Nehemiah 8:1-3,5-6, 8-10; Psalm 19; 1 Corinthians 13:12-31; Luke 4:14-21;
Bible Study 18th January 2022
Nehemiah 8:1-3,5-6, 8-10; National Reformation as the People of Israel come back to Jerusalem.
1. all the people came together as one in the square before the WaterGate. They told Ezra the teacher of the Law to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded for Israel.
2 So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. 3 He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.
5 Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. 6 Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
8 They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear[a] and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read.
9 Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, “This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.
10 Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Footnotes
a.Nehemiah 8:8 Or God, translating it
Comment:
Ezra, the Priest returned from Babylon thirteen years before Nehemiah did, yet this piece of good work in bringing people together did not happen until Nehemiah came. Although Nehemiah was not such a scholar as Ezra was, nor was he such a scribe in the law of God and neither was he such “a divine” as Ezra, he did appear to have a more lively active spirit and a desire to get things done. His zeal catalysed Ezra to get going and share his great learning with the new arrivals who had returned to Jerusalem. Great things were done and as Ezra spoke the following was achieved:
I. The public and solemn reading and expounding of the law, Neh. 8:1-8.
II. The joy which the people were encouraged to express upon that occasion, Neh. 8:9-12.
III. The solemn keeping of the feast of tabernacles according to the law, Neh. 8:13-18.
(Ref Matthew Henry)
In Summary:
Ezra was a priest and scribe with a royal mandate to teach and establish the Law (Ezr 7:14; 25-26).
In 8:1 an assembly was convened for that very purpose. The Jews gathered not at the temple, as might be expected, but at the WaterGate, a public place where all could hear the Law. Women would have been excluded from the temple court.
The contents of the Book of the Law (v.3) from which Ezra read are not specified, but the people regarded this book as authoritative.
The Levites' role as the Law was read is also unclear (vv.7-8). Many have assumed that the returning Jews no longer spoke or understood Hebrew, having adopted Aramaic as their common language. Therefore, it was thought that the Levites were translating from Hebrew to Aramaic for the people. More recently, however, this assumption has been questioned. The prevailing opinion amongst commentators is that the Levites provided a running commentary or homily on the law as it was read.
This fresh encounter with the Word of God produced a profound reaction among the people. They wept (v.9). Confronted with the will and character of God, the people were all too aware of their shortcomings. But mourning was inappropriate on such a holy day, so three times Ezra and the leadership exhorted the people to cease weeping and rejoice because, “This is a day sacred to the Lord” (see vv.9, 10, 11). Reading the law should therefore produce joy and celebration among God’s people.
(Ref. Derek Kidner, “Holiness and gloom go ill together” (p. 107).)
On the following day a select group of Jewish leaders met with Ezra to examine the Law more carefully (v.13). The portion studied evidently included Lev 23:33-43, because the result was a proclamation to observe the Feast of Tabernacles beginning the fifteenth day of that seventh month. The original returnees had also celebrated this feast after they had rebuilt the altar (Ezr 3:4). It is perhaps therefore no coincidence that both the first and now this last event described in the book of Nehemiah is this important festival that reminded the Jews of the Exodus.
(Ref:Asbury Bible Commentary Copyright © 1992 by The Zondervan Corporation).
Qu? During this week of the “Week of prayer for Christian Unity”, what might we learn from the people of Israel as they gathered to hear Ezra and the read the Law of Moses?
Imagining that we were part of this listening community of returned refugees, why might hearing these ancient words fill us with emotion and cause tears to flow?
Psalm 19[a]
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
3 They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
4 Yet their voice[b] goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
5 It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
6 It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is deprived of its warmth.
7 The law of the Lord is perfect,
refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the Lord are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm,
and all of them are righteous.
10 They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the honeycomb.
11 By them your servant is warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
12 But who can discern their own errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.
13 Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.
14 May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Footnotes
a.Psalm 19:1 In Hebrew texts 19:1-14 is numbered 19:2-15.
b.Psalm 19:4 Septuagint, Jerome and Syriac; Hebrew measuring line
Comment: A Psalm proclaiming that God is trustworthy as evidenced by the daily renewal of creation and the new day. Life is affirmed by the security of God’s loving presence and guidance as evidenced by the divine law given to humanity to live by.
Question:
How have the daily blessings of life assured you of God's continuing care?
1 Corinthians 12:12-31. New International Version
Unity and Diversity in the Body
12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by[a] one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. 27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28 And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues[b]? Do all interpret? 31 Now eagerly desire the greater gifts. Love Is Indispensable And yet I will show you the most excellent way.
Footnotes
a.1 Corinthians 12:13 Or with; or in
b.1 Corinthians 12:30 Or other languages
Comment: Being Church is to be the body of Christ on earth today. Each with differing skills, differing abilities and differing characters and characteristics which are all meant to be combined in joyful and effective collective service. This makes each of us important as individual parts of the church and it makes the church important as a whole. It also affects how we are to see each other. Placed in the church by Jesus and empowered by the Holy Spirit in calling.
Question: In what ways does the church today continue the mission of Jesus?
Luke 4:14-21. New International Version
Jesus Rejected at Nazareth
14 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. 15 He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. 16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”[a]
20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
Footnotes a. Luke 4:19 Isaiah 61:1,2 (see Septuagint); Isaiah 58:6
Comment:
A. Preaching and Healing in Nazareth and Capernaum (4:14-44)
In the power of the Spirit Jesus began his ministry in Galilee. It is not certain that he was an ordained rabbi, but he did expound the Scriptures in the synagogues. At Nazareth (vv.14-30) he claimed to be the Anointed One of Isa 61:1-2 and therefore by implication the Messiah. His mission, he declared, was to the poor and oppressed. At first his preaching was met with admiration. But when he later spoke of the ministry of Elijah and Elisha to the Gentiles, there was an attempt on his life
Question:
What were the ways in which Jesus went on to proclaim:
good news to the poor,
freedom for the prisoners
recovery of sight for the blind,
and the year of the Lord’s favour?
How did Jesus set the oppressed free?
In what ways do we continue in this mission for Jesus today?