How in the World is This Useful? – Meditations on Nehemiah 3

"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17, ESV)

"For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope." (Romans 15:4, ESV)

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      Paul was clear in his opinion of Scripture. Every word serves a purpose, whether it is instructing, teaching, reproving, correcting, or training. They equip and they encourage. The equipping is to prepare its reader for every good work, the good works that God has prepared in advance for him to do (Ephesians 2:10). The encouragement is so that the reader may hope, an activity to which every believer is called (Ephesians 1:18; 4:4). Since this hope and these good works are to be characteristic of the believer's life, it is important that he make the whole Bible an intrinsic part of his life as well. He can't afford to live in his favorite books or restrict himself to the New Testament. He must delve into the Old Testament, too.

      This leads to a question: what about passages like Nehemiah 3? It is no secret that the Old Testament contains many chapters that seem irrelevant to believers today: long lists of funny names, meticulous details about geography, and cumbersome repetition. These are the places where Bible reading plans go to die. And yet, these passages, too, are inspired by God, and, according to Paul, useful for equipping and encouraging. How can this be? Can we really gain from these passages? Here are a few suggestions:

1. The details give the Bible credibility. Official records are boring. This is true today and it was true back then. Passages like Nehemiah 3 were probably official documents that were incorporated into the history of Israel. While these passages may not be fun (or they may – see point 4), they have an important function: they root the events in history. The meticulous attention to detail, just like official documents today, strengthens the material recorded by eliminating as many loopholes as possible. When you come to these passages, read them with this in mind. Let them serve as a reminder to you that the Bible is not merely a book of stories that convey moral axioms. It is a book rooted and grounded in history, and it has the little details to prove it.
   
2. Lists of names remind us that the people were real. If the Bible had used vague generalities and abbreviated narratives, it would be much easier for us to read but something would be lost. The genealogies and census-type information shows that the individuals involved in these passages were real. They were fathers and sons and brothers and uncles. They had ancestors and they had children. They had neighbors and coworkers and acquaintances. That these were real people, living in real places, allows the stories to resonate with us. We can imagine the sword and the trowel in our own hands as we work to repair a section of Jerusalem's wall (Neh. 4:17). We can imagine what it would have been like for Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah to journey with a group of people to the land of his forefathers, a land that he himself had never seen (Ezra 8:7).
   
3. Think about what the passage meant to them. Because these were real men and real women, we can look beyond the narrative to what was going on behind it. These passages were written for a reason. Some may have simply been political in nature, like a modern-day census. Others, like the genealogies of Jesus listed in Matthew 1:1-16 and Luke 3:23-38, provided a direct line of history to which the people could cling as a link to their past – it told them where they had been and what was their destiny. As mentioned in the last point, we can place ourselves and our families in these narratives. If God fulfilled his promise of giving the land to the twelve tribes of Israel (Joshua 15-18), then surely he will fulfill his promises to Aaron, Bethany, Kylen, Jayden, Kelsi, and Judson.
   
4. Read them out loud. This is not so much a spiritual benefit (although it may be) as a humorous one. Our family uses a Bible reading plan to read a few chapters of the Bible each night. When my kids were younger, they loved to listen to me read the names of the men in the Old Testament. I would read and they would laugh. Then they would try to pronounce the names and I would laugh. It was a great bonding experience. Instead of trying to work out all the names and places in your head, read them out loud. You may just amuse yourself, and those who hear you.
   
5. Beware of secret meanings. There are some people who argue that passages like the ones we are discussing are valuable not because of what they say, but because of what is hidden in them. They say that the Bible contains secret codes that reveal the end of the world, the Day of Judgment, or the return of Christ. According to Harold Camping, Judgment Day is only five days from now (May 21, 2011), a day that he determined by interpreting a secret code. Camping is not the first or only one who has made such claims. In fact, this is not the first time that he has made such claims. In only five days, he and those who have bought into his message will be disappointed. The Bible does not contain secret codes or patterns or messages. It was written plainly to be understood by the reader.
   

      I hope that these thoughts help you to dig deep into the word and help you to persevere through the difficult passages. Every word is, indeed, profitable and every word is yours. Read it expectantly, soak it up, and live it out – because every word is inspired (Esther 9:8).