Nehemiah 8

Nehemiah 8:1

F. Revitalization of Jerusalem’s Religion (Chaps. 810)8:1-8 This important chapter tells of spiritual revival among God’s people through the public reading of the Scriptures. Notice that Nehemiah is now referred to in the third person (until 12:31). Ezra is the main character in the next few chapters. On the first day of the seventh month, the people gathered together for a holy convocation, the Feast of Trumpets (Lev_23:24-25), typifying the regathering of Israel from among the Gentile nations. Standing on a special platform and flanked by thirteen Levites, Ezra read from . . . the Law of Moses for several hours. The people showed deep respect for God’s Word as the Levites, mentioned in verse 7, helped them to understand (v. 8) what was being read. Since the Aramaic language replaced Hebrew after the captivity, it was necessary to explain many words of the Hebrew Scriptures. Today, many centuries later, in an entirely different culture and language, preachers and Bible teachers must explain a great deal more. Dr. Donald Campbell emphasizes the importance of this ministry: Ezra and his helpers were the first in a long line of expository preachers who explained the Bible. This method of preaching has been blessed by God down through the centuries and continues to be an effective instrument for bringing Christians to spiritual maturity. Topical and textual preaching may often be inspiring and helpful but the spiritual benefits do not compare with those resulting from a preaching ministry like Ezra’s. Blessed indeed are the believers who are privileged to sit under expository preaching of the Scriptures. 8:9-12 The peoples tears showed that the message was taken seriously (v. 9). They were right in taking the Word of God seriously, but they did not need to be overwhelmed by grief. The feast was not for weeping but for rejoicing. Only one occasion for mourning and fasting was found among Israel’s feasts, and that was the Day of Atonement. The rest of the feasts were to be kept with joy and celebration. The fruit of the Spirit was to be visible: love, in sharing with the less fortunate; joy, in eating and drinking before the Lord; peace, in calming their fears and putting their hearts at rest. Their sadness was turned to joy, and the joy of the LORD was their strength. 8:13-15 The next day a special time for Bible study was held for the leaders, the priests, and the Levites. They discovered the ordinances concerning the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles), which was to be observed later that month. 8:16-18 This holiday foreshadowed the time when Israel would dwell securely in the Promised Land. They quickly made provisions to keep the feast, the first time it had been done by the entire assembly since the days of Joshua. (A partial observance of the feast had been kept by the first exiles who returned to Jerusalem under ZerubbabelEzr_3:4.) Booths were built on rooftops, in courtyards, and in the streets. Joy ran high as the Word of God was daily opened to hungry hearts. The feast lasted from the fifteenth through the twenty-second of the month.