For centuries Jerusalem had been known as the Holy City. Why was it so called? Not because of its inhabitants, for, instead of being holy, many of them were sunk in wickedness and impurity. Jerusalem was called the Holy City simply because of one inhabitant; it was the dwelling-place of G.o.d, and His presence there made it what no other city of the earth was, the Holy City.
"In Salem also is His tabernacle, and His dwelling, place in Zion,"
Psalm lxxvi. 2.
"Blessed be the Lord out of Zion, which dwelleth at Jerusalem," Psalm cx.x.xv. 21.
So wrote the Psalmist, and he was right. G.o.d had chosen Jerusalem as His home on earth, His abiding-place, His dwelling; and so long as _He_ remained there, Jerusalem and all its surroundings was holy. The mountain on which it stood was the Holy Mountain; the city itself was the Holy City; the courts of the temple were the Holy Place, the temple itself was the Most Holy Place, whilst the inner sanctuary, in which G.o.d"s glory appeared, was the Holy of Holies.
But at the time of the siege of Jerusalem, G.o.d was leaving the city, it was no longer to be His dwelling-place, and consequently it was no longer to be called the Holy City. And therefore it was that the holy angels cried aloud to one another, Let us depart, for it is a holy city no longer, G.o.d has deserted it; it is His no more.
But in Nehemiah"s day, Jerusalem, in spite of her sins, was still the Holy City. We find her twice called so in his book, Neh. xi. 1, 18, and inasmuch as it was the Holy City, G.o.d"s home on earth, His special property, His constant dwelling-place, Nehemiah felt it was only right that, as soon as the city was finished, as soon as all within its walls was set in order, the city and all it contained should be dedicated to the service of that G.o.d to whom it belonged.
Accordingly, as we visit Jerusalem in thought, we find the people busily preparing for a great and glorious day; they are going, by means of a grand and imposing ceremonial, to dedicate the city to G.o.d.
It is nearly thirteen years since the walls were finished and the gates set up. Why then did not Nehemiah hold the service of dedication before?
Why did he allow so long a time to elapse before he summoned the people to put the finishing touch to their work by laying it at the feet of their King?
The Tirshatha had probably two good reasons for the delay. In the first place, there was much to do inside the city after the walls and gates were finished; the city itself had to be rebuilt, strengthened, and put into order. Then he probably dare not attempt such a grand celebration without special leave from Persia. If he made a great demonstration of any kind, it would be easy for the Samaritans to put their own construction upon it, and to write off at once to Persia to accuse him of setting up the standard of rebellion. It was, therefore, advisable to obtain direct permission for such a step from Artaxerxes himself. Now the city is in order, the necessary precautions have been taken, and Nehemiah feels that there is nothing to hinder the holding of the solemn ceremonial of the dedication of the Holy City to G.o.d.
Who are these men who are arriving by companies at all the different gates of Jerusalem? They are the Levites, coming up from all parts of the country to the service of dedication. They are carrying with them various musical instruments--cymbals, trumpets, psalteries and harps--old instruments used by King David, and some of them evidently invented by him and bearing his name, for we find them called, in xii.
36:
"The musical instruments of David, the man of G.o.d."
These are to be used in the grand service which is about to take place.
Many new musical instruments had been invented since the time of David, and the Jews of the captivity had seen and used these in Babylon and Shushan. We read, in the Book of Daniel, of the cornet, the flute, the sackbut, the dulcimer; all these instruments were familiar to the Jews of Nehemiah"s day. But we do not find one of these newly invented instruments in use at this grand service. They cling to the old instruments, used in the first temple, dear to their hearts as being connected with King David, and as having been used by their fathers before them, ver. 27.
Not only the musicians, but the singers are called together from the valleys round Jerusalem, in which the temple choir had chosen to live, in order that they might go up by turn to lead the temple singing, xii.
29.
When all who were to take part in the service had a.s.sembled, there was a great sprinkling. The priests and the Levites purified themselves, and purified the people, and the gates, and the wall.
A red heifer (see Num. xix.) was led by one of the priests outside the city. There she was killed, her blood was caught in a basin, and was sprinkled seven times before the temple. Then her flesh was burnt outside the city, and the ashes were carefully collected and mixed with water. This water was put into a number of basins, and the priests and Levites went with it up and down the city, sprinkling it first on themselves, then on the men, women and children in the city, and afterwards on the wall, and the gates, and all that was to be dedicated to G.o.d.
All were to be made pure before they could be used in G.o.d"s service. The Great Master cannot use dirty vessels; they are not fit for His use, they cannot do His work.
If you want G.o.d to use you in His service, you must first be sprinkled, made pure from all defilement of sin. Until this has been done you cannot do one single thing to please G.o.d; until you have been cleansed, it is impossible for you to work for G.o.d.
How, then, can we be cleansed? How can we be made vessels meet for the Master"s use, fit for the service of G.o.d? Thank G.o.d, we have a better way of cleansing than by washing in the ashes of a heifer.
"For if the ashes of an heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: how much more shall the blood of Christ, who, through the Eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to G.o.d, purge your conscience from dead works _to serve the living G.o.d?_" Heb.
ix. 13, 14.
The blood must be sprinkled, the conscience must be purged, then begins the service of the living G.o.d; all works before that are dead, works of no avail, utterly worthless and good for nothing, in the Master"s estimation.
When all was ready and the purification was complete, the great company of the musicians met in the temple courts. The blast of the priests"
trumpets was heard on one side, and on the other the sweet melodious songs of the white-robed minstrels.
When all were in order they marched to the Valley Gate, on the western side of the city. Here Nehemiah divided them into two companies, in order that they might make the circuit of the city, walking in gay procession on the top of the new walls. One company was to go north and the other south, walking round the city until they met on the other side; whilst all the people stood below, watching the progress of the two processions, each of which was formed of singers, n.o.bles and priests, who were dressed in white and flowing robes.
It must have been a grand and imposing sight, as the bright Eastern sun streamed on the dazzling white of their fine linen, and made their instruments glitter and shine. Then there was the sound of glorious music, which seemed to encircle the city in a wave of rejoicing and song. Everyone made merry that day, and no wonder; it was a day to be remembered.
The order of each procession was as follows. First and foremost went a band of musicians with their various instruments. Then followed a small company of princes, the finest men in the nation, arrayed in all the brilliance of Eastern costume, and bringing up the rear were seven priests, bearing trumpets. Each procession had a leader, Nehemiah conducted one, and Ezra the scribe the other.
Ezra"s procession proceeded southward, and then eastward. They pa.s.sed the Dung Gate, whence was swept out the refuse of the city. Then they came to the Fountain Gate, opposite to the Pool of Siloam, and here they descended by steps in the Tower of Siloam. They probably came down in order that they might dedicate the buildings over the Pool of Siloam and the Dragon Well, and then they climbed to the top of the wall again, by the steps that went up to that part of Jerusalem called the City of David. From thence Ezra"s procession moved on to the eastern wall, where they were to meet the other party.
Nehemiah"s company, on leaving the Valley Gate, turned northward, pa.s.sed the Tower of the Furnaces, went across the Broad Wall, which was almost the only piece of the old wall still standing, pa.s.sed the Gate of Ephraim, the Old Gate, the Tower of Hananeel, the Tower of Meah, the Sheep Gate, and so down to the temple, and the gate named the Prison Gate, because it opened upon a street leading to the court of the prison.
Then, somewhere near the Water Gate, the two processions met, and marched together into the court of the temple, the two bands now joining together in a united glorious strain, whilst the two companies of singers formed again one enormous united choir, and filled the temple courts with their harmonious song.
"So stood the two companies of them that gave thanks in the house of G.o.d," xii. 40.
Not a voice was silent, there was no idle person in the choir. Headed by their choir-master they did their utmost to praise the Lord.
"The singers sang loud, with Jezrahiah their overseer."
Nor were the musical people the only ones who showed their joy that happy day. For, as the priests offered great sacrifices, the rejoicing was both universal and tremendous. "For G.o.d had made them rejoice with great joy." Not the men alone, but the wives and the children, so that
"The joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off."
Women"s tears, how often we read of them in the Bible! Rachel weeps over her children and will not be comforted, Hagar lifts up her voice and weeps over her son, Naomi weeps as she comes back to her desolate home, Hannah weeps as she kneels in the tabernacle court, the widow weeps as she follows her only son to the grave, and the company of women weep as Jesus of Nazareth is led out to the cross.
So many women"s tears, so very few women"s smiles; so much mourning and lamentation, so very little happiness and rejoicing. But, on this day of dedication, the wives were as merry and glad as the husbands, and even the children took part in the general joy.
It is interesting to notice that the Book of Psalms was the national song-book of the Jewish nation, a large number of the Psalms having been composed for special occasions, in order to commemorate certain memorable days in the history of the nation.
One Psalm, namely Psalm cxlvii., was probably composed in the time of Nehemiah, in order that it might be sung at the dedication of the walls.
Ver. 1: "Praise ye the Lord: for it is good to sing praises unto our G.o.d; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely.
Ver. 2: "The Lord doth build up Jerusalem: He gathereth together the outcasts of Israel."
Ver. 12: "Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem; praise thy G.o.d, O Zion.
Ver. 13: "For He hath strengthened the bars of thy gates; He hath blessed thy children within thee."
There follows in the Psalm a curious mention of snow and ice. The dedication of the city took place late in the year, and probably Jerusalem was white with snow as the singers in their white robes went round the walls, the snow being a glorious emblem of the purification which had just taken place. White as snow,--white in the blood.
Vers. 16-18: "He giveth snow like wool: He scattereth the h.o.a.r frost like ashes. He casteth forth His ice like morsels: who can stand before His cold? He sendeth out His word, and melteth them. He causeth His wind to blow, and the waters flow."
Surely as the people rejoiced on the day that the city was finished, they must have remembered the words of old Daniel the prophet, written whilst they were in captivity, a hundred years before this time.
For what had Daniel declared? He had foretold that his nation should return from captivity, and that Jerusalem should be restored.
"The street shalt be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times."
Nehemiah"s work was evidently revealed to Daniel, and he was also told something about Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the other troublers of the Jews.
Then, says Daniel, as soon as the command goes forth to build Jerusalem, then can you begin to reckon the time to the coming of the Messiah, only a limited and stated time must then elapse before the Christ, the Saviour of Israel, shall appear (Dan. ix. 25).