Thursday, August 7th

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Thursday, August 7

Nehemiah 7:66-73

The whole company numbered 42,360, besides their 7,337 male and female slaves; and they also had 245 male and female singers. There were 736 horses, 245 mules, 435 camels and 6,720 donkeys.

Some of the heads of the families contributed to the work. The governor gave to the treasury 1,000 darics of gold, 50 bowls and 530 garments for priests. Some of the heads of the families gave to the treasury for the work 20,000 darics of gold and 2,200 minas of silver. The total given by the rest of the people was 20,000 darics of gold, 2,000 minas of silver and 67 garments for priests.

The priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the musicians and the temple servants, along with certain of the people and the rest of the Israelites, settled in their own towns.

Have you noticed yet that Nehemiah was a pretty smart guy who paid attention to detail?

He paid attention to the plight of the exiles in Jerusalem even when his own life was comfortable.

He paid attention to God in prayer and knew what God wanted him to do.

He paid attention to the King and knew the right time to reveal his sadness to Artaxerxes.

He thought about the project in great detail and asked the King for everything he needed.

Once the wall was rebuilt we are told that he paid attention to the people who lived there; counting every single family and every single member of each family along with all their horses, camels and donkeys.

And now we are told he records their personal contributions to the great project.

Some of the heads of the families contributed to the work. The governor gave to the treasury 1,000 darics of gold, 50 bowls and 530 garments for priests. Some of the heads of the families gave to the treasury for the work 20,000 darics of gold and 2,200 minas of silver. The total given by the rest of the people was 20,000 darics of gold, 2,000 minas of silver and 67 garments for priests.

From the contributions listed it appears Nehemiah is now focused on furnishing the Temple, which had been under reconstruction since the return of the first exiles under Zerubbabel a decade or so earlier.

He is noting in some detail the generosity of those who made the work on the Temple possible.

Some gave gold; a “daric” was a Persian coin worth about $5, so a gift of 20,000 darics would have been something around $100,000.

Some gave silver; a “mina” was a pound of silver, worth around $300. So a gift of 2,200 minas of silver would have been over $600,000.

Some gave fine clothing or bowls that would have been necessary for the priests to conduct proper worship.

Just as Nehemiah listed the names of the people and families that contributed to the physical work of rebuilding the walls (see chapter 3), he also notes the gifts of gold, silver and other items that were given in order that the Temple be completed for worship. Notice that Nehemiah does not list the names of those who gave so generously, perhaps to protect them or to avoid shaming those who were not able to give in that way.

The point is, I think, that the work of rebuilding the city required everyone to do their part. It required visionary and competent leadership; tireless work by those who did the rebuilding; and generous giving by those who were blessed with resources of gold and silver.

The parallels to the church are obvious. The church needs people called and gifted to lead; people willing to serve; and people willing to be generous with their material wealth.

The sense you get when reading the story of Nehemiah is that everyone was expected to play their part in the project. Everyone was expected to contribute something.

Were there some who avoided getting their hands dirty with the work? Maybe. Were there some who kept their gold and silver for themselves? Probably. Were there some who just observed the work rather than sharing in it? Very likely. But if so, those who failed to participate did not share in the joy of the finished project, and did not have their names recorded in the great story of Nehemiah.

The question for us is, are we observers of the great story of God’s work in the world, or are we participants?


Pastor Brian Coffey