The wall dedicated; the joy of Jerusalem heard far away
Prepared for the Irvine chapter of the Google Christian Fellowship
The chapter opens with rolls of priests and Levites reaching back to Zerubbabel. Then the dedication: Levites are sought from their villages with cymbals, harps and lyres; priests and people purify themselves, the gates, and the wall itself. Nehemiah appoints two great choirs of thanksgiving that mount the wall and walk it in opposite directions—one south past the Dung Gate behind Ezra the scribe, one north past the towers with Nehemiah following—until both stand together in the house of God. Great sacrifices are offered; men, women and children rejoice, “for God had made them rejoice with great joy,” and the sound carries far beyond the city. The day ends practically, with men set over the storerooms, so that gratitude keeps its provision.
“And they offered great sacrifices that day and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and children also rejoiced. And the joy of Jerusalem was heard far away.”Nehemiah 12:43
“He cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Hallelujah to the Father, Hallelujah to the Son, Hallelujah to the Holy Spirit’”St. Yared the hymn writer, Synaxarium account · Ethiopian Synaxarium, 11 Genbot (trans. Budge, pp. 875–876)
“Everyone capable of thanksgiving is capable of salvation and eternal joy.”Fr. Alexander Schmemann · Final Thanksgiving homily, “Thank You, O Lord” (1983)
“Let us stand to sing the psalms in such a way that our minds are in harmony with our voices.”St. Benedict · Rule of St. Benedict 19:7 (RB 1980)
“To be grateful is to recognize the love of God in everything He has given us—and He has given us everything.”Thomas Merton · Thoughts in Solitude, p. 33
“Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.”The Westminster Divines · Westminster Shorter Catechism Q&A 1
“God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.”John Piper · Desiring God