Nehemiah
8
New
International Version (NIV)
1 all the people came together as
one in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the teacher of the Law
to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded for
Israel.
2 So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought
the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who
were able to understand. 3 He read
it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate
in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the
people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.
4 Ezra the teacher of the Law stood on a high wooden platform built
for the occasion. Beside him on his right stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah,
Uriah, Hilkiah and Maaseiah; and on his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah,
Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam.
5 Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was
standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. 6 Ezra praised the LORD, the great God; and all the people lifted
their hands and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the
LORD with their faces to the ground.
7 The Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai,
Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan and Pelaiah—instructed the
people in the Law while the people were standing there. 8 They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear[a] and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was
being read.
9 Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the
Law, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, “This
day is holy to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had
been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.
10 Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and
send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do
not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
11 The Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, for this is
a holy day. Do not grieve.”
12 Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions
of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words
that had been made known to them.
13 On the second day of the month, the heads of all the families,
along with the priests and the Levites, gathered around Ezra the teacher to
give attention to the words of the Law. 14 They
found written in the Law, which the LORD had commanded through Moses, that the
Israelites were to live in temporary shelters during the festival of the
seventh month 15 and that
they should proclaim this word and spread it throughout their towns and in
Jerusalem: “Go out into the hill country and bring back branches from olive and
wild olive trees, and from myrtles, palms and shade trees, to make temporary
shelters”—as it is written.[b]
16 So the people went out and brought back branches and built
themselves temporary shelters on their own roofs, in their courtyards, in the
courts of the house of God and in the square by the Water Gate and the one by
the Gate of Ephraim. 17 The
whole company that had returned from exile built temporary shelters and lived
in them. From the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had
not celebrated it like this. And their joy was very great.
18 Day after day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read from the
Book of the Law of God. They celebrated the festival for seven days, and on the
eighth day, in accordance with the regulation, there was an assembly.
Daniel’s Thoughts:
This is a long passage, but I could not think of any part that
is not really powerful and speaks to something we need to hear.
These people stood for 6 hours listening to the reading of the
word of God! When was the last time you spent even 2 hours listening to or
reading the bible? Even before they started listening they praised God and were
excited to hear God’s word and law.
How did the people respond? Did they get bored or fall asleep?
NO they mourned and weeped as they heard God’s word and the law. They knew how
broken they were and they mourned this fact.
Yet now was not the time for mourning but for celebration “Do not
grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength”. For they as a people who
had been exiled and then who returned but remained distant from God in spirit
now had come back to God joyfully. In Nehemiah chapter 9 they confess their
sins to God. But for now they celebrated for 7 days!
The end of this chapter seems so random. Who cares if they built
shelters, why would God command that? But the significance is that these people
heard a call from God through the word and they probably did not understand it
either. But they obeyed wholeheartedly!
God help us and help me to be people like these who are
desparate for your word. Who seek you and your will and then submit to it!
Daniel’s Prayer:
Lord
I want to seek you with all my heart
I want to seek you and your will
Help me to be faithful to prayer and study of your word!
Give me a heart like your people recorded here in Nehemiah.
A heart to listen for your will
A heart to mourn and confess
A heart to rejoice in you Lord
For the joy of the Lord is our strength!
God you call us
Let us submit to your will
Even when we don’t understand.
I want to seek you with all my heart
For the joy of the Lord is our strength!
Amen
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