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Rebuilding Broken LivesRebuilding Broken Lives
Nehemiah 8Page 410 in Pew Bibles
Nehemiah 8:Nehemiah 8:7:73 When the seventh month came and the
Israelites had settled in their towns,
1. all the people gathered together at the square in front of the Water Gate. They asked Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses that the Lord had given Israel.
2.On the first day of the seventh month, Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly of men, women, and all who could listen with understanding.
3.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.
4.Ezra the scribe 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.
5.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.
6.Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and with their hands uplifted all the people said, “ Amen, Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
7.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.
8.They read the book of the law of God, translating and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was read.
9.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.
10. 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 your strength comes from rejoicing in the Lord.”
11. And the Levites quieted all the people, saying, “Be still, since today is holy. Do not grieve.”
12. 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.
13.On the second day, the family leaders of all the people, along with the priests and Levites, assembled before Ezra the scribe to study the words of the law.
14. They found written in the law how the Lord had commanded through Moses that the Israelites should dwell in booths during the festival of the seventh month.
15. So they proclaimed and spread this news throughout all their towns and in Jerusalem, saying, “Go out to the hill country and bring back branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees to make booths, just as it is written.”
16. The people went out, brought back branches, and made booths for themselves on each of their rooftops, and courtyards, the court of the house of God, the square by the Water Gate, and the square by the Gate of Ephraim.
17.The whole community that had returned from exile made booths and lived in them. They had not celebrated like this from the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day. And there was tremendous joy.
18. Ezra read out of the book of the law of God every day, from the first day to the last. The Israelites celebrated the feast for seven days, and on the eighth day there was an assembly, according to the ordinance.
Rebuilding Broken LivesRebuilding Broken Lives
Nehemiah 8
What’s Going On…What’s Going On…• The wall is completed• Now it’s time to start reforming the life
of the city• In Chapter 7, Nehemiah takes the
following steps:1. He appoints faithful leaders
2. He sets a guard to protect the work
3. He clarifies the “church roll”
4. He funds the ministry>
Back to the BibleBack to the BibleThe Most Important Step in
Reforming the Life of the Community
>
1. Hunger for the Word1. Hunger for the Word
• They They AskedAsked to Hear the Scriptures to Hear the Scriptures– Vs. 1 “They asked Ezra the scribe to
bring the book of the law of Moses that the Lord had given Israel.”
• They Listened for Six HoursThey Listened for Six Hours– Vs. 3 “He read out of it from daybreak
until noon”
>
1. Hunger for the Word1. Hunger for the Word
• They Listened AttentivelyThey Listened Attentively– Vs. 3 “All the people listened listened
attentivelyattentively to the book of the law.”
. >
Literally, “The ears of all the Literally, “The ears of all the people were toward the book”people were toward the book”
2. Anticipation of the Word2. Anticipation of the Word
• Vs. 4 “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 upall the people stood up.”
• They stood Spontaneously– It wasn’t in the bulletin
• They stood in Expectancy– 2 seconds left, team attempts winning FG
• They stood in Respect (reverence) >>
Warren WiersbeWarren Wiersbe
• We wonder how the Holy Spirit feels when He sees Bibles put on the church floor, or used as portable filing cabinets for miscellaneous papers, or even left behind in church where they are stacked up and finally given to the local city mission. We will defend the Bible as the Word of God, but we don't always treat it like the Word of God.
. >Photo: Copyright ©2006 The Good News Broadcasting Association, Inc. (Back to the Bible) Lincoln, Nebraska, USA Used by permission. All rights reserved http://www.backtothebible.org
Quote: Bible Exposition Commentary - Old Testament
3. Praise for the Word3. Praise for the Word
>
• Vs. 6 “Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and with their hands uplifted all the people said, “Amen, Amen!’ Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.”
• Bless:Bless: From a word that means, “To bend the knee”
• To “bless God” is to recognize God as the source of blessing
3. Praise for the Word3. Praise for the Word
>
• Vs. 6 “Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and with their hands uplifted all the people said, ‘Amen, Amen!’ Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.”
• Amen:Amen: “Make it so” and “That’s right”
• Uplifted hands:Uplifted hands: Expresses openness, surrender, and reaching up to. Empty.
• CelebratingCelebrating the moment is finally here
3. Praise for the Word3. Praise for the Word
. >
• Vs. 6 “Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and with their hands uplifted all the people said, ‘Amen, Amen!’ Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.”
• Sequence:Sequence: “Then”
• Seriousness:Seriousness: “They bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground”
4. Exposition of the Word4. Exposition of the Word
• Vs. 7-8 “[Thirteen] Levites, explained explained the lawthe law to the people as they stood in their places. They read the book of the law of God, translating and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was read.”
>
4. Exposition of the Word4. Exposition of the Word
• ““So that the people could So that the people could understand what was read”understand what was read”
• What does it say?What does it say?– “They read the book of the law of God”
>
Don’t rush this step… Let it Don’t rush this step… Let it say what it says because it say what it says because it
means what it saysmeans what it says
4. Exposition of the Word4. Exposition of the Word
• ““So that the people could So that the people could understand what was read”understand what was read”
• What does it say?What does it say?– “They read the book of the law of God”
>
• What does it mean?What does it mean?– “Translating and giving the meaning”
4. Exposition of the Word4. Exposition of the Word
• ““So that the people could So that the people could understand what was read”understand what was read”
• What does it say?What does it say?– “They read the book of the law of God”
>
• What does it mean?What does it mean?– “Translating and giving the meaning”
To give insightTo give insight
4. Exposition of the Word4. Exposition of the Word
• ““So that the people could So that the people could understand what was read”understand what was read”
• What does it say?What does it say?– “They read the book of the law of God”
• What does it mean?What does it mean?– “Translating and giving the meaning”
. >
• What does this mean for my life? >What does this mean for my life? >
5. Touched by the Word5. Touched by the Word
• Vs. 9 “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 weepingthe people were weeping as they heard the words of the law.”
>
5. Touched by the Word5. Touched by the Word
• God’s Word will convict you of sin and make you contrite.
• However, regardless of how ashamed we feel over things in our past, the time of new obedience is a time to rejoice.
• Vs. 11 “And the Levites quieted all the people, saying, ‘Be still, since today is holy. Do not grieveDo not grieve.’”
. >
6. Rejoicing in the Word6. Rejoicing in the Word
• Vs. 10 “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 grieveDo not grieve, because your strength your strength comes from rejoicing in the Lordcomes from rejoicing in the Lord.”
• Vs. 12 “Then all the people began to eat and drink, send portions, and have a great have a great celebrationcelebration, because they had because they had understood the wordsunderstood the words that were explained to them.”
>
6. Rejoicing in the Word6. Rejoicing in the Word
• The way some people sit in church:– I am so lost
– I have absolutely no capacity to be blessed by this
– This does absolutely nothing to move me
. >
7. Studying the Word7. Studying the Word
• Vs. 13 “On the second day, the family leaders of all the people, along with the priests and Levites, assembled before Ezra the scribe to studystudy the words of the law.”
>
Study: to carefully look at Study: to carefully look at and consider for insightsand consider for insights
7. Studying the Word7. Studying the Word
Looks like Sunday School Looks like Sunday School or a home Bible Study.or a home Bible Study.
• Vs. 13 “On the second day, the family leaders of all the people, along with the priests and Levites, assembledassembled before Ezra the scribe to study the words of the law.”
. >
8. Applying the Word8. Applying the Word
They were They were lookinglooking for for commands to obey!commands to obey!
• Vs. 14 “They foundfound written in the law how the Lord had commanded through Moses that the Israelites should dwell in booths during the festival of the seventh month.”
>
8. Applying the Word8. Applying the Word
• Vs. 15 “SoSo they proclaimed and spread this news throughout all their towns and in Jerusalem, saying, ‘Go out to the hill country and bring back branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees to make booths, just as it is written.’”
. >
9. Joy From Obeying the Word9. Joy From Obeying the Word
• Vs. 17 “The whole community that had returned from exile made booths and lived in them. They had not celebratedcelebrated like this from the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day. And there was tremendous joytremendous joy.”
• There is joy in a new beginning with God, there is joy in understanding the Word, and there is tremendous joy from obedient living.
. .
Rebuilding Broken LivesRebuilding Broken Lives
