Neh 12:43 | KingComments | STEP | The walking on the wall, taking possession of the city for God with thanksgiving to dedicate it to Him, culminates in great joy. This is the result when His people walk before Him in holiness and truth. In accordance with the “great joy”, “great sacrifices” are offered. Thus God is honored and admired. He receives all thanks and worship for what He has given His people. The sacrifices speak of the Lord Jesus. It does not say what kind of sacrifices they are. Most likely they are peace offerings. Of those offerings God gets His share, and the priest and the people also get their share ( ). The peace offering is an offering that expresses the fellowship between God, the Lord Jesus, and His people. Through the offering of the Lord Jesus this has become possible. It is a ‘great’ sacrifice. For us it means that we have a great impression of the work of the Lord Jesus and tell that to God and to each other. The fellowship we are allowed to have with one another is experienced in a special way at the Table of the Lord. While there, we think of His work and remember His death. On the one hand it makes us sad that we are the cause of His death through our sins. On the other hand, we remember with joy that He did it, making fellowship with Him and God and with one another possible. That is why we speak of “the cup of blessing” or “the cup of praise” at the Supper of the Lord ( ). At the celebration of the Lord’s Supper we will rejoice at the extent to which we have “walked on the wall” during the week. In this verse we read about “rejoicing” and “joy” no less than four times. This joy comes from God. He is its source. It is a great joy, not only for men, but also for women and children. The added value of this joy is that it is a testimony to the wider environment (cf. ). All those who did not go along share in the joy. It is like the anointing of the Lord Jesus through Mary, through which “the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume” ( ), so that everyone present could smell the fragrance of the perfume meant for the Lord Jesus.

‏ Nehemiah 12:43

Great Joy

The walking on the wall, taking possession of the city for God with thanksgiving to dedicate it to Him, culminates in great joy. This is the result when His people walk before Him in holiness and truth. In accordance with the “great joy”, “great sacrifices” are offered. Thus God is honored and admired. He receives all thanks and worship for what He has given His people.

The sacrifices speak of the Lord Jesus. It does not say what kind of sacrifices they are. Most likely they are peace offerings. Of those offerings God gets His share, and the priest and the people also get their share (Lev 3:11 ; Lev 7:19 ; 31). The peace offering is an offering that expresses the fellowship between God, the Lord Jesus, and His people. Through the offering of the Lord Jesus this has become possible. It is a ‘great’ sacrifice. For us it means that we have a great impression of the work of the Lord Jesus and tell that to God and to each other.

The fellowship we are allowed to have with one another is experienced in a special way at the Table of the Lord. While there, we think of His work and remember His death. On the one hand it makes us sad that we are the cause of His death through our sins. On the other hand, we remember with joy that He did it, making fellowship with Him and God and with one another possible. That is why we speak of “the cup of blessing” or “the cup of praise” at the Supper of the Lord (1Cor 10:14-18). At the celebration of the Lord’s Supper we will rejoice at the extent to which we have “walked on the wall” during the week.

In this verse we read about “rejoicing” and “joy” no less than four times. This joy comes from God. He is its source. It is a great joy, not only for men, but also for women and children. The added value of this joy is that it is a testimony to the wider environment (cf. Ezra 3:13). All those who did not go along share in the joy. It is like the anointing of the Lord Jesus through Mary, through which “the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume” (Jn 12:3), so that everyone present could smell the fragrance of the perfume meant for the Lord Jesus.