Ne. 12: Celebrate the Wall

Nehemiah 12:43 "And on that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy. The women and children also rejoiced. The sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away."

After all the hardship, the difficulties and the opposition, the wall is complete. This is cause for a raucous celebration. Choirs, cymbals and songs could be heard from far away. That's some kind of party.

Can you imagine living in the surrounding nations? "Uh oh, Israel is celebrating again. This is bad news for those of us who worship Baal and stuff." Israel has their heart right with God. 

It is a victory here for Israel. The difference here is that it isn't necessarily a military victory. They faced armed threats and had to post armed sentries, but this victory was won with God watching over them, and defending them and keeping them safe. Israel celebrates like they just won a big war, or rededicated themselves to God. Either way, they knew to whom the credit was due, and that was only to God. Without God's hand in the reconstruction, Israel would have basically been sitting ducks. I think they realized this.

Maybe.