The Nethinim

    I am following a one-year Bible reading plan this year and just finished the book of Nehemiah this morning. As I went through Ezra and Nehemiah, the word "Nethinim" kept popping up. Who were the Nethinim?

   A Google search turned up a mixture of opinions on where the Nethinim came from and what they became. I won't try to sort out all of that. What everyone agreed on was that they were temple servants with menial tasks such as carrying water and bringing wood for the sacrifices. They were considered the lowest class of those who served in the temple.

   The job of the Nethinim might be compared to janitorial or trustee work in our churches today. This is the kind of work that often goes unnoticed until no one does it. When we arrive at the church, we expect it to be unlocked, clean, cool in the summer and warm in the winter, the grass mowed or the snow removed from the parking lot. But these things do not happen automatically; someone has to do it. The work of the ministers, teachers, superintendents, etc. is more visible but the maintenance work is just as important for the church to function properly. 

   Temple worship was conducted by a variety of offices such as priests, Levites, singers, and Nethinim. They worked together, each filling their roles, to conducted temple worship. Not everyone is gifted with leadership or public speaking skills. We each need to exercise the gifts God has given us and work together to build the church.

    We naturally like to see our efforts appreciated and receive credit for a job well done. But there is a great blessing for those who humbly stay in the background and serve in menial tasks which are taken for granted. In 1 Samuel 30, David and his 400 men went out to battle and another 200 "stayed by the stuff."  When David and his men returned with the spoils of war, he said those who stayed behind were just as worthy to receive a reward. Their job as stuff guarder was just as important as the warrior on the front lines. 

     Your position in the church does not determine your reward. God rewards faithfulness whether you are the bishop or a Nethinim. Fill your place faithfully and it will not go unnoticed by God.