After the wall had been rebuilt and I had set the doors in place, the gatekeepers, the musicians and the Levites were appointed. – Nehemiah 7:1

Today's Scripture Reading (November 16, 2023): Nehemiah 7

There might not be a better feeling than knowing that you have finished a project and can now move on to something else, especially if the completed process enables another project to start. My maternal grandparents, at least for part of their lives, built houses. But they weren't a large corporation like are involved in the process today. It was a different time, and maybe a simpler one. Grandpa and Grandma would purchase several lots in the same area, and then they would begin the process of building a home. Once one house was built, they would move in, living in the house while working on the other homes they planned to build. They would finish one home and then sell it, investing the money in the other homes yet to be constructed. Once all the houses had been built on the remaining lots, they would move on to one of several other lots purchased in another area. I am sure there had to be a bit of celebration every time a home was finished and sold.

Several years ago, my father and I returned to one of the areas where we knew Grandpa and Grandma had built homes. And, while the area was very different from what I remembered as a kid, we think we found at least some houses they had created. For us, the key was that the architecture and brickwork matched the types of homes that Grandpa liked to build.

Nehemiah has finished the walls and has had the doors and gates set in place. He would set watches at the wall and opening hours for the gates, but the finished walls and gates gave the city some security. So maybe now, the city could begin their worshipping lives. And the worshipping lives would start by saying thanks to God for the walls and the gates. There was much to be done, but the walls had been a priority, and praise could be offered because this stage of the project had been completed.

Pastor David Guzik offers this observation.

The singers and the Levites were there to lead the people in worship; the walls were not rebuilt so the people of Jerusalem could look at nice walls. They were rebuilt so they could worship God with greater glory and freedom than ever before.

The victory carried the people of Jerusalem into praise. There would be other reasons for worshipping God that would lie ahead. But Nehemiah wanted to make sure that the people gained an expectation of praising God for all that was yet to be completed in the city and the nation.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Nehemiah 8