And the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said: “Stand up and bless the LORD your God Forever and ever! “Blessed be Your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise! Nehemiah 9:5
This verse takes us to a very significant time in the history of the Israelites, after they had been in exile for seventy years in Babylon. Nehemiah leads a group of God’s people to Jerusalem for the purpose of rebuilding the wall and restoring the city back to its former glory. There had already been two groups who had come for that purpose with many details given by Ezra, who was involved in the other two efforts.
What qualified Nehemiah for the task at hand? Why would he even take on such a huge project in the first place? After all, Nehemiah was not a “man of the cloth” so to speak. He was just one of God’s people. The Lord had allowed him to rise to a very important position in the government and thus he had a comfortable life as it was, for he was the king’s cupbearer. This was one of the most trusted positions in a monarchy, for more than a few kings have died throughout history at the hands of those closest to them!
One thing that stands out in Nehemiah’s life and leadership is that he was not seeking glory for himself or seeking to further his situation (as mentioned, he already had a very highly respected place in society right where he was.) He chooses to leave the comfort of the kingdom to go to Jerusalem and do manual labor as well as deal with enemies, the likes of which he never faced in Babylon.
It would make sense to the natural mind if Nehemiah was going to make a name for himself and possibly seek to establish himself as a ruler and in the process enrich himself, but just the opposite is true. He risked everything to lead God’s people to The City of the Great King even though it was still in need of a massive makeover and there were plenty of people who did not want to see that happen. He left ease and success to pursue a life of labor and the very real possibility of failure, to say nothing of death!
Was it worth it? Jesus asked, “What would a man give in exchange for his soul?” Is it worth leaving Babylon to be a part of building the Kingdom of God? Surely it is! That may seem like a foreign concept given the current trend of so much self-centeredness in the world (and even in the church!), but the words of the Levites in our verse bring everything into focus; the name of the Lord is to be exalted in praise above all else.
Sometimes, in the pursuit of blessings, we can overlook the fact that we are created for God’s glory and to do His will. Everything is to center around Him, for His name is great and is to be praised. The more you think about things that you want the Lord to do for you, the less you think about Him. Make it a point to put the Giver before the gifts in your thoughts and prayers and everything changes for the better!
The name of Jesus is far above any name that can be named. No blessing you could possibly receive in this life compares with the divine Giver of Good Things! Bless the Lord your God!
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