Dedication of the Wall
27 Now at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought out the Levites from all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem so that they might celebrate the dedication with gladness, with hymns of thanksgiving and with songs to the accompaniment of cymbals, harps and lyres. 28 So the sons of the singers were assembled from the district around Jerusalem, and from the villages of the Netophathites, 29 from Beth-gilgal and from their fields in Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built themselves villages around Jerusalem. 30 The priests and the Levites purified themselves; they also purified the people, the gates and the wall.
Procedures for the Temple
31 Then I had the leaders of Judah come up on top of the wall, and I appointed two great [h]choirs, [i]the first proceeding to the right on top of the wall toward the Refuse Gate. 32 Hoshaiah and half of the leaders of Judah followed them, 33 with Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam, 34 Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, Jeremiah, 35 and some of the sons of the priests with trumpets; and Zechariah the son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micaiah, the son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph, 36 and his [j]kinsmen, 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. 37 At the Fountain Gate they went directly up the steps of the city of David by the stairway of the wall above the house of David to the Water Gate on the east.
38 The second [k]choir proceeded to the [l]left, while I followed them with half of the people on the wall, above the Tower of Furnaces, to the Broad Wall, 39 and above the Gate of Ephraim, by the Old Gate, by the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel and the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Sheep Gate; and they stopped at the Gate of the Guard. 40 Then the two choirs took their stand in the house of God. So did I and half of the officials with me; 41 and the priests, Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah and Hananiah, with the trumpets; 42 and Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam and Ezer. And the singers [m]sang, with Jezrahiah their leader, 43 and on that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced because God had given them great joy, even the women and children rejoiced, so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard from afar.
44 On that day men were also appointed over the chambers for the stores, the contributions, the first fruits and the tithes, to gather into them from the fields of the cities the portions required by the law for the priests and Levites; for Judah rejoiced over the priests and Levites who [n]served. 45 For they performed the [o]worship of their God and the service of purification, together with the singers and the gatekeepers in accordance with the command of David and of his son Solomon. 46 For in the days of David and Asaph, in ancient times, there were [p]leaders of the singers, songs of praise and hymns of thanksgiving to God. 47 So all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah gave the portions due the singers and the gatekeepers as each day required, and set apart the consecrated portion for the Levites, and the Levites set apart the consecrated portion for the sons of Aaron.
In all of this joy and celebration, verse 44 might seem like an aberration to some. They were joyful in giving away their first fruits and a tenth of their income? What madness is this? And certainly, they were doing no more than the law required, but they still did it out of a heart of joy, and because they “rejoiced over the priests and Levites who served.”
Yet that is the only way to give, to do so with a cheerful heart. If you’re heart is begrudging the gift, then don’t bother, or better yet, change your heart and your attitude! God doesn’t ask us to give out of duty, or because He needs anything from us. He asks us to give because it is good for us, and because it has the potential to bring us a joy that doesn’t align with the “me first” mindset of our humanity. Indeed, if we just did what benefitted us, we wouldn’t get very far, but giving unlocks our God-given potential.
Beyond the giving of our material goods, this seems to apply in the way God made us to be relational beings. It’s easy to shut out the world and focus on ourself, but a healthy relationship is all about what I can give to someone else. Any relationship where someone is focused more on themselves than the other person is doomed to be a failure.
God hard-wired us to be relational, and to give, whether that be emotionally or physically. Stop focusing on yourself and see what you can do for those around you. Look for ways to bless others, and you’ll find something to rejoice about!