God: “You Matter to Me”

For those of you who are visiting, or maybe you’ve missed some weeks, the background of our study is a man named Nehemiah, just an ordinary guy among the people of God who were in exile. He got a burden to rebuild the broken walls around the city of Jerusalem, realizing he could do something about it. So he went to the Persian king at the risk of his life and asked permission to travel to Jerusalem and rebuild the walls. The king gave him, not just permission, but support. Nehemiah traveled to Jerusalem, pulled everybody together, and over the course of 52 days—despite all kinds of opposition from inside and outside—they rebuilt the entire wall around Jerusalem. That’s what the end of Nehemiah 6 tells us. That’s where we were last week. 

Then Nehemiah 7 says:

1 Now when the wall had been built and I had set up the doors, and the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed, 2 I gave my brother Hanani and Hananiah the governor of the castle charge over Jerusalem, for he was a more faithful and God-fearing man than many. 3 And I said to them, “Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot. And while they are still standing guard, let them shut and bar the doors. Appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, some at their guard posts and some in front of their own homes.” 4 The city was wide and large, but the people within it were few, and no houses had been rebuilt.

5 Then my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles and the officials and the people to be enrolled by genealogy. And I found the book of the genealogy of those who came up at the first, and I found written in it:

6 These were the people of the province who came up out of the captivity of those exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried into exile. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his town. 7 They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, Baanah.

The number of the men of the people of Israel: 8 the sons of Parosh, 2,172. 9 The sons of Shephatiah, 372. 10 The sons of Arah, 652. 11 The sons of Pahath-moab, namely the sons of Jeshua and Joab, 2,818. 12 The sons of Elam, 1,254. 13 The sons of Zattu, 845. 14 The sons of Zaccai, 760. 15 The sons of Binnui, 648. 16 The sons of Bebai, 628. 17 The sons of Azgad, 2,322. 18 The sons of Adonikam, 667. 19 The sons of Bigvai, 2,067. 20 The sons of Adin, 655. 21 The sons of Ater, namely of Hezekiah, 98. 22 The sons of Hashum, 328. 23 The sons of Bezai, 324. 24 The sons of Hariph, 112. 25 The sons of Gibeon, 95. 26 The men of Bethlehem and Netophah, 188. 27 The men of Anathoth, 128. 28 The men of Beth-azmaveth, 42. 29 The men of Kiriath-jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, 743. 30 The men of Ramah and Geba, 621. 31 The men of Michmas, 122. 32 The men of Bethel and Ai, 123. 33 The men of the other Nebo, 52. 34 The sons of the other Elam, 1,254. 35 The sons of Harim, 320. 36 The sons of Jericho, 345. 37 The sons of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, 721. 38 The sons of Senaah, 3,930.

39 The priests: the sons of Jedaiah, namely the house of Jeshua, 973. 40 The sons of Immer, 1,052. 41 The sons of Pashhur, 1,247. 42 The sons of Harim, 1,017.

43 The Levites: the sons of Jeshua, namely of Kadmiel of the sons of Hodevah, 74. 44 The singers: the sons of Asaph, 148. 45 The gatekeepers: the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, the sons of Shobai, 138.

46 The temple servants: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth, 47 the sons of Keros, the sons of Sia, the sons of Padon, 48 the sons of Lebana, the sons of Hagaba, the sons of Shalmai, 49 the sons of Hanan, the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar, 50 the sons of Reaiah, the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekoda, 51 the sons of Gazzam, the sons of Uzza, the sons of Paseah, 52 the sons of Besai, the sons of Meunim, the sons of Nephushesim, 53 the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of Harhur, 54 the sons of Bazlith, the sons of Mehida, the sons of Harsha, 55 the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Temah, 56 the sons of Neziah, the sons of Hatipha.

57 The sons of Solomon’s servants: the sons of Sotai, the sons of Sophereth, the sons of Perida, 58 the sons of Jaala, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Giddel, 59 the sons of Shephatiah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of Pochereth-hazzebaim, the sons of Amon.

60 All the temple servants and the sons of Solomon’s servants were 392.

61 The following were those who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer, but they could not prove their fathers’ houses nor their descent, whether they belonged to Israel: 62 the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, the sons of Nekoda, 642. 63 Also, of the priests: the sons of Hobaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, the sons of Barzillai (who had taken a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by their name). 64 These sought their registration among those enrolled in the genealogies, but it was not found there, so they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. 65 The governor told them that they were not to partake of the most holy food until a priest with Urim and Thummim should arise.

66 The whole assembly together was 42,360, 67 besides their male and female servants, of whom there were 7,337. And they had 245 singers, male and female. 68 Their horses were 736, their mules 245, 69 their camels 435, and their donkeys 6,720.

70 Now some of the heads of fathers’ houses gave to the work. The governor gave to the treasury 1,000 darics of gold, 50 basins, 30 priests’ garments and 500 minas of silver. 71 And some of the heads of fathers’ houses gave into the treasury of the work 20,000 darics of gold and 2,200 minas of silver. 72 And what the rest of the people gave was 20,000 darics of gold, 2,000 minas of silver, and 67 priests’ garments.

73 So the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the temple servants, and all Israel, lived in their towns.

And when the seventh month had come, the people of Israel were in their towns.

Whooh! I trust you were quietly applauding my attempts to pronounce all those names correctly and trust nobody here knows which ones I got accurate or inaccurate, unless you’re a Hebrew scholar, in which case you can read it next time. I did my best.

So why did I just spend almost ten minutes of your life and mine reading all these names and all these numbers? Here’s why. Because I want you to hear God saying very clearly to you today, through this entire chapter: “You matter.” You, right where you’re sitting right now. Not just the person beside you, in front of you or behind you. You matter to God. This is clear from the beginning of this chapter in God’s Word. In verse eight, the sons of Parosh were not 2,171. Not 2,173. There were 2,172. The sons of Shephatiah. Not, about 300. Not about 350 of them. Not approximately 375. No, 372—period. And on and on and on with every single verse. Every single person among the people of God counted. 

Now there are obviously caveats here. This is only a list of the males—the sons and fathers—as was the cultural custom of that day. This list in many ways replicates a list of names and numbers we see back in Ezra 2. Some have pointed to minor discrepancies in the list, saying, “One of them is not accurate.” Now clearly, we don’t know exactly how this count was taken; it was potentially updated with more information years after Ezra 2. There are all kinds of discussion about how these numbers were counted. But that’s the point: they were counted because each person among the people of God counts. 

So apply this picture from Nehemiah 7 in this gathering today of God’s people in different locations around Metro DC and online. God doesn’t just see thousands of us listening to this word right now. God sees you and you count. You matter. 

God sees you. We’re talking about the sovereign creator and ruler of all things. God knows you. God sees and knows every single thing that’s going on in your life right now, every single thing that’s on your mind, every single thing that’s in your heart. He sees all your hurts, all your highs and all your lows. And not just you, as if you came out of nowhere. 

You matter and your heritage matters. Your background that has shaped who you are, your family, your home, the place where you were born—your heritage matters to God. This again was part of the custom of the day in Nehemiah 7. We see lists of people by families, clans or tribes throughout the Bible, in part because of the influence the family has on shaping a person. And not just family, but a village or a town, the place where they were from. Notice Nehemiah 7 lists family names as well as places, cities, towns, villages. All of which shaped the makeup of each of the individual people in different ways, each of them with unique stories. And this is true for each one of us too. Our backgrounds, our families, our ethnicities, our histories—they all matter. Get the picture? You matter. Your heritage matters. All of this means that what you do with your life matters. 

Do you realize what these names and numbers in Nehemiah 7 represent? They’re more than just a list of people. Look back at verse six: “These were the people of the province who came up out of the captivity of those exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried into exile. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his town. They came with Zerubbabel.” These were the people who decided, decades before this, not just to put their names on a list, but to lay their lives on a line, pack up their families, leave Babylon behind, move back to a totally ruined Jerusalem to restore the people of God in the Promised Land. They were the ones who decided to come back with Zerubbabel and rebuild a nation. They were the pioneers of faith who trusted God and his promises through his prophets that he was going to restore his people in this land. They sacrificed. They gave of their lives to make that possible. 

Look at verse 70: “Now some of the heads of fathers’ houses gave to the work.” The governors gave certain things, then some of the heads of the fathers’ house gave into the treasury all this gold and silver. The rest of the people gave gold, silver and garments, all to help rebuild the temple in the city. That’s what the book of Ezra is all about. And now they are rebuilding the walls around the city, which is what the book of Nehemiah is about.

Nehemiah is listing their names and numbers, essentially saying three things to the people of God who had just rebuilt these walls. I’m going to make this language personal because God in his Word is saying the same things to you, right where you are sitting today.

1. Remember who you are as a child of God.

As these walls around Jerusalem are finished, Nehemiah locks eyes with the people and says, “Remember who you are as a child of God, as a part of this story that started long before you.” God is saying the same thing to every single person in this gathering who is a follower of Jesus. 

If you’re not a follower of Jesus, I invite you today to become a follower of Jesus. God desires relationship with you. God loves you so much. In a world of eight billion people, you matter to God. God loves you personally so much. Like every other person in the world, including all of us in this gathering, you have sinned against God. You have turned aside from God and his ways to yourself and your own ways, so your sin separates you from God. If you die in this state of separation from God, you’ll spend eternity separated from God in judgment due your sin. 

However, the good news of the Bible—the greatest news in the world—is that God has not left you alone in your sin. God has come to the world in the person of Jesus. Jesus lived a life of no sin, unlike anybody else, then—even though he had no sin for which to die—Jesus chose to die on a cross to pay the price for our sins. Then three days later he rose from the grave in victory over sin and death. 

That means that you, and anyone anywhere, no matter who you are or what you have done, if you will turn from your sin and trust in Jesus as the Savior and Lord of your life, God will forgive all your sin and restore you to relationship with him now and forever. God is inviting you today to trust in him, to begin a relationship with him. What are you waiting for? Your life now and for eternity hinges on this.

When you place your faith in Jesus—and for all who have—you are not just one in a multitude of God’s children. You count! I only have six kids, but I don’t just look at them as a group and think, “Yeah, I just love you guys as a whole.” No, every single one of my kids has such a unique place in my heart. I love each of them so much it hurts. Any parent knows that. Each of them matters so much to me.

I’m an imperfect father, but God is a perfect, holy, heavenly Father. He says to each one of his children personally, “You matter to me. Your life matters so much to me.” God says this about you. Do not look to this world to define you; look to God your Father to define you. Realize who you are, not based on what this person or that person or this message or that message in the world says, but based on what God your creator, who loves you and has made you fearfully and wonderfully in his image, desires for you. Define yourself based on who he says you are.

2. Remember who has gone before you in the family of God.

This is beautiful. What Nehemiah is saying in this list of people in chapter 7, and what God is saying to us today, is we’re in a long line of people who have faithfully walked with God before us. Think about this for a minute. You’ve got to see this. This list of people in Nehemiah 7 led to the rebuilding of Jerusalem among God’s people…

…which led centuries later to the place where Jesus came and lived and died and rose again…

…which led to the founding of the church…

…which led to the spread of the gospel from Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria and beyond…

…which led to the spread of the gospel to you and me and all the places in the world where the gospel has been heard, even now, 2,000 years later.

Do you realize what this means? Nehemiah 7 is our history. This is our heritage. These are the people of God who went before us. This is our story. Then fast forward to the people of God who specifically shaped your life and my life, who shared the gospel with you and me, with our families, in various churches, in different countries around the world. This is nothing short of awesome. Do you realize your life is a part of something so much bigger and grander than you are? It spans history and multiple generations.

3. Remember how they have given their lives for the glory of God.

So remember who you are, remember who’s gone before you in the family of God, and remember how they have given their lives for the glory of God. We’re part of a heritage, a family of faith, that includes Nehemiah going to a Persian king, Ezra risking his life, Zerubbabel, Moses, Abraham and Sarah before them, then Peter, John, Mary, Lydia and Paul after them. These are people who have given their lives to pass the gospel on from generation to generation, who faithfully walked with God, including people in our lives who have walked with God and passed the gospel on to us.

4. Resolve to continue the work of God in the time and place in which you’re living.

So in light of who you are, in light of the heritage of people who have given their lives for the glory of God, Nehemiah was saying then—and God is saying to you and me today— “Resolve to continue the work of God in the time and place in which you are living. In Nehemiah 7, God had not brought back these people, these families, to sit back and settle into their villages while the city of Jerusalem lay in ruins. In the same way, has God brought you to this time and place in the history of his people for you to sit back in casual, comfortable, cultural routine religion, while you just watch him work, as a spectator in the world? Is that God’s design for your life? In no way! You were created for so much more than that. 

You’re a child of God! You’re unique. It’s not just other people; you are a unique and significant part of the people of God. This means you have a unique and significant part to play in the building up of his Kingdom in the world. Do you realize why you’re here in this time and place? To coast through casual, comfortable, routine religion until you get to heaven? No! Don’t settle for that. You’re part of a coming Kingdom. You have the greatest news in the world. You have the Holy Spirit of God in your heart. You’re a child of God. 

So let’s revisit our question from this entire series: What could God do if every single person among his people said, just like Nehemiah and scores of other people who are named and numbered here, said, “I’m going to play my part in the work of God in my day. I’m going to give my resources. I’m going to spend my life building up God’s people and advancing God’s Kingdom in the world in my day.”

Do we realize the time and place in which we are living? There are more people alive today in the world who have never heard the gospel than ever before in history. We talk about this all the time. There are three billion people unreached by the gospel today, and you and I, in this time and place, have more opportunities to reach them with the gospel than ever before in history. Never before have people been able to travel like we can, have technology like we have, have globalization of the marketplace, unprecedented wealth in the history of the world, as well as the opportunities we have. Praise God! 

This week, I heard about Samuel and Sierra, members of our church, who took a job through the government in southeast Asia, specifically so they can go and spread the gospel to people who have never heard the name of Jesus in southeast Asia. Samuel just preached his first sermon in a church there this last week. 

Do you see this? You matter! Whether you’re in Metro Washington, DC, or southeast Asia, you matter You have a part to play in the advancement of God’s Kingdom in the world, through your gifts, skills, job, school, education, resources. Do not buy the lie of the Adversary that you’re just on the sidelines and other people are doing the real work in the Kingdom of God. That is not from God. That is the evil one saying that to you.

Don’t sell God short for what he’s created you for, especially here for us in the capital of the United States, in a church filled with people from all kinds of nations. Think of the opportunities we have to spread the gospel among the nations in this unique city, and from this unique city to the ends of the earth. What could God do if every single person in this church family, from ten years old to 90 years old and everywhere in between, from every single background, said, “I want my life to count”?

This is what God is saying to us through this passage that we would normally just glaze over as we read through the Bible. God is saying, “You count. You matter.” As you hear him saying that to you, God is calling you to respond, “I want to make my life count. With the little bit of breath that I have, in this mist of a life, this vapor that’s here one second and gone the next, I want to make it count. I want to do all you’re calling me to do in this world.”

Observation: What does the passage say?

1) Read Nehemiah 7:1–73 aloud as a group. Let group members share observations. Try not to move into interpretation of the passage or application of what you read quite yet. Simply share what you observe.

a) What did Nehemiah do after the rebuilding of the wall was completed?  

• • Who did Nehemiah appoint?  What positions were they given? Nehemiah 7:1
  • What qualities did Nehemiah look for in the leaders that he selected? Nehemiah 7:2
  • What tasks were assigned to them? Nehemiah 7:1–4

b) What did God put into Nehemiah’s heart to do, and what did he find? Nehemiah 7:5

c) What do you observe about the genealogy recorded? Nehemiah 7:7–69

d) What happened to the priests whose registrations were not found among the enrolled genealogies? Nehemiah 7:64–65

2) How did the returned exiles support the building efforts? What lessons can we learn from their faithfulness? Nehemiah 7:70–72, Ezra 2:68–70 

3) How would you summarize Nehemiah 7:1–73 in your own words?

Interpretation: What does the passage mean?

1. Why did Nehemiah make it a priority to appoint leaders after the wall was rebuilt? Nehemiah 7:1–4 
   • What was the significance of appointing gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites first? What was Nehemiah (ultimately God) seeking? – Psalm 48
   • Why is it important to have God-fearing and faithful leaders in the church? 1 Corinthians 4:1–2, Proverbs 29:25  
   • Why is it important for God’s people to be on guard? Mark 13:33, Ephesians 6: 13; 1 Peter 5:8–9
2. Why was the genealogy of the people important? Ezra 2, Nehemiah 7:6–69, Genesis 12:1–3, Matthew 1:1–17

• What are some similarities or differences between the genealogy recorded in Ezra 2 and Nehemiah 7? What may be the reason for the differences identified? 
• What does the genealogy in scripture say about the importance of our heritage and identity? Genesis 49:10, 1 Peter 2:9

Application: How can we apply this passage to our lives?

1. How does the truth that you, your heritage, and what you do matters to God, impacts the way you view your life? Acts 17:26
2. How can the account of the people’s commitment in Nehemiah 7 motivate you to participate more actively in your church? 
3. Are you a member of MBC? If not, what steps can you take to commit to being a part of the MBC church family? 
4. What are 1-2 steps God is calling you to take to play your part in building up His church and spreading the gospel in this time and place in which you’re living?
5. What God is leading you in this time and place to faithfully follow him?
6. In light of today’s discussion, how can your church group/huddle members pray for you?

Nehemiah 7 ESV

1. Now when the wall had been built and I had set up the doors, and the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed, 2 I gave my brother Hanani and Hananiah the governor of the castle charge over Jerusalem, for he was a more faithful and God-fearing man than many. 3 And I said to them, “Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot. And while they are still standing guard, let them shut and bar the doors. Appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, some at their guard posts and some in front of their own homes.” 4 The city was wide and large, but the people within it were few, and no houses had been rebuilt.

Lists of Returned Exiles

5 Then my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles and the officials and the people to be enrolled by genealogy. And I found the book of the genealogy of those who came up at the first, and I found written in it:

6 These were the people of the province who came up out of the captivity of those exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried into exile. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his town. 7 They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, Baanah.

The number of the men of the people of Israel: 8 the sons of Parosh, 2,172. 9 The sons of Shephatiah, 372. 10 The sons of Arah, 652. 11 The sons of Pahath-moab, namely the sons of Jeshua and Joab, 2,818. 12 The sons of Elam, 1,254. 13 The sons of Zattu, 845. 14 The sons of Zaccai, 760. 15 The sons of Binnui, 648. 16 The sons of Bebai, 628. 17 The sons of Azgad, 2,322. 18 The sons of Adonikam, 667. 19 The sons of Bigvai, 2,067. 20 The sons of Adin, 655. 21 The sons of Ater, namely of Hezekiah, 98. 22 The sons of Hashum, 328. 23 The sons of Bezai, 324. 24 The sons of Hariph, 112. 25 The sons of Gibeon, 95. 26 The men of Bethlehem and Netophah, 188. 27 The men of Anathoth, 128. 28 The men of Beth-azmaveth, 42. 29 The men of Kiriath-jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, 743. 30 The men of Ramah and Geba, 621. 31 The men of Michmas, 122. 32 The men of Bethel and Ai, 123. 33 The men of the other Nebo, 52. 34 The sons of the other Elam, 1,254. 35 The sons of Harim, 320. 36The sons of Jericho, 345. 37 The sons of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, 721. 38 The sons of Senaah, 3,930.

39 The priests: the sons of Jedaiah, namely the house of Jeshua, 973. 40 The sons of Immer, 1,052. 41 The sons of Pashhur, 1,247. 42 The sons of Harim, 1,017.

43 The Levites: the sons of Jeshua, namely of Kadmiel of the sons of Hodevah, 74. 44 The singers: the sons of Asaph, 148. 45 The gatekeepers: the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, the sons of Shobai, 138.

46 The temple servants: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth, 47 the sons of Keros, the sons of Sia, the sons of Padon, 48 the sons of Lebana, the sons of Hagaba, the sons of Shalmai, 49 the sons of Hanan, the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar, 50 the sons of Reaiah, the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekoda, 51 the sons of Gazzam, the sons of Uzza, the sons of Paseah, 52 the sons of Besai, the sons of Meunim, the sons of Nephushesim, 53 the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of Harhur, 54 the sons of Bazlith, the sons of Mehida, the sons of Harsha, 55 the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Temah, 56 the sons of Neziah, the sons of Hatipha.

57 The sons of Solomon’s servants: the sons of Sotai, the sons of Sophereth, the sons of Perida, 58 the sons of Jaala, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Giddel, 59 the sons of Shephatiah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of Pochereth-hazzebaim, the sons of Amon.

60 All the temple servants and the sons of Solomon’s servants were 392.

61 The following were those who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer, but they could not prove their fathers’ houses nor their descent, whether they belonged to Israel: 62 the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, the sons of Nekoda, 642. 63 Also, of the priests: the sons of Hobaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, the sons of Barzillai (who had taken a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by their name). 64 These sought their registration among those enrolled in the genealogies, but it was not found there, so they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. 65 The governor told them that they were not to partake of the most holy food until a priest with Urim and Thummim should arise.

Totals of People and Gifts

66 The whole assembly together was 42,360, 67 besides their male and female servants, of whom there were 7,337. And they had 245 singers, male and female. 68 Their horses were 736, their mules 245,[a] 69 their camels 435, and their donkeys 6,720.

70 Now some of the heads of fathers’ houses gave to the work. The governor gave to the treasury 1,000 darics[b] of gold, 50 basins, 30 priests’ garments and 500 minas[c] of silver.71 And some of the heads of fathers’ houses gave into the treasury of the work 20,000 darics of gold and 2,200 minas of silver. 72 And what the rest of the people gave was 20,000 darics of gold, 2,000 minas of silver, and 67 priests’ garments.

73 So the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the temple servants, and all Israel, lived in their towns. And when the seventh month had come, the people of Israel were in their towns.

Sermon Recap

1. God says that you matter. As such remember who you are as a child of God.
2. God says that your heritage matters to Him. As such, remember who has gone before you in the family of God.
3. God says that what you do with your life matters. As such, Remember how others have given their lives for the glory of God and resolve to continue the work of God in the time and place in which you are living.