Nehemiah 8:1-18
“And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded to Israel.” (Nehemiah 8:1)
Thanks to Nehemiah’s example in trusting the lord and setting out to do what he believed God wanted despite the opposition, the people had been encouraged to follow God. Excited by the results, they wanted to know more about God and what he expected and asked Ezra to read the Law to them. They were not content to settle for what their parents had taught them.
In John 14:15, Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” A few verses later, in John 14:21, he said, “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.” Unless we know what God’s commands and expectations are, we will not be able to demonstrate our love by doing hat he would like us to. People who really love him will want to know what he expects. It is a sad commentary on today’s Christians that many have little or no interest in what God has said.
“And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month. And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law.” (Nehemiah 8:2-3)
For about four hours, Ezra just read the law to all the people old enough to listen and understand what it said. There was no music, no jokes or entertainment of any kind, not even for the children. They just read the scriptures. How many today would walk out or not come back if we just read the scriptures for a half hour one Sunday? The first step in finding out what God wants is to read his word.
“And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchiah, and Hashum, and Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam.
And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up: And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God.
And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with their faces to the ground.” (Nehemiah 8:4-6)
Ezra stood on a raised wooden platform so his voice would carry farther, and so the people could see he was reading from the book, not merely making things up as he went. The prophets and priests stood by him, identifying with what he read. As he read various promises, he blessed the Lord, giving thanks for them. The people were thanking the Lord as well, saying “Amen” or “let it be so” and raising their hands in supplication before falling on their faces in worship.
“Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place. So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.” (Nehemiah 8:7-8)
The priests and Levites then took the time to carefully explain the meaning of each part of the law so the people understood what it meant, and the people gladly stayed to learn. Sadly, in our day many people lack the background to understand what they are reading, and pastors or teachers are so busy promoting a topic they don’t take time to make sure they understand the entire passage. Apparently we think we know more about what people need to know than God does.
In expository preaching, we are explaining what God has said, using his outline and putting things together the way he said it. In topical sermons we choose a topic to preach about. It doesn’t even have to be a biblical topic, although we may use some verses in presenting it. In textual sermons we chose a text and use some of it’s statements as topics for our sermon. Neither topical or textual preaching provide as much protection against false teaching as Expository teaching.
“And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the LORD your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law. “ (Nehemiah 8:9)
When the people heard and understood the Law, they realized how badly they had broken it. Nehemiah, as the governor, and Exra as priest and scribe, the Levites encouraged the people that God was a forgiving God, and would forgive their sin.
“Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.
So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved.
And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth, because they had understood the words that were declared unto them.” (Nehemiah 8:10-12)
Rather than spending all their time sorrowing over past mistakes, Nehemiah and Ezra encouraged them to focus on doing better in the future. They should celebrate what God had done for them at the moment and not miss the present blessing by crying over past mistakes.
“And on the second day were gathered together the chief of the fathers of all the people, the priests, and the Levites, unto Ezra the scribe, even to understand the words of the law.
And they found written in the law which the LORD had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh month: And that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities, and in Jerusalem, saying, Go forth unto the mount, and fetch olive branches, and pine branches, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of thick trees, to make booths, as it is written.” (Nehemiah 8:13-15)
The following day, the leaders got together to better understand God’s law themselves. As they were studying, they discovered the command for the feast of tabernacles in Leviticus 23:39-43. “Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath. And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days. And ye shall keep it a feast unto the LORD seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month. Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths: That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.”
God had commanded that every year after the Day of Atonement, they were to have a national campout to remind them of the forty years Israel spent in the wilderness as a result of their disobedience, and of how much they had been blessed since.
“So the people went forth, and brought them, and made themselves booths, every one upon the roof of his house, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the street of the water gate, and in the street of the gate of Ephraim. And all the congregation of them that were come again out of the captivity made booths, and sat under the booths: for since the days of Jeshua the son of Nun unto that day had not the children of Israel done so. And there was very great gladness.” (Nehemiah 8:16-17)
Israel had not regularly kept the feast of tabernacles since the days of Joshua, celebrating it only three or four times in intervening thousand years. When they realized what God had commanded, the people rejoiced to celebrate it. How often we miss God’s blessings because we didn’t consider something he said as very important. These people demonstrated their love by keeping this command. In John 14:23-24, “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.” Our failure to find out and do what God says demonstrates a lack of love for God.
“Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according unto the manner.” (Nehemiah 8:18)
Filled with love for God, the people couldn’t get enough of his word. They were not like the church in Ephesus as described in Revelation 2:1-7.
“And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded to Israel.” (Nehemiah 8:1)
Thanks to Nehemiah’s example in trusting the lord and setting out to do what he believed God wanted despite the opposition, the people had been encouraged to follow God. Excited by the results, they wanted to know more about God and what he expected and asked Ezra to read the Law to them. They were not content to settle for what their parents had taught them.
In John 14:15, Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” A few verses later, in John 14:21, he said, “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.” Unless we know what God’s commands and expectations are, we will not be able to demonstrate our love by doing hat he would like us to. People who really love him will want to know what he expects. It is a sad commentary on today’s Christians that many have little or no interest in what God has said.
“And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month. And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law.” (Nehemiah 8:2-3)
For about four hours, Ezra just read the law to all the people old enough to listen and understand what it said. There was no music, no jokes or entertainment of any kind, not even for the children. They just read the scriptures. How many today would walk out or not come back if we just read the scriptures for a half hour one Sunday? The first step in finding out what God wants is to read his word.
“And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchiah, and Hashum, and Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam.
And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up: And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God.
And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with their faces to the ground.” (Nehemiah 8:4-6)
Ezra stood on a raised wooden platform so his voice would carry farther, and so the people could see he was reading from the book, not merely making things up as he went. The prophets and priests stood by him, identifying with what he read. As he read various promises, he blessed the Lord, giving thanks for them. The people were thanking the Lord as well, saying “Amen” or “let it be so” and raising their hands in supplication before falling on their faces in worship.
“Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place. So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.” (Nehemiah 8:7-8)
The priests and Levites then took the time to carefully explain the meaning of each part of the law so the people understood what it meant, and the people gladly stayed to learn. Sadly, in our day many people lack the background to understand what they are reading, and pastors or teachers are so busy promoting a topic they don’t take time to make sure they understand the entire passage. Apparently we think we know more about what people need to know than God does.
In expository preaching, we are explaining what God has said, using his outline and putting things together the way he said it. In topical sermons we choose a topic to preach about. It doesn’t even have to be a biblical topic, although we may use some verses in presenting it. In textual sermons we chose a text and use some of it’s statements as topics for our sermon. Neither topical or textual preaching provide as much protection against false teaching as Expository teaching.
“And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the LORD your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law. “ (Nehemiah 8:9)
When the people heard and understood the Law, they realized how badly they had broken it. Nehemiah, as the governor, and Exra as priest and scribe, the Levites encouraged the people that God was a forgiving God, and would forgive their sin.
“Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.
So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved.
And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth, because they had understood the words that were declared unto them.” (Nehemiah 8:10-12)
Rather than spending all their time sorrowing over past mistakes, Nehemiah and Ezra encouraged them to focus on doing better in the future. They should celebrate what God had done for them at the moment and not miss the present blessing by crying over past mistakes.
“And on the second day were gathered together the chief of the fathers of all the people, the priests, and the Levites, unto Ezra the scribe, even to understand the words of the law.
And they found written in the law which the LORD had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh month: And that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities, and in Jerusalem, saying, Go forth unto the mount, and fetch olive branches, and pine branches, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of thick trees, to make booths, as it is written.” (Nehemiah 8:13-15)
The following day, the leaders got together to better understand God’s law themselves. As they were studying, they discovered the command for the feast of tabernacles in Leviticus 23:39-43. “Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath. And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days. And ye shall keep it a feast unto the LORD seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month. Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths: That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.”
God had commanded that every year after the Day of Atonement, they were to have a national campout to remind them of the forty years Israel spent in the wilderness as a result of their disobedience, and of how much they had been blessed since.
“So the people went forth, and brought them, and made themselves booths, every one upon the roof of his house, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the street of the water gate, and in the street of the gate of Ephraim. And all the congregation of them that were come again out of the captivity made booths, and sat under the booths: for since the days of Jeshua the son of Nun unto that day had not the children of Israel done so. And there was very great gladness.” (Nehemiah 8:16-17)
Israel had not regularly kept the feast of tabernacles since the days of Joshua, celebrating it only three or four times in intervening thousand years. When they realized what God had commanded, the people rejoiced to celebrate it. How often we miss God’s blessings because we didn’t consider something he said as very important. These people demonstrated their love by keeping this command. In John 14:23-24, “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.” Our failure to find out and do what God says demonstrates a lack of love for God.
“Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according unto the manner.” (Nehemiah 8:18)
Filled with love for God, the people couldn’t get enough of his word. They were not like the church in Ephesus as described in Revelation 2:1-7.
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