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 made record of, “the priests, the Levites, the singers, the porters, Nethinims” and “the children of Solomon's servants, these were they which went up also from Telmelah, Telharesha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer: but they could not show their father's house, nor their seed, whether they were of Israel;” He added, “the children of Delaiah, Tobiah, Nekoda and of the priests, Habaiah, Kos and Barzillai” who “sought their register among those that were reckoned by genealogy” and were unable to serve in the priesthood, and in chapter seven and verse sixty-five of Nehemiah, Nehemiah shared what, “the Tirshatha said unto them” where we read,
And the Tirshatha said unto them, that they should not eat of the most holy things,
till there stood up a priest with Urim and Thummim.
The verse reads, “And the Tirshatha said unto them, that they should not eat of the most holy things, ...” Nehemiah began with the words, “and the Tirshatha” which means “and the deputy or governor” “said unto them” or “uttered, declared and proclaimed to them, Habaiah, Kos and Barzillai”, “that they should not eat” which means “that they, the offspring of Habaiah, Kos and Barzillai, were not to consume or devour” “of the most holy things” or “pertaining to the separated, apart, hallowed, consecrated and sacred food or drink”. Nehemiah shared how the “governor” over the temple told the offspring of “Habaiah, Kos and Barzillai” that they were not to consume the sacred food or drink until the following occurred.
The verse goes on to say, “... till there stood up a priest with Urim and Thummim.” Nehemiah continued with the words, “till there stood up a priest” or “until a spiritual spokesman or leader arose” “with Urim” which means “accompanied by the Urim which means lights” “and Thummim” or “and Thummim which means perfection”. Nehemiah shared how the “governor” over the temple said the offspring of “Habaiah, Kos and Barzillai” were not to consume any of the sacred elements until such time as a spiritual spokesman arose accompanied by the “lights and perfection”.
When we think through the words in this verse, we learn through Nehemiah that the offspring of “Habaiah, Kos and Barzillai” were as though they were defiled from the priesthood, and they were unsure about what to do with them. The deputy over the temple decided they should not partake of the sacred food and drink until a “priest” arose with the “Urim and Thummim” or “lights and perfection” which was used to determine the will of God in these situations. The Holy Spirit of God was not given to people as yet, and although He would come upon people in the Old Testament from time to time, He was not constantly in them like He is for those who put their faith and trust in God's Son Jesus who died on the cross for the sins of all mankind and was raised from the dead three days later. Jesus said, “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.” (See John 16:7), and when we yield our lives to Him as our “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and put His Holy Spirit within us to guide us into all truth and to empower us to live according to that truth. (See John 16:33; Acts 1:8)
Next time Nehemiah shares the number of, “the whole congregation”, 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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