Nehemiah 12 Devotional

Joy Heard from Far Away

“On that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy. The women and children also rejoiced, so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard from afar.”Nehemiah 12:43 (BSB)

Nehemiah 12 begins by listing priests and Levites from the first return onward, through a line of high priests across six generations (12:1-26). The praise and thanksgiving David had arranged was handed on, family to family, through exile and return (12:24, 12:45-46). God kept his people's worship alive across the years.

Then comes the dedication of the wall. The Levites are gathered from their villages, priests and Levites purify themselves, the people, the gates, and the wall, and two great thanksgiving choirs walk the top of the wall in opposite directions until both stand in the house of God (12:27-40). Tobiah had once said a fox could break this wall (4:3). Now it carries choirs. The people offer great sacrifices and rejoice, because God had given them great joy, and the joy of Jerusalem is heard far away (12:43). At the temple foundation years before, the sound had carried too, though mixed with weeping (Ezra 3:12-13). This time the text records only joy. Your thanks for what God has done does not need to stay quiet.

To think about: What has God brought to completion in your life that you could thank him for out loud today?