Nehemiah's Next Build--The People's Faith

It is nine months from the time Nehemiah hears from his brother about the devastation of his people’s city and the day of the wall’s completion. In the time it takes to give birth to a child, Nehemiah gives birth to renewed hope for the exiled nation of Israel. The wall itself is finished in just fifty-two days and changes the course of the nation.

What was Nehemiah’s focus after building the wall?

Nehemiah moves from building the wall to building the city and raises the people’s support and the funds to do it. Included in those funds is money to support the priests who live in the city’s houses. The priests who will build the faith of the people.

Nehemiah never stops after the wall. He takes their hope and builds on it, and in that one fundraising effort he begins the move from building structures to building hearts. They need to renew their covenant with God if they are going to:

• Become the great nation God has promised.
• Reclaim the land God has promised.
• Have a king from the line of David as God promised.

To do that, Nehemiah needs to rebuild their faith so he calls in his old friend Ezra the priest. Recall from Season 15 of the Bible Book Club podcast, which was the book of Ezra, that Ezra led the second wave of exiles in Jerusalem. In fact:

• Zerubbabel led the first wave of exiles to arrive in Jerusalem.
• Ezra led the second.
• Nehemiah led the third.

Ezra has been in Jerusalem for about 13 years already. He was sent to Jerusalem to restore commitment to God’s laws, and that is exactly what he did.

Why did Ezra read the Law?

The people’s hearts are stirred and their minds crave understanding, but they have no individual access to the Word, so they gather and ask for the Book of Law to be read. They want to know how to find favor with God.

Most of the people have probably never heard the Book of the Law because, even if they could read it themselves, they still didn’t have access to the Book. Can you imagine how limiting that would feel?

Ezra chooses to read the Book of the Law at the Water Gate. This location is meaningful and holds prophetic symbolism.

Why was the Water Gate a symbolic location?

The Water Gate is symbolic because it’s located near the city’s water source, and the Word of God symbolizes living water. In the Bible, Jeremiah, Zechariah, and the apostle John all describe God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit as living water.

Located on the east side of Jerusalem just south of the Temple near the Gihon Spring, the Water Gate opens into a large area between the Temple Courts and the city. Not only is it the perfect location because it is symbolic, but also it is large enough to accommodate the crowd.

The timing for the people’s request in Nehemiah 8:1-3 may sound spontaneous, but it’s actually providential because it takes place in the seventh month, the month of Tishri, which is a sacred month of Jewish feasts.

Which Jewish feasts occur in the seventh month (Tishri)?

There are three Jewish feasts in the seventh month (Tishri):

• Rosh Hashanah or the Feast of the Trumpets
• Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement
• Feast of Booths or Tabernacles

What was extraordinary about the reading of the Law?

The reading of the Law took five or six hours in a hot, crowded, uncomfortable space. It was a somewhat rocky outdoor venue with plenty of water but full sun. There were no reserved seats let alone simple amenities like chairs, restrooms, or concession stands.

And the whole format is purely reading. Just reading. No jumbotron, music, or entertainment. You couldn’t pay someone today to stand that long in such a hot, crowded, uncomfortable space. But the Israelites all go. There is no complaining. They just want to see that Book, which they have never seen before. The one written by Moses. And they want to hear something they may never have heard before: God’s words.

Imagine having the chance to be part of such a focused assembly. The people are locked in on God and so is Ezra. How does he not get hoarse? It must be supernatural adrenaline. Of course he is born for this. Remember who he is from Ezra 7 verse 6 and verse 10.

All the people need to do is listen. But can they even hear well with people moving around? We can assume they have to go get a drink, use the restroom, remove a child, etc., but it clearly does not distract them. No one complains. And recall from our reading of the Torah these people are prone to grumbling. But not this time.

At this point in the story, it’s day one of the reading. Ezra starts on Tishri 1, the day known as the Feast of Trumpets. Can you imagine all eyes on Ezra in Nehemiah 8:4-6 as he climbs the platform they threw together? The crowd hushes. The mothers point and whisper to their children, “Look, look, that’s Ezra, and he has the Book.” And then he opens it, and everyone stands. He praises God and everyone bows down and worships.

What are the three responses to God’s Word in Nehemiah 8?

The people’s response to God’s Word in Nehemiah 8 is threefold: reverence, reflection, and relationship.

What is the reverent response to God’s Word?

The reverent response to God’s Word is worship. Their hearts crave His Word, but they’ve never heard it. When they do, they are so filled they fall to the ground in thanks that this day has come. That God has preserved His Word from all the destruction of Assyria and Babylon and has brought them back to His promises. He’s given them another chance to understand His Word.

The Levites are circulating among the people, explaining it as it is read to make sure everyone understands what they hear. It must be like having a small group in the middle of church. Little clusters of people huddled up for more detail.

In Nehemiah 8:7-9 Ezra is reading from his place above them. The Levites are running around helping explain on the floor, and people are bowing down on the ground. What a revival! As the Word begins to penetrate…their hearts fill, tears spill, and the people begin to weep. The meaning of the Law dawns on them and with it understanding. They have not been living in a way that pleases God. They have been living sinfully.

What is the reflective response to God’s Word?

The reflective response to God’s Word is conviction. The people hear the Word and when understanding dawns on them that they have not obeyed God’s Word it saddens them. They feel sorrow for what they have done. They are convicted, grieved, and repentant.

In verses 10-12 Nehemiah is not having it. Yes, they have sinned, but this is a holy day. A great day. The people have returned. The Temple has been restored, the walls have been rebuilt, and God’s Word has been reread after a very long silence.

What is the Relational Response to God’s Word?

The relational response to God’s Word is joy. It is time to make a joyful noise to the Lord and celebrate what God has done. He loves them, chooses them, and has brought them back into a relationship with Him. By reading God’s Word the Israelites feel His presence and find the path back to a relationship with God. That brings great joy!

What is the meaning of Nehemiah 8 for Christians today?

As Christians, when we read the Word, our responses should be similar to the Israelites in Nehemiah 8.

• Worship as a reverent response to the Word. When we read the Bible and find a Bible Bender, something only God can do, if we pause in those moments to soak that in, then the reverence for God’s Word will turn to worship.
• Conviction that comes from a reflective response. When you hear a powerful sermon on God’s Word that gives you something to reflect on, do you feel conviction in your heart? The Word is causing you to reflect on your own path and redirect your feet. That response is conviction.
• Joy is the relational response to the Word. When we walk closely with the Lord, immersed in His Word, our response will naturally be great joy. If we’re not joyful when we read the Word, it may be a red flag we’re not where we want to be in our relationship with God.

What happens after Ezra reads the Law to the entire city?

In Nehemiah 8:13-17, the next day Ezra, the leaders, and priests meet with him to dig further into the Word. In other words, the Israelites start a Bible Book Club! As they read, they make many eye-opening discoveries. The most timely is an upcoming feast.

What feast did the Israelites discover in the Law?

The Law says, according to the Jewish Calendar, the Feast of Booths (or Tabernacles) is supposed to take place in two weeks and last for seven days. They are excited to have something they can do right now and jump with joy at the opportunity to have this feast. They share it with the people and everyone goes into action, united in their newfound desire to please God.

The Feast of Booths is a week-long celebration that is meant to happen every year in Jerusalem. People are to build and sleep in temporary shelters, or booths as they call them, to remind them of their ancestors’ journey through the wilderness for 40 years. It’s a celebration of how God faithfully provided for and protected them, and it’s a great reminder God is protecting and providing for them now. See our chart of all the feasts and festivals in our show notes.

After Day 2 of the revival, in Nehemiah 8:18 the city is on fire for the Lord. The entire revival lasts 22 days and is filled with reading, worshiping, and celebrating. Reading the Word is the most important part of God’s reorientation of His people, because it reveals God’s plan. And following God’s plan fills them with great joy.

How does obeying God bring joy?

Obedience brings joy because it connects us to God and helps us feel His pleasure. Where sin disrupts our relationship with God, obedience restores our relationship with God. That just feels good! In Nehemiah 8 the Israelites are experiencing the full joy of obedience and a relationship with God.

The Feast of Booths is the perfect place for them to begin since it celebrates when the Israelites were set free from Egypt. Now the knowledge of God, His plan, and their history with Him written in the Torah are setting them free from their bondage to sin. The very sin that led them into bondage in Babylon.

God is faithful. That is the message to the people. But if they had never read His Word, they wouldn’t have learned of His faithfulness. God’s faithfulness is a message to all people yesterday, today, and tomorrow. But if we don’t read His Word, we will miss it.

How do I fully obey God?

Nehemiah knows God, and because of that God uses him to lead others to the same knowledge. This is why we study God’s Word. For us, there is no plan without God’s Word. Like the Israelites, we must start with the Word.

And did you catch Jesus’ words in Luke 24? “Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, Jesus explains to them what is said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself.” We are on that same learning journey studying all the Scriptures, including Moses, and all the prophets! We must listen, understand, and grow in knowledge to build our wall of faith.

Point to Ponder

You are reading these articles or listening to the Bible Book Club podcast, so you clearly are hearing the Word and hopefully understanding it and growing in knowledge. As you grow, ponder how you can be more like these exiles.

We read in verse 12 that all the people go away to eat and drink. To send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understand the words that have been made known to them. How can you have that great joy as you listen and learn?

Joy is infectious. With joy we will attract the notice of others in this world of opposition, perhaps even the notice of someone who is not reading God’s Word. Such a scary, lonely, anxious place to be, because if God speaks through His Word and you know someone who is not reading, then they are going to miss God. Or make mistakes as Jesus warns will happen in Matthew 22:29.

How can we guide someone to God like Ezra and the Levites did?

In our own community, we can guide people in awareness of God by:

• Opening the Word with them. This is as simple as playing the Bible Book Club podcast for them. On our podcast, we read every word from the Bible so, like the Israelites, you can just listen!
• Answering their questions. You don’t have to lead the discussion. Instead, use the discussions we have on the Bible Book Club podcast and be like the Levites who went around meeting with the people while Ezra read to make sure they understood.
• Letting our joy be infectious. Your joy about reading the Word of God might attract the notice of others you can share God’s Word with.

Ponder that, pray about it, and maybe even make a plan!

🎧 Ready to dive deeper? Listen to episodes of the Bible Book Club Podcast here.

Show Notes:

Feasts and Festivals Chart