The Joyful Wall Walk

Nehemiah 12:27-31, 45-47

(Song of Nehemiah)

27During the dedication of the new wall of Jerusalem, the Levites throughout the land were asked to come to Jerusalem to assist in the ceremonies. They were to take part in the joyous occasion with their songs of thanksgiving and with the music of cymbals, lyres, and harps. 28The singers were brought together from Jerusalem and its surrounding villages and from the villages of the Netophathites. 29They also came from Beth-gilgal and the area of Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built their own villages around Jerusalem. 30The priests and Levites first dedicated themselves, then the people, the gates, and the wall.

31I led the leaders of Judah to the top of the wall and organized two large choirs to give thanks. One of the choirs proceeded southward along the top of the wall to the Dung Gate. . . .

45They performed the service of their God and the service of purification, as required by the laws of David and his son Solomon, and so did the singers and the gatekeepers. 46The custom of having choir directors to lead the choirs in hymns of praise and thanks to God began long ago in the days of David and Asaph. 47So now, in the days of Zerubbabel and of Nehemiah, the people brought a daily supply of food for the singers, the gatekeepers, and the Levites. The Levites, in turn, gave a portion of what they received to the priests, the descendants of Aaron.

Psalm Link

Psalm 147:1

Praise the LORD!

How good it is to sing praises to our God!

How delightful and how right!

The years had been very hard and discouraging for the Israelites. Jerusalem had been destroyed a century and a half earlier. Now they were back in their homeland trying to rebuild. Disillusionment had set in. The job seemed bigger than they were.

Then came Nehemiah, a man with a plan. Somehow he made them believe that the job could be done after all. They still encountered plenty of problems, but under Nehemiah’s leadership Jerusalem’s walls were rebuilt in fifty-two days! The people hadn’t been able to finish that job in the previous eighty years! And then came Ezra, with a back-to-the-Bible movement, and spiritual revival broke out.

At the time of Ezra’s revival, there was much repentance and sorrow for sin, but Nehemiah told the people, “Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!” (Nehemiah 8:10).

No wonder Nehemiah 12 is a chapter about celebration! The people had a lot to sing about, and Nehemiah and Ezra led them in a festive walk along the top of the wall. You can be sure that the singers and instrumentalists were singing one psalm after another.

God’s people today have a lot to sing about as well, and this is reflected in the great variety of Christian music we hear at Christmastime. In this season of celebration, let the joy of the Lord be your strength.

Yes, on through life’s long path still chanting as you go;

From youth to age, by night and day, in gladness and in woe.

Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice, give thanks and sing.

EDWARD H. PLUMPTRE

Notable Quotable

“One of the most exuberant expressions of a happy heart is a singing mouth. . . . People are starved for happiness. When it is expressed in any authentic manner, they are encouraged.”

CHARLES SWINDOLL