Nehemiah 8:1-7
The text today finds us
in this 3rd and final phase of resettling the promised land after
the Babylonian and Persian captivities.
These 3 phases were critical periods in how the nation would move
forward from their past, in their present, & into the future. Though the resettling took a number of decades
to be completed, there was a single day where a stake was put into the ground
that would serve to be the catalyst for moving forward in the right way.
What we read in the text here in Nehemiah 8
had not been seen in Israel for 200 years since the reign of King Josiah and
all of his reforms in the nation to God and the Word. As we said, in his reign the Law had been
lost and was found again in the temple as it was being restored and after it
was found the scribe Shaphan read to Josiah what had discovered. That finding led the nation to understand and
walk with God once again.
In Nehemiah
8, we are 200 years after the revival and reformation under
Josiah where Judah had the last God-centered and Word-centered focus before the
exile. Think of that for a moment, God’s chosen people had not worshiped Him together with
authenticity for 200 years. A lot gets
lost in 200 years and a lot needs to get settled.
They needed a reminder
of the Ancient Paths that bring life.
You cannot find life away from the path, but by walking in the
path. The steps we see today are
non-negotiable realities for a people of God.
Gather as One – Necessity of
Unity – 8:1a
Nehemiah
8:1a And all the people gathered as one
man into the square before the Water Gate.
People Long for the Word – 8:1b
8:1b And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of
Moses that the LORD had commanded Israel.
Leaders Brings the Word before
the People – 8:2
8:2 So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men
and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the
seventh month.
No Rushing the Reading of
Scripture – 8:3ab
8:3ab And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from
early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those
who could understand.
The Aim
- Understanding
Again as a reminder, five times in Nehemiah 8 the word understand/understood
is used…(8:2,
3, 7, 8, 12)
People Chose to Be Attentive – 8:3c
8:3c And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the
Law.
Purpose Behind Preaching – 8:4a
8:4a And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that they had made
for the purpose.
Surrounded by Godly Men Who Affirm the Purpose of Proclamation – 8:4b
8:4b And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah,
and Maaseiah on his right hand, and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum,
Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam on his left hand.
Is the pastor surrounded by those who affirm the primacy of Word-centered ministry?
Posture Toward the Scripture – 8:5
8:5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he
was above all the people, and as he opened it all the people stood.
Corporate Worship Grounded in the
Word – 8:6
8:6 And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and all the people
answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and
worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.
**What we see here happened after the reading of the
Word**
It is the response to God’s word!
First Small Group Leaders
7a Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah,
Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan,
Pelaiah, the Levites,
Here are the names of
the first small group leaders in the Bible.
The Purpose of Small
Groups
helped the people to understand the
Law, while the people remained in their places. 8 They read from the book, from
the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood
the reading.
In Nehemiah 8:7-8, the Levites join Ezra in helping
to instruct the people. They “gave the sense, so that the people
understood the reading”.
Large Group and Face to Face
Setting
On this day, there was both a public proclamation/reading of
the Word in a large setting and the face-to-face interaction of a small group.
