The concluding chapters of Nehemiah record the ministry of the word of God by Ezra (Ch. 8), the resulting confession of sin by the people (Ch. 9), the resulting covenant that primarily dealt with maintaining the temple (Ch. 10), and then Nehemiah’s leadership in several matters (Ch. 11-13).
Ezra’s teaching took place in the 7th
month (7:73), presumably the first day of the month. The wall had been finished on the 25th
of Elul, which, according to my research, was the 6th month. Therefore, this is 5 days later. Perhaps it was because they felt secure
enough to have such a meeting now. Or
perhaps they met because they had postponed their worship for the 52 days they
built the wall. The first reason makes
the most sense to me. It seems one thing
that moved them was that they had neglected the temple worship after finishing
the temple. Many of the “sins” they needed
correction had to do with the temple.
[The matter of the Hebrew calendar needs to be
addressed. There were different
calendars in use in Israel. Here is
Easton’s note on Elul: “the name of the sixth month of the ecclesiastical year,
and the twelfth of the civil year.” ISBE
has a good discussion on this where they identify three calendars: one
pre-exilic, one postexilic, and then another one later in the intertestamental
period. This is not a big issue in Bible
study. I have found it confusing when we
have been in Israel. For example, Feast
of Tabernacles Biblically is in the 7th month, in the Fall. In Israel, Tabernacles is in the Fall, but in
the same month as Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year. The date for Rosh Hashana is 163 days after
Passover which in the Bible was supposed to be on the 14th day of
the first money. FYI!]
The assembly of the people is quite
interesting. They met in the square in
front of the Water Gate. This gate was
in the vicinity of the palace, so the square likely was the place for
gatherings to hear the governor. What a
great scene: “and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of
Moses, which the LORD had commanded Israel” (8:1). The word of God is bottom line essential to
any revival of God’s people. Ezra had
been in Jerusalem for twelve years or so before Nehemiah had come. These words would have been music to his
ears, being the man who had “prepared his heart to seek the Law of the LORD,
and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel” (Ezra 7:10).
It is possible this was the book of
Deuteronomy and not all the books of the Torah.
Deuteronomy was the book the king was to read regularly (Dt.
17:18-20). There was no king, but the
people needed and desired to know how God’s law was to be obeyed in the current
situation. The reading took place during
the morning, perhaps 9AM to Noon. The
people stood for the reading. And to
Ezra’s joy, and the LORD’s, “the ears of the people were attentive to the Book
of the Law (8:3).
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