Princes Brought Upon the Wall - Nehemiah 12:31

In the book of Nehemiah, Nehemiah said, “the priests and the Levites purified themselves, and purified the people, and the gates, and the wall”, and in chapter twelve and verse thirty-one of Nehemiah, Nehemiah said, “then I brought up the princes of Judah upon the wall” where we read,

Then I brought up the princes of Judah upon the wall, and appointed two great companies of them that gave thanks, whereof one went on the right hand upon the wall toward the dung gate:

The verse reads, “Then I brought up the princes of Judah upon the wall, and appointed two great companies of them that gave thanks, ...” Nehemiah began with the words, “then I brought up the princes” which means “at that time I, Nehemiah, led the rulers, leaders, chief and chieftains” “of Judah” or “belonging to Judah whose name means praised and was the kingdom comprised of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin which occupied the southern part of Canaan after the nation split upon the death of Solomon” “upon the wall” which means “on the barrier wall to Jerusalem”, “and appointed two great companies” or “and caused and ordained two groups” “of them that gave thanks” which means “pertaining to the leaders who bestowed and offered praise and thanksgiving”. Nehemiah shared how he led the leaders of “Judah” to stand upon the barrier wall and divided them into two groups.

The verse goes on to say, “... whereof one went on the right hand upon the wall toward the dung gate:” Nehemiah continued with the words, “whereof one went on the right hand” or “of which one group proceeded to the right hand side” “upon the wall” which means “of the barrier wall” “toward the dung gate” or “in the direction of the entrance and portal that was named the refuse gate”. Nehemiah shared how he caused one of the group of leaders to proceed toward the right side of the barrier wall in the direction of the “refuse” gate or entrance.

When we think through the words in this verse, we discover through Nehemiah the procedure he took with the leaders of “Judah”. He led them to the top of the barrier wall and divided them into two groups, and one of the groups proceeded to the right side in the direction of the entrance known as the “dung gate”. The stage was being set, and the dedication of the barrier wall was soon to take place. This great celebration was to give praise and thanksgiving the Jehovah God for reestablishing the people of Israel in their homeland, and to honor Him for the barrier wall they constructed. God loves the people of Israel, and He loves us as well. He wants all of us to yield to His Son Jesus who died on the cross for the sins of all mankind and was raised from the dead three days later, and when we submit to Him, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and put His Holy Spirit within us so we can give Him praise and thanksgiving for all eternity. 

Next time Nehemiah says, “after them went Hoshaiah, and half of the princes”, 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".