Scripture Reading: Nehemiah 7:1-73a, Psalm 122:1-9
YES! Genealogies!! Who needs stories when you can just cozy up with a good list of who begat whom, am I right? I bet you love them just a little bit too. I mean, who hasn’t gotten the chills from the genealogy at the end of Ruth, when you realize she fits right into the line of Judah and became the great grandmother of King David? That list prompts the realization that God had a plan for our sweet Ruth all along. Genealogies show us God’s sovereign plan for our salvation and His intimate love for individual people.
When Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem, he needed to do more than stack bricks and hang gates; he needed to rebuild a people. These people were born into exile. They had never actually seen Jerusalem. They’d only heard stories about it. All they knew was life without a home, without traditions, and without community. They had nothing. So as Nehemiah began to rebuild Jerusalem, he also had to learn how to rebuild the community. And each one of those people mattered.
This genealogy in Nehemiah chapter 7 is a list of the Israelites released by Cyrus from exile in 538 BC that Nehemiah recounted in making a new census when he came back to the city. It’s a wonderfully meticulous list that even includes the number of mules that moved back to the city (there were 245). More importantly, it tells us a lot about who these people were and how much people matter to God. In verse 7, twelve leaders are listed, and those twelve were representatives of the twelve tribes—showing us that they weren’t just a part of the covenant but were once again whole and entitled to the full blessings of God’s covenant promises.
Each family’s descendants were also counted. Some families were massive (Senaah had 3,930 descendants!), and some families’ reunions were more modest (Beth Azmaveth had only 42). Regardless of how large or small, they were counted by family and not all heaped together because individuals and their lineage matters to God.
Priests, Levites, musicians, and gatekeepers were also counted, indicating that our callings matter to God. Temple servants were listed using their foreign names because they were not Hebrew-born, having joined with Israel through conversion to their God. Because God redeems the lives of His servants (Psalm 34:22), He makes them equal inheritors of the covenant with those who could trace their lineage all the way back to Abraham.
And finally, there were some who searched the records but were unable to discover their heritage because their families had been so torn apart by the exile. These, too, were listed, and their value was not diminished. Children born into captivity were valued just the same, regardless of their parentage.
From there, the people settled back into their towns and began to knit their lives together. That’s as close as we get to “happily every after” in the book of Nehemiah. But in reading this book, we see that God’s eye was always on His people, restoring not just a broken city but a broken people as well. He cares about each one of us, our families, our homes, and our lives. And if we are in Christ, we are co-inheritors of His covenant blessings just as much as any son of Abraham.
Written by Rebecca Faires
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21 thoughts on "The Exiles Returned"
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I appreciated the devotional that shined good light (I don’t know if I would call it “riveting” such as Searching did (laughing emoji!) on the scripture today. I tend to skip through lists often, but when it’s our names and family of course it would be different. Back in my younger years we didn’t care so much of family line and generations (we were too self-absorbed), and then it was made popular with the genealogy kits and shows a couple of decades ago. If I asked my parents about their grandparents they never knew anything about them, strangely not knowing where they were from or anything. Luckily my sister met with some family members to record some memories and stories. My husband has cassette tapes that his father recorded his memories from going to WW2 at just 19 years old. (unfortunately I have yet to listen, in need of a cassette tape player and time/prioritizing) But what a blessing to hear about your lineage. I always encourage people to journal so they are leaving a wonderful treasure to their families in the future. I guess many will just send them to their FB pages, lol.
When we accept Jesus we are joined into God’s family. Israel will always be the apple of his eye. Replacement theology is trying to rewrite and is gaining traction, but do not be fooled, Jesus will come back to the land of Israel to reign and rule. Our name must be written in the book of life to see our heavenly home prepared for us! I want to take as many people with me as possible. God wants us to be part of the process…Jesus tells his disciples, follow and obey me, and go into the world and tell everyone about me!! What an opportunity and joy, and PRIVILEGE. We can even do this by praying for people!Nothing is more amazing then ministering to lost people and seeing the transformation happen in the forthcoming months after. We see darkness turn to light! Fear and anxiety turn to peace, and ashes to beauty. A heaviness is lifted. Thank Jesus, for dying on that cross, so that any and all can come into your family. We love you Lord. Keep sanctifying us, we can never quit learning your word. You want us in community and family to sharpen one another. We are thankful for SRT and the studies that apply today as they did then and throughout time! There is nothing new under the sun, and we are not only seeing it, evil called good and good evil. Birthing pains are here, we are ready for you Jesus, with our lamps burning!! I am waiting for you, my bridegroom!Thank you for your forgiveness. Thank you for your acceptance. Thank you for transformation and restoration! You are Lord of lords, and King of kings! Destroyer of the evil one. Hallelujah!!
Thank you, Rebecca Faires, for your devotion this morning. You helped me see what was hidden in an otherwise difficult chapter to read, let alone pronounce.
Jane K I couldn’t agree more!
Here I go again. Digging deep to figure out the why. Did anyone else notice that at one point the word descendant is used? And then it switches to men. And then it switches to people. Too long to explain, but there’s a great commenrary description about the why of those three words. There’s a reason (as the Bible always does) that those three different words have been chosen. Key takeaway however …..a descendant = children of a specific ancestor which tracks families and Men = the total male population within those descendants (so each individual male). If you want to go deeper, great commentary about why they separated out… in verse 57…. the descendants of Solomon’s servants. Fascinating stuff.
His eye is on the sparrow, and He watches over me.
God sees all and knows all. And He cares for all. He wants to restore us to unity.
Lord, bring us all to a place of unified community. This world is broken, but you Lord can bring holy restoration and life changing peace. Amen.
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L’Shana Tovah,everyone. Tuesday night sundown and Wednesday morning the shofar was blown and the year 5876 was declared. This is the new year on G-d’ s calendar. You may know this holiday as Rosh Hashana.
We have now entered in the 10 Days of Awe that is the 10 days of mending broken relationships with our fellow man and woman before that great Day of Atonement.
Mending and rebuilding has been our theme.Before Jews can go before G-d in 10 days we have to mend our fences with our fellow man.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Psalm 122:6.
May all of your names be inscribed in the Book of Life!
As I was reading through this riveting and comprehensive genealogical list, I thought of my limited knowledge of my family history – much of it lost to me through lack of official records and fading memories. Can you imagine being able to trace your ancestors from now back to one of these families we read about today – and seeing your family name in God’s word? It would be the coolest thing but a total zero to compared to seeing our names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. I have been praying to the point of sobbing this morning in thankfulness for my name being there and praying for friends and families whose names aren’t (that I know of). Lord, may they come to know You.
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Couple songs on repeat this morning,
a century+ old hymn, A New Name In Glory, written by C. Austin Miles (1910)
Gaither version is good
3rd verse –
In the Book ’tis written, “Saved by grace.”
Oh, the joy that came to my soul!
Now I am forgiven, and I know
By the blood I am made whole.
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And There’s A New Name Written Down In Glory –
Charity Gayle’s live version ❤️
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EBONY BULLOCK ❤️❤️
GRAMSIESUE ❤️ building something new, amen! Good to see you, sister.
ADRIENNE ❤️ praying for your mother’s healing and that any side issues are resolved quickly
GRAMMIE D ❤️ praying about the upcoming court date, and for total victory in this longtime battle
MERCY ❤️ not every invitation is an opportunity, some are traps. Unless we push more than the evil one, we can’t overcome. “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
TRACI GENDRON ❤️
KRISTY ❤️ don’t water down the truth
HANNELORA WALD ❤️ praying for the needed strength
CHERYL BLOW ❤️
TRICIA C ❤️
VICTORIA E ❤️
CEE GEE ❤️
ASHLEIGH H ❤️ praying for healing in these physical and financial struggles, sister
KELLY (NEO) ❤️
Hi Searching! It’s really good to see your comments! I’m trying to log on earlier and come back again later ! Praying for you dear sister !
Amen
We have a programme here in England called ‘Who do you think you are?’ Celebrities get to find out (if they didn’t know already) who or where they csme from, their history, their family journey, their lineage!
It’s fascinating! Going back a couple, maybe more generations to find out your great, great was actually a convicted felon, or that they left home and made a new home elsewhere, leaving family wondering and never knowing what became of them..
One celebrity went back to find his great great was a seaman, who landed on African soil, fell in love and married a local lass. They had 3 children, he fell ill and returned to England with the promise of returning.. he never did!
Amazingly though, through this search, the celebrity found a distant cousin, who had been entrusted with an envelope (this had been passed down with each passing member of the family), hopeful that the African side would come looking..the contents of this envelope a letter from his great great to the family he left behind, explaining why he never returned but that he had never forgotten them … goosebumps!!@
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Sorry, back to the list of nearly 50,000 people, who had roamed all walks of life, now returning from exile displacement…
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To find or return to stand on that soil of home, where you belong, oh man,that is huge. HUGE.
To be able to set foot on those soils that have only ever been stories or ‘one day’ dreams..HUGE!
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I wonder if there is much difference in the journey back to the Father?
Is it a grander scale journey? Returning to the Father God who has never given up the hope that you will return to Him.. to the home soil of His embrace, of His love, ALL costs paid by His Son, Jesus Christ. I imagine, His (Gods)letter of love, The Bible, would, could and should be our accountability ‘tally’ censor, whatever we might call it, for sure, it is, no matter the journey, however long we are in ‘exile’, our way back to him, our way back to the place of peace, hope, love, our way back home!
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BUT GOD..
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AMEN.
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Merry Wednesday my dears, wrapped in happy love, covered in a prayer of grace and hope over each of you..
Much love..
Tina..♥️♥️♥️
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Tina, we also have that program here. I have found that we tend to get some of our programming ideas from your country. Have a blessed Wednesday.
Anen
Amen❤️
“God’s eye was always on His people, restoring not just a broken city but a broken people as well.”
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Lord, hear our cries to restore Your church in the USA. We are a broken people calling evil good and good evil. Spirit stir our hearts, MY heart, to true repentance so that we can move forward in unity (not conformity) and love.
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GRAMSIESUE – beautiful observation yesterday.
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ASHLEIGH H – praying the Lord strengthens you trough the trials and brings healing quickly.
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ADRIENNE – praying for Connie’s quick and complete healing.
Amen, sister. “We are a broken people calling evil good and good evil.”
Amen❤️
Amen
Wow.. that’s a lot of people and animals and money!
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I will not think of “Let us go into the house of the LORD” the same way again. The wonder and awe and amazement that musta been felt.
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Mind blown emoji.