Jerusalem is called the Holy city because God had chosen it and it was blessed by His temple and His presence. They restored it for God by this dedication in Nehemiah 12 in which they praised God for His presence and favor. There was great joy as they prayed for the Holy city, praised God, and offered sacrifices. They played musical instruments in a parade through the city and to the house of God. The sound could be heard from far away.

Afterwards, they showed their regard for the faithful ministers with their tithes and offerings because a debt was owed to those who were guides to the Word of God. They had a service of celebration with songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.

Years ago, I had an idea of writing a thought that touched me from each sermon. I often
wondered why there is so much negative news reported to us yet the Good News from sermons are not as enthusiastically covered. There are pages in the newspaper about the big sporting events or what a political leader said in a debate. Analyst can go on for days discussing in detail the ramifications of what happened. The thing I thought was strange is that the same enthusiasm was not recorded and reported about faith; the most important aspect of our life that really matters. If my favorite sports team wins or loses, it doesn’t affect me. If my political candidate wins, it doesn’t matter unless we the people keep that person accountable. It really all depends on “we” the people and it is when the people are people of faith that we really have something.