A Village of Servants

Now at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought out the Levites in all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, both with thanksgivings and singing, with cymbals and stringed instruments and harps. And the sons of the singers gathered together from the countryside around Jerusalem, from the villages of the Netophathites, from the house of Gilgal, and from the fields of Geba and Azmaveth; for the singers had built themselves villages all around Jerusalem.

~Nehemiah 12:27-29

Where do you live? Did you carefully choose your school district? Did you choose the community with the lowest crime rate or the best community events calendar? Are you minutes from work, or do you have a lengthy commute? Why did you choose to live where you live?

Our youngest and I had this discussion the other day. I'd expressed how little I like the area in which we live. Sure, our neighborhood is fine; I love our neighbors. But it's the congestion, it's the not having fields for him to safely roam and explore, it's the heavy air. "Why don't we move?" he asked. Because this is where God has us for now; He's not called us to anything elsewhere, so we serve Him here. 

When Jerusalem's city walls were rebuilt and it was time to dedicate them to the Lord, a great celebration took place. Those known to be singers had built themselves their own little community around the city. Matthew Poole's commentary says: That they might be near at hand for the service of God, and of his house. No messenger would have to travel far and wide to gather those willing and equipped to sing for the Lord, they all lived in the same neighborhood nearby. They chose to live where they could most readily serve the Lord. People are people, and I'm sure the altos didn't always agree with the tenors at the HOA meetings. Maybe the lead soprano allowed her dog to bark at all hours of the day or night. The contralto never picks up her trashcans, the baritone might grumble to his wife. Despite all the issues that come with life in community, their highest priority was service to our God; and they positioned their homes, their wives, their children in the place that allowed them to do that best.

We were placed in our home long ago, before we really served the Lord. We did not choose the place that allowed us to serve Him best, but by His grace, He has used us here (more of a Jeremiah 29:5-14 situation, I guess 😉). Whatever the circumstances, though, the Lord God uses those whose hearts reside in a place prepared to serve Him, those who want to know how best to be His ambassadors above all else. With hearts truly yielded to Him, we can be a village of servants wherever we are.