Read Nehemiah 11:1-36
Don’t let the list of names bore you to death. There is always a message hidden in Scripture. What’s a bit puzzling for me is why Nehemiah felt led to include all these names. Can you imagine if your name had shown up in the pages of the Bible?
It shouldn’t surprise us that the people returning to Judah would want to live on their family’s land. Not everybody would have lived in Jerusalem proper before being exiled. The motivation of the people seems to be to take back what was already theirs, grateful for the opportunity to start a new life in their homeland.
Are you as curious as I am as to how Nehemiah’s contemporaries would have known where their land was? Were there maps to refer to? What happened if there were property disputes – who made the determination? These are all details that don’t matter in this reading.
What was next now that the Jerusalem temple had been rebuilt, and reconstruction of the walls to protect the city was also completed? For a city to prosper and be great, it needed people. In fact, we read they had to cast sacred lots to decide who would take up residence in the holy city.
You’d think it would be an honor to live there, but many folks already had places to return to that were outside the walls. Living in Jerusalem would also offer its own advantages as well as challenges. The leaders set a good example and began the repopulation process of the city which started out being weak and despicable because it was in shambles.
Where is your family inheritance located? How precious is the location to you? If you were whisked away to a different country for most of your life and then finally able to return “home,” where would that be? It seems our culture has changed dramatically since the days Nehemiah wrote about. Having a “home base” isn’t always a priority in our day.
Yet, there are plenty of families who stay together. I was lucky enough to witness that firsthand living in small town Iowa before we retired to Mexico. I was always learning of new ways people were related to each other. These families displayed such strong loyalty to their town. My own dad grew up in a small town where he was related to most of the town. I always marveled at that when we would visit.
I grew up in a big city, or at least that’s what it felt like when I was little. My sense of family and belonging was a lot different than what I encountered in small town life. Returning to my hometown now as an adult brings back sweet memories, but I don’t feel like I’m connected to that location anymore. My family “home” is where we all gather together, and these days, that’s on an online video call!
Maybe you have a hard time, too, identifying with the returnees coming back to Judah after being gone for generations. What did it feel like? It must have been bittersweet to see all the destruction and overgrowth that had taken over in the generations Jerusalem and Judah had been left behind.
What did you take from this passage? For me, it’s knowing we all want a place where we belong. Surrounding myself with other believers is certainly a place I like to be. Other Christians just “get me.” I don’t have to make excuses or feel uncomfortable about what’s most important to me. The older I get, the more I start looking forward to my forever home with Jesus. For now, I want to focus on blooming where God has planted me.
Let’s pray. Father, thank you for the sense of family I feel when surrounded by other believers. While I may sometimes feel out of place in this new culture, I trust that you are working through me so that others can see you. Living in Jerusalem would have been a big deal for people returning to the destroyed city. I love seeing your hand at work in repopulating the city and restoring the faithfulness of your people. Restore my energy so I can set a good example serving you more heartily. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
