The Glory of Coming Back to God's Gift

Coming Back – These Lived in Jerusalem Again

(1 Chronicles 9:1-34, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, September 10, 2017)

[1] So all Israel was recorded in genealogies, and these are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel. And Judah was taken into exile in Babylon because of their breach of faith. [2] Now the first to dwell again in their possessions in their cities were Israel, the priests, the Levites, and the temple servants. [3] And some of the people of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh lived in Jerusalem: [4] Uthai the son of Ammihud, son of Omri, son of Imri, son of Bani, from the sons of Perez the son of Judah. [5] And of the Shilonites: Asaiah the firstborn, and his sons. [6] Of the sons of Zerah: Jeuel and their kinsmen, 690. [7] Of the Benjaminites: Sallu the son of Meshullam, son of Hodaviah, son of Hassenuah, [8] Ibneiah the son of Jeroham, Elah the son of Uzzi, son of Michri, and Meshullam the son of Shephatiah, son of Reuel, son of Ibnijah; [9] and their kinsmen according to their generations, 956. All these were heads of fathers' houses according to their fathers' houses.

[10] Of the priests: Jedaiah, Jehoiarib, Jachin, [11] and Azariah the son of Hilkiah, son of Meshullam, son of Zadok, son of Meraioth, son of Ahitub, the chief officer of the house of God; [12] and Adaiah the son of Jeroham, son of Pashhur, son of Malchijah, and Maasai the son of Adiel, son of Jahzerah, son of Meshullam, son of Meshillemith, son of Immer; [13] besides their kinsmen, heads of their fathers' houses, 1,760, mighty men for the work of the service of the house of God.

[14] Of the Levites: Shemaiah the son of Hasshub, son of Azrikam, son of Hashabiah, of the sons of Merari; [15] and Bakbakkar, Heresh, Galal and Mattaniah the son of Mica, son of Zichri, son of Asaph; [16] and Obadiah the son of Shemaiah, son of Galal, son of Jeduthun, and Berechiah the son of Asa, son of Elkanah, who lived in the villages of the Netophathites.

[17] The gatekeepers were Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, Ahiman, and their kinsmen (Shallum was the chief); [18] until then they were in the king's gate on the east side as the gatekeepers of the camps of the Levites. [19] Shallum the son of Kore, son of Ebiasaph, son of Korah, and his kinsmen of his fathers' house, the Korahites, were in charge of the work of the service, keepers of the thresholds of the tent, as their fathers had been in charge of the camp of the LORD, keepers of the entrance. [20] And Phinehas the son of Eleazar was the chief officer over them in time past; the LORD was with him. [21] Zechariah the son of Meshelemiah was gatekeeper at the entrance of the tent of meeting. [22] All these, who were chosen as gatekeepers at the thresholds, were 212. They were enrolled by genealogies in their villages. David and Samuel the seer established them in their office of trust. [23] So they and their sons were in charge of the gates of the house of the LORD, that is, the house of the tent, as guards. [24] The gatekeepers were on the four sides, east, west, north, and south. [25] And their kinsmen who were in their villages were obligated to come in every seven days, in turn, to be with these, [26] for the four chief gatekeepers, who were Levites, were entrusted to be over the chambers and the treasures of the house of God. [27] And they lodged around the house of God, for on them lay the duty of watching, and they had charge of opening it every morning.

[28] Some of them had charge of the utensils of service, for they were required to count them when they were brought in and taken out. [29] Others of them were appointed over the furniture and over all the holy utensils, also over the fine flour, the wine, the oil, the incense, and the spices. [30] Others, of the sons of the priests, prepared the mixing of the spices, [31] and Mattithiah, one of the Levites, the firstborn of Shallum the Korahite, was entrusted with making the flat cakes. [32] Also some of their kinsmen of the Kohathites had charge of the showbread, to prepare it every Sabbath.

[33] Now these, the singers, the heads of fathers' houses of the Levites, were in the chambers of the temple free from other service, for they were on duty day and night. [34] These were heads of fathers' houses of the Levites, according to their generations, leaders. These lived in Jerusalem.

All Israel

When the call of God came from God to go back to the Promised Land and to rebuild the temple and the city, it must have been very exciting to be among the first to return—exciting, but also very difficult—a proper adventure to tell your grandchildren. “All Israel” had been recorded in genealogies by tribe in previous generations. Now the day had come for many to return home, and they would have the thrill of connecting their lives with the life of Israel prior to their exile to foreign lands.

Breach of Faith and Exile

It was great, though difficult, to do the hard work of coming home, but what went wrong in the first place that led to God's covenant people being sent so far from the land that the Lord had given to them? The Chronicler tells us that “Judah was taken into exile in Babylon because of their breach of faith.” God's people in every age are called to what the New Testament calls the “obedience of faith.” (Romans 1:5, 16:26)

James teaches us that true faith is displayed through works of obedience. Of course, outright idolatry was a significant problem in ancient Israel. Yet even those who professed to believe in the Lord showed their breach of faith when they disobeyed the Ten Commandments. God's gift of the Land to the Jews was conditional upon their continuing in the life of faith. After many centuries of unbelief and disobedience, the curse of the covenant came upon them.

The first to dwell again in their possessions in their cities were Israel

But what an opportunity now in the days of the Chronicler to be “Israel” again! By God's providence through the decree of Cyrus, some few hundreds of people would go back to “their possessions in their cities” after decades of being away. Any people group would have strong and conflicting emotions about such a homecoming. Think of hurricane victims or Christians in war-torn lands finding a way back to their villages today. Yet there was something different happening here. This was God's special land and His chosen people. To be “Israel” again in the actual place that God had established for His Old Testament people would be in a class by itself.

And some of the people of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh lived in Jerusalem

Not every Jew would make it back home. The book of Esther tells us the story of those Jews from 147 provinces of the Persian empire who did not go home. The story of the dispersion was even bigger than that, extending to what would eventually be African and European lands, setting the stage for the establishment of synagogues all over the world that would be so important for the spread of the gospel in the early decades after the resurrection of Jesus. But some Jews did go home, and their story was very important in God's plans for what would lead to the death of Jesus outside of the gates of Jerusalem as an Atoning Sacrifice for sinners associated by birth with every people group on the face of the earth.

Regarding the few refugees that came back to Jerusalem, they were largely from just a few tribes, Judah, Benjamin, and Joseph's two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. What they faced in the city of God was much opposition from the locals and many difficulties even from Jews who were there. Again, it was quite an adventure, as we learn in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah.

The priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, and other temple servants

One other tribe was represented, the tribe of priests, worship singers, and other temple servants and gatekeepers—the Levites. They would be essential for the reestablishment of Old Testament worship. Future generations of priests and Levites would be witnesses of the coming of the Messiah. Some of their descendants would be among those who condemned Jesus to death. Many others would eventually embrace Him as the Christ. They would be at the center of the controversies of Jewish and Christian life in Jerusalem and beyond that would lead to the clarification in Acts 15 that people would not need to be Jews in order to be saved.

Jesus and the first ones in various people groups to enter the New Jerusalem

We should be inspired by those who responded to God's call to reestablish Jerusalem. How much more impressive are the gospel accounts of the mission of Jesus, the Leader of the New Jerusalem. Many amazing men and women throughout the centuries have been the first to hear the gospel of grace and to bow the knee to Jesus. Others have worked hard for the kingdom after a time of great spiritual confusion. The faithful New Testament believer worships and lives in the company of heroes who cast their crowns before the perfect Servant of the Lord.

Old Testament Reading—Psalm 27 – One thing have I asked of the Lord

Gospel Reading—Matthew 9:14-17 – [14] Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” [15] And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. [16] No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made. [17] Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.”