The Service of the Nethinim

INTRO

We’ve seen that the tribe of Benjamin created a civil war and were almost wiped out. Only six hundred from the tribe survived. Remember the crazy passage we studied when they were given wives to marry so the tribe could continue? Some of the Benjaminites dwelled in the northern kingdom and some in the southern. MacArthur points out, “Even though the northern kingdom of Israel never returned from dispersion in 722 B.C., many from the ten tribes which made up that kingdom migrated south after the division in 931 B.C.”¹ That possibly means all of Israel’s original twelve tribes were represented in Judah. However, Judah was not what it could have been because of its unfaithfulness to God.

TEACHING

1 Chronicles 9:1–34: “All Israel” refers to the remnants of each tribe who returned to Judah (v. 1). The chronicler then moves on to document who returned to Judah. The people were coming back to Jerusalem and Judah and resettling there. Verse 2 identifies four groups:

1. The Israelites (not all): People from four tribes—Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh—resettled in Jerusalem, 956 were Benjaminites (vv. 3-9).
3. The Priests: The priests were mentioned by name and were accompanied by 1,760 relatives (vv. 10-12). They are described as “capable men employed in the ministry of God’s temple” (v. 13). These priests had more of a job description than you’ll ever see given to a pastor in the New Testament.
5. The Levites: The Levites supported the work of the priests, and they too were listed by name (vv. 13-16). The fact that the priests and the Levites were among the first groups to resettle is important. Judah had been punished because of their unfaithfulness. For Israel to start over as a faithful nation, those who led worship, oversaw sacrifices, and took care of the temple were essential. They pointed the people back to God.
7. The Temple Servants: In verse 17, this group was identified more specifically as gatekeepers. The gatekeepers were identified by name according to their assignment:

Guards of the entrances (vv. 19-25): They tended the gates, opened and closed them in the morning and at night, and made sure the city was safe. Gatekeepers were given authority over who came in and out of the city.

Guards of the treasury (vv. 26-27): Four chief gatekeepers, who were Levites, were given the responsibility to oversee the rooms and treasures in the temple. They were responsible for the money in the temple.

Service in the temple (vv. 28-32): They had responsibility for the temple utensils, furnishings, and supplies used in worship.

Leading in music within the temple (vv. 33-34): Some were exempt from these other duties because their responsibility was to be available to sing and worship within the temple.

The temple servants described in verse 2 had another name—Nethinim—which means those who were given (Numbers 31:30). One out of every 50 people was given to the Levites to serve in whatever capacity was needed (Ezra 2:58). They were given menial tasks within the temple, such as carrying firewood or cleaning. The names of the Nethinim were not Hebrew but Gentile, possibly indicating these were people who had been conquered by the Israelites. Yet they were appointed by David and other leaders to serve the Levites and the Jews (Ezra 8:20). David and the leaders recognized that the Nethinim had a role to serve, and that was a direct foreshadowing of what was to come (Romans 15:25-27). Because we have experienced the presence of the living God, Yeshua (that is, Jesus), we are “obligated to minister to Jews in material needs” (Romans 15:27). Nehemiah 3:26 records that when the Nethinim first returned to Jerusalem, they worked to repair the wall and the tower near the Water Gate in the city wall. They couldn’t yet work as temple servants, so they found something else to do because they understood the bigger picture. Nehemiah 10:28-29 shows that the Nethinim were faithful to their calling because they kept their eyes on God and His law.

CLOSING

When we come to terms with the fact that all of us have been called as servants to do whatever needs to be done, then people can experience the presence of God in our work. Being a servant should help us realize that there is a bigger picture that relies on the work of everyone to be completed. When I reflect on the Nethinim, I automatically go to the big picture. We received the spiritual benefit and giftings as followers of Christ, and we have the responsibility to minister to those whom God chose as His chosen people.

Ephesians 4:11-13 explains, “And He personally gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, for the training of the saints in the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into a mature man with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness.” When all the servants embrace their roles and work together in unity it will point people to the Son of David.