Nehemiah, Part 8: Listening to God
July 16, 2026 | by: Dale Thiele | 0 Comments
Posted in: Pastoral Encouragement
This summer the men are invited to study the book of Nehemiah with one of four groups that will meet twice per month. Nehemiah, however, has valuable truths for the whole church family. I will use this avenue to share some of my findings from studying Nehemiah.
If you have ever read through the book of Nehemiah, you may have skimmed or even skipped over chapter 7. Verses 5-73 contain a “genealogy of those who came up at the first” (v. 5). This long list of names and numbers of people is almost identical as what is recorded in Ezra 2. As with most genealogies in the Bible, we are tempted to gloss over these repetitive accounts with names we cannot pronounce. But this is God’s word; there must be value for recording this (cf. 2 Tim. 3:16).
What makes the genealogy in Nehemiah 7 even more intriguing are the words Nehemiah records in verse 5. He says, “Then my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles and the officials and the people to be enrolled by genealogy.” We can observe a few details from this statement.
First, it was God’s will that Nehemiah record the genealogy. God cares about genealogies for several reasons. God knows and values each individual. Recording their names and families demonstrates God’s watchfulness over his covenant people. They were not “on their own.” God was with them.
God also wanted Nehemiah to problem solve. In the previous verse, we learn “The city was wide and large, but the people within it were few, and no houses had been rebuilt” (v. 4). Recording the genealogy reminds Nehemiah of the thousands of people who had returned by exile with Zerubbabel some 90 years earlier. These people would not have settled in Jerusalem because the protection of the walls was not complete. Now that the walls are rebuilt, this group of people would be the first candidates to move into the city and repopulate it.
Second, Nehemiah discerned the will of God. The words he uses are, “My God put it into my heart…” This is a unique phrase used by Nehemiah twice. In 2:12 he said, “I told no one what my God had put into my heart.” What does Nehemiah mean with this terminology? Through Scripture meditation and regular prayer, Nehemiah maintained close, daily fellowship with God. As Nehemiah prayed about Jerusalem and the needs of God’s people and meditated on God’s covenant as recorded in Scripture, he came to the conclusion that the walls needed to be rebuilt and this genealogy should be taken. Did God directly speak to Nehemiah? No. But when we walk with God in Scripture and prayer, our hearts begin to be directed to the things God wants. This is how Nehemiah discerned the will of God.
Third, this action will encourage and motivate the current generation. The genealogy that Nehemiah records is “of those who came up at the first” (v. 5). These are the people who returned from exile under Zerubbabel’s leadership after Cyrus, king of Persia decreed that the Jews return to their land. That was in 539 BC. Nehemiah is conducting the rebuilding project in 445 BC. By recording the names of that first generation to return, the people will be encouraged to see those families continue among them. God has faithfully sustained his people, even in a hostile environment, over the decades. Also, the people would be reminded of why they came back. Cyrus’ decree was about Jerusalem and the temple being rebuilt. These people returned with the purpose of reestablishing Jerusalem as the center of Yahweh worship. Now that the walls are complete, the vision can be realized.
While we may not be able to pronounce all the names in a genealogy, we can discover great value in their recording. You and I are also valuable to God. We also are part of God’s plan to see his kingdom come on earth. And we have a role to fulfill in worshipping God and inviting others to place their faith in Christ. We can discern God’s will for our lives as we commune with him through Scripture and prayer. Praise God we are members of his people!
