We Belong To God As His People
Nehemiah wanted Jerusalem to grow and prosper. But before that could happen, he must first know who he had already. Just as when he toured the broken-down walls in Nehemiah 2:11-16, he needed to see the problem well. So, he took a census and looked at the registry first written by Ezra in Ezra 2:1-70. This list was essential because each of these people was important to God. They did what so few of their fellow Jews did – they took the trouble to return to the promised land after they had already set down roots for seventy years in the Babylonian empire.