CLXXXIII - Nehemiah 7-8

Nehemiah has accomplished so much since he arrived in Jerusalem, and under difficult circumstances.  He has dealt with problems both within and without Jerusalem and its inhabitants.  He has established himself as a more than competent leader.  He has gained confidence and respect among the Israelite people and the reigning Persian government.  But Nehemiah's work was not done.

Chapter 7

The Scripture has given us insight to what Jerusalem had become:  A city in shambles, reduced to a sparsely populated city that resembled a ghost town, dominated by bullying gangs of non-Israelites.  God had sent Zerubbabel to rebuild the Temple.  He sent Ezra to teach the Israelite citizens how they should be living and the Levites their responsibilities.  And He sent Nehemiah to rebuild the wall and the city itself.  It had taken fifty-two days to complete the wall (an amazing feat) and then they had completed the work of placing the doors on the ten gates, as it states in the first verse of this chapter 7.  Nehemiah proceeded to organize the
Levites and the other citizens of Jerusalem to establish and maintain order within the completed wall.  Nehemiah had a vision for what Jerusalem was to become, and that was simply for it to return to its former glory, as in the days of Solomon.  

So, all of the basic physical structure was in place, but there was still so much work to be done, and Nehemiah was just the man needed to continue the task of rebuilding not only the city of Jerusalem, but the nation of Israel.  In verse 4 it tells us the city was large and contained many buildings, but had few people as inhabitants.  Nehemiah says that God had placed on his heart to make a registry of all of the Israelites who were now in Jerusalem.  The remainder of this chapter documents those people and their lineage.

Chapter 8  -  One of my favorite chapters

Nehemiah wanted to make Israel into a proper nation of God’s people again.  So, back to basics.  And the basics (as always) was to reestablish the Law in the minds and hearts of the people of Israel.  The people needed to learn again about God’s commands.  Nehemiah was an excellent organizer and he knew that it would take much organization to see to it that all of the people would gain a working knowledge of God's Law.  No surprise that he chose the great teacher Ezra to read and expound on the Law to the entire population.  They built a high wooden platform for Ezra.  He stood on the platform while he read the law.  He was way above the people to give him the physical position needed to teach.  He read and taught for about 5 or 6 hours each day and the people listened.  Ezra had 13 Levites with him on the platform.  Every time Ezra opened the scrolls, all of the people stood up out of respect.  As they were learning the Law, they worshiped.  {As you read this chapter, it is easy to picture in your mind exactly what this was like.}  Look at verse 8.  As Ezra read the Scripture, he "made it clear and gave it meaning".  {That is what should happen in our Sunday School classes and our worship services.}  As the people were learning the Law and realizing the error of their ways, they were inclined to mourn for their past in a spirit of repentance, but Ezra and Nehemiah encouraged them to celebrate instead.  Celebrate the new beginning of their lives as knowledgeable and practicing citizens of the kingdom of God.  Through Ezra's teaching the people learned of the special holiday of the tabernacles (Leviticus 23:33-36) which lasted seven days and they were anxious to obey, as it was the perfect time to observe it.  {The purpose for this special day of observance was to keep the people in remembrance of their ancestors being released from bondage in Egypt, at which time they had to live in tents on their journey to the Promised Land.  This was particularly appropriate because, like their ancestors, these modern-day Israelites had been delivered from their bondage in Babylon.}  Continue to
envision what was happening.  These people were excited about learning about God and obeying Him once again.  They all went out to gather materials for building tents.  They built them and put them any place they could (vs 16), on roof tops, in courtyards, near the gates, any place they could find.  This holiday lasted seven days, all of which they continued to listen to Ezra teach the Scriptures.  Every day they listened and learned the Law and celebrated every time understanding took place.  What a scene.  {As I mentioned earlier, this always made me proud to be a Sunday School teacher like Ezra.}  As I envision this holiday being observed, I see great joy and relief on the faces of these people.  Nehemiah and Ezra must now begin to realize their efforts had not been in vane.  Jerusalem was well on its way to its former glory.

Next Post  -  Nehemiah's Work Continues