In the book of Nehemiah, Nehemiah returned to the city of Jerusalem and began to rebuild the wall. He used, “Eliashib and his brethren the priests, and they builded the sheep gate; they sanctified it, and set up the doors of it; even unto the tower of Meah they sanctified it, unto the tower of Hananeel. And next unto him builded the men of Jericho. And next to them builded Zaccur the son of Imri. But the fish gate did the sons of Hassenaah build, who also laid the beams thereof, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof. And next unto them repaired Meremoth the son of Urijah, the son of Koz. And next unto them repaired Meshullam the son of Berechiah, the son of Meshezabeel. And next unto them repaired Zadok the son of Baana. And next unto them the Tekoites repaired; but their nobles put not their necks to the work of their Lord. Moreover the old gate repaired Jehoiada the son of Paseah, and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah; they laid the beams thereof, and set up the doors thereof, and the locks thereof, and the bars thereof”, and in chapter three and verse seven of Nehemiah, Nehemiah said, “next unto them repaired Melatiah the Gibeonite”, where we read,
And next unto them repaired Melatiah the Gibeonite, and Jadon the Meronothite,
the men of Gibeon, and of Mizpah, unto the throne of the governor on this side the river.
The verse reads, “And next unto them repaired Melatiah the Gibeonite, and Jadon the Meronothite, ...”. Nehemiah began with the words, “and next unto them” or “and beside or in close proximity to Jehoiada and Meshullam” “repaired Melatiah” which means “strengthened, hardened and made firm Melatiah whose name means Jehovah delivered” “the Gibeonite” or “the inhabitant of Gibeon whose name means little hill or hilly”, “and Jadon” whose name means “thankful” “the Meronothite” or “from the place probably called Meronoth whose name means joyful shouter”. Nehemiah shared how “Melatiah and Jadon” repaired the wall in close proximity to “Jehoiada and Meshullam”.
The verse goes on to say, “the men of Gibeon, and of Mizpah, unto the throne of the governor on this side the river.” Nehemiah continued with the words, “the men of Gibeon” or “the male human beings belonging to Gibeon whose name means little hill or hilly”, “and of Mizpah” which means “and belonging to Mizpah whose name means watchtower and was a place in Glilead north of Jabbok and the location of Laban's cairn”, “unto the throne” or “to the seat or stool of honor, royal dignity and authority” “of the governor” which means “belonging to the captain or official” “on this side the river” or “upon the region across or beyond the stream or Euphrates River”. Nehemiah shared how the “men” from “Gibeon and Mizpah” to the royal seat belonging to the captain on the west side of the Euphrates River were also among those who rebuilt the wall with “Melatiah and Jadon”.
When we think through the words in this verse, we learn through Nehemiah more of the names of the men who were rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. “Melatiah and Jadon” were joined by the men of “Gibeon and Mizpah” as well as those who belonged to the captain and official on the west side of the Euphrates River. Each of these groups of people were responsible for sections of the reconstruction, and piece by piece the wall was coming together. God loves the people of Israel, and He is their provision and protection. He becomes the same for us when we surrender to His Son Jesus who died on the cross for the sins of all mankind. Jesus was resurrected from the dead three days later, and now everyone who believes and trusts in Him will be forgive of their sins, granted everlasting life and given responsibilities within His Kingdom in which we shall willingly serve Him for all eternity.
Next time Nehemiah says, “next unto him repaired Uzziel”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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