Nehemiah appoints leaders

Nehemiah Chapter 7

After the wall was finished, Nehemiah had the doors hung on the gates and appointed gatekeepers, singers and Levites. He gave responsibility of governing Jerusalem to his brother Hanani, along with Hananiah, the commander of the fortress. He appointed residents of Jerusalem to act as guards and some would serve at regular posts and some in front of their own homes.

Now the city was large, but the population was small, so God gave Nehemiah the idea to call all the leaders together, as well as regular citizens for a registration. He had found the genealogical record of those who had first returned to Judah. In verses 6 through 60 are listed the men of Israel who returned from exile. Another group returned to Jerusalem from other towns, but they could not prove they were descendants of Israel. Also three families of priests, Hobaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai, returned but had lost their genealogical records, so they were not allowed to serve as priests. The governor would not even let them eat the priests' share of food from the sacrifices until there was a priest who could consult with the Lord about the means of sacred lots.

BIBLE NOTES SHOW: Genealogies were greatly valued because it was vital for a Jew to prove their decendancy from Abraham and were therefore part of God's people.
Sacred lots referred to Urim and Thummin as in Exodus 28:30. If someone's name wasn't in the genealogy, he could still be admitted as a priest if the Urim and Thummin proved him to be a Jew and a Levite. It is not clear whether or not these were the originals tools that had survived the destruction or if they were new.

HOW DOES THIS CHAPTER RELATE TO US TODAY? This chapter lists all the families who returned from captivity to Jerusalem. Out of them, Nehemiah chose his leaders. If you were in a position to select leaders, what kinds of qualities would you look for? Don't you think that faithfulness and reverence would be two high qualities? Yes, they are the two qualities that can stand the test of time. Remember this if you are ever in a position to choose leaders in any situation.

This chapter also reminds us of the importance of geneaology. To the Jews it mean that they could trace their ancestors back to Abraham and thus were considered part of God's people. Geneology is still important in our times. We should all know our ancestors and the kind of people they were.

Yours in Christ,
Mary

Prayer Requests are needed for:
HEALTH:
Update on my niece Suzanne, she is healing but her leg was crushed and will take many months of doctoring. She is in a nursing home for rehab care. Pray for her healing. Also Gabe, Wanda, Pray for Janice Long’s parents, especially her mother whose cancer has returned and her father with Alzheimer’s and now her mother in law also with Alzheimer’s. Their family is feeling the strain both emotionally and financially. Pray for them. Update on this family: Her mother in law Mary just had a stroke this week. They are being tested by God and need a wealth of prayers. Pray for them now! Pray that they can find a place for Mary that won’t bankrupt the family.
And pray for Arlene’s nephew David and for my neighbor Al who is nearing the end of his life. Pray for Carolyn’s brother Ronald who has cancer.
Pray for our friend Michelle who was diagnosed with MS.
Pray for Cyndi Sullivan who was given 14 months to live with cancer, but has made it six years. The pain has returned and she needs our prayers.
Pray for my cousin Diane who is undergoing total mastectomy surgery for breast cancer.
UPDATE on Barb who went in for back surgery and had a heart attack and stroke, she has her speech back and is home , but continues to have a problem with one arm and hand. Thanks to your prayers, she is able to hobble without a cane and has been granted disability. She still has surgery scheduled on her hand, but I saw her recently and her attitude is fantastic.
Update on Marthaline Sargent. She lost her battle with health problems and passed away last Tuesday. Our condolences to her son Patrick and daughter Stacey. Continue to pray for her husband Robert Sargent who is quite ill with lung cancer.
Pray for Judy’s husband who was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. Pray for her too, that she can deal with the side effects of his illness.
Pray too for Charly’s husband Robert who will soon undergo chemo for his prostate cancer.
Pray for John’s recovery from a heart attack and pray he can stop smoking.
Pray for Debbie who lost her home in a fire last week.
SPIRITUAL UPLIFTING: Gail, Mary
RESTORATION OF FAITH: Al, John
LOVE AND SUPPORT: Claire, Hunter, Brian
SUPPORT: Haiti, Chile, survivors of Japan’s earthquake, survivors of the devastating tornadoes in our southernmost states and Joplin, Missouri. Pray too, for our country’s leaders and our military people who die each day for our freedom.