The Holy City.
In the time of the terrible siege of Jerusalem, when the Roman armies
surrounded the city, when famine was killing the Jews by hundreds, and
when every day the enemy seemed more likely to take the city, a strange
thing happened. Some priests were watching, as was their custom, in the
temple courts at dead of night. They had passed through the Beautiful
Gate, crossed the Court of the Women, and had ascended the steps leading
into the inner court, which was close to the Temple itself. Suddenly
they stopped, for the earth shook beneath them, whilst overhead came a
noise as of the rushing of many wings, and a multitude of voices was
heard saying, again and again, the solemn words, 'Let us depart, let us
depart.'
The angels of God were leaving the doomed city to its fate.
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 God, 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
cxxxv. 21.
So wrote the Psalmist, and he was right. God 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
God's glory appeared, was the Holy of Holies.
But at the time of the siege of Jerusalem, God 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, God 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, God'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 God 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 God.
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 God.
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 God.'
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 assembled, 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 God.
All were to be made pure before they could be used in God's service. The
Great Master cannot use dirty vessels; they are not fit for His use,
they cannot do His work.
If you want God 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 God; until you have been cleansed,
it is impossible for you to work for God.
How, then, can we be cleansed? How can we be made vessels meet for the
Master's use, fit for the service of God? Thank God, 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 God,
purge your conscience from dead works _to serve the living God?_' Heb.
ix. 13, 14.
The blood must be sprinkled, the conscience must be purged, then begins
the service of the living God; 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, nobles 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 passed
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, passed
the Tower of the Furnaces, went across the Broad Wall, which was almost
the only piece of the old wall still standing, passed 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
God,' 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 God 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
God; 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 God, 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 hoar 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).
No wonder then that the joy of Jerusalem was heard afar off that day, as
they thought of the good days that were coming. The word of the living
God had come true, the street was built, the wall was built, now they
had only to wait for the fulfilment of the rest of the prophecy, for
the coming of their own Messiah and King.
We should all like to have stood in Jerusalem on that joyous dedication
day, and watched the glorious procession entering the temple on Mount
Zion. But we shall see one day a far grander procession than that.
The leader of that procession will ride on a white horse. His eyes will
be as a flame of fire, on His head will be many crowns, His name will be
King of kings and Lord of lords. He will be followed in the procession
by the armies of heaven, on white horses, clothed in fine linen, clean
and white (Rev. xix.)
Coming down to earth, His feet shall stand in that day on the Mount of
Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and then passing through
the Golden Gate, the King and His followers will enter Jerusalem.
Then again Jerusalem will become the Holy City, for from that day the
name of the city shall be 'The Lord is there,' Ezek. xlviii. 35.
So soon as the Lord, who deserted Jerusalem, returns to her, she must
become once more the Holy City. Even upon the bells of the horses and
the vessels of the temple shall then be inscribed, Holiness to the Lord;
all dedicated to Him and to His service.
Then indeed shall the glad cry go up:
'Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion, put on thy beautiful
garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more
come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.'
Then again, in that glad day, the joy of Jerusalem shall be heard afar
off, for God Himself will call upon all to rejoice with her.
'Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her:
rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her,' Isa. lxvi. 10.
And the King Himself will lead the rejoicing:
'And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in My people: and the voice of
weeping shall no more be heard in her, nor the voice of crying,' Isa.
lxv. 19.
Shall we indeed take part in that grand procession? Shall we stand with
the King of Glory on Olivet? Shall we pass within the gate into the
city? It all depends upon whether we are sprinkled, made pure, washed
white in the blood of the Lamb. Only those who were purified could take
part in Nehemiah's procession; only sprinkled ones, cleansed by Christ,
will be allowed to join in the song of rejoicing, when the Lord comes to
reign in Jerusalem gloriously.
If we are indeed His redeemed ones, let us keep the blessed hope of that
day ever before us. Let it cheer us as we are tossed to and fro on the
waves of this troublesome world.
'Courage! oh, have courage,
For soon His feet shall stand
Upon the Mount of Olives,
In the glorious Promised Land;
For the Prince of Peace is coming,
With pomp and royal state,
To pass, with all His followers,
Within the Golden Gate.
Courage! oh, have courage!
For the time it is not long,
E'en now across the mountains
Comes a distant sound of song;
The dreary night is closing,
'Tis near the break of day,
And thy King, the King of Glory,
Will soon be on His way.'