Reading The Law of Moses. Feast of Tabernacles. Nehemiah 8:1-18

Transcription

1 1 Commentary by Ron Thomas Questions by John C. Sewell Reading The Law of Moses Feast of Tabernacles Nehemiah 8:1-18

2 2 Text: Nehemiah 8:1-18, Reading The Law of Moses Feast of Tabernacles 1. And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate: and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel. 2. And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month. 3. And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until mid-day, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law. 4. And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchiah, and Hashum, and Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam. 5. And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up: 6. And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground. 7. Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place.

3 So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading. 9. And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the Lord your God; mourn not, nor weep, For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law. 10. Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength. 11. So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved. 12. And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth, because they had understood the words that were declared unto them. 13. And on the second day were gathered together the chief of the fathers of all the people, the priests, and the Levites, unto Ezra the scribe, even to understand the words of the law. 14. And they found written in the law which the Lord had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh month: 15. And that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities, and in Jerusalem, saying Go forth unto the mount, and fetch olive branches, and pine branches, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of thick trees, to make booths, as it is written. 16. So the people went forth, and brought them, and made themselves booths, every one upon the roof of his house, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the street of the water gate, and in the street of the gate of Ephraim. 17. And all the congregation of them that were come again out of the captivity made booths, and sat under the booths: for since the days of Jeshua the son of Nun unto that day had not the children of Israel done so. And there was very great gladness.

4 Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eight day was a solemn assembly, according unto the manner. Introduction: I. This chapter and the following two chapters are known as the chapters of great revival under Ezra and Nehemiah. A. There is some dispute concerning its proper location within Nehemiah. B. Some actually think these chapters (Nehemiah 8 & 9) should be inserted after Ezra 8 and then have Nehemiah 10 after Nehemiah 13! C. This is rather confusing. Let us make these remarks. D. Nehemiah 8-10 is to be read as a unit with a central theme (revival). E. Whatever the discussion surrounding it might be, as Williamson said, these chapters have been carefully assembled and thoughtfully located by whomever might have edited the book though we understand this material to be in the Cannon of the Old Testament because the Holy Spirit wanted it there. Commentary: Nehemiah 8:1-12, And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate: and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel. And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the

5 5 seventh month. And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until mid-day, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law. And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchiah, and Hashum, and Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam. And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up: And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground. Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place. So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading. And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the Lord your God; mourn not, nor weep, For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law. Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength. So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved. And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth, because they had understood the words that were declared unto them. I. Ezra Reads the Law.

6 6 A. An open assembly in front of the Water Gate. Nehemiah 8:1, And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate: and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel. B. Ezra brings the Book of the Law before the assembly. Nehemiah 8:2, And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month. 1. This was an assembly of both men and women. Normally, it was the men who assembled together, but here all who could understand assembled (cf. Leviticus 23:23-25, And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month in the first day of the month, shall ye have a Sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord.). 2. What Book of the Law is referenced here? For certain, it is the Book of the Law of Moses and those who subscribe to something contrary are going to have to identify what it was. Some assert that it was: a. Some sort of collection of legal material, b. A priestly code of some sort, c. The Deuteronomic laws. A set of laws as given by some supposed editor that no one can seem to find!

7 Actually, there is no reason to think of anything but the Torah (Genesis Deuteronomy). C. Ezra read from the Book of the Law from morning to midday. Nehemiah 8:3, And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law. 1. Some were also with Ezra on the elevated platform. 2. When the book (scroll) was opened, reverence was shown by the people in that they stood up. 3. Those who were present were attentive. 4. This was an activity that started at daybreak (dawn of the morning) and continued until mid-day. a. Did they stand for five hours? b. Yamauchi said the rabbis deduced from this that at the reading of the Torah, the people are to stand and stay standing. c. However, It cannot be shown from the O.T. that it had been from the days of Moses a custom with the Israelites to stand at the reading of the law, as the Rabbis assert (Keil & Delitzsch, E-Sword). 5. After Ezra s blessing, the people said Amen with hands lifted up, heads bowed, and worshipped the Lord.

8 The Levites helped the people to understand the reading of the Law. a. Perhaps this was a matter of making application in one s life, preaching, if you will. b. Keil & Delitzsch gave a good sense of what might have taken place. If, however, we regard Nehemiah 8:4-8 as only a more detailed description of what is related in Nehemiah 8:2, Nehemiah 8:3, it is obvious that both Ezra and the thirteen Levites mentioned in Nehemiah 8:7 read out of the law. Hence the occurrence may well have taken place as follows: Ezra first read a section of the law, and the Levites then expounded to the people the portion just read; the only point still doubtful being whether the thirteen (fourteen) Levites expounded in succession, or whether they all did this at the same time to different groups of people (E-Sword). D. Ezra, Nehemiah, and the Levites exhort the people about the occasion for the day. Nehemiah 8:9-12, And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the Lord your God; mourn not, nor weep, For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law. Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength. So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved. And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth, because they had understood the words that were declared unto them.

9 A holy day to the Lord, let there be no sadness. The powerful exposition of the Word of God can bring deep conviction of sin. But repentance must not degenerate into self-centered remorse but must issue into joy in God s forgiving goodness (cf. 2 Corinthians 2:5-11, But if any have caused grief, he hath not grieved me, but in part: that I may not overcharge you all. Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many. So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him. For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things. To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ; Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices. ) (Yamauchi, p. 725). 2. Enjoy that which God has given. 3. Remember the less fortunate. Deuteronomy 16:11, 14, And thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God, thou, and thy sons, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are among you, in the place which the Lord thy God hath chosen to place his name there. And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates. II. Feast of Tabernacles Restored.

10 10 A. The second day. Notice that the people in this revival had an insatiable appetite to learn more about the Scriptures (Yamauchi, p. 727). B. The people learn from the Law they are to dwell in booths. 1. The significance of this feast was that the people would take branches and make booths (temporary dwellings) out of them. 2. This was a reminder of the children of Israel s wandering in the wilderness. 3. It also signified the end of the harvest. 4. Leviticus 23:33-36, 39-43, And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the Lord. On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord: on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord: it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein. Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days: on the first day shall be a Sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a Sabbath. And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days. And ye shall keep it a feast unto the Lord seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month. Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites

11 11 born shall dwell in booths: That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. C. Nothing like this since the days of Joshua had been done. 1. Difficult to know exactly what is in view. Perhaps it was not observed with such strictness or with such a joyous demonstration. 2. Another possibility: The text only states that since the days of Joshua the whole community had not so celebrated it, i.e., had not dwelt in booths. Neither do the words imply that since the days of Joshua to that time no booths at all had been made at the celebration of the feast of tabernacles, but only that this had not been done by the whole congregation (Keil & Delitzsch, E-Sword). D. Summary. Nehemiah 8:18, Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according unto the manner.

12 12 Questions Nehemiah 8:1-18 (Quotations are based on the NIV text.) 1. What happened in the seventh month? Was this the seventh calendar month or the seventh month following a certain event? If from a certain event, what was that event? Why did these things occur? 2. Why was Ezra put in charge of this assembly? 3. Were slow learners permitted to assemble? What about children? 4. read from the of the of, which is composed of the books of,,,, and, from until.

13 13 All the listened to the of the. 5. Ezra read the Law in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. Who were the others who could understand? 6. stood on a built for the occasion which enabled all the to see him. Who were on Ezra s right and left? 7. Why were these men on the platform with Ezra? Who were these people? Why were they chosen to be on Ezra s right and left? 8. When opened the of the of, the. Should we follow this example? Why or why not?

14 the and the their and responded,!! There they and the with their toward the ground. Should we follow this example? Why or why not? 10. Certain, in number, the in the while the were there. They from the of the of, making it and giving the so that the could what was being. 11. Were any of those listed in verse 4 the same persons as those listed in verse 7? If so, which ones are the same? Could it be that the names were the same, but the people were different? Why or why not? 12. In what way do Acts 8:27-31 and Nehemiah 8:8 teach the same thing?

15 How was that sacred day to be observed?... not observed? Who decided how the day was to be observed? Should we follow this example? Why or why not? (See verses 9-11.) 14. When do God s people need to be calmed? ( When they are upset is not the right answer.) 15. Then all the went away to and, to send of and to with, because they now the that had been made to them. 16. Has understanding of God s will caused you great joy? Why or why not? Explain your answer.

16 What accounts for Israel s ignorance of God s law concerning the feast of tabernacles (booths)? 18. What accounts for our ignorance of God s word? 19. What did the feast of tabernacles commemorate? 20. Where did Israel build booths? Of what were they made? Where was the Gate of Ephraim? 21. How long did Israel observe the feast of tabernacles? How can it be said that the feast of tabernacles had not been observed in this way since Joshua the son of Nun?

17 For how many days did Ezra read the Scriptures to the assembly? How many people would gather where you worship to hear the Bible read Genesis 1:1 Revelations 22:21? 23. Define Torah. 24. How interested is our society in hearing and obeying God s word? _ 25. How much of the Bible does a person have to understand to go to heaven?