Living in Jerusalem

 

Now the leaders of the people lived in Jerusalem. And the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to live in Jerusalem the holy city, while nine out of ten remained in the other towns. And the people blessed all the men who willingly offered to live in Jerusalem. These are the chiefs of the province who lived in Jerusalem; but in the towns of Judah everyone lived on his property in their towns: Israel, the priests, the Levites, the temple servants, and the descendants of Solomon’s servants. And in Jerusalem lived certain of the sons of Judah and of the sons of Benjamin. Of the sons of Judah: Athaiah the son of Uzziah, son of Zechariah, son of Amariah, son of Shephatiah, son of Mahalalel, of the sons of Perez; and Maaseiah the son of Baruch, son of Colhozeh, son of Hazaiah, son of Adaiah, son of Joiarib, son of Zechariah, son of the Shilonite. All the sons of Perez who lived in Jerusalem were 468 valiant men. (Nehemiah 11:1–6 ESV).

 

What do Fremont, California, Overland Park, Kansas, Irvine, California, Plano, Texas, and Seattle Washington, all have in common. According to Forbes Magazine, these cities were ranked the best place to raise a family in the U.S. in their 2024 report, citing strong economics, high family income, low poverty, and excellent education/health metrics. For the Jews, Jerusalem was the best place to live. There was no better location for a formerly exiled people to rebuild their lives than to take up residence near the house of God. Jerusalem is still one of my favorite places in the world, though I’ve never lived there and only visited on occasion.

 

Our reading today gives us the story of how Nehemiah would allot land to each of the Jews who returned to Judah from exile. Only one family out of ten could live in Jerusalem. The goal was to live, work, and worship God’s way. Each of the family lines populated Jerusalem with the kind of people who centered everything on being God’s witnesses to the surrounding nations.

 

To live in Jerusalem was a great honor, but also a challenge. The people chosen were honored to lead the kind of life that brought glory to the Lord. They would treat each other with justice. They would regularly engage in sincere worship. But it would be a challenge to be faithful and not cut corners in work and worship. Still, Jerusalem’s residents accepted the honor and challenge to make God’s city the best place to live.

 

We should examine how we attract people for God. We must take to heart Paul’s words: “Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). The best place to live is in the will of our only Savior, Jesus.