Jerusalem is a ghost town. You can just picture tumbleweeds blowing around. Hear the whistling wind. It looks more like the set of some dystopian movie than God’s holy city. Only a handful of hearty souls make their home here in 445 BC (Neh 7:4). It’s been almost 150 years since Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylonian blitzkrieg bulldozed the shining city on a hill into a pile of bricks. The enemy didn’t just destroy the city walls and buildings but hauled just about everyone living there back to Babylon as slaves.
Just as God signed off on their captivity, He’s orchestrating the return of His chosen people to the Promised Land under the leadership of men like Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah. The walls are rebuilt (Neh 6:15). The people have repented (Neh 9:1-37). The temple is up and running (Ez 6:14-15; Neh 10:32-39). Now it’s time to resettle the city. Before the walls and gates were back up, it wasn’t safe to live there. Jerusalem was a sitting duck for attack from thugs like Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem, and the like (Neh 2:10, 19; 4:1, 7; 6:1-2). The other big reason the city is desolated is because it’s become a local joke (Neh 1:3; 2:19; 4:2-3). Who wants to live in a city that’s nothing more than a punchline?
It’s times like these when God raises up leaders to make tough decisions. Leaders who lead by example. Nehemiah is just that dude. The LORD broke his heart with breaking news of broken walls (Neh 1:3-11). One minute he’s the wine steward to a pagan king in Persia, and the next he’s governor of Judah (Neh 1:11; 5:14). That’s the kind of crazy stuff that happens when God has His kung fu grip on you (Neh 2:8, 12, 18). Nehemiah and the people are staring a beast of a decision in the eyes. Who’s going to move back into Jerusalem? Who’s going to get out of their comfort zone for the good of the people and the glory of God’s kingdom? While life isn’t exactly easy in the ‘burbs outside the city walls, it’s a whole lot better than moving into the city and starting life all over again.
It’s no surprise that the first people to pack their bags and make the move are the leaders. “Now the leaders of the people lived in Jerusalem” (v1). Leaders lead. It’s what they do. Leaders never ask anybody to do something they wouldn’t do themselves. And in this case, the leaders lead the way in resettling the city. Nehemiah and his leadership team give the people a very practical example of what sacrifice for the good of the kingdom looks like. Leaders lead.
When Nehemiah asks for volunteers to join the lead team in town, he gets nothing but crickets. Okay, I realize the Bible doesn’t exactly say that, but why else would the governor need to hold a lottery to repopulate the city? “And the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to live in Jerusalem, the holy city, while nine out of ten remained in the other towns” (v1). My guess is that you didn’t want to be a lottery pick in this draft. It’s kind like being the number one pick of the Oakland Raiders (if you’re a fan of the silver and black, you have my sympathies). And just in case you think that shooting craps isn’t a very godly way to make this decision, you see it all throughout the Old Testament. King Solomon even includes the practice in the book of Proverbs. “The lot is cast in the lap, but its every decision is form the LORD” (Prov 16:33). Interestingly, the practice disappears from the pages of the Bible after the Holy Spirit arrives in Acts.
One out of every ten people are chosen to move into the city. One out of ten. Hmm. Does that ring a bell? The people have just finished offering their tithes to maintain the temple (Neh 10:37-38), and now they offer their tithe of people to resettle the city. Just as giving God back ten percent of what He gives us is a sacrifice, so is the tithing of these Jewish families. But it’s a reminder that we are not our own (1Cor 6:19-20; 7:23). God is looking for hearts that are attentive to His call and available for His service.
Things apparently change after the draft lottery. It appears that volunteers stepped up to join the resettlement of the city. “And the people blessed all the men who willingly offered to live in Jerusalem” (v2). Nehemiah makes the difficult decision to move into the city along with the other leaders. He institutes a lottery to select more people to repopulate God’s city. This sets the stage for others to join them. Has moving into Jerusalem now become the trendy and hip thing to do? Is this like getting one of those funky lofts in the rebuilt warehouse downtown? Well, I’m not sure about that. But through the God-inspired leadership of Nehemiah, the number of people living in Jerusalem is rising rapidly.
Don’t miss the fact that “the people blessed all the men who willingly” relocated inside the city walls. While many didn’t move, this was a community decision. What does it mean that they blessed their brothers? Undoubtedly, they pray for them. They ask God to bless them and protect them. They probably provide them with food and supplies. There’s not exactly a Food Lion or Piggly Wiggly around every corner. And chances are they helped them move. Is there any greater blessing than when a friend shows up to help you load and unload the U-Haul? I think not.
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