Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Moving Forward as the People of God


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 Unity8:1a       
Nehemiah 8:1a And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate.

People Long for the Word8:1b
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 People8:2
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 Scripture8:3ab
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 Attentive8:3c
8:3c And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.

Purpose Behind Preaching8:4a
8:4a And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that they had made for the purpose. Even in the building of the platform for the day, it reveals that they understood there is to be a primary purpose to the teaching ministry of the church.

Surrounded by Godly Men Who Affirm the Purpose of Proclamation8:4b
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 Scripture8:5
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 Word8:6
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.



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