Nehemiah 8
OUTLINE:
I. \\#1:1-7:13\\ Restoring the Wall
A. \\#1:1-2:20\\ Catching A Burden
1. \\#1:1-4\\ Hearing the News
2. \\#1:5-11\\ Nehemiah’s Prayer
3. \\#2:1-8\\ Nehemiah’s Opportunity
4. \\#2:9-20\\ Nehemiah’s Mission Begun
B. \\#3:1-6:19\\ Building the Wall
1. \\#3:1-32\\ Record of the Builders
2. \\#4:1-6:14\\ Opposition to the Construction
a. \\#4:1-6\\ The First Attempt - Mockery
b. \\#4:7-23\\ The Second Attempt - War
c. \\#5:1-19\\ The Third Attempt - From within
d. \\#6:1-9\\ The Fourth Attempt - Ambush
e. \\#6:10-14\\ The Fifth Attempt - Fear
3. \\#6:15-19\\ Completion of the Construction
C. \\#7:1-13:31\\ Dedication of the Wall, Jerusalem, and the
People.
1. \\#7:1\\ Organization of Singers and Porters
2. \\#7:2\\ Organization of Leadership
3. \\#7:3-4\\ Organization for Safety
4. \\#7:5-73\\ Verifying Jerusalem’s Inhabitants
II. \\#8:1-13:31\\ Restoring the People
A. \\#8:1-10:39\\ The Renewal of the Covenant
1. \\#8:1-18\\ Interpretation of the Law
a. \\#8:1-12\\ Seventh Month, First Day of Teaching
b. \\#8:13-18\\ Seventh Month, Second Day of Teaching
2. \\#9:1-10:39\\ Reaffirmation of the Covenant
B. \\#11:1-13:31\\ The Obedience to the Covenant
1. \\#11:1-36\\ Resettlement of the People
2. \\#12:1-26\\ Register of the Priests and the Levites
3. \\#12:27-47\\ Dedication of the Jerusalem Wall
4. \\#13:1-31\\ Restoration of the People
I. \\#8:1-12\\ Seventh Month, First Day of Teaching
A. \\#1\\ "all the people" - Because of the large number of
people, they gathered in "the street."
B. \\#2\\ Ezra is the preacher. It has been 13 years since Ezra
returned.
C. "upon the first day of the seventh month"
1. This day was a holy day in Israel for God had designated
it to be so.
Lev 23:23 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
24 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying,
In the seventh month, in the first day of the
month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of
blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.
25 Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye
shall offer an offering made by fire unto the
LORD.
2. It is said that this was the first day of the year before
Israel came out of Egypt. At that time, God set the
first day of Nisan to be the first day of the year but
both days were recognized, one as the religious first
day of the year (Nisan) which was Passover and the other
as the civil first day of the year.
D. \\#3\\ "And he read" - Ezra read the Law to the people from
morning to noon. In those days, the people did not have a
copy of the Bible so many of the people were hearing it read
for the first time.
E. \\#4\\ "a pulpit of wood" - This is the first time we read of
a pulpit being used. It was used to raise him higher than
the people \\#5\\.
F. \\#5\\ "all the people stood up" - The people stood when the
Bible was opened out of reverence for the Bible. It is
likely that they sat back down after Ezra’s blessing \\#6\\.
G. \\#7\\ Ezra had others there to help individuals understand
what was read.
1. All of the details are not given but perhaps Ezra did not
read nonstop. Perhaps he read for a time and rested.
2. While he rested, perhaps these men answered questions
that were asked.
H. \\#8\\ Ezra and those with him gave the Word of God to the
people so that they could understand it.
I. \\#8:9-12\\ The People’s Response
1. \\#9\\ "For all the people wept, when they heard" - The
people wept and mourned, realizing they had sinned much
against God.
2. But this is not what the leaders wanted of the people this
day. It was to be a day of celebration that the walls
were complete. So they encourage the people NOT to mourn
but to celebrate.
a. \\#9\\ "mourn not, not weep"
b. \\#10\\ "eat the fat, drink the sweet, send portions"
c. "neither be ye sorry"
d. \\#11\\ "So the Levites stilled all the people"
3. \\#12\\ And the people did rejoice and celebrate, although
it is hoped that they did not forget what they had heard
in the Word.
II. \\#8:13-18\\ Seventh Month, Second Day of Teaching
A. \\#13\\ "And on the second day" - They did not read all of the
Law on the first day so they resumed on the next day.
B. \\#14\\ "Israel should dwell in booths" - They were reading in
\\#Lev 23:39-43, Deut 16:13\\
1. This feast has several names: Feast of Booths, Feast of
Tabernacles, Sukkot.
2. As one of the names indicates, the people would live in
booths for a week, remembering the time when God brought
them out of Egypt and celebrating what God had done for
them since.
3. It was to be done starting on the 15th day of the seventh
month, 13 days from the time the Jews were reading.
4. It was a harvest feast that lasted 8 days and was one of
three feasts which required all the men of Israel to
attend.
5. Obviously, the people had not been keeping the feasts.
C. \\#16\\ "So the people went forth… made themselves booths"
It does not sound like the people waited until the 15th, but
started the celebration immediately; yet, they were still
gathered together reading the Word on the 24th day of the
month \\#Neh 9:1\\. So they likely started the feast
immediately but continued with it until the prescribed time
was up.
D. \\#17\\ "since the days of Jeshua the son of Nun… had not
the children of Israel done so." - Seemingly, the feast had
been celebrated at least some since that time
\\#1Kings 8:2, 65, 66\\, but not with such delight and
determination as was done on that day!
E. \\#18\\ And each day for the next eight as they celebrated,
Ezra read to the people the Law of God.
1. \\#Neh 12:27-43\\ will give more details of the
celebration of those days.
2. As will \\#Neh 13:1-3\\.
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