Nehemiah 8:1–18
Context of the Passage:
The gathering of the people in Nehemiah 8 is different from, subsequent to, and dependent upon the gathering pictured in 7:5. Once the people were brought back (in fulfillment of God’s promise) to Jerusalem, they could be brought together for the purpose of renewal.
Outline of the Passage
1-6 – Ezra read from the Word
7-8 – The Priests and Levites explained the Word
9-12 – The appropriate response to the Word
13-18 – The Response of the People to the Word
Exegesis of the Passage
8:1 – “All the people”
The word “people” is key in this passage. It occurs 13 X in ch. 8. Nine of those occasions, it occurs in the phrase, “all the people.”
“As one man”
- The unity of the people is emphasized here. They all came with the same motivation
- There were not individual agendas
Note – the people told Ezra to bring the Book of the Law
- They had a desire to hear a Word from the Lord
8:2 – “All who hear with understanding
- ALL who could hear with understanding
- Cf. 8:3 – “who could understand”
- This assembly included every person (men and women; young and old) in the community who had the capacity to understand the Word
8:3 – Ezra read from the book
- From morning to mid-day
- Ezra read the Law for 6 hours
- The ears of the people were attentive
- The people listened carefully
8:4 – Ezra stood on a platform clearly made for this event
- This emphasizes the preparation involved to prepare for God to work among His people
- Ezra was flanked by 13 Priests and Levites; 6 on his right side and 7 on his left
8:5 – Ezra opened the book and the people stood
- The people stood in honor of the Word
- We see that again in 9:3 – standing out of respect for God’s Word
8:6 – Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God
- All the people responded,
- By shouting “Amen!” in agreement with Ezra’s blessing
- By raising their hands
- By bowing before the Lord with their faces to the ground
8:7 – The Priests and Levites “caused the people to understand the Law”
- As Ezra read from the Law, a second group of Priests and Levites (cf. 8:4) helped the people to understand it
8:8 – “They read distinctly”
- This verse adds the qualification of the care that was given to the reading and explaining of the Word
- The Hebrew (maporash) carries the idea of dividing into sections (as in Ezek. 34:12) or making something distinct (Lev. 24:12); or to explain something (Num. 15:34)
- So, the Priests and Levites were adding clarity to what Ezra was reading
- This could carry the idea of translation. [rep]Breneman, 226.[/rep]
- Here, the subject is plural – “They read”
- So, the Priests and Levites were adding clarity to what Ezra was reading
- To read the Word of God distinctly ought to be the goal of every preacher!
- Here, the subject is plural – “They read”
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- The effort of the Priests and Levites caused the people to understand
- Their work was successful
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8:9 – Do not mourn
- When the people heard the Law, they understood their sin and began to mourn
- The idea of repentance is understood in their response
- Nehemiah, instead called for rejoicing
- It was the time of the Feast of Trumpets – a day of rejoicing
- The people had heard and responded to the Word
8:10 – The Joy of the Lord is your strength
- The celebration and feast was to remind the people that the Word of God provided their spiritual strength
8:12 – The people understood
- The efforts of Ezra in coordination with the Priests and Levites was effective in helping the people to understand the Word of the Lord
8:13 – On the 2nd Day
- The celebration continued for a 2nd day
- See Joel 1 and 2 where Joel also describes a Solemn Assembly that took place over two days
- To understand the words
- The people hungered for more of the Word of the Lord
8:14 – The “found” in it
- When the people listened carefully to the Word, they discovered what God wanted from them
- The Word wasn’t hidden; it was simply unread
- The people discovered the instructions for celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles
8:16 – The people responded in obedience
8:17 – There was great gladness
- In response to their obedience, the people were glad
8:18 – on the 8th Day there was a Solemn Assembly according to the prescribed manner.
- See Lev. 23:39 for the “prescribed manner.”
- “Day by Day”
- Every day the people continued to gather to hear from the Lord
- For another picture of a Solemn Assembly see Joel 1:14; 2:15; Acts 2:14-47
- The Solemn Assembly was a day that generally included abstinence from all normal activity, fasting, and confession of sin. [rep]For more information see Deron J. Biles, A Suggested Hypothesis Concerning the Historical Development of the Solemn Assembly in the Biblical Period (1300 B.C. – 100 A.D.). PhD Diss. Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1997.[/rep]
Sermon on the Passage
This passage suggests three things we’ve got to get right to get right with the Lord
- Passion for God’s Word
- The people initiated the Reading of the Word (1)
- Ezra read from the text for 6 hours!
- The people were attentive to the Word (3)
- Lit. “The ears of the people were TO the Book of the Law.”
- NOTE: A platform was built – careful preparation was made for this event.
- The people showed honor to the Word (5)
- We see that again in 9:3 – standing out of respect for God’s Word
- The people initiated the Reading of the Word (1)
- Reverence for the Lord
- The people responded their affirmation of the word — “Amen” (6)
- The people bowed in worship (6)
- Obedience to the Word
- The people Learned the Word (8-9)
- Exp. Around Ezra were 13 men (probably priests or Levites — teachers)
- The people responded to the Word (9)
- The people were Obedient to the Word (10-12)
- The people did as they were instructed (10)
- Celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles restored (14-18)
- 8:18 – A Solemn Assembly was held “according to the prescribed manner.”
- In fulfillment of Lev. 23:39
- The people Learned the Word (8-9)
Application:
The people heard the Word, learned the Word, were moved by the Word, and obeyed the Word