Nehemiah | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9:1-5 | 9:5-38 | 10 | 11-12 | 13:1-14 | 13:15-31 | Test | PDF |

These free online Bible study guides of Nehemiah 11-12 contain cross-references, commentary, Bible study discussion questions, and applications.  Visit our library of inductive Bible studies for more in depth practical Bible studies on this and other books of the Bible you can use in your small group.

Nehemiah 11-12 Bible Study Commentary – A Praise Walk Around Jerusalem

Outline

I. People volunteer to live in Jerusalem (11)
II. The list of priests and Levites who returned with Zerubbabel (12:1-26)
III. The wall is dedicated (12:27-47)

I. People volunteer to live in Jerusalem (11)

Discussion Questions

• Why did they want more people living in Jerusalem?
• What method did they use to decide it?
• In addition to those chosen through lots, who else lived in Jerusalem?
• What can we learn from them about volunteering?

Verse by Verse Commentary

1. The city had just been completed. But there was a problem. There weren’t enough people to live in it. A lack of people meant that the city was still vulnerable. Creating a strong capital city could help unite the people and create a common meeting point to celebrate festivals, offer sacrifices, hold assemblies, etc.

2. Some were chosen by lots – Casting lots was popular in the Old Testament. They believed that God would divinely ordain the results to bring about His will.

3. Others volunteered – We see in verse 2 that many people volunteered for this. For some, that meant making sacrifices. They would be leaving their homes, their farms, and their neighbors to settle in a city. Not everyone likes living in a big capital city. Sometimes serving God and others requires sacrifice.

Application: We don’t need to wait to be chosen to do a task. Instead, we can take initiative and volunteer to do what needs to be done. Let us all learn from them and have a “Here am I, send me” attitude.

III. The wall is dedicated (12:27-47)

Discussion Questions

• What was the purpose of dedicating the wall?
• Who joined the dedication?
• What did they do at the dedication?
• Why did the Levites need to purify themselves?
• How can we purify ourselves today?
• What was the purpose of the choirs? What can we learn from this about worship?
• What is happening in verses 31-39? (A praise walk) Can we do similar things today? Like what?
• Where did the praise walk end?
• What happened at the conclusion of the day?
• What was the attitude of the people? Why were they so joyful? Where did this joy come from? How did they express their joy?
• What can we learn from this?
• Why did men need to be appointed for this task (44)?
• What was their job?
• What was the job of the priests and Levites?
• What do we learn from verse 46 about the importance of thanksgiving and praise?
• What can we learn from this passage about what unity is (does it mean everyone is doing the same thing?) What positive effects can we see in these verses from unity?

Verses on Joy

Romans 15:13 – May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

1 Peter 1:8 – Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.

Romans 14:17 – For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Proverbs 10:28 – The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing.

Psalms 16:11 – You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Verses on Praise

Hebrews 13:15 – Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.

Psalm 69:30 – I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.

Isaiah 43:21 – The people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise.

Verses on Unity

Colossians 3:14 – And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Romans 15:6 – So that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Psalm 133:1 – How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!

Verse by Verse Commentary

1. The wall was dedicated – When they finished the task of building the wall, they decided to hold a dedication for the wall. When you dedicate something, you commit this person or thing to God’s service and make a commitment to use it for God’s glory rather than your own. Dedicating a child means making a commitment that you will do your best to raise this child up to serve the Lord rather than for your own selfish reasons. Dedicating a house means that you plan to use this house as a place to serve the Lord. You pray that it will be a place of hospitality, a place of blessings for those who visit. Dedicating the wall was their way of saying that the newly built Jerusalem belonged to God. He could do with it and with them what He wanted. They were committing to serving God in this place. They were also praising God for His favor in finishing this task.

2. It was a celebration – The people were happy. God had favored them in allowing them to get this far. He had favored them in causing their return to the Promised Land, in allowing the rebuilding of the temple, and the rebuilding of the city walls. This was a time for gladness, rejoicing, and thanksgiving.

Application: What kind of things can you celebrate with other believers? When we are following God’s will, there are a lot of reasons to celebrate. In the past couple of years, I have been able to witness several weddings between brothers and sisters. A godly marriage is a great reason for celebration.

When we do well, there is a reason to celebrate. Let us live our lives in the light. Let us have a pure conscience in front of God and man so that we can celebrate God’s blessings in our lives together. We can celebrate when people come to the Lord. We can celebrate marriages. We can celebrate birth. We can celebrate the beginning of new fellowships and new churches. Are you living your life in a way that you want to celebrate or in a way that you want to hide?

3. The priests and Levites purified themselves – Leading God’s people is an important responsibility. One doesn’t have to be perfect. We can’t be anywhere. But leaders must be an example to the people. They must take their role seriously. This includes hating sin. It means that they should be quick to confess their sins so that there will be no wall between themselves and God or themselves and the people they are serving.

Application: How can we purify ourselves? (See 1 John 1:9. We can’t actually take away our sins. Only God can truly cleanse us.) For me, one clear application is to confess my sins prior to teaching others God’s Word. I should confess my sins before preaching a sermon, leading a Bible study, or even teaching my children the Word.

4. They also purified the people – Before the people could really come to God in celebration, they had to deal with their sins. In the Old Testament, washing with water was an external picture of the work that only Christ can do in washing away sins and that would be perfectly done by Christ on the cross. It’s a picture of washing away our spiritual dirt, much like taking a shower is washing away physical dirt. This ritual would serve to remind the people about their own dirtiness in God’s sight.

Isaiah 64:6 – We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

The sacrifices and washings of the Old Testament were a constant reminder that the people needed help. It was a constant reminder of the seriousness of sin. And it was an ever-present picture of what Christ would ultimately do on the cross to once and for all take the punishment for our sins.

5. Verses 31-39 – In these verses, we see a “praise walk.” Some of you might be familiar with “prayer walks.” Have you ever been part of one? A prayer walk is when a believer or group of believers walks through an area and prays for the people or problems there as they go. The praise walk here in Nehemiah is similar. The group starts together on one section of the wall. One group goes right and the other group goes left. As they go, they sing songs of praise to God.

It was so loud that verse 43 tells us the sound was heard far away. They continue walking in a circle around the wall until presumably they meet on the other side and then together go to the temple to finish the praise walk there. Why walk on the wall? Why not just praise God individually from the comfort of their own homes or perhaps as a group from the comfort of their normal meeting place? What was the benefit of actually walking on the wall and doing it as a group? What ideas can you get from this about how to improve your own prayer/praise life? See verses on praise above.

6. They offered great sacrifices – Worshiping God leads to sacrifice. When you worship God, you realize how great He is. Naturally, you will want to serve Him. You will want to offer Him what you can. What link do you see between worship and sacrifice in Romans 12:1?

Romans 12:1 – I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

7. They rejoiced because God had given them great joy – Where does joy come from? How can one get it? Why did they have it? Why do some believers now have joy and others do not? What should you do if you want to have joy? Here are just a few things that will bring us joy. Perhaps you can think of more. See also cross-references.

• Obeying God. Genesis 4:7.
• Praying with the right attitude – John 16:24.
• Witnessing God changing people’s lives – Luke 15:7.
• Looking forward to what God has in store for us – Hebrews 12:2.
• Giving to others – Acts 20:35
• Trusting in God’s promises – Matthew 6.
• Sin will rob us of joy.

8. Joy can be infectious – Your joy can be contagious. Don’t be a spreader of doom and gloom. Let the joy of Christ reign in your hearts. As others see that, they will want it too. Your smiling, laughing, and singing can spread.

9. Verses 44-47 – In these verses, we see a real picture of unity. Unity does not equal everybody doing the same thing. Instead, unity occurs when each person faithfully fulfills the role/function God has given them with a common goal. What different roles do you see being performed in these verses? What is the common goal of the people? What is the result of the unity we see here? Discuss together. See also the above cross-references on unity.