1. The wall is complete, and the law is read. The completion of the wall was not an easy task, but once it was up and protecting the city of Jerusalem, the Children of Israel were ready to celebrate! The Bible account states that Ezra was asked to bring the Book of Moses to a special platform prepared for the purpose of recognizing this unusual event. Have you looked at the “Book of Moses” lately? How long would it take for Ezra to read in public the books of Genesis through Deuteronomy? What do you believe he selected from those five books to read to the people?
2. How the passages were read. Did you find it interesting that the reading of Scripture was done by two groups of 13 men? How was this carried out? Have you ever read the first five books of the Bible in one sitting?  Would you assume that the “reading” of the Bible books was more a matter of summarizing their content and making it easy for all the people to understand? How long do you think the people spent dwelling on the important passages in these books during the time they spent on this activity? 
3. How the people responded. Paint a picture in your mind of the response of God’s people to the reading of His word to them. What did they say in unison over and over? What did they do with their hands? Did they bow down to God as well? What emotions took over the people at this time? Can you and I obtain a similar blessing in the way we read God’s word today? Can we be just as joyful now, in the closing days of earth’s history, as the Children of Israel were for this event? Would you like to see God’s people breaking out in joy at special occasions in these days as we approach the Second Coming?
4. The Joy of the Lord. Have you ever been overwhelmed–or a least impressed from head to toe–by a congregational response to an appeal by a gospel minister to rejoice in the good news of Jesus’ Second Coming? After so many years of trial and discipline even in our people of today, can we summon the joy of the Lord in our special times when we get together to praise the Lord? Should we do more of that or does God want us to keep on the silent side of things as we feel surrounded by bad things as well as good ones today? 

Amen!(0)

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Read Nehemiah 8:4-8. How was the reading of the Law done?

There were two groups of 13 men who stood with Ezra during the reading. The first group of 13 (Neh. 8:4) helped to read the Word of God, and the second group of 13 (Neh. 8:7) helped with the understanding of the passages. We do not have any information about how this arrangement worked in the open square; however, the men who helped with the reading possibly held the Torah (Hebrew scrolls were heavy and needed to be unrolled by others) as well as read from it successively, alternating between the readers.

Reading the Word

Because they were reading from morning until midday, they had figured out a way to reach everyone in the square.

The phrases “they gave the sense” and “helped the people to understand the reading” (Neh. 8:8, NKJV) can either refer to interpretation or translation of the passages. Both are just as likely in this instance. The people had returned from Babylon, where they had lived for many years, and the primary language there was Aramaic. Therefore, hearing the Hebrew reading may not have been easy to understand for many, especially the younger generations. At the same time, readers of the Bible can benefit from explanation or commentary. Preaching and explanation make the text come alive and press hearers to apply the information personally.

Read Acts 8:26-38. What happened here that parallels what was happening in Jerusalem in the texts above? What lessons are here for us?

As Protestants, we understand that individual believers must know the Word of God for themselves, and that we must not blindly accept anyone else’s word on biblical truth, regardless of their authority. At the same time, who hasn’t been blessed by having someone help explain the meaning of texts? We need, each one of us, to know what we believe for ourselves, but this doesn’t mean that, at times, we can’t be enlightened by the teachings of others.

Amen!(0)

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Ezra “brought the Law” before the assembly to read. What did he read to them? Only the Ten Commandments over and over for half a day? The reference to the book of the Law is to be understood as the five books of Moses, Genesis through Deuteronomy, known as the Hebrew Torah. The term “law”, therefore, covers only a part of what was included in the reading; it would be better to translate it as “instructions”.

Hearing the Law

They are God’s instructions enabling us to know the path on which we should walk in order not to miss the goal. When Ezra read, the people heard about their history as the people of God, beginning with Creation through the time of Joshua. Through stories, songs, poems, blessings, and laws, they were reminded of their struggles in following God and of God’s faithfulness to them. The Torah includes “law”, but it is more than that; it incorporates the history of the people of God and especially reveals God’s leading. Consequently, it gave the community its roots and identity.

Read Nehemiah 8:3; Deuteronomy 4:1; Deuteronomy 6:3-4; Joshua 1:9; Psalms 1:2; Proverbs 19:20; Ezekiel 37:4; and Matthew 17:5. What do these verses teach us about how we are to interact with the Word of God?

That the people desired to hear the Word of God most likely was the result of Ezra’s reading and teaching the Word since his arrival in Jerusalem some 13 years before. He was dedicated to God’s work and determined to make a difference. The Word of God became real to the people as they kept hearing it from Ezra. As a result, they made a conscious decision to hear and to listen because they were interested in hearing from God. Thus, on this occasion, they approached the Torah with reverence and a desire to learn.

Saturating ourselves in the Word creates a deeper yearning for God in our lives.

Amen!(0)

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Read Nehemiah 8:1-2. What should this tell us about how important the Word of God was to the people?

When the Jews finally completed the building of the wall and moved into Jerusalem, they all gathered in Jerusalem’s open square in the seventh month.

The PeopleGather

The seventh month, the month of Tishri, was perhaps the most important month for the Israelites, as it was dedicated to the Feast of Trumpets (preparation for God’s judgment, 1st day of the month), the Day of Atonement (Judgment day, 10th day oaf the month), and the Feast of Tabernacles (remembering God’s deliverance from Egypt and His provision through the journey in the wilderness, 15th day of the month). The gathering took place on the first day of the month, on which the Feast of Trumpets was celebrated. The leaders called together the men and women of the nation for this special assembly in order, through the reading of the Law, to provide an opportunity for them to learn about their God and history.

The people invited Ezra to bring the book of the Law of Moses before them and to read it. They even constructed a platform, a pulpit, for the occasion. It was not something that the leaders forced on the congregation. On the contrary, “they”, the people, told Ezra to bring the Book. Most likely Ezra read to the people from the books of Moses, which included the law given to Moses on Mount Sinai.

Read Deuteronomy 31:9-13. What did the Lord tell them there, and what lessons can we take from that for ourselves?

In Deuteronomy 31:9-13, Moses told the Israelites that, during the Feast of Tabernacles, they were to gather and read together the Law of God, and it mentions the various groups that should gather: men, women, children, and foreigners living within their gates.

Amen!(0)

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Image © Pacific Press

Sabbath Afternoon

Read for This Week’s Study: Neh. 8:1-8, Deut. 31:9-13, Matt. 17:5, Acts 8:26-38, Neh. 8:9-12, Lev. 23:39-43.

Memory Text: “So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading” (Nehemiah 8:8, NKJV).

The Jerusalem wall was finished. With the placement of the gates, the Israelites, under the leadership of Nehemiah, had thus completed the main task. When the wall was completed, the surrounding nations were in awe and recognized that this “was done by . . . God” (Neh. 6:16, NKJV). The enemies realized that the God of Israel was real because, despite the incredible opposition and hatred the Israelites experienced, they still had completed the work they had set out to do.

Following the completion of the wall, Nehemiah appointed a governor of Jerusalem (his brother Hanani) and a leader of the citadel (Hananiah). Both men were chosen based on integrity, trustworthiness, and reverence for God (Neh. 7:2) rather than on genealogy. The wall was completed during the month of Elul (6th month; Neh. 6:15).

What was to be the next order of business? The following chapters of Nehemiah (Nehemiah 8-10) describe an important series of events in the month of Tishri, the 7th month (Neh. 8:2). In these texts we can see examples of how the children of Israel were determined to obey the Word of God and how they rejoiced in it.

Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, November 9.

Amen!(0)

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