Nehemiah 8:1-8 | Making Sense

It's my joy and privilege to be here with you this morning to preach the word of God. My name is Ben. I'm a member here at First Baptist Church of Artesia. And as always, it's a joy and privilege to go through God's Word with you. If you have your Bibles, go ahead and turn to Nehemiah 8. We'll be reading Nehemiah 7:73 to chapter 8:12. And if you don't have a Bible, please feel free to grab a Bible in the pews in front of you. And if you don't have a Bible, please take that and bring it home with you. That's our gift to you. We would love for everyone who ever comes through this church to have a copy of the Word of God in their own homes.

This is the word of the Lord in Nehemiah 7:73 to Nehemiah 8:12. The big numbers are the chapter numbers and the small numbers are the verse numbers. And it reads:

The priests, Levites, gatekeepers, temple singers, some of the people, temple servants, and all Israel settled in their towns.When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns, all the people gathered together at the square in front of the Water Gate. They asked the scribe Ezra to bring the book of the law of Moses that the Lord had given Israel. On the first day of the seventh month, the priest Ezra brought the law before the assembly of men, women, and all who could listen with understanding. While he was facing the square in front of the Water Gate, he read out of it from daybreak until noon before the men, the women, and those who could understand. All the people listened attentively to the book of the law. The scribe Ezra stood on a high wooden platform made for this purpose. Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah stood beside him on his right; to his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hash-baddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam. Ezra opened the book in full view of all the people, since he was elevated above everyone. As he opened it, all the people stood up. Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and with their hands uplifted all the people said, “Amen, Amen!” Then they knelt low and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah, who were Levites, explained the law to the people as they stood in their places. They read out of the book of the law of God, translating and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was read. Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to all of them, “This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the law. Then he said to them, “Go and eat what is rich, drink what is sweet, and send portions to those who have nothing prepared, since today is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, because the joy of the Lord is your strength.” And the Levites quieted all the people, saying, “Be still, since today is holy. Don’t grieve.” Then all the people began to eat and drink, send portions, and have a great celebration, because they had understood the words that were explained to them. — Nehemiah 7:73–8:12 (CSB)

This is the Word of the Lord. Pray with me. Father, as we zoom back in time to a moment where your people were back in the land that you promised and were reading your Word, and to us now as those who gather and sit under that same Word, help us understand that we would rightly heed what you have for us. We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen.

The Context of Restoration

This morning, we find ourselves in a text that's somewhere a little bit past, you know, the first five books of the Bible. If any of you have started a Bible reading plan, sometimes it kind of teeters off by the time you reach some of the later books like Joshua, Judges, and Ruth. But Ezra and Nehemiah are early on in the story of Scripture, rather in the place of where it is in the Bible. And yet the ending of Ezra and Nehemiah actually happens already at the very end of the last prophet in the Old Testament. So the way that our Bibles are ordered, Ezra and Nehemiah cover this section where Israel was removed from the promised land.

When John's here, we've been going through the story in Genesis. And Genesis begins with God creating the world. If you continue on that story, we'll know that the people of God are brought into Egypt and at some point they're enslaved. And God raises up Moses to deliver his people. And as Moses delivers his people, crosses through the Red Sea, they're brought into the wilderness. And over the course of time, God allows them to conquer nations and cities and peoples, eventually bringing them to the promised land, the land that God had promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And he told them that if they were to obey, they would be blessed. Yet if they disobey, they would be cursed. And if you've ever read through 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, the sad reality is seemingly king after king in Israel's history chose to disobey God. And so along with them the people, God sent prophets to tell them of their wrongdoing, to call them back, to repent of what they had done. And yet eventually the Lord's judgment came and they were exiled from the land that was promised.

So then after 70 years, God raises up Ezra. God raises up Nehemiah with the beginning of Ezra 1:2 describing how Cyrus the king was prompted by the God of heaven. Verse 2 states:

This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: “The Lord, the God of the heavens, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and has appointed me to build him a house at Jerusalem in Judah. — Ezra 1:2 (CSB)

The Lord used a pagan king to send the Israelites back to the land from which they came. Isaiah 44:28 prophesied:

who says to Cyrus, “My shepherd, he will fulfill all my pleasure” and says to Jerusalem, “She will be rebuilt,” and of the temple, “Its foundation will be laid.” — Isaiah 44:28 (CSB)

So Ezra and the people of Israel from exile go back to the land, rebuild the temple. And yet Ezra 3 says that those who were old enough were weeping when the temple was rebuilt as the younger people were rejoicing. Why? Because the temple in their day was much bigger. And the story continues. And if you turn your Bibles just a page and look at Nehemiah 7, after the wall is rebuilt in Nehemiah 7, there's a list of names that are given. Verse 8 says, “Parasha’s descendants,” and then a number. “Shappiah’s descendants,” and then a number. And you look down and see that there are names and these numbers. In Nehemiah chapter 7, verse 73, it says, “The priests, Levites, gatekeepers, temple singers, some of the people, temple servants, and all Israel settled in their towns.” And so begins the section that we're dealing with. When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns, the people call Ezra to read the Word. The temple has been rebuilt. The wall has been rebuilt. God's people are in God's land. So what do they do? They turn to God's Word. God's people in God's land turn to God's Word.

This morning, as we consider the passage before us, our main idea is this: Heed rightly God's Word. And we do this as we gather, as we listen, as we respond, and as we rejoice.

Gathering Around God's Word

And so the first section, in these first two verses, in verse 1, we see “all the people.” And “all the people” frequently pops up as we read through the passage. If you'll notice, we'll actually be tracing what the people do as the story moves forward. And in a very similar way, what we're called to do is the very same thing that the people are being called to do. And so verse 1 begins with all the people gathering together at the square in front of the Watergate. They call for Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses.

A few things are happening here that are important for us to kind of get a picture of what's unfolding. First of all, the people are gathering together. Some would say that there are about 50 to 60,000 people gathering at this time. And they're gathering around the book of the law of Moses, the Word of God. Typically, in the life of Israel, where you go to hear the Word of the Lord read is the temple. And yet, where we are is at the Watergate, the Watergate where more of the Israelites are able to gather together because verse 2 says that “men, women, and all who could listen with understanding” were gathered.

And yet before we move there, the setting is this: The people, after settling in their towns, desired to gather together to do what? To hear Ezra read from the book of the law of Moses that the Lord had given Israel. Notice how many descriptions are given to the book that's about to be read. This is the book of the law of Moses. Who in Israel's history helped Israel move from slavery out of it into the land of God? Moses. In a similar way, Ezra is being shown as though another Moses who brings the book of the law of Moses before the people and reads.

And notice that this book of the law of Moses, if you're wondering what it is, most likely it's the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. These were the books of the law of Moses that these people wanted to gather around and read. And notice the qualifier, “that the Lord had given Israel.” If you've ever moved across the country or moved to a far-off place, sometimes over the process of moving and you've unpacked everything, you might notice or realize that you left something back at the old place and you try to go back years later and it's no longer there anymore. Maybe the new owners have thrown it away, have tossed it out. Well, for the people of Israel, they were conquered. They were enslaved. They were exiled from their land. And yet, the Lord kept for them the very thing that they're to be built up by: his Word, the book of the law of Moses that the Lord had given Israel. This Word that was to form them, the Lord kept and it was for them to be shaped by.

So then verse 2, “On the first day of the seventh month, the priest Ezra brought the law before the assembly of men, women, and all who could listen with understanding.” So this wasn't just the men of Israel gathering together. It wasn't only for those who could hear words that were said. This is for all of the people who had settled in their towns, men, women, and all who could listen with understanding.

Sometimes we would just see that as men, women, and their children. But the author of Nehemiah is doing something specific: “All who could listen with understanding.” The kind of understanding that's being talked about is the difference between wisdom that we gain from having experienced something in life and the knowledge that we have in having considered the data. Those are two different things, both wisdom and knowledge in particular ways. But the kind of understanding that this is describing is the one where you've looked at God's plan, you've considered his words, and you've made a judgment and a decision. And to a degree, the ones being included in that category can range even to young children. And so the ones who were hearing Ezra read from the book of the law of Moses were men, women, and young children. And why is that important?

In the book of the law of Moses, in Deuteronomy 6:4-9, this is the Lord's instruction to Israel. You had turned away from me, but now I'm calling you to be mine. He gives them an instruction of what they're to do, how they're to live their lives. And so this is what God instructs Israel to do in Deuteronomy 6:4-9:

“Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your city gates. — Deuteronomy 6:4–9 (CSB)

God had called the Israelites to remember. He had given them instruction to live your life this way. And in doing so, you not only remind yourself, but you remind future generations of what I have done on your behalf. So it's not strange for all who could listen with understanding as part of those who have gathered. This is all the people gathering together to hear the word of the Lord. And so for us to heed rightly God's word, we must gather.

Listening Attentively

Secondly, we listen in verses 3 to 4. In verses 3 to 4, it opens up with Ezra reading from the book of the law of Moses from daybreak until noon before all of the people. And notice it says, “All the people listened attentively to the book of the law.” Now, when it says that Ezra read from daybreak until noon, most likely he was reading anywhere from 4 to 8 hours. So, if you start in Genesis and read for 4 to 8 hours, I'm not sure how far you'll get, but what we know is that it was a long time. It was a long time that Ezra was reading and pronouncing before the people. And yet it describes that the people were listening attentively to the book of the law.

In a similar way, it's like when we gather together for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner and maybe we get to see our parents or our grandparents and we sit by them and catch them at the right time where they want to share with us stories maybe from their childhood, how they grew up, and we sit there expectantly and excited to hear what was the world like that my parents grew in, that my grandparents grew in, that if they had a book written down of the things that they had done in their life, would we be eager to listen and to read? And in a similar fashion, that's kind of the expectation we have, because when Ezra is reading from the book of the law of Moses, he's reading about the history of their people. That, “Beloved, as I read this to you, as we read this and hear this together, this is our history.” This is the history of the people of God and it means for us to listen attentively when God speaks, when he shares with us his Word.

And so all the people listened attentively to the book of the law. And notice how purposeful they are in doing this. They wanted to listen. And how do we know that they wanted to listen and not just gather for the sake of gathering? Because verse 4 says that Ezra stood on a high wooden platform made for this purpose. It was made for the purpose of somebody standing on the platform so that the people could hear the Word of God read clearly, so that they would be able to hear, that there would be no distraction, that everyone would see and hear that this is the Word of the Lord that was given to Israel. And then following are names listed. Now, these names, they're not repeated in the later list of names in chapter 8; they're not the same ones in verse 7. But what we can kind of see from the passage is that these were important enough people for the community that they would be standing on the platform with Ezra. And a very small observation is this: that these people were probably leaders of some sort to be recognized by the community. And them standing on the platform with Ezra was meant to communicate that our leaders listen to the Word of God attentively and sit rightly. So we should do as they do and listen as God's Word is read.

Listening can be difficult. It's hard enough at times to listen in one-on-one conversations when we're distracted. How much more for 4 to 8 hours of hearing the word of the law read? That's not what we're going to do this morning. I'm not going to go on for four more hours. But imagine the weight of having not heard God's word in a long time and then to be able to sit under it. And here in the beginning, “God created the heavens and the earth.” As you're in the land where you've been exiled, as you realize that they weren't just cast out of the land for no reason, that God actually created the world from the beginning, that he meant for these books to inform them of how they lived their life, who they were. That's what's happening when Ezra reads the book of the law. He's reminding the people, “This is where you're from and this is the God who made you.”

Responding to God's Truth

So, not only do we gather and not only do we listen, but we need to respond. We need to respond to the Word of God. And as we continue on in our story, we see in verse 5, standing on a platform much like this one, Ezra opens the book in full view of all of the people. So he was above everyone so that everyone could see. He opens the book so that everyone could see. And he reads from the book so that everyone could see that this is Ezra reading from the book that God gave to us. And as he read from the book, all the people stood up. And with the people standing, Ezra blesses the Lord in proclamation and says that this is the God who is ours, who keeps us, who's brought us back into the land. And he describes him as “the great God.” That's the same kind of description that Nehemiah uses in Nehemiah 1:5, in Nehemiah's prayer where he's asking for forgiveness on behalf of himself and the leaders of Israel, he says in verse 5, “Lord, the God of the heavens, the great and awe-inspiring God who keeps his gracious covenant with those who love him and keep his commands.” That this title of “great God” in the mind of Ezra and Nehemiah is tied to who God is as a promise keeper. That he's a God who keeps covenant with those who he makes them with. That if God makes a promise, he will not turn his back on it. That if God makes a promise, he will be sure to fulfill it.

So Ezra blesses the Lord, the promise-keeping, the great God. And the people respond, “Amen. Amen.” And see how sequential it happens. The people respond in proclamation. Then they immediately knelt low and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. Their response, although 4 to 8 hours later, was immediate at Ezra's proclamation. Because the Word of God is not neutral. God's Word calls us to respond. These people responded in this way. They responded in agreement. They knelt low in worship. Their faces were to the ground. They knew that what they were listening to was of such importance that it required them to respond in this way in worship to the one who made them, to the one that gathered them again.

And so then names are given in verse 7, different names from the ones listed in verse 4. And yet it's told to us that these were Levites. Levites were the people in Israel who were in charge of caring for the temple when it came to the sacrifices, putting all of those things together. The Levites were entrusted with that work. And so in this instance, the Levites were entrusted with explaining the law to the people as they stood in their places. These Levites, verse 8 says, were alongside Ezra helping by translating and giving them meaning so that the people gathered could understand. And mind you, again, these people have been exiled, whether Assyria or Babylon, for years, 70 years before the Lord would bring them back. And very likely, some of them may not have known Hebrew all too well. And Ezra was reading from the Hebrew Scriptures. And so part of the work of the Levites would have been to translate it in a way that they could understand. I mean, imagine as all of that is happening, Ezra is reading from the language in the way that God brought it to them, and the people can't understand because culturally they were in another place, stripped of their heritage, of who they were. And so it was necessary that they could gain understanding, and understanding came through those who knew what the Word of God said. And yet they were able to understand because God is the one who gives understanding. The people were not idle. And the narrator makes it clear for us. He shows it by the way that they're responding one after the other. And as the Levites helped explain the law to the people of God, we see seemingly an appropriate response to the Word of God being read. And yet we need to remember that there's a right way and a wrong way to respond to the Word of God. Often we don't fall to our knees. We don't cry out in agreement. We don't fall down and worship. What's clear is that the people are responding and they were not remaining neutral. How could they? Because this was their history.

The Joy of the Lord is Your Strength

And yet, though we gather and though we listen and though we respond, in order to properly respond and heed rightly God's Word, we need to rejoice. Rejoice. When you think of the Word of God, when you read through it and take the time to know the one behind it, is rejoicing something that's on your mind? This passage teaches us kind of the two extremes of what happens when we are confronted by God's Word. And we'll see this in the final section from verses 9 through 12. So all the people gathered, all the people listened, all the people responded, and so lastly, all the people rejoiced. And we'll take that in two points, the wrong way to respond and the right way to respond.

Verse 9 reads, “Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to all of them, ‘This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep,’ for all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the law.” The people were weeping because they heard the word of the law. Now, why would they be weeping? Is there a legitimate reason for them to weep? Let's say that in 4 to 8 hours Ezra was able to get to Exodus 34. What he was able to read before the people is God creating the world, God saving his people in Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And then he sees in the Exodus story Moses being brought so that the Israelites could be delivered from the people. And yet they see in the later chapters by the time you get to Exodus 28, 29, 30, 31, and 32, Moses goes up to Mount Sinai, goes before the Lord, is interacting with him. And then he reads Exodus 32 and Moses comes down the mountain and the people are worshiping a golden calf and are subject under the judgment of God. Or maybe he starts in a different section. Maybe he reads Deuteronomy and reads to them the blessings and the cursings that come with being God's people. That for you to remain in the land, you do what's been told because God loves you and he delights in you and he wants you to obey him because that is what will be flourishing for your life. And they look back at their own history and see, “Well, we just came from exile. That means our fathers and their forefathers were disobedient.” They were removed from the land. Sin and judgment and sin and judgment. Would there have been a legitimate reason for them to weep? There would be if their weeping was rooted in despair over a God who was only above and never near.

Weeping is the only thing that sinners who have no savior can do. And I won't give us relief just yet. Weeping isn't always a wrong response. We know this to be true because we're supposed to weep over sin. When we're confronted with our sin and the Bible brings before us who we are in light of a holy God, we should mourn and grieve because we've sinned much. In chapter 1 of Nehemiah, Nehemiah himself is confessing sin before the Lord. He's confessing on behalf of himself and on behalf of people. The Apostle Paul, writing a letter to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 7:8-10. He says that he wrote them a letter calling them out for their sin. And yet he says in verse 9:

I now rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because your grief led to repentance. For you were grieved as God willed, so that you didn’t experience any loss from us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, but worldly grief produces death. — 2 Corinthians 7:9–10 (CSB)

So is there time for weeping to be the correct response? Yes. But here the leaders are telling the people that weeping is not the right response. Why? And this goes into why there is a right response and how we respond rightly. Because “this day is holy to the Lord your God” and because “the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Verse 10. First, this day is holy. Though the people are weeping as Ezra recounts their history, what he's telling them is that this was said to be a holy day by God. Leviticus 23:23, the beginning of the Feast of Trumpets, and it begins on the—remember in chapter 8, verse 1, that this is the seventh month, the first day of the seventh month in verse 2.

And what that's supposed to tell the people is that once it's the first day of the seventh month, this propels and starts their feasts. Feasts that remind them of who God is and what he did. The Feast of Trumpets was a proclamation, a celebration of what's to come. And the Feast of Tabernacles was God with the people, God with the people in the wilderness where he dwelt with them, where he sustained them over the course of the 40 years before they were brought into the promised land. This beginning feast on the first day of the seventh month was meant to be celebration and set apart as holy by the Lord because it's the beginning of us remembering together what the Lord has done. It's the celebration and beginning of the things that God did for their ancestors. And so he tells them, “Don't mourn or weep because this day is holy, made holy, declared holy by the Lord your God.”

And so second, if this day is holy and we shouldn't respond in mourning or weeping, the second thing why we shouldn't respond in mourning and weeping is because “the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Beloved, is that true for you? When you hear those words, does it warm your heart? Can you see and picture the weeping of the people, yet for them to be reminded that this day isn't meant for weeping, it's for rejoicing? Yes, the Lord has declared it holy, but you can also rejoice because the joy of the Lord is your strength.

And this joy, some can read this and think that your joy in the Lord is your strength. Your ability to have joy in the Lord is what will get you through a difficult time. Your ability to be able to think about God when life is hard is what's going to sustain you. That's not what Ezra is calling them to. He's saying that the joy of the Lord, God's own joy in himself, is your strength. God knowing that there is no greater joy than himself and his joy is to fulfill all his plans. His joy in fulfilling his promises is your strength. Why? Isaiah 53:10 reads:

Yet the Lord was pleased to crush him severely. When you make him a guilt offering, he will see his seed, he will prolong his days, and by his hand, the Lord’s pleasure will be accomplished. — Isaiah 53:10 (CSB)

That in the pursuit of God's own joy, he sends his Son to die for those he loves, sinners made in his image who on their own could never come before a thrice-holy God. And yet Ezra says, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” It's your refuge. It's your stronghold because Jesus is sufficient to pay for your sins past, present, and future. Though our forefathers and generations before us have sinned against a holy God, in the same way that we have, the day of salvation is a day of celebration because the joy of the Lord is our strength.

It's always sweet to think that when you meet a new Christian, how on fire they can be for the Lord. You know, they want to evangelize anyone and everything, sometimes even to offend people that they're trying to share the gospel with. And yet there's a burden for them to want to share this good news that “I'm a sinner. I'm a wretch, but Jesus saved me and is sufficient for me.” And then you have the older saint who's been a Christian 30, 40, 50 years. And you see the resolute trust in the God who has kept them, preserved them, helped them persevere. We have those pictures in our church. People trusting the Word, rightly heeding God's Word, have rightly decided on who Jesus is to them. Responding rightly or responding wrongly is life and death. God's Word is not neutral.

And we see in verse 12 how it clicks for the people. Then all the people began, and in the same way that their worship in verse 6 was they said amen, they knelt low and worshiped. So then verse 12, they began to eat and drink and send portions and have a great celebration because they had understood the words that were explained to them. This celebration is not for everyone. It's for those who have understood God's Word. It's those who have understood who Christ is. And that call is for you to repent and believe and trust in Jesus. Trust in the Jesus who calls us together, makes a people his own, those of different lineages and families to bring them together to be the manifold wisdom of God, the church to be displayed before all people. When we rightly heed the Word of God, we listen and the Holy Spirit gives us understanding. That when we read a passage like this, we can understand it because God himself reveals to us what it means. That for us to rightly heed Jesus, to know him, is to respond to him rightly. And for those who are in possession of him, he doesn't keep himself from anyone. If you call out to him, he will answer. For there's no one that he turns away. And beloved, as we gather every Sunday, this is us remembering together. This is us gathering around God's Word, listening to God's Word, responding to God's Word. And if in your heart you still feel the burden even as you walk through these doors, I want to tell you that rejoicing in the Lord isn't always with a smile on your face, but it is with a posture and confidence, knowing that the Lord will keep you. We sang “How Sweet and Awful Is the Place,” and this picture and statement that we were allowed in. So many others refused to taste, perished in their sin. And yet in God's goodness and his faithfulness, he calls us to come. And so as these people gathered, as these people listened, as they responded, and as they rejoiced, I pray that our rejoicing would be because we know Jesus and he is ours and we are his. Therefore, we are one another's.

Pray with me. Father, help us be near the cross. Though our own abilities often fail, help us trust that in this life to the people that you call us to be with in each and every waking moment is your plan. Help us love one another to see Christ formed up in each other and that we would be formed by your Word knowing that it is sufficient for all of life and godliness. Pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen.