Nehemiah 12 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study
Nehemiah 12 Short Summary:
The first half of Nehemiah 12 (verses 1-26) is a record of the leaders of priests and Levites who served God during the days of Zerubbabel and Joiakim. The second half (verses 27-47) is a recounting of Nehemiah and Ezra’s dedication ceremony to celebrate the completion of the walls of Jerusalem.
Nehemiah 12 Summary
WHEN:
538-537 BC – Cyrus the Great of Persia frees the Jews from their Babylonian captivity.
516 BC – The rebuilding of the Temple is completed in Jerusalem.
457 BC – Ezra arrives in Jerusalem.
445-444 BC – Nehemiah arrives in Jerusalem.
KEY CHARACTERS:
Jerusalem – The capital of the Kingdom of Judah and the location of God’s Temple.
There are a number of gates and towers of Jerusalem mentioned in Nehemiah 12:27-43. A visual diagram of these gates and towers can be found on our Nehemiah 3 outline.
WHERE:
Jerusalem – The capital of the Kingdom of Judah and the location of God’s Temple.
The Towns and Villages of Judah – The end of Nehemiah 11 lists the names of villages inhabited by the people of Judah and Benjamin.
OUTLINE:
A RECORD OF PRIESTS AND LEVITES (12:1-26):
Nehemiah 12:1-11 is a record the heads of the priests and Levites who returned to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel following the Babylonian exile.
Nehemiah 12:12-26 is a record of the heads of the priests and Levites during and after the time of Joiakim son of Jeshua.
DEDICATION OF THE WALL OF JERUSALEM (12:27-43):
Now that the walls were finished, the leaders of Judah decided to have a dedication ceremony in the city. They gathered all the Levites, the singers, and the musicians to take part.
The priests and Levites purified themselves, the people, the gates, and the walls.
Nehemiah appointed two choirs and multiple musicians to sing praise to God.
He brought the leaders of Judah, including Ezra, up on the walls.
“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” (12:43).
THE SACRED ADMINISTRATION AT THE TEMPLE (12:44-47):
On that day, men were appointed to manage the storerooms at the Temple.
The Law of God instructed the people of Judah to give tithes every year. These contributions were, in part, used to pay and feed the priests, the Levites, the singers, and the gatekeepers who worked at the Temple.
These Temple workers cared for the people’s spiritual needs and in return the people cared for their physical needs.
During the days of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah the people were mostly faithful in making these yearly contributions (Nehemiah 13:10-12 may be an exception).
APPLICATION
It took 52 days for Nehemiah and the Jews to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
What could our churches accomplish if everyone in a congregation set their mind to somethings for 52 days?
What if everyone in a congregation was working towards achieving one goal?
We could accomplish a lot if we had focused periods of work like we read about in Nehemiah
It might be a unifying experience and a very productive period.
