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 "And
the fish gate did the sons of Hassenaah build; they laid the
beams thereof, and set up the doors thereof, the bolts thereof,
and the bars thereof. And next unto them repaired Meremoth the
son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz. And next unto them repaired
Meshullam the son of Berechiah, the son of Meshezabel. And next
unto them repaired Zadok the son of Baana."
Interesting??
Well, if it was your city, and your ancestors, maybe you would
read further; but many readers grow weary of Nehemiah 3: where
there are thirty-two verses like the above.
But,
aside from its relation to the total Bible story, take a look at
its human-interest elements. Verse 5 reads, "And next unto
them the Tekoites repaired; but their nobles put not their
necks to the work of their lord." Today descendants of
the Tekoites may throw a party to celebrate the building; may
even make a token contribution of inflated dollars if the corner
stone will bear their name; but they "put not their necks
to the work." They are too "noble" for that.
A
large number of the workers repaired that portion of the wall
which' was "over
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against his house," or
"beside his own house" That may have been an
assigned portion, natural and; convenient; but knowing human
nature I wonder if people then were like today, more likely to
work if it served a personal interest. We are most concerned
about the hole in the wall that exposes our own house. Six of
the crews mentioned, including the priests, worked near their
own house,
One
fellow, "Hallohesh, the ruler of half the district of
Jerusalem was joined by "his daughters" in the
repair work. Like our pioneer women, these girls pitched in to
strengthen the fortifications. Under the circumstances of their
day such dedication is to be admired. It should have made the
Tekoite noblemen ashamed; but the Tekoite dandies in the church
today do not seem to mind letting godly women bear their
rightful burden.
And
finally, "Baruch the son of Zabbai "earnestly
repaired another portion." That one adverb puts punch into
his brief history. God, give us more men who, however small
their place, put heart and soul to the task.
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