In the book of Nehemiah, Nehemiah said, “These are the children of the province, that went up out of the captivity, of those that had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away, and came again to Jerusalem and to Judah, every one unto his city.” Nehemiah included the children of many of the people of Israel in his census, and he added several of the men such as “the men of the other Nebo, the other Elam” and “the children of Harim, Jericho, Lod, Hadid, Ono and Senaah.” He also counted, “the priests, the Levites, the singers, the porters, the Nethinims” and their offspring which included “the children of Barkos, Sisera, Tamah and Neziah”, and in chapter seven and verse fifty-seven of Nehemiah, Nehemiah shared about, “the children of Solomon's servants”, where we read,
The children of Solomon's servants:
the children of Sotai, the children of Sophereth, the children of Perida, ...
The verse reads, “The children of Solomon's servants:” Nehemiah began with the words, “the children” which means “the offspring and progeny” “of Solomon's servants” or “the men of servile condition, slaves or bondmen belonging to Solomon whose name means peace and was the son of David by Bathsheba and the third king of Israel”. Nehemiah shared how the bondmen who belonged to “Solomon” were included in his census of the people who returned to Jerusalem from Babylon to the completion of the barrier wall.
The verse goes on to say, “the children of Sotai, the children of Sophereth, the children of Perida, ...” Nehemiah continued with the words, “the children” or “the progeny or offspring” “of Sotai” which means “belonging to Sotai whose name means changeful”, “the children” or “the offspring and progeny” “of Sophereth” which means “belonging to Sophereth whose name means writing”“of Perida” which means “belonging to Perida whose name means grain or kernel”. Nehemiah said the offspring of “Sotai, Sophereth and Perida” were added to his list of “Solomon's servants”who returned to Jerusalem.
When we think through Nehemiah's words in this verse, we learn how the bondmen who descended from “Solomon”were also included in the list of people from Israel who returned to Jerusalem to the finishing of the barrier wall. Each of these groups of people were instrumental in the rebuilding of Jerusalem, the temple and the barrier wall that surrounded them. God uses people from all walks of life in His Kingdom, and their service begins by yielding to His Son Jesus who died on the cross for the sins of the world and was raised from the dead three days later. When we believe and trust in Him as our “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and allow us to work in His service Kingdom in this life and in the eternal life to come.
Next time Nehemiah shares about, “the children of Jaala, Darkon and Giddel”, 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".
No comments:
Post a Comment