Tag Archives: Nehemiah 7-8

Daily Bible Study

June 4, 2023 Bible Study — All The People Came Together As One, Both Men And Women

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Nehemiah 7-8.

I am not quite sure where I am going with what I am going to write today.  So, I am just going to write about a few things which struck me and see if they flow together into a theme.  I will start by noting that Ezra was a contemporary of Nehemiah.  While Ezra arrived in Jerusalem before Nehemiah, it seems clear to me that the two of them being in Jerusalem at the same time was critical to both of their successes.

The description in this passage of what happened when Ezra read the Book of the Law of Moses to the assembled people contains many things which can be useful lessons for us.  However, today I want to take note of something which I never particularly noticed before.  When the passage tells us who was there for the reading, it says that the assembly was made up of “men, women, and others who could understand.”  This struck me because the “others who could understand” appears to refer to children who were old enough to understand God’s Law.  However, as I began to write that down, I realized that the first part of this was just as important.  The people who had come together as one to hear the words of God’s Law were men and women on equal footing.  There was no expectation that men only needed, or were able, to learn what God commanded.  No, hearing, learning, and understanding what God wants us to do is for men, women, and children who are old enough to understand, with no difference in their responsibility to listen and act.  This passage runs counter to the claim that the Bible is misogynistic and that it presents women as less able to understand God’s Laws.  In fact, this passage presents men and women as being equally able to understand God’s Law.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

June 4, 2022 Bible Study — Putting Aside Our Grief Over Our Sin In Order To Celebrate God’s Mercy

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Nehemiah 7-8.

Once the walls had been restored, Nehemiah realized that relatively few people lived in Jerusalem.  In order to decide how to remedy this, Nehemiah had the people assemble in Jerusalem to register them according to their genealogies.  Actually, it seems to me that he got the idea of doing so after he discovered the genealogical records of the first group to return from Exile.  When the people assembled they had Ezra read and explain the Law of Moses to them (the wording of this passage allows one to think that the assembly for reading the Law was a different assembly than the one Nehemiah called to register people by their genealogy, but I think that is an artifact of translation).  As the people heard the Law being read, they became grief stricken.  The passage does not tell us why this happened, but I suspect their reaction was similar to that of King Josiah when he heard the Book of the Law read: they realized how badly they had fallen short of keeping God’s commands.  Nehemiah, Ezra, and the rest of those who had been familiar with the Law before this encouraged the people not to feel grief, this assembly was one to celebrate God’s goodness.  When we truly understand how we have failed to live according to God’s desire for us we will feel grief.  There are times when we should put aside such grief and celebrate God’s goodness.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

June 4, 2021 Bible Study Celebrating Hearing God’s Word

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Nehemiah 7-8.

So, perhaps I am reading this wrong, but it seems to me that the assembly which Nehemiah called in chapter seven was likely the same assembly as discussed in chapter 8.  In any case, when the people had assembled it was arranged for Ezra to read the Law to them.  I am always interested to see how they arranged things so that all of the people could hear the Law being read, and explained.  However, today I want to focus on the fact that the people wept when they heard the Law being read.  Standing in rebuilt Jerusalem, hearing the words of God’s Law, and realizing how badly they, and their ancestors, had failed to keep God’s covenant caused the people to weep in regret.  But their leaders told them not to weep, because this was a time for celebration and feasting.  The people followed their leaders’ instructions.  Those who had much shared with those who had little, so that no one was left out of the celebration.

There is one other point I want to touch on.  The idea that the people should go out and build temporary shelters came from the people when they heard the Law read.  It was not something imposed on them by their leaders. It reminds me of an event held each year by an organization of which I am part.  Actually, as I thought about it some more, it reminds me of events held by many organizations of which I am aware.  Gathering away from our homes in “temporary” shelters (even if those temporary shelters are hotels) can be a bounding experience, and if done correctly should bring us closer to God.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

June 4, 2020 Bible Study We Need To Listen To Experts On God’s Law, But Look At It For Ourselves As Well

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Nehemiah 7-8.

Once the walls and gates of Jerusalem had been rebuilt, Nehemiah invited (or perhaps ordered) all of the people under his authority to gather for a reading of the Book of the Law.  The passage sort of glosses over this, but the people who gathered reacted to the reading in a similar fashion to that of King Josiah.  They were saddened by their failure to keep God’s regulations.  However, Nehemiah and the religious leaders encouraged the people to celebrate their ability to gather and hear God’s Law rather than mourn their previous failure to follow it.

Then once this day of celebration was over, representatives of the people met to review the Book of the Law.  It was this group of laypeople who recognized the importance of the Festival of Shelters.  They saw how celebrating that Festival would help the people become more committed to serving the Lord.  This entire passage gives us an understanding of the importance of both trained and untrained eyes studying God’s Law.  Experts can give us an understanding of what the Bible says, but sometimes we need to see for ourselves how it applies to our lives.

Daily Bible Study

June 4, 2019 Bible Study — The Returned Exiles Celebrate the Festival of Shelters

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Nehemiah 7-8.

When the wall around Jerusalem was rebuilt, Nehemiah delegated governing the city to his brother and another trusted subordinate.  Reading the instructions he gave them suggests that he wanted Jerusalem to be like a gated community.  No one to be allowed into the city without giving a valid reason for doing so.  Further, he set up what sounds an awful lot like a neighborhood watch for the entire city: “Appoint the residents of Jerusalem to act as guards, everyone on a regular watch. Some will serve at sentry posts and some in front of their own homes.”  This leads me further down my interpretation about the Returned Exiles having once before this rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem.  The walls and gates had been destroyed because a criminal element had been coming in and out of Jerusalem, using its lack of secure governance as a way to launder stolen goods and bypass taxes.  Related to that, I think that was why Nehemiah registered who actually lived in the city.  I think when the walls were completed and everyone had to pass through a check point where they were identified that he was surprised to realize how few people actually lived in the city.  This made him realize that many of those who had seemed to fill the city were doing things for which they would prefer no one knew they were in the city. 

Once the project to restore security to Jerusalem was completed and the workers from outside of Jerusalem had had a chance to put their lives back in order, the Returned Exiles gathered once more in Jerusalem for a festival.  As part of the gathering, Ezra the priest read the Law of Moses to the people and explained what God commanded them to do in it.  The people responded in much the same way that King Josiah had before the Exile.  They mourned the failure of themselves and their ancestors to obey God’s Laws.  They did so to such an extent that their leaders needed to remind them that they had gathered, according to that same Law, to worship God and celebrate the great and wonderful things He had done for them.   The people responded to this command from their leaders because they realized what a wonderful thing it was to be able to hear and understand what God’s word for them was.  

We should encourage new believers to follow the example set here.  They should rejoice that they have learned God’s will for their lives and celebrate that He has offered them an opportunity to be transformed by His love.  Even the part where the following day the people discovered the Festival of Shelters offers a model.  It is good for new believers to spend some extended time away from their ordinary cares in fellowship with those who worship and obey God when they first come to know the Lord.

Daily Bible Study

June 4, 2018 Bible Study — Enthusiastically Embracing God’s Law

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Nehemiah 7-8.

    Once the wall around Jerusalem was complete Nehemiah called the people together to celebrate its completion and to rededicate themselves to God. I believe that, at least to some degree, this was modeled on the re-dedications under King Josiah and King Joash. As part of this process, Ezra the scribe (the one for whom the Book of Ezra was named) read the Book of the Law to the people. Nehemiah, Ezra, and the other leaders set things up so that everyone in the large crowd could hear and understand what was going on. There were multiple people spread out in front of the people reading the law and explaining its meaning to the people. The people reacted to the Law in much the same way that King Joash had done. They recognized how far they had fallen short of keeping God’s commands and wept in grief. Nehemiah, Ezra, and the others explaining the Law remonstrated with them to not mourn. This day was intended to be a day of celebrating the completion of the wall, of God restoring Jerusalem to His People. Further, the leaders exhorted the people to celebrate the fact that they had heard and understood God’s Law. The people followed their leaders’ advice.

    However, the people were not satisfied with hearing the Law and celebrating, then going back about their business. They selected leaders to meet with Ezra the scribe to determine how they could order their lives so as to live according to God’s Law. The following day, the selected leaders met with Ezra and began to study the Law in detail. They quickly discovered that the Festival of Shelters was due to be celebrated shortly. So they arranged for a proclamation to go out for the people to do so. The key here is that it was not Ezra, or one of the other long term students of the Law who made this discovery. It was made by those who had not previously studied the Law. We need to remember that it was those new to the study of God’s Law who made this discovery. We need to be receptive to the insights brought to the study of God’s Word by those new to it.

Daily Bible Study

June 4, 2017 Bible Study — Studying God’s Law For Ourselves, Not Taking It On Authority

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Nehemiah 7-8.

    When rebuilding of Jerusalem’s wall was completed Nehemiah began to make plans for his return to the capital. First he divided the responsibility for governing the city up between his brother and the commander of the city guard and gave them instructions concerning maintaining its defenses. Second, he created a registration of the people of the city, using the genealogies brought back by the original returned Exiles to establish that people were who they claimed to be. There were some who believed themselves to be descended from priests who did not appear in the genealogical records. It is worth noting that while they were initially banned from partaking in the duties and privileges of the priesthood, this was only until a priest could consult God using the sacred lots (which we have long since lost the format and methodology of using).

    As part of Nehemiah’s preparation to return to the Persian capital he gathered the people in order to have Ezra read the Law of Moses to them. It is interesting to see the arrangements they made so that everyone could hear the Law read (various individuals standing on platforms at a distance from each other apparently reading in unison). However, what struck me today is that the people appear to have responded to hearing the Law similar to how King Josiah had done. The passage tells us that their leaders had to tell them not to mourn, that this was a day of celebration. It seems likely that the people were mournful because as they heard the Law read and explained they realized that they had failed to obey it faithfully. This idea is supported by the fact that they created a commission to study the Law and determine in greater detail what they should be doing. It is worth noting that it was this commission which called for the celebration of the Festival of Shelters, not Ezra the scribe, who had been studying the Law for years. The commission studied the Law together and came to this conclusion. It was not an edict handed down from Ezra’s authority as a student of the Law.

Daily Bible Study

June 4, 2016 Bible Study — A Plan For Revival

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading. I had been using One Year Bible Online, but it was time for a change.

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Today, I am reading and commenting on Nehemiah 7-8.

    After the walls were completed the returned exiles gathered for an assembly to hear the Book of the Law. Every time I read this passage I am impressed by the effort and planning that went into making sure everyone could hear what was being said. The people reacted to the Law in much the same way that King Josiah had reacted before the Exile. They were saddened by how badly they had failed to follow God’s commands. However, the leaders, from Nehemiah and Ezra on down, reminded them that they had gathered for a time of joyously worshiping God. This shows us another important role for leaders. They need to keep the people from being too hard on themselves. The following day, the small group leaders met with Ezra and other students of the Law to learn what God truly wanted of them. The pattern here is clear. Those with great knowledge of God’s teachings and commands present an overview to everyone. Then they gather with the leaders of the various small groups to go over those teachings in more detail. The small group leaders go out from this teaching session to teach those they lead. It is worth noting that it was while the small group leaders were studying the law with the scribes that they discovered that they were supposed to celebrate the Festival of Shelters. This was not something the scribes told them about. It was something which the group discovered as they read Scripture together.