“Do You Remember What’s-His-Name?” (Part 1 of 2)

What do you do when you come to one of those passages in the Bible that is a list of name after name? Most of us are tempted to skip it, forge ahead to the narrative, but today on Truth for Life, Alistair Begg teaches us that those lists remind us, and warn us, and encourage us.

He's titled today's message, Do You Remember What's His Name? Well for those of you who were thinking to yourselves, this surely cannot be the foundation of our study this morning. If you looked ahead at all, you would notice that the lists run right through to the 26th verse of chapter 12, and you recognize that it may be somewhat daunting, and perhaps you even think less than profitable as an exercise to give consideration to this. Now, it would be obvious to some that if we were living in the immediate generations following the writing of these lists that we certainly would recognize a measure of interest in them. Because all of us, without exception, in the same way as we might do when perhaps we're in a city far from us, we might pick up the telephone book and look and see if there are any Beggs or Robinsons or Jenkins or whatever it might be in that particular city. I don't know if you do that, but every so often I do.

If you've got a long time to wait for a plane, you've got to do something. And there are quite a few Beggs in Auckland, for those of you who are interested—which is, of course, not many of you. But in any case, every so often we may examine lists. Some of you tell me that you've gone to Scotland and to Edinburgh, and you have spent laborious hours examining long lists in significant offices in the city of Edinburgh, because you want to try and find your heritage. You want to know whether your great-grandfather stole sheep or whether he had a castle. I want you to know that the odds are that he stole sheep. And there are not enough castles around to inhabit all the families that I keep meeting from America who tell me, oh yes, my forefathers lived in such and such a place, we had a castle.

Unless, of course, we're using castle somewhat obliquely to refer to any kind of dwelling at all. But the reading of lists, if there is some kind of familial context, is understandable. But here we are, separated by generations—thousands of years and phenomenal distance. So what possible relevance can there be in this? We know the Bible says that all Scripture is inspired by God, and it is profitable for correction and for reproof, for instruction, for training in righteousness. But we recognize, too, that not all Scripture is equally applicable. And some of you are perhaps saying, yes, and this is probably going to be as unapplicable as many a study as we've ever had.

Well, hold your fire. Because Nehemiah has clearly not compiled a long register of names simply to have a list of names. There is purpose in this.

And some of the purposes may not be immediately apparent to us, but a moment or two of careful study and clear thinking will help us to realize some of the factors involved. For example, the very existence of these lists is a reminder of the necessity of establishing orderly patterns for the people of God. And Nehemiah, in response to a God who wants to see everything done decently and in order, provides a substantial record of the people who were present at that time within the framework of Jerusalem.

And it is a reminder to us in passing of how quickly we let people and lists and significant events of the past to pass through our fingers in Western culture. There are few contemporary church buildings that have any plaques— and I'm not suggesting this, it's just an observation—that have any plaques that recall the existence of previous generations, any recognition of who went before or whoever did what. Whereas when you go back about a hundred years into church buildings, you will find that they established a sense of history and a record of those who had gone before, recognizing that there is value to be gained from that. The lists also make clear that the individuals, so recorded, understood their identity and realized their responsibilities. And in that simple statement, there is a wealth to be pondered so that the people of God in every generation might understand who they are and might understand what they're supposed to be doing. So that we could go, for example, through a church like this and ask the question, Good morning, who are you, and what are you doing here?

And you'll get a variety of answers, and they will all be significant, and some will be more intriguing than others. But everybody should be able to say, This is who I am, and identify oneself, and this is what I do, to declare a sense of responsibility. At the same time, the list of names is a reminder to us of a number of significant factors. First of all, I think this list of names makes clear that Nehemiah recognized that he wasn't a one-man band.

That he wasn't a one-man band. It's very tempting to be in a position such as Nehemiah had, I'm sure, to believe that you really are the linkpin in all of it, and to begin to conduct oneself in a way that displays that before others. And one of the ways in which an individual makes it clear that they do not believe that is the case is by ensuring that others who are significantly involved in the project receive the recognition that is their due.

And it is a great challenge to men in leadership, and women too, in the world of business and in the world of education, and not least of all, in the family of faith. Do we, in creating lists, as it were, bear testimony to those who are vital and significant around us? Something that we can often overlook.

I know that I find it easy to overlook. And one of the disciplines that I tried to exercise when I was in Australia was, as I was running, to pray for all the people who were within the framework of my orb of encouragement and influence, and their influence and encouragement on me. And it was a reminder to me with frequency and on a daily basis of how important all these other people are. And indeed, it extends to the whole church.

Now, Maya then, in writing the list, declares that he wasn't a one-man band. The list is also a reminder to us of the fact that each one is important to God. Whether we know who they were or we don't, they were important to God. And every one that is seated here this morning is important to God. Every name in the book, every name on the list is of significance.

Simple and yet important truth. This is a list, in some respect, of the unsung heroes of the army of God. The list of names is also a reminder to us that each one who's represented here learned how to accept their limitations—namely, not to do what they hadn't been set up to do—and assume their responsibilities—namely, not to neglect to do what they were put together to do. And also, the list of names challenges any preoccupation that any of us might be tempted to have with ourselves and with our significance and with our desires to be seen.

Of course, if you can't identify with that at all, then you're living in a very rarified realm of the atmosphere, because all of us who live and breathe within some realm, at least, fight the tendency to become preoccupied with ourselves and our significance. And in Christian service, would that it were not so, the fact is, it is highly prevalent. Jesus recognized this, and in Matthew chapter 6, he warned the individuals of his day against doing things because you wanted to be seen. And he says, Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness before men, to be seen by them—that's the significant phrase—so that people will say, Oh, my, my, didn't you do well? Aren't you gifted? Didn't you do a fine job?

Aren't you super? Jesus says, If you do that, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. All you'll have is people going around slapping you on the back, telling you, Oh, wonderful job, super, immediate gratification, immediate response, finding all of our significance in the accolades of people. Because you know that that's why you're doing something if, when you do it, you don't get that in response, you're ticked or disappointed.

That's how you can tell. If in doing something you're standing by waiting for the response, then you know you did it to be seen by men. If you just do something and an encouragement comes along the road, you say, My, that was nice. You know that you weren't doing it to be seen by men.

You weren't doing it because you were supposed to do it. But if you do it so that people will say, My, my, Jesus says, fine, you've had your reward. Don't expect to get to heaven and get another reward.

There's nothing there. And in case there were any doubt about this, he applies it in two key areas. He says there are a group of people—he calls them hypocrites—who love to pray on the street corners—this is still in Matthew 6—to be seen by men. And then he says, I tell you the truth, they've received their reward in full.

That's all they're gonna get. They went out, and they dressed up, and they prayed. And everyone saw them, and they felt good, because everyone saw them.

And then they went home. Jesus says, I hope they enjoyed it, because there's nothing else coming. And what about those who displayed their Christian sanctity by disfiguring their faces so that everyone would know that they were fasting, that they were peculiarly devoted to God?

And so, instead of going out and just getting on with their lives and smiling about their business, they lightened up their faces and they disfigured their faces so that they might be seen by men. Jesus said, hope they enjoyed it, they've had their reward, nothing else is coming. It is one of the great tyrannies of Christian service. The church is bedeviled by those of us who are self-preoccupied. And the significance of this long, long list surely lies in the fact that from a superficial reading after all this time, no one individual stands out beyond the rest.

And indeed, in the majority of cases, we're hard-pressed to find out who these people were at all. So what, then, is the essence of what we're doing here this morning? It is this—that to look at these lists together provides us with a striking warning—that is, any of us who are tempted to believe that we matter too much. And it provides us with a stirring encouragement—that is, to those of us who are prone to reckon that we don't matter at all. And somewhere within that pendulum swing, all of us live our lives. Some of us are prone to discouragement and to despondency. And we go in little rooms and go in quietness by ourselves, and we say, Nobody loves me. Nobody hates me.

Think I'll go and eat worms. I think I just fade away. I'm so insignificant that I don't matter. It's usually a form of pride. On the other hand, some of us are so focused on what we're doing and what we're saying and who we are that we believe we matter to a degree that is totally ridiculous. And this long list corrects the guy with a fat head and encourages the individual who is despondent. Now, the immediate background to what is described here in chapter 11 can be found in the fourth verse of chapter 7, which I'm sure many of you will remember.

If not, you should turn back a couple of pages. And the fact is that they had a large city, spacious city, but there were few people in it. So what good is a big city, fabulous walls, a nice temple, and no people? What good is a big church building with no people in it?

No good at all. Unless, of course, what you're building is a mausoleum or a ghost town. If you're trying to build a ghost town, then you've just about got it right.

The fewer people that are in there, the better. But if you're trying to build a city, you need people in it. Recognizing that, the leaders decided in verse 1 of chapter 11 that they were going to repopulate the city of Jerusalem.

And it would appear that this was not an attractive proposition for most. The leaders had exercised their servanthood by playing their part there. But most of the people, it would seem, preferred the outlying districts, perhaps the opportunities of agriculture and of prosperity, a little more space, the chance of building a sense of community, being with their families, said to them, We would rather be out here than in there. And so the leaders said, Okay, this is how we're going to do it. We're going to cast lots, and one out of every ten is going to be in the city.

If you work the figures out, it ends up with about ten thousand in the city, and therefore the population of Judah somewhere around a hundred thousand people. Now, in the lists which follow, what we discover is this. The significance of the ordinary. The significance of the ordinary.

I can't say this forcefully enough. These people are recorded for us here not because of a dramatic commitment to the spectacular but on account of their devoted consistency to the basics. We're tempted to believe that unless we're doing something dramatic and spectacular, we're not doing anything at all, when in point of fact it is a steady, faithful, consistent commitment to the basic, ordinary events of life which makes the world turn round. Showing up when you say you'll show up. Calling when you say your call. Letting your yes be yes and your no be no.

If you made a commitment to your loved ones to pray with them and for them, you're there. And so on. The kid at school asks you a question, and you say, I don't know the answer to that, but I'll have it for you tomorrow morning. And in the following morning, going to the child's desk and saying, You know the thing you asked me yesterday? Which, of course, they have long since forgotten. They had forgotten it five minutes after they asked it in many cases.

But you are there consistently. Ask yourself the question, how much of the last week in your life has been marked by spectacular, dramatic events? Not a lot. Most of it's just been the same old stuff, isn't it?

Same old get-up, same old alarm, same old voice, same old car, same old garage, same old office, same old 13-H on the plane, same old whatever it is. So either we're going to make a difference in the basic routines of life, or else we're going to sit around and wait for the drama to unfold. I figure some of us are waiting for the drama before we get started. There's no drumroll here, no crescendo, no trumpet blast, just a long, long list of people. If we moved amongst the crowd and said to them, What's your name, and what were you doing? we would get essentially six replies.

How do you know that? Well, these are the only six things that I can find in all these verses that actually tell us they were doing something. And I want to chronicle them with you. Some people would reply, and what were you doing in Jerusalem? Answer, I was living in Jerusalem.

Verse 2 of chapter 11, the people commanded all the men who volunteered to live in Jerusalem. Doesn't seem like a big deal, does it? So what did you do? Well, I lived there. I mean, you got anything a little more dramatic than that?

Maybe a little more oomph to it? I mean, we're writing a list here, you know, we want to put something down. I mean, what shall we say about you?

What marks you out? Well, just say, I lived in Jerusalem. You see, because the people who lived in Jerusalem were commended just for living there. They just showed up there.

Now, whether the volunteers were a separate group from the conscripts, or whether the conscripts in verse 1 responded in such a spirit of enthusiasm that they were commended for their voluntary hearts—emphasis, as it were—it's not clear from the text. But essentially, we understand this. There were people who, by just their very existence, taking their place in that day and in that time, they re-established the community, and they maintained the reality of what was happening. Just by being there. Just by being there. Now, we often make much of the fact and say, you know, all that I do in church is, you know, I'm really just there. Well, I want you to know something. That's really good, for a start.

I, for one, don't want to downplay that. Because if you weren't where you are right now, who would the person next to you be sitting next to? A space. And some of you are sitting next to a space.

Because for whatever reason, those who have said they will be here are not here—some because of illness, some because of travel, some because of disinterest, some because of sin, some because they've wandered from the way. And the very fact of people's simple maintenance of the day-to-day events of the work of God—because that's what we're talking about, doing God's work in God's way—we need faithful people just to live out their commitment in the ordinary mainstream of life. What were you doing? I was living there. Secondly, in verse 12, and what were you doing?

Oh, I was working there. I was working in the temple. You find here that we're told of these individuals and their associates who carried on work for the temple eight hundred and twenty-two men. Now, you're not gonna be very significant as one of eight hundred and twenty-two. Just another one in the group.

Just another one with your name on your jersey, standing on the sidelines at the high school football game. Far more people than seems to be necessary, but each one with a sense of purpose, each one with a sense of belonging, each one with a sense of team, and each one with a sense of commitment. And whether the work is big work or we work, whether it is extravagant or apparently insignificant, these men were identifiable in the long list as those who committed themselves to the essential and yet unflamboyant establishing, maintaining, and caring for the temple. And how about you? We say to another, what were you doing there? Verse 16. I was serving there.

I had a responsibility of the outside work of the house of God. Doesn't sound like a big deal, does it? But it is a big deal. It's a big deal out there when you're trying to come in here and park your car. It's a big deal out there when you drive in of a day and you bring a guest to see the place, and you look around, you say, My, this looks really nice. It's a big deal. See, we devalue the significant necessities of life by exalting to undue prominence things that are really not that significant.

And Paul makes that clear when he identifies the members of the body of Christ as being many but all one body and existing for one another and existing under the authority of the head. And he points out, he says, it is our unprecedented parts of our body that are the most significant. That the renal function of our bodies is not on public display, mercifully, but it's all underneath, it's all unseen, and it's all vital. Vital. Are you prepared to be totally unseen for the kingdom? Are you prepared to live your life in such a way that no one knows your name and no one even cares for the kingdom? You're listening to Alistair Begg on Truth for Life as he reminds us of the significance of ordinary people committed to the basics of obeying God's word.

We'll hear more from Alistair tomorrow. One ordinary but essential role all of us have as Christians is to pass our faith along to future generations. If you have school aged children in your home, you know they love to ask questions. Well, today we want to recommend a book to you that is a terrific guide for helping you answer some of the most common questions five to 10 year olds ask about Jesus. In fact, the book is titled The Big Book of Questions and Answers about Jesus. This is a teaching book to be read with a child so you can lead them through 34 questions and answers about who Jesus is and why it's so important for us to be his friend. For example, as you read through the book you'll see what the Bible has to say about questions like what does the name Jesus mean? Why can Jesus alone offer true happiness?

What does Jesus promise for those who follow him? This book is great for working through one question and one answer at a time. It makes it perfect for bedtime reading. It's a large hardcover book. You and your child or grandchild can revisit it over and over again as these questions will keep coming back over the years. Ask for your copy of The Big Book of Questions and Answers about Jesus today when you donate to support the teaching ministry of Truth for Life. To give, simply tap the book image in the mobile app or visit us online at truthforlife.org slash donate. I'm Bob Lapine. Our culture is obsessed with who shows up on top 10 lists, who's who lists, the most beautiful, the most successful, the wealthiest, the most popular. Tomorrow we'll discover the most significant list of all and find out how you can get on it. The Bible teaching of Alistair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life where the Learning is for Living.