before in history. We talk about this all the time, but we're 3 billion people unreached by the gospel today and you and I, in this time, in this place, have more opportunities to reach them with the gospel than ever before in history. Never before have people been able to travel like we can have technology like we have globalization in the marketplace, unprecedented wealth in the history of the world, the opportunities we have, praise God.
Speaker 1:This week I heard about Samuel and Sierra who took a job. Members of our church took a job through the government in Southeast Asia specifically so that they could go spread the gospel among people who've never heard the name of Jesus in Southeast Asia. Samuel just preached his first sermon in the church there this last week. Yes, do you see it? You matter, whether you're in Metro Washington DC or Southeast Asia, you matter and you have a part to play in the advancement of God's kingdom in the world through your gifts, your skills, your job, your school, your education, your resources.
Speaker 1:Do not buy the lie of the adversary that you're just kind of on the sidelines and other people are doing the real work in the kingdom of God. That is not from God. That is the evil one saying that to you. Don't sell God short for what he's created you for, especially here for us in the capital of the United States, in a church filled with people from all kinds of nations, the opportunities we have to spread the gospel among the nations in this unique city and from this unique city to the ends of the earth.
Speaker 1:What could God do if every single person in this church family, from 10 years old to 90 years old and everywhere in between, from every single background, said I want my life to count? This is what God is saying to us through this passage that we would normally just kind of glaze over when we read through the Bible. God is saying you count as you matter and as you hear him saying that to you. God's calling us to say and I want to make my life count with a little bit of breath that I have this mist of a life vapor that's here when seconds have gone to next. I want to make it count to do all that you're calling me to do in this world. We hope you've enjoyed this week's episode of Radical with David Platt. For more resources from David Platt, we invite you to visit radicalnet.