I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Nehemiah 11-13.

Every time I read the Book of Nehemiah, I assume that the beginning of chapter 11 is a follow up to the beginning of chapter 7.  To refresh your memory, early in chapter 7 it is noted that when the wall was completed Nehemiah discovered that few people lived in Jerusalem and that he registered all those that did.  Chapter 11 begins with what appears to be how he, and the Jewish people living in the area, solved the problem.  The people living outside of Jerusalem selected, by lot, from among themselves those who would move into Jerusalem.  Those who moved to Jerusalem were honored by those who did not.

As the final part of the plan which Nehemiah had made to restore Jerusalem, he appointed men to manage the offerings and their distribution.  Shortly after appointing these men, he returned to the court of the king of Persia.  Unfortunately, while Nehemiah was in the Persian capital some of those who had been put in charge of Temple storage allowed it to be used by those who had opposed the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls.  The passage does not say so outright, but I understand this to mean that Temple storage was being used for smuggling and/or to otherwise avoid taxes.  The result of this change was that food was not getting distributed to many of the priests and Levites who were intended to work in the Temple.  We see here the difference a single strong leader can make.  There were other leaders who could have confronted the actions of the corrupt individual, but they all looked the other way until Nehemiah returned and held their feet to the fire.