A few years ago, my neighbor invited me to come over and see her new computer. She is an older lady who had never taken the leap into deep end of the technological pool. She was absolutely stoked about her purchase. When I arrived, I expected to see her shiny new machine set up and ready to go. That’s when she pointed to a stack of boxes over in the corner. “There it is! That’s my new computer!” My neighbor owned a new computer. There was only one problem. She still hadn’t ever turned it on. Before she could ever get any use out of her new PC, she needed somebody to set it up and teach her how to use it.
In many ways, that’s the scene in Nehemiah 7:73-8:8. The people have God’s Word but don’t know what to do with it. They plead with one of the top Bible teachers on the planet to teach them God’s truth and tell them what to do with it. Like my neighbor’s computer, Scripture won’t do them any good unless they know what to do with it. They need instructions. They need directions. They need understanding. They need somebody to take the time and tell them how to apply what God says. God’s Word comes alive when we apply as directed.
We pick up the action just as Nehemiah finishes going over the roster of Jews who returned to the Promised Land from Persia under Zerubbabel 93 years ago (Neh 7:6-73). God inspires the governor get everybody together for a roll call by family (Neh 7:5). It’s now safe to hold this massive meeting because the city walls are complete (Neh 6:15). The author puts a time stamp on this get-together and tells us it’s the first day of the “seventh month” (v73, 2). That’s Tishri. It falls on the last half of September and first half of October. It’s the year 445 BC. And we’re less than a week after wrapping up the huge wall project (Neh 6:15). But just because they’re safer than they’ve been in a long time, the people desperately want to know what to do.
The Hebrew people plead with Ezra the scribe to do what he does best: “bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the LORD commanded Israel” (v1). This is Ezra’s first appearance in the pages of Nehemiah. He led the second expedition from Persia to the Promised Land back in 458 BC (Ez 7:1-6). As a scribe, Ezra had mad skills when it comes to God’s Word (Ez 7:6). Because God has a tight grip on him, “Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach His statues and rules in Israel” (Ez 7:10). By all indications, this is the first time he’s had the privilege to teach Scripture to what amounts to a stadium-sized crowd. It’s one of the biggest reasons the Big E back in the Promised Land. And 44 years later, he finally gets his chance.
The crowd makes the request that Ezra teach from “the Book of the Law of Moses” (v1). We’re talking the Pentateuch which is the first five books of the Bible. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. He’s going to go back to the beginning and remind everyone of who God is and His special relationship with His chosen people. Talk about jumping into the deep end of the pool! Several hundred years later, Jesus tells folks that when Moses wrote those five books, “he wrote of Me” (Jn 5:46). Christ says that the Book of the Law is all about the Messiah, the awesome Good News of the One who’s coming to the rescue. You might not think of Jesus being the focus of Ezra’s teaching, but it’s true.
Ezra unrolls the scroll and teaches God’s Word “before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard” (v2). This is an “all skate.” Not just the guys. Not just the ladies. The big point is that people “could understand what they heard” (v2). We see the Hebrew word biyn, which means to discern, perceive, consider with full attention, or give heed to. This term shows up six times in just 11 verses. It describes so much more than collecting data or memorizing facts. The BIG idea of this passage is understanding Scripture so that you can do what it says. It’s knowing what to do with what you’ve learned. It’s putting what you’ve learned into practice. It’s applying as directed.
This isn’t your typical one-hour-and-done suburban American church service. No 20-minute sermon with three points and a poem. “And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early in the morning until midday” (v3). We’re talking from dawn until lunch. That certainly makes sense with Ezra teaching the story of God from the first five books and then making sure everyone knows how to apply this truth to their lives. You may be wondering if folks were on their feet the entire time. Great question. We’ll see later in the passage how they broke up into small groups to discuss the sermon (v8). It doesn’t take much imagination to see Ezra reading sections of Scripture with people standing and then stopping so they could sit and discuss what that might look like in their own lives. Nonetheless, there’s a lot of standing. Hope you’re wearing your comfy sandals.
This huge crowd can see and hear the speaker because he’s on a stage constructed for this event. “Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that they had made for this purpose” (v4). Here’s where we get the church tradition of a pulpit. It was big enough to hold 14 people (check out the list of the other 13 dudes here in v4). These men are probably priests who stand with the Big E as a clear demonstration of their support. Because he was visible to the audience, everybody could see Ezra when he opens up God’s Word (v5). We see another church tradition. The preacher opens up his Bible in front of God and everybody. Not a command, but certainly not a bad thing to do. Once Ezra starts reading “all the people stood” (v5). And here’s yet one more tradition in many churches. Folks rise to their feet as the pastor reads from Scripture. Again, not a command but certainly not a bad idea. It’s an acknowledgement that God is present in His Word.
As part of his teaching, “Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God” (v6). He makes sure that the focus is God, not the preacher and not the people. The Bible is about God, not us. Are we part of His story? Absolutely. But only because we’re the ones who wrecked His perfect creation, rebelled against His kingdom, and are the ones He’s coming to rescue. Ezra thanks God for His goodness, His grace, and His mercy. When he does, “all the people answered, ‘Amen, Amen’” (v6). Yup, here’s another tradition in many churches (especially if you grew up Southern Baptist like me). When the preacher drops some particularly convicting truth, folks shout, “Amen!” This is the Hebrew term ‘amen. It means truly or so be it. Throughout the OT, it’s used as an expression of agreement with what’s just been said. It’s like saying, “You got that right!” Or “You’re darn tootin’!” Or even “You ain’t frontin’!” Earlier when Nehemiah put a stop to the rampant loan sharking and payday lending in the Promised Land, the people shouted, “Amen!” (Neh 5:13). That makes sense since they are hearing Scripture inspired by the “God of truth (Heb ‘amen)” (Is 65:16). Jesus goes out of His way to describe Himself as “the Truth” (Jn 14:6). Can I get an amen?
An amazing thing happens at this point. Folks are “lifting their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground” (v6). They have a physical response to the internal impact of God’s truth on their lives. This massive audience doesn’t just stand their like statues. They are certainly not the Frozen Chosen like some of the churches I’ve been a part of. Raising our hands is a quite biblical form of worship (Dt 32:40; Ps 63:4; 119:48; 134:2; 141:2; Lam 3:41; Lk 24:50; 1Tim 2:8). It’s not limited to our more charismatic friends. Get your hands in the air like your really do care! The people in the crowd fall on their faces as an act of worship to God. Once again, we see this all throughout Scripture (Gen 17:17; Lev 9:24; Dan 10:9; Mt 17:6; Acts 9:4; Rev 1:17; 5:8). It’s the most obvious physical act of submission to God’s authority and holiness. It’s reminiscent of that day when King Jehoshaphat led God’s people is a massive expression of worship. “Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the LORD, worshiping the LORD” (2Chr 20:18). When it comes to worship, let’s get physical. Hands up. Faces down.
At some point, the huge crowd breaks up into smaller groups for explanation and application. “The Levites helped the people to understand the Law, while the people remained in their places. They read from the book, from the Law of God clearly and they gave the sense, so the people understood the reading” (v7-8). One o the Levites’ roles is serve as small group leaders and teachers (Dt 33:8-10; 2Chr 17:8-9; 35:3). They explain the deeper meaning of the passages. They put what the people have heard into perspective. They go out of their way to do everything in their power to make sure people understand God’s Word. What we see here in Nehemiah may well be the first message-based small group discussions in history. They know that simply hearing the Bible without knowing what to do with what you’ve heard is a total waste of time. Do you have folks who explain Scripture to you? Do you sit down with other folks at your church to talk about the message and how to apply it?
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