Scripture Reading: Nehemiah 7:1-73, Exodus 28:29-30, Psalm 34:19-22
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 a people. 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. 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 are representatives of the twelve tribes—showing us that they’re not just a part of the covenant, but are once again whole and entitled to the full blessings of God’s covenant promises.
Each family’s descendants are 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 as families and not all heaped together, because individuals and families matter to God.
Priests, Levites, musicians, and gatekeepers were also counted, indicating that our callings matter to God. Temple servants are 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, are listed, and their value is not diminished. Children born into captivity are 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 is 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.
Family is incredibly important to me. So much so, that God takes a back seat to that sometimes. This was a great reminder to me that God puts my family, earthly and spiritual, as first his children. Myself included. I don’t have to. I don’t need to. It’s a great study to remind that Gods got a big heart for all of us, and we don’t have to fight for His attention.
We all matter to God no matter our origins (including the animals in our lives).
So amazing that the animals are included!
Reading the genealogies, although I know my parents and grandparents but with how the relationship with my dad has become scarce (with lack of effort on both ends; my reasoning being it’s toxic, it bothers me too much, nightmares return). I feel as if I would be grouped with the group that could not prove their heritage because my dad doesn’t call me his own. Having a sense of worth knowing God put these ‘lost’ people in the genealogy still means they matter no matter what their story is; he accepts them. Thanks be to God.
Yes Shelby yes! Don’t we have such a good good Father? Thank you Lord!
“Genealogies show us God’s sovereign plan for our salvation and His intimate love for individual people.” I’m not sure this makes genealogies any more interesting to read, but it does remind me that everything in the Bible was included by God for a reason.
Amen!
Amen!
I especially enjoyed the chart in the study guide with the parallels between Nehemiah and Christ. I always hesitate to purchase the guides, but am glad when I do.
I didn’t know there were study guides…
Love the reminder that God loves everyone, even broken people like me. If you all could please continue to pray for my brother, his wife is making things complicated with their divorce. She is now saying that she won’t pay half of the mortgage if they end up selling their house (she left but my brother is still in their house, but he can’t afford it on his own). And she is also saying that she didn’t leave voluntarily, which makes no sense. My brother wanted them to try to work it out, by going to see the pastor that married them or to a counselor, but she wouldn’t. I just can’t imagine how much my brother has been hurting over all this. He even said he saw her texting another guy. It’s ridiculous and heartbreaking. I’m trying to make sure that I don’t have harsh feelings towards his wife, cause I know that doesn’t do much good. It’s just so disappointing and upsetting. Praying that God would give us strength and for His will to be done in this situation.
Praying for you!!! It’s been difficult for me recently to not be resentful and angry at my sister, because she is “the wife” in your brother’s life. She’s doing the same thing to her husband and because her husband won’t sign the papers for a divorce (he still has hope and wants to work it out first), my sister has moved away and is now dating somebody else. Yet, she’s not fully divorced yet :( She says she’s a believer and certain times, I see it in her and believe her. However, she tends to do the same thing over and over again in every relationship she is in. I’m praying for your brother! My heart hurts for him.
I’m praying!
I’m struck that the priest carried a list of these names before God in the temple – just as Jesus, OUR High Priest, carries our names on his chest before God in Heaven. We’re written down as His people – all the details of who we are taken note of and carried to the holiest of places.
❤️
So comforting!
Wow! God bless you
Arwilda, what I do is go down to the bottom of the writing and you will see the title again underlined. Click on it and the days meditation will come up bolder. Now you can read and click on the Bible verses individually. Blessings!