Nehemiah · chapter 7 of 13
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Nehemiah 7 tells how, with the wall finished, Nehemiah puts his brother Hanani and Hananiah, commander of the citadel, in charge of Jerusalem, orders the gates guarded, and notes that the city is large but has few inhabitants. God puts it in his heart to register the people, and he finds the book of the genealogy of those who first returned, with the same list as Ezra 2.
With the wall finished, the work is not finished: a walled city without people or order is still weak. This chapter marks a transition from the work of building to the care of the community. The list of the first returnees, almost identical to Ezra 2, serves as the basis for repopulating Jerusalem in chapter 11.
When the wall has been rebuilt and the doors set, the gatekeepers, singers and Levites are appointed. Nehemiah puts his brother Hanani and Hananiah the commander of the citadel in charge of Jerusalem, because he was a faithful man who feared God more than many. He orders that the gates of Jerusalem not be opened until the sun is hot, that the guards shut and bar the doors while still on duty, and that watchmen be appointed from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, each at his post and in front of his own house.
The city was wide and large, but the people in it were few and no houses had been rebuilt. Then God puts it into Nehemiah's heart to assemble the nobles, the officials and the people to be registered by genealogy. He finds the book of the genealogy of those who had come up at the first, and he finds the record written in it.
The list is almost the same as Ezra 2: those who came up with Zerubbabel and Jeshua, the families, the priests, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers and the temple servants. Some priests who could not prove their genealogy are excluded until there is consultation with the Urim and Thummim. The whole assembly numbers forty-two thousand three hundred sixty, besides servants and singers. There are small differences of detail from the list in Ezra. Some heads of families, the governor and the people give gifts for the work, in gold, bowls and priests' garments. The priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers and some of the people settle in their towns, and all Israel in theirs, as the seventh month arrives.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
Nehemiah puts Hanani and Hananiah in charge of Jerusalem, because he was a faithful man who feared God more than many. He chooses his leaders for their faithfulness and fear of God, not for their influence.
Nehemiah orders that the gates not be opened until the sun is hot and that each person keep watch in front of his own house. A secure city requires vigilance and the participation of all.
The city is wide and large, but the people in it are few and the houses are not rebuilt. A wall is not enough: people are needed to live there and form a living community.
God puts it into Nehemiah's heart to gather the people to register them, and he finds the book of the genealogy of the first to return. God's work did not begin with Nehemiah: it connects to what God had already done.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: To his brother Hanani and Hananiah, commander of the citadel. — Nehemiah 7:2
Answer: Because he was a faithful man who feared God more than many. — Nehemiah 7:2
Answer: Not until the sun was hot. — Nehemiah 7:3
Answer: It was wide and large, but the people in it were few and the houses had not been rebuilt. — Nehemiah 7:4
Answer: To assemble the nobles, the officials and the people to be registered by genealogy. — Nehemiah 7:5
Answer: Forty-two thousand three hundred sixty people. — Nehemiah 7:66
Nehemiah 7 reminds us that finishing a project is not the end of the task: what has been built must be cared for. In a Sunday school class you can ask how the church cares for the community after a big event or achievement, and which people serve as guards without being noticed.
It also highlights Nehemiah's criteria for choosing leaders: faithfulness and fear of God. Ask what criteria you use when choosing those who serve and lead. And the list of names reminds us that God's work is a story across generations, so we can thank those who began before us and encourage those who come after.
Nehemiah 7 ends with all Israel settled in their towns as the seventh month arrives. That prepares chapter 8, where all the people gather in Jerusalem to hear the reading of the law of Moses.
Because Nehemiah found the same register of the first people who returned from exile with Zerubbabel. Both books copy it, with some differences in certain numbers and names, perhaps from copying errors or lists made at different times. The total of the assembly agrees in both.
Because here it serves another purpose: Nehemiah uses it to register the people and decide who will live in Jerusalem, which had few inhabitants. The list is the basis for chapter 11, where lots are cast so that one out of ten families settles in the city.