“From the descendants of Benjamin:
…Sallu son of Meshullam, the son of Joed, the son of Pedaiah…”
Nehemiah 11:7-8
Last time we finished up the descendants of Judah, following the lineage of Maaseiah. Today we see the provincial leaders who were descendants of Benjamin that stayed in Jerusalem .
First up is Sallu, whose name comes from calah – to reject, make light of, toss aside, tread under foot, tread down, value. Don’t you find that reference to value interesting alongside throwing out and rejecting? It seems, in fact, quite the opposite.
What feelings surface when you read “reject, tread down, and toss aside?” Has that ever described your situation, your experience? If it hasn’t, praise God. And may you use your valued experience to value others.
If it is an accurate description of times in, or the majority of, your life, how I pray you know Yahweh as Defender, Husband, Maker, and Refuge. Please don’t allow any prosperity gospel convince you the God of Angel Armies is for the powerful and against the downtrodden. He sees and He acts. When His People do the opposite, it is not a reflection of Him.
Sallu’s father is Meshullam, a name we have seen on here before. It means “allied” from shalam – amends, to complete, sound, to make an end, finish, give again. That phrase “give again” gets me every time.
Weary, have your own concerns, tired of fighting? Give again. Fatigued from making amends, wanting something to be complete, finished? Give again. Uncertain your actions will matter, desiring peace and sound relationships among us all? Give again. Not in your strength, but His.
Our give-again descendant’s father is Joed, the only occurrence of this name. It means “the LORD is a witness,” from Yhvh and ed – a witness, evidence, testimony, recorder; active participle of yaad – to appoint, assemble, designate, meet together, summon, gather selves.
Oh, do you love it? Those who are appointed are the active particles of ed, giving witness, a voice to the work He’s done in our lives. We are evidence, walking around as living sacrifices, our lives a record of His activity. The good news is a recorder simply puts down what has happened, no spinning, trying to make things happen. Only pointing to the evidence of what we know: I once was this, but now I’m this.
Not only are we witnesses, but God Himself is a witness. The God Who Sees taking a record of those who honor Him. We never have to wonder if our actions matter.
Our final descendant for today is Pedaiah, a name we have seen in Nehemiah chapter 3 and 8. It means “Yah has ransomed” from Yah and padah – any means redeem, rescued, deliver.
In reading through the Pentateuch, I’ve been struck by this word redeem. Particularly when talking about who and what is to be bought back to the LORD by paying the redemption price. It means to free from captivity, release from debt. Which feels weird because these firstborn children and animals haven’t done anything yet.
I don’t think we like thinking of the need for sheep or bulls or rams to shed blood for us to have forgiveness. But it speaks to our innate need to be rescued, how we cannot save ourselves. We require someone else to pay the redemption price on our behalf.
Anything from which He has rescued you? Ways in which He has bought back something in your life that had been broken or destroyed? If that does not ring true, or if you don’t have eyes yet to see it, may we know Him by one more name: Redeemer, Whose banner over us is Love.