Nehemiah

Nehemiah Chapter 8

Ezra Reads the Law

• Nehemiah 8:1  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. 

The water gate led from the temple to the brook Kidron.

I love reading the part of the bible that we can read of people doing right and honoring God by honoring His word. I would love to see people gather in the streets to read God's word like I did many years ago. I saw this in downtown Akron Ohio. People gathered and took turns reading the bible.

Ezra began to read the law of Moses concerning the feast of tabernacles and the blowing of the trumpets. I don't know which part of the writings of Moses he read but here is one in Leviticus that refers to the blowing of trumpets.

• Leviticus 23:23  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 
• 24  Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. 
• 25  Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD. 

As soon as they began to read the law, they wanted to abide by the law. How we today need to read the word of God and then abide by it. Our attitude should be like these when they saw that this was in the law given through Moses. We under grace after the coming of Jesus do not have to keep the feasts days because it is not required now because Jesus takes the place of all the law by fulfilling the law by His death, burial and resurrection. The feasts were important though to remind them of the presence of God and how important God is in our lives. Now we know that each feast represented something. Many believe the feast of trumpets is when Jesus will return a 2nd time to set up His kingdom on earth. We can't set dates though because we don't know which year it will occur.  Because of our faith in Jesus, the way of salvation for each individual is to believe in Jesus as the one God sent to save us from our sins. Then receive Jesus into our lives and be filled with the Holy Spirit who abides within each one of us. We can have that as individuals now because of Jesus our Christ. We now can be filled with the Holy Spirit within us when we come to Jesus Christ for salvation. All the feasts and the law in the Old Testament was to lead us to Jesus, the Son of God.

In saying that though, if our background is Jewish and we know what the feasts stand for and how to observe them, it is okay to celebrate them but never are we to make those that do not keep those feasts feel like they are doing something wrong. Most of us today would not know the correct way to observe them. We now rest in the grace of God that came to us through Jesus Christ. So they are not required but it's okay if we want to observe them. Many Messianic Jewish congregations keep the feasts days.

In Ezra and Nehemiah's day though, it was before the coming of Jesus. They were to read, teach and live by God's word and keep the feasts. We now need to read, teach and live by God's word from the New Testament and be ready for the 2nd coming of Jesus and be looking for Him to return just as He said He would.

• Nehemiah 8:2  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. 
• 3  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. 

This is revival. I love worship and worship music. I know it is pleasing to God, but even more so I love the teaching and preaching of God's word. I remember back in the days of radio, I would do my chores and listen to bible teachers constantly. Some of my friends liked listening to the Christian music which is fine, but I preferred to hear the preachers of the word. Especially those that taught verse by verse. At church picnics, I loved to be near my dad when many times he would be discussing scripture with other men. I preferred that to playing with the other kids on the playground. I say this not to exalt myself above them. The kids were doing what is good. It's good to see children play together. I was just one that loved to hear Dad speak about the bible. Maybe it seems weird to some but that was me.

• Nehemiah 8:4  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. 
• 5  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: 
• 6  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. 

This was not to exalt Ezra above everyone else but, it was done so all could see and hear the reading of God's word. They lifted up hands and began to worship in awe and reverance.

I praise God that He has allowed me to experience this in churches I've attended since childhood when my Dad would take me with him to prayer meetings and worship services. When my younger sister was a baby and had to be home with Mom, Dad would always take me with him to church. Those days were so vivid in my memory, sometimes I can hear by memory the shouts and praises of those gathered to worship God. It is a comfort to me to hear.

• Nehemiah 8:7  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. 
• 8  So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading. 

Good bible teachers are needed and used by the Lord to give understanding of what is being read. Today many good teachers are using the Internet to do this. First it was radio, then TV and now Internet can reach even more. Technology can be used for good as well as for evil.

This Day Is Holy

• Nehemiah 8:9  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. 

That is a normal reaction to hearing God's word. I sometimes weep too but they were admonished to rejoice and be glad instead.

• Nehemiah 8:10  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. 
• 11  So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved. 
• 12  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.

After repentance and weeping, joy comes after we make things right with God.

Feast of Booths Celebrated

• Nehemiah 8:13  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. 
• 14  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: 
• 15  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. 

One place this is found is in Leviticus:

• Leveticus 23:39  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. 
• 40  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. 
• 41  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. 
• 42  Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths: 
• 43  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. 
• 44  And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the feasts of the LORD. 

So the people in Nehemiah's day did as they were taught from God's word and did not hesitate.

• Nehemiah 8:16  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. 
• 17  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. 
• 18  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. 

This is so awesome. I wonder though if those that lived previous to this time, would not have stopped these feasts days of rememberance and if their children and children's children would not have strayed away from God, they would not have gotten away from God's presence among them only to be judged and led into the Babylonian captivity in the first place.

It pays to stay with God and not depart. Prayer, seeking, reading the word, gathering with other believers for worship is more important that we sometimes think. Are we putting education, jobs and entertainment first? Something to think about. DC

Nehemiah Chapter 9