Nehemiah 7 (#2): Registered in the Genealogy

Nehemiah 7 (#2)

Registered in the Genealogy

63. Among the priestly families, there were the descendants of Hobaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai. Those from the family of Barzillai had married into the household of a man from Gilead named Barzillai and had taken his name. 

64. However, when they searched among their ancestral records, they could not find their names; therefore, they were considered ineligible for the priesthood.

65. The governor ordered them not to partake of the most sacred food until a priest could consult the Urim and Thummim.

◇ Nehemiah, inspired by God, conducted a census after completing the reconstruction of the walls of Jerusalem. A census plays a crucial role in the administration of a nation, providing essential data for taxation and military service, and revealing the distribution of the population. It also verifies whether the returned exiles had settled back in their hometowns.

During the census, it was noted that some returned priests could not prove their descent due to lost genealogical records. These were the descendants of Hobaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai. They failed to find their names in the genealogy and, as a result, were disqualified from the priesthood. Although they claimed to be descendants of priests, their inability to document this claim led to their disqualification from the sacred office.

The disqualification of these three families from the priesthood reminds me of the final judgment described in Matthew 25. There, people who expected to inherit the kingdom of God are turned away. They claim to be worthy of entering God's kingdom, but God does not accept them. Instead, they are commanded to enter eternal fire.

Claiming to be worthy of inheriting God's kingdom is futile if it does not meet God's standards. Just as one must prove their priestly lineage through genealogy, we must demonstrate our citizenship in God's kingdom through faith and its fruits. Merely shouting that we are God's people is not enough.

♧ Lord, let us be those who inherit your kingdom through the fruits of faith, not those who enter eternal fire. Holy Spirit, lead us in truth! Amen.