Nehemiah 8:1-8

Nehemiah 8:1–8 KJV (WS)

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. 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. 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. 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.

Introduction

How many of you have a Bible in your lap right now?

How many of you have a Bible on your phone?

We are so blessed to have such ready and easy access to God’s word.

Now, try to imagine a world where you don’t have that.

Imagine that this whole community has 1 single copy of the Bible.

Not just Collinsville but all of the Tulsa metro has one Bible.

What if we all had to drive in to Tulsa this morning in order to hear someone read from the Bible?

Our minds can hardly even comprehend such a world.

God’s word is so prevalent that we may even take it for granted.

We have forgotten how much our culture owes to the Bible.

England has two books, the Bible and Shakespeare. England made Shakespeare, but the Bible made England.

-Victor Hugo

[When the pilgrims came to America] the Bible came with them, and it is not to be doubted that to the free and universal reading of the Bible is to be ascribed that men of that age were indebted for right views of civil liberties.

-Daniel Webster

We are not the first generation of humans to drift from the Bible and forget its importance.

That is what got the children of Israel in the mess they were in to begin with.

When God’s people get away from the Bible, they lose the blessings of God (Ps 1).

It was true of them and it is true for us.

The good news, is that it doesn’t have to stay that way.

There can be a revival of love and attention and obedience to God’s word.

Today’s passage proves that can happen.

The passage begins on the morning of the first day of the seventh month. vss 1-3

On this particular day, the people start to gather in the streets of Jerusalem.

Notice, first of all, that people were not called to assemble.

They gathered themselves together of their own accord.

They had a hunger for something that was missing from their lives.

Something in their history told them that this was a day to cease from their work and focus on something beyond this world.

The seventh month of the year had been a big month for the Jews.

Over the years of their history, the seventh month had been like their holiday season.

It started on the first day of the month, when this passage took place, this was the Feast of Trumpets.

This was supposed to be a day of sabbatical rest.

It was also customary for the people to gather on this day for worship.

The tenth day, was the day of atonement.

The 15th - 21st days were the feast of Tabernacles.

The seventh month coincides with our month of September.

This time of year was historically a time of spiritual revival.

The fact that they chose to gather at the water gate is also interesting.

The street probably refers to like a public square.

Water in the Bible is often used to picture different truths.

Water for washing is a picture of of the word of God.

Water for drinking is a picture of the Spirit of God.

When we apply the water of the word for washing to our lives, then the water of the Spirit can enter in to work through our lives.

This is something that had been missing in Israel.

It had led to idolatry.

It had led to injustice.

It had led to exile.

Decades of judgment and hard work by a few spiritual leaders had led to this moment.

The people, having gathered all on their own ask Ezra to bring out the law and read it to them.

What a wonderful request this must have been for Ezra to hear.

Ezra arrived in Jerusalem 14 years before Nehemiah.

He had been brought to Israel to invest in the spiritual lives of the people.

He had been tasked with telling them the truth about their sin no matter how hard that was.

Some wonder why this is the first time he is mentioned in this book.

It would be strange if Ezra had been in the city and had not participated in the work on the wall.

Some surmise that he must have been away, perhaps giving a report to Artaxerxes.

It is possible that Ezra has only just returned, here in ch 8.

What a thing to return to.

A completed wall.

A spiritually hungry population.

In this passage, Nehemiah fades while Ezra comes to the forefront.

Though Nehemiah was a godly man, he was not a scribe nor a priest.

Ezra had prepared himself for this role.

He was a ready teacher.

Ezra 7:10 “10 For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.”

Now the people are ready to learn.

Everyone that could understand was present.

It was a diverse group of people that gathered to hear the word read.

Men and women did not typically gather together.

On this day they do.

And all the children that could understand were present as well.

So, as Ezra begins, the congregation stands for the reading of the word.

This was done out of respect for the words of God.

It was also a posture of attention.

They help this position for a long time.

They stood and listened from morning till midday.

That’s 6 hours of standing!

You can sit for a 2 hour movie.

Could you even fathom standing for a 6 hour service?

How is that possible?

They had better developed listening skills than we do.

This was before tv or even print media.

They also had a hunger for the word of God.

As the city had grown and experienced revitalization, they had a desire to be spiritually rebuilt as well.

Maybe the reason we could never do something like this is because we think we’re good and there is nothing that the Bible could add to our life.

We do not need correction, or we do but we do not want it.

He who does not intend to obey has no desire to hear.

Now, to be fair it wasn’t just reading that was going on.

As Ezra is reading, something important is going on among the crowd of people. vss 4-8

We see in vs 4 and in vs 7 that there are 26 men supporting the reading.

Try to visualize Ezra with the brand new walls acting as a backdrop and a sounding board for his voice.

There are 13 men standing beside Ezra in support of what he is reading.

This group was probably made up of the Chiefs of the fathers that we heard about last week.

It gets kind of lonely up here at times.

You know you can stand on the word of God, but it is nice to know there are people in the audience who agree with you.

Ezra had not always had that.

But he had it on this day.

Not only did he have a strong show of support, he also had help.

13 other men mentioned who are out working among the people to make sure they understand what is being read.

This is probably a group of teaching priests.

They are mentioned alongside the Levites.

I love the idea of these men working among the people to explain to the people what Ezra is reading.

There are three tasks that these men are engaged in.

We see these 3 things that must still be applied to the reading of God’s word.

Read distinctly.

They read in such a way that the law could be understood.

Not rushed or monotone.

The Bible is meant to be read aloud.

It takes practice though.

Ezra had taken the time to learn how to read in an engaging way.

Give the sense.

This could have two possible meanings.

They may have been translating the ancient Hebrew into the modern Aramaic.

They could have been explaining the obscure words and difficult passages.

This was the work of the 13 men and the Levites scattered throughout the crowd.

Cause to understand.

This is always the goal.

Understanding leads to action.

Understanding is related to the parable of the sower and the soil’s ability to receive the word.

Any preacher or teacher of the Bible is aiming for change in the hearer.

The Bible is an agent of change, if we will accurately present it to those that listen it will have an impact on our lives.

We see the beginning of that change in the 3 things that should describe the people’s reception of the word of God.

Amen, amen.

This is verbal agreement to what was said.

It goes beyond assent though it is agreement that what has been presented needs to be applied.

Lifting of hands.

This is a sign of identification.

It causes one to stand out among the crowd as a recipient of the word.

It is also meant to be a sign that follows the confession of sin.

We lift holy hands to the Lord.

Bowing of heads

This is a sign of submission to the God of the word.

We bow before our king.

Don’t ever be too proud that you refuse to physically bow before your king.

It’s biblical.

It’s interesting that the bowing of the head in worship is the last step in this passage.

The people gathered with a desire to hear God’s word.

They were met by a priest who had prepared himself to deliver the message of God’s word.

He was supported by others who lended their influence and expertise.

The people responded by agreement, application, and submission.

This is what we expect to happen every time there is a service and the word of God is opened here at CBT.

Application

The Bible is necessary for the conversion and spiritual growth of humanity.

The primary task of the church and the Christian minister is the preaching of the word of God.

- D. Martin Lloyd Jones

The desire of the people in our passage to hear the word challenges our desire to hear Gods word.

The Bible is not a magic book that we can recite spells out of.

God’s word must be understood before it can enter the heart and release its life-changing power.

All of us need its influence in our lives.

We gather today for the purpose of receiving the message of God’s word today.

This is not a one man show.

It is a symbiotic relationship where each of us has a role to play.

You came here of your own free will.

Hopefully you came with a desire to hear and understand the word.

The people of Israel also challenge us to become active participants in the worship of God.

Now that you’ve heard the message what will you do with it?

Can you give verbal assent to those around you that you also believe in the necessity of the Bible?

Are you convicted about your lack of engagement with the Bible?

Confession to God will allow you to lift up holy hands that identify you as a person who desire to let the Bible change them.

Finally, I hope that all of us, in a moment will bow our heads, hearts, and wills in submissive worship to God.

Conclusion

The word of God has not lessened in its importance over the last 2500 years since this passage took place.

It is still just as powerful to affect our lives today as it was back then.

If you are a Christian, you should have a hunger for the word.

If you are a Christian, you should have a desire to understand and apply the word.

God’s word is the tool by which we become the people He wants us to be.