WEBVTT 00:00:32.109 --> 00:00:43.710 All right, we are in week eight of our of our session of our Sunday school session, which I'm saying again because I just hit the record, so I have that now for progeny. 00:00:43.789 --> 00:00:46.269 Uh we are in Nehemiah chapter seven. 00:00:46.429 --> 00:00:48.109 Uh, it is good to see you all. 00:00:48.269 --> 00:00:49.710 Coffee is ready. 00:00:49.869 --> 00:00:53.950 Um, Bia made it, so it's good, unlike anything I would try to make. 00:00:54.269 --> 00:00:59.230 Um let's dive into subscription. 00:00:59.310 --> 00:01:00.349 But some opening questions. 00:01:00.429 --> 00:01:02.269 Well, first of all, let's start with this. 00:01:02.509 --> 00:01:12.670 Uh we are now in really about halfway through the book of Nehemiah, a little more than halfway through our study together. 00:01:12.909 --> 00:01:16.189 Um, what has happened so far? 00:01:18.269 --> 00:01:19.069 Wall's built. 00:01:19.469 --> 00:01:20.189 Wall's built. 00:01:20.750 --> 00:01:21.549 Except the gates. 00:01:21.949 --> 00:01:23.229 Except the gates. 00:01:23.789 --> 00:01:28.030 And yeah, we're we'll get the gates up this chapter. 00:01:28.590 --> 00:01:29.789 Not everyone is pleased. 00:01:30.349 --> 00:01:32.430 Not everyone is happy. 00:01:34.109 --> 00:01:37.949 That that that's not going to get fixed anytime soon. 00:01:38.430 --> 00:01:41.550 Um there's been some opposition. 00:01:41.629 --> 00:01:43.229 Where has the opposition come from? 00:01:46.189 --> 00:01:52.030 Inside and out, surrounding all around them, and then the enemies have come from within. 00:01:52.430 --> 00:01:59.310 They've had to deal with Senbalat, Tobiah, Geshem, the people to the south. 00:02:00.669 --> 00:02:03.870 And then what about the internal division? 00:02:06.109 --> 00:02:06.590 Yes. 00:02:07.310 --> 00:02:07.870 Slavery. 00:02:08.349 --> 00:02:10.270 So slavery. 00:02:10.830 --> 00:02:11.310 Usury. 00:02:11.870 --> 00:02:12.430 Usury. 00:02:12.750 --> 00:02:31.710 In the middle of the famine, where we're selling the sons and daughters to pay for grain, and then we're charging loans to each other to make a buck, and then we've been redeeming the other people from slavery, but then the Jews out the other side have been selling the people back, only then to be redeemed by the other Jews to make money off the other Jews. 00:02:31.949 --> 00:02:46.989 And so uh Nehemiah came for a wall building project, and he's really has all this has started on you know, two months, under two months now, of just basic, you know, community restoration. 00:02:48.189 --> 00:02:55.629 And at some point you have to wonder if he's going, like, what have I gotten myself into? 00:02:56.269 --> 00:02:59.549 But that's the one thing he never says this entire time. 00:02:59.709 --> 00:03:01.629 I wouldn't blame him if he thought it. 00:03:01.949 --> 00:03:07.709 Um but as he says, he says, God has put this in his head to do all this. 00:03:07.949 --> 00:03:11.150 But the wall is the wall is going up in under two months. 00:03:11.389 --> 00:03:22.829 Um, if if if we believe some archaeological records, um it was nearly 40 feet high and nine feet, nine feet thick in some places. 00:03:23.789 --> 00:03:31.709 Constructed with the materials lying around, probably some rubble from the previous wall held together with some form of concrete mortar. 00:03:31.789 --> 00:03:44.429 You you can look up pictures of this thing in some places constructed where the the former kind of walls of David had been, maybe in some places extended, and then they have the gates go up. 00:03:44.829 --> 00:04:02.429 Um here people constructed the walls around, they had the daughters helping out, and then the opposition comes, that leaves that leads them to be end up sleeping around the wall, um, which possibly makes the wall go up even faster, so they don't have to do that anymore. 00:04:02.750 --> 00:04:13.389 More opposition comes, then uh the people get worn down, so they have to start going on shifts because half of them have to be on guard duty, so they get breaks, which makes perhaps the wall go up even faster. 00:04:13.709 --> 00:04:22.430 And then here they are, and everyone who opposed them looks foolish, and the Jews don't even have to say anything, and we come to Nehemiah 7. 00:04:23.150 --> 00:04:32.269 Now some Sunday school classes might just get Nehemiah 7. 00:04:33.550 --> 00:04:44.829 Some Sunday school teachers may have arranged their daughter to be married so they could be out in New Jersey so they didn't have to teach Nehemiah 7. 00:04:46.189 --> 00:04:48.590 I'm not saying that's what happened. 00:04:49.230 --> 00:04:52.750 I'm just saying some people could have done that. 00:04:53.069 --> 00:04:54.110 No, that's not what happened. 00:04:54.910 --> 00:05:03.390 Um because this is everyone's favorite read through a Bible in one year chapter. 00:05:03.629 --> 00:05:07.150 It's a chapter with a lot of names. 00:05:10.430 --> 00:05:11.870 A great many names. 00:05:11.950 --> 00:05:15.790 It's not all names, but it's mostly names. 00:05:16.510 --> 00:05:19.550 And some people may say, let's just get. 00:05:28.030 --> 00:05:28.350 No. 00:05:31.710 --> 00:05:33.310 I can't pronounce one of the names. 00:05:33.710 --> 00:05:35.790 So you're gonna have to read this chapter for it. 00:05:36.110 --> 00:05:40.270 Um I am going to read this chapter, unless someone really wants to volunteer. 00:05:44.430 --> 00:05:46.750 And Robin just volunteered. 00:05:46.910 --> 00:05:49.629 Ah, I have a change. 00:05:50.750 --> 00:05:55.710 Nathan's come back after some time off, and he's volunteered to do Nehemiah 7. 00:05:55.790 --> 00:05:57.390 No, I'm not gonna make you do that. 00:05:57.629 --> 00:06:02.430 Um Alan, you want to read it? 00:06:02.750 --> 00:06:06.510 Put some of that seminary degree to work, uh, that degree to work. 00:06:06.670 --> 00:06:10.350 Um but here's the thing on the larger point, why are we doing this? 00:06:10.510 --> 00:06:15.150 Um on a certain level, it's in the Bible for a reason. 00:06:16.110 --> 00:06:21.950 In fact, uh just you maybe tell us in the quote time, this is in the Bible twice. 00:06:23.150 --> 00:06:28.750 Nehemiah is quoting an earlier book of the Bible with this entire list. 00:06:29.150 --> 00:06:34.750 There are so many lists of names in the Bible, this one gets to be in the Bible twice. 00:06:35.150 --> 00:06:44.670 Because this is also mostly Ezra chapter 2, which is itself interesting and we're talking about this long list of names that Mr. 00:06:44.750 --> 00:06:45.870 Travis wants to skip. 00:06:46.750 --> 00:06:48.990 Um, I never told you. 00:06:50.510 --> 00:06:51.150 Yeah. 00:06:51.470 --> 00:06:52.270 Nor did I. 00:06:52.590 --> 00:06:53.470 I didn't graduate. 00:06:53.710 --> 00:06:54.510 Yeah, yeah. 00:06:55.069 --> 00:06:59.710 Nor did I, is so entangled to the Bible it's in a twice. 00:07:00.350 --> 00:07:01.710 And so there you are. 00:07:01.870 --> 00:07:06.270 Today we have the list of uh of names in the Bible that that makes a twice. 00:07:06.510 --> 00:07:15.150 Yeah, actually, I was in my 60s when I went to the seminary, so there's certain talks I I decided I don't really don't need to know that. 00:07:16.670 --> 00:07:21.230 Well, I don't know exactly how you how you pronounce Sons of Nakota, but maybe Alan does. 00:07:21.390 --> 00:07:22.750 Uh yes, Richard. 00:07:22.990 --> 00:07:30.189 Uh years ago, is that someone over our way church in Birmingham pastor started that's Frank Barker? 00:07:30.670 --> 00:07:33.470 Remember him telling a story one time about one of his elders. 00:07:34.030 --> 00:07:38.510 He'd get up and rage in church and he'd just say hard word, hard word, hard word. 00:07:41.069 --> 00:07:42.510 That's such a bad idea. 00:07:42.830 --> 00:07:43.390 That's me. 00:07:44.430 --> 00:07:48.750 Um before I go on for telling funny Bible hard hard hard named stories. 00:07:48.830 --> 00:07:50.350 And I can do that because Al's not here. 00:07:50.430 --> 00:07:52.270 Um, because I don't have his funny stories. 00:07:52.430 --> 00:07:55.790 Like I I had you know a Sunday school class. 00:07:55.950 --> 00:07:58.030 I taught for many years at the Baptist church. 00:07:58.110 --> 00:07:58.750 I came from here. 00:07:58.830 --> 00:08:07.790 And and just to encourage some of them to just try to read some of the Bible out a lot of new Christians, I just told them like, look, I I tell them I don't exactly know how to pronounce it either when I do it. 00:08:07.870 --> 00:08:09.390 I'm just phonetically doing English. 00:08:09.470 --> 00:08:11.230 I'm I'm I'm faking it to a certain extent. 00:08:11.310 --> 00:08:12.030 I can just do it. 00:08:12.430 --> 00:08:16.990 You know, it's like it's like how I read Shakespeare, you know, with my English classes. 00:08:17.069 --> 00:08:20.110 I think I know, I maybe know how to say it, but I might be wrong. 00:08:20.270 --> 00:08:25.550 Um, you know, some professor may come in and say, actually, in the in the middle ages, they'd have said it like that. 00:08:25.790 --> 00:08:33.629 Um, but you know, I just say, you know, you don't know how to say if it's Zatu, you know, they would just say, just say Zachary. 00:08:33.870 --> 00:08:40.990 You know, it was like so that they'd read something like this, and they would just say, Oh, well, this one's Tom, that one's Harry, you know, Jill. 00:08:41.230 --> 00:08:43.470 All right, so take it away, Alan. 00:08:43.710 --> 00:08:44.909 All right, chapter seven. 00:08:45.149 --> 00:08:53.309 Now when the wall had been built, and I had set up the doors, and the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been upon me. 00:08:53.549 --> 00:09:04.669 I gave my brother Hanami and Hananiah, the governor of the castle, charge over Jerusalem, for he was a more faithful and God-fearing man than many. 00:09:04.909 --> 00:09:10.589 And I said to them, Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is high. 00:09:10.829 --> 00:09:16.029 And while they are still standing guard, let them shut and bar the doors. 00:09:16.269 --> 00:09:24.589 Appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, some at their guard posts and some in front of their own homes. 00:09:24.909 --> 00:09:31.389 The city was wide and large, but the people within it were few, and no houses had been rebuilt. 00:09:32.349 --> 00:09:40.189 Then my God put it in my heart to assemble the nobles and the officials and the peoples to be enrolled by genealogy. 00:09:40.429 --> 00:09:58.349 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 prophets who came up out of the captivity of those exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried into exile. 00:09:58.909 --> 00:10:02.829 They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town. 00:10:02.990 --> 00:14:35.469 They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Rhimiah, Nahaman, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mizpareth, Big Bai, Nehem, Banah, the number of the men of the people of Israel, the sons of Karosh, 2,172, the sons of Shaphatia, 372, the sons of Arah, 652, the sons of Pahath Moab, namely the sons of Jeshua and Joab, 2,818, the sons of Elam, 1,254, the sons of Satu, 845, the sons of Sakai, 760, the sons of Benub 648, the sons of Babai, 628, the sons of Azgad, 232, the sons of Adam Adonai, 667, the sons of Bigvi, 2067, the sons of Adam, 655, the sons of Ayer, namely of Hezekiah, 98, the sons of Hashem, 328, the sons of Bezai, 324, the sons of Heraph 112, the sons of Gibeon, 95, the men of Bethlehem and Nedpha 188, the men of Anathoth 128, the men of Beth, Azimab Beth, 42, the men of Kirath and Jira, Shifrah and Biroth, 743, the men of Ramah and Gebah, 621, the men of Mikmas, 122, the men of Bethel and Ai, 123, the men of other Nedo, 52, the sons of the other Elam, 1,254, the sons of Haran, 320, the sons of Jericho, 345, the sons of Lod Hadid and Ono 721, the sons of Sinnah, 3,930, the priest of the sons of Jediah, namely the house of Jeshua, 973, the sons of Emir, 1,052, the sons of Pasher, 1,247, the sons of Haram, 1,017, the Levites, the sons of Jeshua, namely Cadmel of the sons of Hodobah, 74, the Singers, the son of Asaph, 148, the gatekeepers, the sons of Shalom, the sons of Adam, the sons of Talon, the sons of Aku, the sons of Achitah, the sons of Shobai, 138, the temple servants, the sons of Dea, the sons of Hasipha, the sons of Tabal, the sons of Karas, the sons of Sia, the sons of Padm, the sons of Laban, the sons of Hagaba, the sons of Shalmai, the sons of Hanan, the sons of Gidel, the sons of Gehar, the sons of Riyah, the sons of Reza, the sons of Makabah, the sons of Gaza, the sons of Uzah, the sons of Ghasta, the sons of Messai, the sons of Uh, the sons of Mathushia, the sons of Makbuk, the sons of Hakaphah, the sons of Har, the sons of Baza, the sons of Mahida, the sons of Harsha, the sons of Bark, the sons of Satura, the sons of Tim, the sons of Maziah, the sons of Hatha, the sons of Solomon's servants, the sons of Sotai, the sons of Sephiroth, the sons of Herod, the sons of Jal, the sons of Dark and the sons of Gilead, the sons of Shef Atih, the sons of Hatih, the sons of Hogarh, Hatham, the sons of Hammer. 00:14:35.870 --> 00:14:40.269 All the temple servants of the sons of Solomon's servants were 392. 00:14:40.750 --> 00:14:49.069 The following were those who came out from Tel Habash, Jura, Adam, and Amor. 00:14:49.389 --> 00:14:55.309 But they could not prove their father's house nor their descendants, whether they belonged to Israel. 00:14:55.629 --> 00:15:16.589 The sons of Goliath, the sons of Shemiah, the sons of Mecca in 642, also the priests, the sons of Hobiah, the sons of Hakaz, the sons of Barzillae, who had taken away from the daughters of Barzilli, Giladh, Giladh, Gilead, and was called by their name. 00:15:16.829 --> 00:15:26.029 They sought their registration among those involved in the genealogies, but it was not found there, so they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. 00:15:26.429 --> 00:15:34.909 The governor told them that they were not to partake in the most holy food until a priest with the early should arise. 00:15:36.110 --> 00:15:46.589 The whole assembly together was 42,360, besides their male and female servants, of whom there were 7,337. 00:15:46.990 --> 00:15:50.829 And they had 245 singers, male and female. 00:15:50.990 --> 00:16:01.629 The horses were 736, their mules 245, their cattle was 435, and their dogs 6,720. 00:16:01.949 --> 00:16:05.949 Now some of the heads of fathers' houses gave to the wood. 00:16:18.909 --> 00:16:29.069 And some of the heads of the father's houses gave into the treasury of the work 20,000 barracks of gold and 2,200 minas of silver. 00:16:29.309 --> 00:16:38.669 And what the rest of the people gave was 20,000 barracks of gold, 2,000 minas of silver, and 67 priests' garments. 00:16:38.909 --> 00:16:47.789 So the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people of the temple servants, and all Israel lived in their towns. 00:16:47.949 --> 00:16:53.629 And when the seventh months, the seventh month had come, the people of Israel were in their towns. 00:17:09.150 --> 00:17:14.750 I've got the information study Bible maybe use, like you said, to go back to Ezra. 00:17:14.990 --> 00:17:16.670 And there's a footnote there. 00:17:29.150 --> 00:17:32.110 First, the Lord knows his people personally. 00:17:32.430 --> 00:17:39.149 The covenant relation between the Lord and his people is a bond of intimate friendship. 00:17:39.389 --> 00:17:45.629 Second, common people are viable in the accomplishing of God's redemptive plan. 00:17:46.589 --> 00:17:52.109 Not only the religious and political leaders, but also the common people are important in rebuilding the house of God. 00:17:52.190 --> 00:17:59.389 In fact, the rest of the people contribute more to the rebuilding that do the heads of the fathers' houses and the government. 00:17:59.629 --> 00:18:06.029 Third, enumeration resembles that found in Nehemiah 126 in Joshua. 00:18:06.430 --> 00:18:10.269 And the Lord formed the community after the exodus from Egypt. 00:18:10.990 --> 00:18:14.269 So he creates it after the return from Babylon. 00:18:14.509 --> 00:18:17.309 However, for the moment they remain the people of Province. 00:18:17.389 --> 00:18:23.869 In other words, you're still under the oversight of the Persian Empire to turn home, but they still don't have political freedom. 00:18:24.109 --> 00:18:24.670 Yeah. 00:18:25.230 --> 00:18:26.269 Thank you, Richard. 00:18:28.029 --> 00:18:36.829 And yeah, maybe this is worth then jumping into uh, you know, chapter question three up there, then with that. 00:18:36.990 --> 00:18:41.549 Like I and there's a little to be said here kind of in the opening of seven. 00:18:41.789 --> 00:19:00.190 So um if you if we look at verse five and then verse six, so um yeah, Mary Nehemiah is basically represents to a certain extent the third return from uh from Babylon. 00:19:00.269 --> 00:19:15.389 We have a first group with Zerababel, a group with Ezra, and now a at least beginning a smaller, a smaller remnant after the first group coming with Nehemiah, which joins with a group of people who a smaller group who had never been exiled altogether. 00:19:15.629 --> 00:19:23.710 So what it says here is in five, he in the ESV, I found the book of genealogy. 00:19:24.190 --> 00:19:27.789 And then that's a I think a very clear he finds it. 00:19:28.190 --> 00:19:33.869 Like uh maybe personally, maybe not, but he finds it, which means it had been lost. 00:19:34.109 --> 00:19:40.029 And what he basically finds is, and then he spends most of the rest of the chapter quoting it. 00:19:41.230 --> 00:19:55.710 So I spent time in that area, and uh well, my nephew was a missionary in Germany, and I stopped to see him on my way to Bangladesh. 00:19:56.190 --> 00:20:07.069 And uh I said, I met my you know, my my nephew was my interpreter, and they asked me, what's a nephew? 00:20:10.430 --> 00:20:11.789 What is nephew? 00:20:12.829 --> 00:20:14.430 It's a meaningless word. 00:20:14.909 --> 00:20:23.629 When they interested in geology, and they they I was never introduced to somebody who was by that name. 00:20:23.869 --> 00:20:32.750 He is by the son of and related to, and he's you know, I got the history of every person that I met over there. 00:20:33.069 --> 00:20:42.269 Genealogy is tremendously important to them, and you know, it's it's like I I've almost quit using the word nephew now. 00:20:42.430 --> 00:20:44.430 My brother's love, you know. 00:20:46.029 --> 00:20:54.029 But it it's the genealogy is important to the people in that country or in Asia. 00:20:54.990 --> 00:21:00.829 Yeah, the culture over there, so and they keep intense record, and they find it. 00:21:00.909 --> 00:21:08.509 They had lost it, yeah, they had not kept up with it, which I think is partly telling of what have the attitude of the returns have been. 00:21:08.589 --> 00:21:15.309 So Nehemiah is quoting from verse six, and and depends on it depends on some commentaries. 00:21:15.470 --> 00:21:22.430 The the majority I've reads that he's quoting through verse 72, some stop at 69. 00:21:22.750 --> 00:21:26.670 It it it's it's ultimately a fairly trivial uh point. 00:21:27.230 --> 00:21:32.829 Um if if you ultimately want to go back and compare it to Ezra 2. 00:21:32.909 --> 00:21:39.789 I actually really don't do that right now, but it's um he's quoting from something that happened roughly about 90 years ago. 00:21:40.349 --> 00:21:44.909 Because even in Ezra, they're quoting from Zerubabel's original record. 00:21:44.990 --> 00:21:51.869 It's like here are all the people, God's fulfilling of the original promise, like like when they came back. 00:21:53.149 --> 00:21:55.549 And they get ordered again. 00:21:55.789 --> 00:21:58.829 Nehemiah is rebuilding them as a people. 00:21:59.470 --> 00:22:02.430 And it notes at the end of the chapter, they're back in their towns. 00:22:02.589 --> 00:22:05.230 Now they're not in the city, it's still really underpowered. 00:22:05.629 --> 00:22:07.950 There's gonna be plenty of problems in Nehemiah 8. 00:22:08.190 --> 00:22:14.670 Um, and really through the rest that's gonna have to be fixed from where we still are at the end of Nehemiah 7. 00:22:14.990 --> 00:22:19.470 Um, but they're starting to go back to their ancestral lands. 00:22:19.869 --> 00:22:20.909 I have a question. 00:22:20.990 --> 00:22:28.909 Is this list here is is it those who came back from Babylon, or is is this list from prior to the captivity? 00:22:29.789 --> 00:22:31.230 So the names? 00:22:33.309 --> 00:22:35.470 Alright, so this is my best understanding, Don. 00:22:35.950 --> 00:22:38.589 Because at a certain point I ran out of brain with this. 00:22:38.750 --> 00:22:40.190 These are the people of the province. 00:22:40.269 --> 00:22:44.109 They came up out of the captivity of those exiles. 00:22:44.349 --> 00:22:46.909 The king had Babylon had carried into exile. 00:22:46.990 --> 00:22:48.269 And so these came back. 00:22:48.430 --> 00:22:50.670 So these are the post-captivity. 00:22:50.909 --> 00:22:51.149 Yeah. 00:22:51.549 --> 00:22:57.549 And so these are the returnees, the heads of the families, and all their progeny. 00:22:57.789 --> 00:22:58.109 Okay. 00:22:58.829 --> 00:23:07.230 Um they fix it up later, is that they did not settle inside the walls. 00:23:08.349 --> 00:23:08.829 They will. 00:23:09.149 --> 00:23:10.269 That's part of the reason why. 00:23:11.389 --> 00:23:19.950 As we read further on when he brings that out, you know, that's part of the purpose of us to reinhabit the city, you know. 00:23:20.190 --> 00:23:27.389 Because think what all happened, you know, like you know, God warned his people in the end times don't do this, don't do this, don't do this. 00:23:27.629 --> 00:23:29.789 Well, they didn't end up taking captivity and everything. 00:23:29.950 --> 00:23:34.670 Look what happened while they were there 70 years, and they forgot almost everything. 00:23:35.389 --> 00:23:40.509 You know, uh the walls were torn down, all this kind of stuff, everything. 00:23:40.670 --> 00:23:48.190 And you read later on when you're in the next chapter, when uh Ezra read the law, they hadn't even heard it. 00:23:48.269 --> 00:23:50.829 So you know they were in horrible shape, really. 00:23:51.549 --> 00:23:54.589 The rebuilding is a lot more than just building the walls. 00:23:54.670 --> 00:23:58.509 It's it's it's almost rebuilding the whole culture, really. 00:23:58.829 --> 00:24:08.990 And the worst thing they did, they got away from the Lord, but even when they were in captivity, they didn't get they didn't draw near to it, with some exceptions, obviously. 00:24:09.629 --> 00:24:11.470 Yeah, so but yeah, good. 00:24:11.950 --> 00:24:15.149 Also, they're also rebuilding building the purity of the people as well. 00:24:15.309 --> 00:24:22.349 Yes, yeah, you know, it was a bit little section where they had to search the ancestry to see if they were qualified to be priests, man. 00:24:23.149 --> 00:24:43.789 Yeah, so and and what we're going to see that may seem like a harsh thing, and and honestly, it probably was like that's probably a very uncomfortable message to sit and tell these people, some of you is priests, but what we're also going to see, as you get in the back half of this book, is there were some problems with the priests. 00:24:46.589 --> 00:24:58.190 We there's a lot of people possibly with some internal corruption and maybe living off the doll being supported by the other ones, who really should not have been priests. 00:24:58.430 --> 00:25:01.710 And Nehemiah is going to have to deal with that. 00:25:01.869 --> 00:25:20.509 He's been there now under two months, and and the priests are the ones now, at least partly, who are inside the city, some of them functioning as gatekeepers, and uh just just to kind of push you, like where will be kind of Nehemiah 10, 11, 12, like like the the priests are not all okay. 00:25:20.990 --> 00:25:24.349 Um the there's going to have to be a reckoning. 00:25:24.509 --> 00:25:35.710 And and what's kind of gonna come out, and while it doesn't say explicitly, is how exactly have Sanbal and Tobiah been getting all these messages and rumors and problems into the city? 00:25:35.950 --> 00:25:46.430 Um, they got a few of them on the payroll, and it's not the farmers coming inside and the builders, they've got a number of the priests on on the payroll. 00:25:46.589 --> 00:25:50.109 Um, and and that that's what's kind of going to come out here. 00:25:50.430 --> 00:25:55.230 Um and so the the internal problems are are substantial. 00:25:55.389 --> 00:26:05.950 And so they have to figure out okay, who are actually appointed G Long, who are supposed to be the priests, and who are who have gotten mixed up in this. 00:26:06.349 --> 00:26:08.509 Um, and so they've got to try to figure this out. 00:26:08.589 --> 00:26:16.430 And they say, okay, you all, until we kind of verify this that you are supposed to be the family of the priests, you all are not supposed to eat the most holy food. 00:26:17.309 --> 00:26:20.430 It's like, and then until we figure this out. 00:26:21.789 --> 00:26:28.589 Um but I think, of course, if you if your family was a priest, you're a priest. 00:26:28.750 --> 00:26:29.230 Yeah. 00:26:29.470 --> 00:26:37.069 You don't it's not because you study something, it's because your direct line of inheritance. 00:26:38.269 --> 00:26:38.430 Okay. 00:26:39.149 --> 00:26:41.470 So you didn't have to know what a priest did. 00:26:42.190 --> 00:26:46.029 But I would go to the priestly family because my grandfather was a priest. 00:26:47.309 --> 00:26:56.909 And think of that, I mean, those of you know, if you study the New Testament, because they're not going to have political independence, you know, you know, on. 00:26:57.149 --> 00:27:14.349 It's you have a governor appointed here in Nehemiah, but it's the priests who will become the unifying force holding this culture together that will continue until the time of Christ. 00:27:15.549 --> 00:27:22.589 They're also partly corrupt and tend to have some of their own little side projects going on. 00:27:22.670 --> 00:27:30.750 And like, uh like we have a lot of patterns, you know, that will continue for roughly the next 450 years. 00:27:31.069 --> 00:27:34.190 Um, so Xerobabel comes back with the first group. 00:27:34.349 --> 00:27:40.029 If you want to go, and if you if you want some deep homework over the next week, you you know, go read the small book of Haggai. 00:27:40.190 --> 00:27:42.190 You know, they get the second temple built. 00:27:42.349 --> 00:27:48.190 In the book of Esther, they start rebuilding the walls, but you have again sort of the outside opposition. 00:27:48.349 --> 00:27:55.869 They write the letters uh to then Xerxes saying, hey, they're gonna start rebelling. 00:27:56.029 --> 00:28:04.349 The letters come out from Persia, stop rebuilding those walls, all work on the walls and the city, stop at that point until we get Nehemiah. 00:28:04.509 --> 00:28:06.430 But but they also fragment. 00:28:07.549 --> 00:28:13.470 Um, they have the temple, but the temple is not being really used as a center of worship. 00:28:13.549 --> 00:28:14.190 We'll see later. 00:28:14.269 --> 00:28:16.829 It's also partly an area, area of commerce. 00:28:16.990 --> 00:28:19.149 The priests are using it partly for tobiah. 00:28:19.230 --> 00:28:22.589 Again, once again, shades of things, 450 years to come. 00:28:22.670 --> 00:28:27.069 You're gonna have to have Christ come in and freaking turn over the tables, going, stop this. 00:28:27.230 --> 00:28:36.269 I mean, Nehemiah is gonna try it once, and then um a lot of cultural patterns are one coming back uh out of this. 00:28:36.430 --> 00:28:38.029 Uh, and again, thank you all for that. 00:28:38.109 --> 00:28:41.309 I this is a good stuff out there, but but yes, they're bringing them back. 00:28:41.389 --> 00:28:45.230 Nehemiah is even continuing to note all the donkeys they had when they come back. 00:28:45.309 --> 00:28:47.389 And these people had a lot of donkeys. 00:28:48.509 --> 00:28:49.950 6,720. 00:28:50.269 --> 00:28:50.829 Indeed. 00:28:51.069 --> 00:28:52.670 He notes the original giving. 00:28:52.750 --> 00:29:06.909 Now, I will say this some of you who are ridiculous Bible nerds, and some of you are ridiculous Bible nerds, there is, if you want to go back to compare this with Ezra II, one of the major differences is the money that is given. 00:29:07.149 --> 00:29:13.389 And is this a second giving by Nehemiah and the elders to match the people? 00:29:13.629 --> 00:29:17.470 Is this a slight scribal error over the years? 00:29:17.549 --> 00:29:19.869 And is Nehemiah re-quoting Ezra II? 00:29:20.349 --> 00:29:21.389 Because it's really close. 00:29:21.549 --> 00:29:24.269 It's like it's like one digit off in places. 00:29:24.430 --> 00:29:32.990 Um, if you want to go, very Bible narrow, exactly how much gold is 41,000 dericks of gold? 00:29:33.149 --> 00:29:37.149 In raw weight, it's a little under a metric ton. 00:29:39.309 --> 00:29:41.149 That's a lot of gold. 00:29:41.389 --> 00:29:46.829 Um I I I ran this through at least some modern GoPro Gold prices through AI. 00:29:46.990 --> 00:29:54.190 Al's at least knowledge told me that he thinks AI was well under what he thinks the price of gold should be. 00:29:54.349 --> 00:29:57.309 Um, but you know, you you we can trust where it is. 00:29:57.549 --> 00:30:07.629 But it comes out to on a conservative estimate, it just the gold before it, if we don't try to figure out what basins, garments, and and and the silver should be. 00:30:07.950 --> 00:30:13.789 On a conservative estimate, in 2026, this is 35 million dollars. 00:30:14.589 --> 00:30:19.309 Um, so million million, 35 million. 00:30:19.549 --> 00:30:23.470 Um, you know, this is quite a just, you know. 00:30:23.629 --> 00:30:32.909 I I now I actually think he's quoting from Ezra 2 because Cyrus and then Xerxes had told him to come back, take all the original gold with you. 00:30:33.629 --> 00:30:40.509 And um, you know, but this is a lot of stuff. 00:30:40.670 --> 00:30:43.389 He says what was like originally there. 00:30:43.710 --> 00:30:53.149 Um, and so that's you know, if you want some Bible trivia, you know, that's you know, some of them had done well in captivity. 00:30:53.549 --> 00:31:00.190 Um but it also notes that all everything the people gave and everything they came back with. 00:31:00.349 --> 00:31:02.269 So uh, but let's note a few things here. 00:31:02.430 --> 00:31:07.950 So let's just jump, however, I don't want to miss off verses one through four here. 00:31:08.190 --> 00:31:18.349 Um, so first of all, he he's the doors get set up, verse one, and the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed. 00:31:18.589 --> 00:31:18.909 Okay. 00:31:20.670 --> 00:31:22.909 So let's talk about this out loud. 00:31:23.149 --> 00:31:28.750 Um why appoint gatekeepers, singers, and Levites first? 00:31:34.029 --> 00:31:37.549 They're at least the because he'll list the precepts. 00:31:37.869 --> 00:31:40.430 They're at least the family and tribe of the priests. 00:31:41.710 --> 00:31:45.549 They're the temple and priestly uh care uh caregivers. 00:31:48.589 --> 00:31:52.269 And should be noted, they will be among the first to live in the city. 00:31:55.230 --> 00:31:57.789 Well, I think he wanted to set up worship, yeah. 00:32:03.309 --> 00:32:07.710 Yeah, we may not have time to dive fully into this, but he points the singers. 00:32:08.349 --> 00:32:16.589 How much of this list really just emphasizes how much worship Nehemiah expects to be done in Jerusalem? 00:32:16.829 --> 00:32:39.309 Like, he gets the singers appointed, and in this list he notes it in, I mean it comes from Ezra II, but there is specific noting in the Levites of all their sons and the temple workers, while the other people of Israel, while not unimportant, are mainly just listed by families. 00:32:41.950 --> 00:32:54.670 There is a lot of emphasis on the people who will be directing the worship, leading the worship, and being involved in the worship. 00:32:56.349 --> 00:33:02.990 And that's the first people Nehemiah makes sure are going to be inside Jerusalem. 00:33:05.230 --> 00:33:08.430 And they have to be because they mostly still this point don't have houses. 00:33:08.990 --> 00:33:10.589 They're in a pretty low house state. 00:33:10.750 --> 00:33:15.869 I know he was in a house last chapter, but that that's like there aren't a lot of those. 00:33:19.470 --> 00:33:21.789 And then the gatekeepers, okay? 00:33:22.109 --> 00:33:23.869 Now, watch this. 00:33:24.029 --> 00:33:26.509 Who gets to be the gatekeepers? 00:33:31.309 --> 00:33:33.230 The people that live there. 00:33:35.309 --> 00:33:36.990 People that are close approximately. 00:33:37.470 --> 00:33:37.869 Yes. 00:33:38.750 --> 00:33:39.069 Okay. 00:33:39.869 --> 00:33:42.750 What kind of attributes are these people? 00:33:43.309 --> 00:33:44.990 As far as we can tell. 00:33:50.909 --> 00:33:52.029 They're tough? 00:33:52.509 --> 00:34:10.349 So he gave his brother Hanani and Hananiah, just in case you thought that everybody was gonna be named Harif or, you know, they had they had at least some poet, poet, you know, poetics to some of this name. 00:34:10.909 --> 00:34:16.110 Why is his brother, however, initially employed charge over Jerusalem? 00:34:17.230 --> 00:34:21.950 He was more faithful in God fearing than many in this. 00:34:23.710 --> 00:34:27.710 The qualities of leadership in this new rebuilt Jerusalem. 00:34:27.950 --> 00:34:30.510 It's not tough, it's not money, it's okay. 00:34:30.750 --> 00:34:32.110 You are fearing God. 00:34:33.230 --> 00:34:45.949 Now, and that's why I want to establish a pure descendants, uh, Jewish descendants, people who are in the Cabinet community. 00:34:48.269 --> 00:34:51.550 Because we want to rebuild the Cabinet community. 00:34:52.029 --> 00:34:56.429 And what is basically their first job after Nehemiah points, though? 00:35:00.110 --> 00:35:01.869 This is verse three. 00:35:02.750 --> 00:35:04.750 Open late, close early. 00:35:05.869 --> 00:35:07.230 Well, well, well, well, yeah. 00:35:07.389 --> 00:35:10.829 Well, well, Hanani and Hananiah can't open all the gates themselves. 00:35:11.230 --> 00:35:13.070 Well, well, yeah, they're gonna direct the gates. 00:35:13.150 --> 00:35:14.909 It's appoint the guards. 00:35:15.789 --> 00:35:18.029 You guys appoint the guards. 00:35:18.269 --> 00:35:21.949 Why is it important that Hanani and Hananiah appoint the guards? 00:35:22.269 --> 00:35:24.110 Multiple possible answers here. 00:35:26.429 --> 00:35:28.269 We hope you're a good judge of character. 00:35:28.349 --> 00:35:29.469 If you're God-fearing the city. 00:35:29.630 --> 00:35:29.869 Yes. 00:35:32.269 --> 00:35:38.190 We need the people running the gates of this city, one because of opposition, and two, this is the holy city. 00:35:38.349 --> 00:35:41.869 We need God-fearing people appointing the people under them. 00:35:42.269 --> 00:35:44.829 The guards need to know their jobs. 00:35:45.309 --> 00:35:48.110 Because the guards have to know their mission. 00:35:48.989 --> 00:35:52.029 We don't need people who just open doors. 00:35:53.230 --> 00:35:57.710 Well, they also knowing their enemies, don't want anybody that could be subject to barbs. 00:35:58.989 --> 00:36:01.469 You know, give you a little money, you forget to lie to home. 00:36:02.110 --> 00:36:08.429 So you need people who are actually committed to the job that know what this city is about. 00:36:09.230 --> 00:36:13.070 Or is that one commentary said you don't need yo-yos on the gate. 00:36:14.190 --> 00:36:17.630 This says Ananiya was the governor of the castle charge. 00:36:17.789 --> 00:36:19.389 What is the castle charge? 00:36:20.909 --> 00:36:23.150 That's the member of the fortress right now. 00:36:24.429 --> 00:36:29.710 I think he's in charge of security, if you want to know, but that's that's Jason's reading of the phrase. 00:36:30.029 --> 00:36:33.630 He is the guy with the keys. 00:36:36.429 --> 00:36:37.070 Yeah. 00:36:37.550 --> 00:36:42.829 You're not in charge of the temple, but you're in charge of the civics around here. 00:36:46.110 --> 00:36:48.909 Now, why does Nehemiah have to okay, review? 00:36:48.989 --> 00:36:50.989 Why does Nehemiah have to appoint anybody at all? 00:36:51.070 --> 00:36:51.949 He's there. 00:36:52.590 --> 00:36:53.710 He can't do it all. 00:36:54.349 --> 00:36:55.630 One, he can't do it all. 00:36:55.789 --> 00:36:56.750 And he has to return. 00:36:56.909 --> 00:36:58.429 And he's gotta go back. 00:36:59.630 --> 00:37:01.789 He already told Xerxes he'd go back. 00:37:04.029 --> 00:37:05.389 He's run out of time. 00:37:05.550 --> 00:37:06.750 He's gotta go back. 00:37:06.909 --> 00:37:08.429 And he can't do it all. 00:37:08.670 --> 00:37:10.029 And that's really important. 00:37:11.070 --> 00:37:13.949 Some leaders burn themselves out trying to do it all. 00:37:14.590 --> 00:37:15.869 And they try to expensive. 00:37:16.110 --> 00:37:20.750 He appoints somebody, he says, You all fear the Lord, you all are the best people to do this. 00:37:20.909 --> 00:37:21.789 I gotta leave. 00:37:21.869 --> 00:37:27.789 Now we know because of a previous chapter, he's gonna be appointed to come back at a certain point in time. 00:37:27.949 --> 00:37:37.309 In fact, if you follow the timeline very closely, when he gets back, Xerxes most likely tells him, Great, you're the new governor of Jerusalem. 00:37:37.469 --> 00:37:44.670 And he's gonna serve that, he's doing that for 12 years and send them right back. 00:37:44.829 --> 00:37:45.230 Yeah. 00:37:45.550 --> 00:37:49.710 Actually, that's been a problem with the Jews. 00:37:51.469 --> 00:38:05.070 And the sepulchre at in Jerusalem today, there's five different Christian or groups that claim as the temple where Jesus is buried. 00:38:05.389 --> 00:38:08.110 But nobody can agree who can open the door. 00:38:08.269 --> 00:38:15.230 So there's an Arab who's got the key that comes and opens the door to the sepulchre every day. 00:38:16.829 --> 00:38:18.110 That's today. 00:38:18.509 --> 00:38:21.469 You can imagine what it was like back then. 00:38:22.269 --> 00:38:27.230 You know, if they if you can't get together, who's gonna open the door? 00:38:28.909 --> 00:38:29.389 That guy. 00:38:30.190 --> 00:38:37.469 You know, so it's it sounds, you know, the Jews are still dreaming very Jewish. 00:38:37.630 --> 00:38:38.989 I mean, put it this way. 00:38:42.429 --> 00:38:58.909 And but and thinking that like who needs to be, it's like the most important thing to Nehemiah is one, the people already living in the city, they're guarding the area, but it's like the people doing the roles around the tip of the garden city, they need to be on mission. 00:39:01.230 --> 00:39:07.469 We just don't put it's not the big boldest guys guarding the door, it's the people who know the mission. 00:39:11.150 --> 00:39:18.269 Because the boldest guys, at least partly, the best talkers in Jerusalem, I'll tell you right now, they're on the payroll. 00:39:18.509 --> 00:39:22.349 And I don't mean Nehemiah's payroll, they're on the same ballot's payroll. 00:39:23.070 --> 00:39:27.150 Um we'll see that in chapter 12. 00:39:27.389 --> 00:39:29.309 They're on the same balance payroll. 00:39:29.550 --> 00:39:32.269 Okay, so a few things then. 00:39:32.429 --> 00:39:38.989 Um, what does it mean that God put all this genealogy stuff in Nehemiah's heart? 00:39:39.230 --> 00:39:43.230 Like, like, like, what does that mean when we say that? 00:39:43.389 --> 00:39:47.150 God put it in my heart to assemble the nobles and the officials. 00:39:54.110 --> 00:39:56.190 One, it's giving God credit. 00:40:00.110 --> 00:40:02.110 What else, if anything? 00:40:02.750 --> 00:40:04.190 Certainly it's giving God credit. 00:40:04.269 --> 00:40:06.190 Nehemiah is constantly giving God credit. 00:40:06.429 --> 00:40:07.230 Acknowledging God. 00:40:07.469 --> 00:40:07.630 Yeah. 00:40:08.349 --> 00:40:09.869 Acknowledging God, yeah. 00:40:10.670 --> 00:40:18.190 You know, while the current theme of God's covenant that he made was, I will be your God, you will be my people. 00:40:18.829 --> 00:40:30.750 And he's just being very specific here and listing the people and reminding Nehemiah of the covenant promised to his people, not just to the elite, but all of his people. 00:40:30.909 --> 00:40:33.230 That's part of it as well, I believe. 00:40:35.389 --> 00:40:49.550 I think it goes back to the idea of purity for people, that uh he didn't want half-breeds or whatever those that might have divided loyalties part of the project. 00:40:50.029 --> 00:40:55.230 I want to make sure that there weren't any pagans coming into the mix. 00:40:55.710 --> 00:40:57.869 Yeah, because they're not supposed to be intermarrying. 00:40:58.029 --> 00:40:59.949 But you well, is that the end of Ezra? 00:41:00.110 --> 00:41:01.389 Or are we gonna read here pretty soon? 00:41:01.469 --> 00:41:07.070 Where I think it's at the end of Ezra, where a lot of the some of the Levite priests and others, they were married to pagan women. 00:41:07.710 --> 00:41:08.349 They have to divorce. 00:41:08.670 --> 00:41:09.630 Oh, they're married to them. 00:41:09.789 --> 00:41:15.949 Yeah, and uh they were forced to divorce their wives and excommunicate their kids and everything. 00:41:16.349 --> 00:41:21.150 End of Ezra, and um not exact same outcome, but that's a thing. 00:41:21.309 --> 00:41:23.710 Uh what's gonna happen? 00:41:23.949 --> 00:41:29.389 Well, not that exact same outcome, but you're gonna have a similar problem at the end of this book. 00:41:30.110 --> 00:41:38.670 Um and so, but that all our good ideas come from God. 00:41:39.309 --> 00:41:41.230 And says Nehemiah prays. 00:41:41.309 --> 00:41:44.750 Remember, he just opened up as a guy in chapter one in distress. 00:41:46.029 --> 00:41:48.029 He prays for a long time. 00:41:48.190 --> 00:41:51.949 He doesn't know Xerxes is going to talk to him on that day. 00:41:52.269 --> 00:41:55.949 He's been thinking about it for a long time based on what he says. 00:41:56.269 --> 00:42:00.429