“[From the Levites]…Mattaniah son of Mika, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, the director who led in thanksgiving and prayer…”
Nehemiah 11:17a
Last time we saw two heads of Levites, Shabbethai and Jozabad, who were in charge of work outside the Temple walls. Today we dive into a new Levite leader and his lineage.
The Levite’s name is Mattaniah, meaning “gift of Yah,” from mattan – gift/reward and nathan – give, to commit, entrust, set, wholly, yield. For your name meaning to be “reward entrusted from the Most High” would be a lot in which to live up. Or maybe it just points to the truth that all we have is a gift from the Father of heavenly lights who does not shift like shadows. He has entrusted it to us, every breath, each sunset, the storms and calm, knowing one day we will answer to Him on whether we wholly yielded to commit it back to Him.
Mattaniah’s father is Mika, an abbreviation of Mikayah – “who is like Yah?” from Yah, mi (who?), and ki (doubtless). It essentially asks, “Who is doubtless?” Is there anyone, from the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, where we can find One such as Him? If we make our bed in the depths, He is there. Who can do that? If we rise on the wings of the dawn, if we settle on the far side of the sea, even there His hand will guide us, His right hand will hold us fast. Can you name another like this?
Can you picture yourself at the foot of the tallest mountain, determined to climb but in awe of its breadth and height? The enormity of its stature, let alone the One Who brought it up out of the depths? Can anyone else do that?
Could you picture just our galaxy, ours alone, in the infinite abyss of space with its stars and planets in orbit? Do you see our gigantic ball of fire, the sun, as but a mere teeny star in such an expanse? Can anyone else do that?
What of the ocean depths, the limit of which would crush us as humans, but which house creatures we are still uncovering? Animals and plants and life which only exist for His pleasure, untouched by humans. Can anyone else do that?
And our mountains, galaxies, and oceans are not the only things vast. What of our emotional needs, our hurts and fears, our joys into which others can never fully enter? Not completely. Only Him. Who is like Yah? Who else is doubtless? There is none.
Mika’s father’s name comes from the word we can’t seem to get away from: zebed. The name is Zabdi which, as we know, means “gift or giving.” So much talk of gifts, it seems as though we should pay attention, huh?
So…how often do you think of the gifts in your life? Do you easily begin to think of things as that for which you’ve worked hard? Things you’ve earned? How about giving? How does your heart do with the idea of generously giving away?
Whatever your honest answer, I’m sure I’ve been there. As someone who is moving not only a classroom, but schools this year, I’m at the stage of throw it all out! And, at the same time, let’s buy all the new things for a fresh start. But I want to be someone who wastes less, doesn’t jump to buy more, and has open hands with the things in my life.
Zabdi’s father is Asaph, a name we’ve sen in Ezra 2 & 3 and Nehemiah 2 & 7. It might also ring a bell as an intro to a section of Psalms as “a psalm of Asaph.” The name itself means “gatherer” from the verb asaph – gather, remove, collect, all together, assemble, destroy, lose, rear guard, take away, victim, withdraw.
So this Asaph, a great-grandfather of the Levite in our verse, points us to both pulling together and taking away. Interesting, huh? When definitions have such opposite meanings, it always makes me want to figure out why. I suppose because when you bring together one thing, other things must go.
If we say yes to loving our neighbor as ourselves, we cannot at the same time hold onto things which harm them. If we want to honor the dignity of people, we can’t also collect practices which deny the truth as fellow image bearers. And if, quite practically, we want to gather in something new, we have to let go of the old. I cannot have both an old stove and new and expect there to be space to cook. In the same way, I cannot cling to ways of thinking which have proven to elevate one group over another and expect those groups to not cry foul.
That we may see the Body of Christ – universal, world-wide, all together – as our arm, our fellow finger, our hurting knee, our powerful leg. As we assemble under His headship, we can take away that which dishonors Him and His Bride while gathering in all that brings His kingdom into the here and now. May we see fresh wineskins in our day.
Now that we’ve seen our Mattaniah’s family lineage, we can look at his role in this verse. He “began the thanksgiving with prayer.” Or led in (techillah – a beginning, first time, before, previously; from chalal – to pierce, break) the thanksgiving (yadah – to throw, cast, confess, give thanks, praise, throw down) with prayer (tephillah – intercession, supplication, hymn; from palal – intervene, interpose, expected, meditate, make judgment favorable).
His role was to pierce the silence before praise and confession with intercession. What an incredible role! If, before we begin to praise Him for our blessings, we first intercede for others, we quite know what to do with said gifts. And if we refuse to lay our gift at the altar before first reconciling with our brother or sister, our praises will rise as incense.
May we be first in our own hearts and in our gatherings to mediate and ask on behalf of others. It would be a gift to Yah.