Join the Choir!

“At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites in all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, thanksgivings and singing, with cymbals, harps, and lyres. The sons of the singers gathered together…

“Then I brought the leaders of Judah up onto the wall and appointed two great choirs that gave thanks. One went to the south on the wall to the Dung Gate.  After them went Hoshaiah and half of the leaders of Judah, and Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam,  Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, and Jeremiah,  and certain of the priests’ sons with trumpets: Zechariah.., son of Asaph;  and his relatives, Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani, with the musical instruments of David the man of God. And Ezra the scribe went before them. At the Fountain Gate they went up straight before them by the stairs of the city of David, at the ascent of the wall, above the house of David, to the Water Gate on the east.

“The other choir of those who gave thanks went to the north, and I followed them with half of the people, on the wall, above the Tower of the Ovens, to the Broad Wall, and above the Gate of Ephraim, and by the Gate of Yeshanah, and by the Fish Gate and the Tower of Hananel and the Tower of the Hundred, to the Sheep Gate; and they came to a halt at the Gate of the Guard. So both choirs of those who gave thanks stood in the house of God, and I and half of the officials with me;  and the priests Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, with trumpets;  and Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. And the singers sang with Jezrahiah as their leader.  And they offered great sacrifices that day and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and children also rejoiced. And the joy of Jerusalem was heard far away…

“For long ago in the days of David and Asaph there were directors of the singers, and there were songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.” Nehemiah 12:27-28a,31-43,46

Nehemiah’s account of returning to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall is rich with description, suspense, tension between rivals, and prayer. He names places and people with detail, illustrating their value and importance by including them in God’s inspired word. And in the short 13 chapters of his book, he inserts a riveting description of the mass marching choir who gave thanks to the Lord upon the wall’s completion and dedication. Song was in Israel’s blood and the melody of their history, so it would be joyfully expressed in this glad celebration of God’s faithfulness.

Often upon completing a task at hand, we move quickly on to another, or take what we deem a well-deserved break, indulging in self-congratulations and relaxation. Yet every completion is an expression of the Lord’s enabling, His gifting, steadfastness, and blessing on the work of our hands. It bids us thank Him with joy. (Psalms 90:17)

Would we daily commit our works to the Lord, and praise Him when He establishes them? In what situations where we have endured, or are enduring, is He calling us to gather with others to sing praise? How can we make this a regular practice? (Proverbs 16:3; Isaiah 26:12-13)

Lord, may I ever and gladly sing to honor Your faithfulness and love.