“[From the tribe of Judah]…son of Zechariah, son of Amariah, son of Shephatiah, son of Mahalalel, of the family of Perez.”
Nehemiah 11:4b NLT
Last time we had a quick recap of our place in the story of Nehemiah, and saw the first of the provincial leaders named who would settle in Jerusalem – Athiah. Today we see the names of his descendants and their meanings.
First up for Athiah’s descendants is Uzziah, whose name means “my strength is Yah.” We have seen this name before in our journey of the books of Ezra and Nehemiah in Ezra 10:21. It is also the name of a king from Isaiah’s time.
What a meaning to cling to right now. If we are experiencing loss, sickness, confusion, relational challenges, and future uncertainty, the idea that our strength is in Yahweh will give us perspective. One of my favorite things about this name is its covenant implications – He has bound Himself to a covenant with us. First through the nation of Israel, then through the blood of Jesus for all who receive the invitation into a new kind of Kingdom. And the most beautiful part of such a covenant is its binding is in Him, the One of perfect character Who cannot betray His own faithfulness.
Where do you need to cling to the promise that your strength is in Yah? For me it is in a desire to listen to those used to being marginalized and then taking that information and being helpful with it rather than hurtful. And opening my mouth when I see an opportunity to pass on what I’ve learned.
How much peace it can give me in failure that my strength is in Yah. A perfect Teacher, He allows me chances to try and fail, then try again. He teaches me what to say despite my resistance. He turns my eyes to obeying Him. And, as ever, in the middle of cultural turmoil,
He will be a sure foundation of our times;
a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge.
The fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure.
Our strength is in Yah.
The descendant of Uzziah listed next is Zechariah whose name means “Yah has remembered.” We have seen the name as a prophet when our exiles first returned and were rebuilding Temple.
There’s something about Yahweh remembering. It implies He forgets, which we know is not the case. But it seems to be used in the Word for both choosing not to hold against and bringing to the forefront of what He’s up to.
It is not lost on me that we are in the study of leaders of the province of our returned exiles at a time when those in leadership in my own country are dealing with a lot. To be sure, America is laughably far from the center of the world or all that God is doing, but it is the culture in which I find myself. And we have a transfer of leadership coming up this very week.
If the amount of melanin in your skin more closely reflects mine, we have experienced a very different America than those with more. And if we aren’t following people of color on social media, or reading books with their wisdom, it will be harder for us to see some of the gravity of our current times.
To be sure, our current times are not to be our main focus. We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen. But we are all being discipled about current events in one way or another: news, social media, talk radio, podcasts, conversations. May we seek how the Word can shape the way we both see and engage what God is remembering in our cultural moment.
And for those of us, like me, who prefer to not have conflict and agree to disagree, may we take courage that Yah has remembered. He sees the pain of those who have been afflicted, but even in His boundless grace, He requires confession before a moving forward in relationship.
If we in the Church genuinely desire unity, we must realize the wrongs have to first be addressed. There is no unity without confession and repentance, only insistence on keeping certain topics quiet. But the second part of our Remembering God can calm our hearts for the first.
While it is difficult to recount or bring to mind past individual and communal sins, the reason we can move forward is the promise of His character to not hold them against us. And after confession and genuine repentance, the doorway is open for healing among image bearers.
I wrote before of remembering the first time I heard confession explained using the Greek definition: homologeó – to speak the same, to agree. If to confess our sins to God means to agree with Him that they are not what is best – for us, for others, for Shalom – the heart can follow.
Indeed Yah has remembered. Not because He is spiteful but because He is merciful.