Today’s passage: Nehemiah 11
Helpful thoughts:
- With the city of Jerusalem rebuilt and the commitment of the people to serve the Lord faithfully, it’s time to resettle in the land.
- Ten percent of the people remained in Jerusalem to populate the capital city (The people tithed again!). The remaining ninety percent reclaimed their ancestral lands and went “home.”
- We get a reminder in this chapter, what remains of Israel are the descendants of the tribes of Judah, Benjamin and Levi. The name “Jew” is derived from the tribe of Judah.
Questions to consider:
- Who was blessed in verse 2? What did they do? In what way were they loving their families and communities by volunteering themselves?
- As exciting as it might have been to see their lands resettled, what did this new Judah or Israel look like compared to how it have been before? What challenges and obstacles might they have experienced as they journeyed back “home” and started over where they’d left over over seventy years prior?
- How is God’s grace and blessing put on display in this passage? Where are these formerly exiled Jews now dwelling? What are they going to be able to do which they haven’t for over seventy years?