Things that Matter

I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD. Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem. (Psalm 122:1-2)

          There is an old adage that runs something like this: If you want to know what really matters to a person, take a look at his day-planner and at his checkbook. That’s because, of course, you and I tend to spend our precious money and time on the things we prize.

          Discounting the time and money you and I spend on basic, obvious items such as work, housing and essential food items, we can learn a lot about what matters to us if we’re willing to scour over our calendars and bank statements. Many of us apparently think football matters – a lot – based on how we spend our Saturdays (and the other days of the week watching and reading about it). Perhaps you, along with many Greene Countians, think family gatherings are of the utmost importance. Or exquisite clothes or vacations might top your list of priorities.

          Today as we study Nehemiah 11 and the first half of 12, you and I learn what God thinks is important – His church and His people. But be warned: His priorities might not match up with yours.

          At first, chapter 11 and the first half of chapter 12 appear to be unexciting lists of names in the middle of a book about revival among the people of God. Nehemiah had led the Jews in reconstructing the wall of Jerusalem, and the people had begun to hear Scripture again and to confess their sin as they worshipped the Lord. They were on the verge of dedicating the rebuilt walls – certainly a high point of the book.

          So why this list of names of those who repopulated Jerusalem?

          Because Jerusalem matters to God. Because you and I, everyday people like those mentioned here, matter to God.

          Because the Lord is being glorified by the building of His church – His kingdom – and you and I have an important role to play in this great work.

          The first lesson you and I glean is that Jerusalem matters to God, albeit in a different way now from back in Nehemiah’s day.

          Jerusalem in the Old Testament also was known as Zion and as the City of David. Importantly, in Nehemiah 11:1 and 11:18, the author refers to it as “the Holy City.” This title indicates just how special the city of Jerusalem was to the Lord our God: it was the place of His dwelling with men (in the temple) and therefore holy – set apart from the common to the sacred – unto the Lord.

          In the Psalms, the Jews sang the praises of Jerusalem as the City of God. Psalm 122 radiantly declared the blessedness of Jerusalem, especially because Jerusalem was the location of the house of the Lord – the place where God offered His blessing to His people.

          To be fair, it would have taken some courage in the Lord to return to Jerusalem even after the rebuilding of the walls. The city hadn’t been populated in some time, and God’s people had crafted lives for themselves outside of the city – much as you and I grow comfortable in our houses and neighborhoods. Yet Nehemiah knew that the Lord didn’t simply want the wall rebuilt and His city to remain empty; Jerusalem emblemized the presence of the eternal God with sinful-yet-redeemed man, and it mattered to God that certain of His people lived in His city. He wanted them to worship Him there and to live as His peculiar treasure within the city walls: God wanted the city to be holy, set apart to Him, before an unholy world.

          Jerusalem still matters today, but not in the way you might think.

          In the Old Covenant, Jerusalem symbolized the church of our Lord Jesus Christ: the church is the company of all faithful people, and the church is where the Lord meets His people, receives their worship (through Christ), speaks His blessing and hears our prayers. The church is to be a “holy city,” as it were, in that you and I are to stand apart from this world’s drunkenness and lust and to walk in God’s perfect and holy ways. You and I are to reveal to a dying world that God is not distant but, in fact, is near to all who call on Him and who approach Him through the redeeming work of His Son, Jesus.

          In the Revelation of St. John the Divine, twice the apostle refers to the church in heaven as the “New Jerusalem.” In heaven you and I will dwell together with the triune God intimately and worship Him unceasingly: we will, then, be the ideal of the earthly Jerusalem.

          Certainly God’s people were His possession even when they lived outside of Jerusalem’s walls. Certainly you are a member of the true church if you believe on Christ yet are unable physically to make it to corporate worship.

          But the Lord bestows His special blessing on His people as we gather together from the world in this holy fellowship, this holy city, called the church. God wanted His people to prioritize His way and place Jerusalem at the top of their lists; He wanted them to come to Jerusalem to worship and, in some cases, to abide. It would have cost them something to come to the holy city, but the reward of God’s benediction was well worth it.

          The Lord still wants you and me to gather together and to be the church corporate. Survey Greene Countians’ schedules and checkbooks and you’ll see that family reunions and ball games and fishing trips and social activities matter. A lot.

          What does your schedule say about your view of God’s church? And what does God say?

          Second, this text reminds you and me that we matter to God.

          Honestly, you and I read these verses as we did in chapter 7 and wonder what possibly they offer us of theological value. Remember this, though: the city would be nothing without people populating it, much as a renovated church building is nothing without believers populating it!

          As you and I scan these names, we note from the outset that the leaders of God’s people led them in prioritizing the life of Jerusalem. The leaders dwelled first in the city, setting a fine example for the rest of the Jews. Do your spiritual leaders set an example for you of attending to the house of God, of gathering for corporate worship and of advancing the kingdom of God? Do you as a leader – of your household, of your Sunday School class, of your friends – set an example of putting Christ’s church first?

          We note also that those who came willingly to repopulate the city – one in 10, and perhaps others as they were led – received the blessing of God’s people. In making God’s holy city a priority and thus being willing to relocate, these people followed the path of blessing mapped out by the Lord Himself. As you and I attend to the things of God and to the church, the people of God, we too will experience the nearness and joy of the Holy Spirit.

          In the repopulation of the city, Nehemiah clearly placed great emphasis on the worship of God: note the names of all the priests and Levites who returned to work in and around God’s house. In particular we meet some men whom the Lord called to lead the people in praising God, further underscoring the importance of right worship. As Israel had learned so painfully in the past, without the proper worship of God at the center of their life, God’s people surely would stumble.

          These names might seem hard-to-pronounce and buried in the ancient past, but they teach you and me a vital lesson: in God’s kingdom, every person matters. In today’s world you’re encouraged to believe that the good-looking, wealthy and athletic really matter, while “Average Joes” like you and me aren’t as important as they. That same noxious thinking even seeps into the church, in which we praise preachers and church leaders but deny that you in the pews are useful and important in the work of the church.

          These names teach you and me that in God’s kingdom, there are no little people. Everyone is equally beloved in Christ, and every one of you is equally important to the work of the kingdom.

          St. Paul says to the Ephesians that our triumphant Lord gives gifts to his church to do the work of the church. That means you – yes, you! – have spiritual gifts, and we as the church desperately need you to utilize those gifts in the work of the body. Just because you’re the toe and not the eye doesn’t mean you can ignore your duty. We need you!

          Thank the Lord for this list of names. You and I are tempted to think that only the people in the spotlight matter. In God’s eyes, however, every one of you matters vitally to the life of the Body of Christ.

          In your idle time this week, take a moment to examine your calendar and your checkbook. Don’t focus so much on 8 to 5 Monday to Friday, or on the checks to the mortgage company or to the Pig.

          Look at Saturday and Sunday. Check out weekday nights. That’s when you’ll see what really matters to you.

          Where does Christ’s church fit in your equation? Where do you fit into his church?

          It’s time you and I focus on what the Lord says really matters.