The Leader and Innovation | Nehemiah 11:1–12:26 | Message 11
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Now the leaders of the people settled in Jerusalem. The rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of every ten of them to live in Jerusalem, the holy city, while the remaining nine were to stay in their own towns. 2 The people commended all who volunteered to live in Jerusalem.
3 These are the provincial leaders who settled in Jerusalem (now some Israelites, priests, Levites, temple servants and descendants of Solomon’s servants lived in the towns of Judah, each on their own property in the various towns, 4 while other people from both Judah and Benjamin lived in Jerusalem):
From the descendants of Judah:
Athaiah son of Uzziah, the son of Zechariah, the son of Amariah, the son of Shephatiah, the son of Mahalalel, a descendant of Perez; 5 and Maaseiah son of Baruch, the son of Kol-Hozeh, the son of Hazaiah, the son of Adaiah, the son of Joiarib, the son of Zechariah, a descendant of Shelah. 6 The descendants of Perez who lived in Jerusalem totaled 468 men of standing.
7 From the descendants of Benjamin:
Sallu son of Meshullam, the son of Joed, the son of Pedaiah, the son of Kolaiah, the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ithiel, the son of Jeshaiah, 8 and his followers, Gabbai and Sallai—928 men. 9 Joel son of Zikri was their chief officer, and Judah son of Hassenuah was over the New Quarter of the city.
Jedaiah; the son of Joiarib; Jakin; 11 Seraiah son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, the official in charge of the house of God, 12 and their associates, who carried on work for the temple—822 men; Adaiah son of Jeroham, the son of Pelaliah, the son of Amzi, the son of Zechariah, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malkijah, 13 and his associates, who were heads of families—242 men; Amashsai son of Azarel, the son of Ahzai, the son of Meshillemoth, the son of Immer, 14 and his[a] associates, who were men of standing—128. Their chief officer was Zabdiel son of Haggedolim.
Shemaiah son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Bunni; 16 Shabbethai and Jozabad, two of the heads of the Levites, who had charge of the outside work of the house of God; 17 Mattaniah son of Mika, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, the director who led in thanksgiving and prayer; Bakbukiah, second among his associates; and Abda son of Shammua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun. 18 The Levites in the holy city totaled 284.
19 The gatekeepers:
Akkub, Talmon and their associates, who kept watch at the gates—172 men.
20 The rest of the Israelites, with the priests and Levites, were in all the towns of Judah, each on their ancestral property.
21 The temple servants lived on the hill of Ophel, and Ziha and Gishpa were in charge of them.
22 The chief officer of the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzzi son of Bani, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Mika. Uzzi was one of Asaph’s descendants, who were the musicians responsible for the service of the house of God. 23 The musicians were under the king’s orders, which regulated their daily activity.
24 Pethahiah son of Meshezabel, one of the descendants of Zerah son of Judah, was the king’s agent in all affairs relating to the people.
25 As for the villages with their fields, some of the people of Judah lived in Kiriath Arba and its surrounding settlements, in Dibon and its settlements, in Jekabzeel and its villages, 26 in Jeshua, in Moladah, in Beth Pelet, 27 in Hazar Shual, in Beersheba and its settlements, 28 in Ziklag, in Mekonah and its settlements, 29 in En Rimmon, in Zorah, in Jarmuth, 30 Zanoah, Adullam and their villages, in Lachish and its fields, and in Azekah and its settlements. So they were living all the way from Beersheba to the Valley of Hinnom.
31 The descendants of the Benjamites from Geba lived in Mikmash, Aija, Bethel and its settlements, 32 in Anathoth, Nob and Ananiah, 33 in Hazor, Ramah and Gittaim, 34 in Hadid, Zeboim and Neballat, 35 in Lod and Ono, and in Ge Harashim.
36 Some of the divisions of the Levites of Judah settled in Benjamin.
These were the priests and Levites who returned with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and with Joshua:
Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,
2 Amariah, Malluk, Hattush,
5 Mijamin,[c] Moadiah, Bilgah,
7 Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah and Jedaiah.
These were the leaders of the priests and their associates in the days of Joshua.
8 The Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and also Mattaniah, who, together with his associates, was in charge of the songs of thanksgiving. 9 Bakbukiah and Unni, their associates, stood opposite them in the services.
10 Joshua was the father of Joiakim, Joiakim the father of Eliashib, Eliashib the father of Joiada, 11 Joiada the father of Jonathan, and Jonathan the father of Jaddua.
12 In the days of Joiakim, these were the heads of the priestly families:
of Jeremiah’s, Hananiah;
15 of Harim’s, Adna;
of Miniamin’s and of Moadiah’s, Piltai;
22 The family heads of the Levites in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan and Jaddua, as well as those of the priests, were recorded in the reign of Darius the Persian. 23 The family heads among the descendants of Levi up to the time of Johanan son of Eliashib were recorded in the book of the annals. 24 And the leaders of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, Jeshua son of Kadmiel, and their associates, who stood opposite them to give praise and thanksgiving, one section responding to the other, as prescribed by David the man of God.
25 Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon and Akkub were gatekeepers who guarded the storerooms at the gates. 26 They served in the days of Joiakim son of Joshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor and of Ezra the priest, the teacher of the Law.
Nehemiah 11:1–12:26
Are you willing to give and go wherever the Lord calls you? The next step of obedience, after surrendering and sealing our commitments to God in writing, is to ask: “Lord, what do You want me to do for You? Where do You want me to serve?” That service could be as humble as a parking attendant, as an usher, a deacon, as visible as a worship leader or pastor, a compassionate counselor, serving in the nursery, or as unseen yet powerful as being a prayer warrior for your church and pastor. The Lord may even be calling you into full-time Christian service. One thing is sure—when we obey, we must be willing to give and go! And yes, along the way you will face discomfort, trials, and tests—but God Himself will equip you for every step you take.
As we open Nehemiah 11, we see how carefully he records God’s call for leaders to give and go. One-tenth of the people were chosen to resettle inside Jerusalem’s rebuilt walls, the holy city of God. Why? To guard the city from within and to grow its population with faithful men and women. There’s a clear spiritual parallel here: we, too, are called to stand guard as witnesses for Christ in our nation. Yes, we must vote and be involved in government. The enemy of our souls, the devil, is described as one who “prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Nehemiah’s repopulation effort reminds us not to neglect our mission to evangelize the lost, for God always uses people to reach people. As Paul reminds us: “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us” (2 Corinthians 5:20).
Something fascinating stands out in this chapter. Nehemiah 11:6 tells us: “There were 468 descendants of Perez who lived in Jerusalem—all outstanding men.” Another translation calls them “valiant men.” The Hebrew word for “valiant” conveys strength, might, and valor. Why does this matter? Because Matthew 1:3 reminds us that Judah was the father of Perez … and from that very lineage came the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior!
Nehemiah also highlights the priests and their responsibilities at the Temple (11:12). We discover four reasons they served, each one a vivid analogy for us today as we seek to live fruitful Christian lives:
Sacrifice at the Temple – we too must embrace selflessness and surrender if we are to serve Jesus Christ fully.
Repairs and service at the Temple – again, we must be ready to give and go. We are not called to sit in comfort, but to serve with courage, helping the church repair the lives of men, women, and families.
Guard the gates of Jerusalem – this is a reminder that spiritual warfare is constant; therefore, we must put on the whole armor of God.
Singers conducting worship in the Temple – we too must continually worship and praise our God throughout this journey of faith.
Look closely at Nehemiah 11, and you will see people who were willing to give and go for God’s glory!
I challenge you today to pray sincerely: “Lord, what do You want me to do for You? Where do You want me to serve?” And be ready—because God will answer.
Consider the remarkable example of C. T. Studd (1860–1931), the famous English cricketer turned missionary. At age 25, he inherited millions of dollars from his father, Edward. Instead of clinging to luxury and privilege, he gave it all away to advance the Gospel: George Müller’s orphanages, D. L. Moody’s evangelistic campaigns, Hudson Taylor’s China Inland Mission, and William Booth’s Salvation Army. In 1885, Studd joined six other men from Cambridge University, surrendering their lives to the mission field. They endured hardship, extreme conditions, and relentless trials, yet their passion was to bring people to Christ. Serving in China, India, and Studd finally died in Africa. Studd and his companions became known worldwide as the “Cambridge Seven.” Their selfless devotion inspired scores of others in Britain and America to leave all and take the Gospel to some of the world’s hardest places. When Studd was asked why such a personal sacrifice, he responded with his immortal words:
“If Jesus Christ is God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.”
