Text: Nehemiah 7:73-8:18, Leviticus 23:42-43, Psalm 30:11-12
From “early morning until midday” the people stood, all of them together, and listened to the Word of God. Ezra had brought the Book down and for hours on end the sea of people stood inside the wall they had built, brick by brick, and they listened.
They listened and remembered, once again, who God is. They listened and blessed the name of the Lord. They shouted “Amen, Amen” and lifted their hands. They fell to the ground and wept, and they sought to understand what they heard. And then they rejoiced. They rose to eat and drink, to give and to obey. And all of this was worship.
Remembering who God is.
Realizing who we are in Him.
Recognizing our sin.
Repenting and receiving grace.
Rejoicing in His goodness.
Returning to our lives, ready to speak the Gospel with our words and deeds.
Repeat. Do it all again and again.
All of this is worship.
As Ezra read the Word of the Lord, the people wept for their sin. But as the leaders helped them understand what they heard, their weeping led to rejoicing. It led to generosity. It led to discernment and strength to further obey and honor the Lord. As Matthew Henry says in his commentary, “Even sorrow for sin must not hinder our joy in God, but rather lead us to it… When they understood, they rejoiced.” (emphasis mine)
The day after Ezra read the law aloud, the people of Jerusalem built tents. On their roofs and in the courts, each built a “booth”, or temporary shelter, reminiscent of those they dwelt in in the wilderness.
Like the Israelites, we are just traveling through. This world is not our Home. But while we are here, we are a tabernacle on earth; we are the very home of God. Are we inviting others into the freedom we have found? (Or, rather, the freedom that has found us?)
Sisters, let us seek to understand the fullness of the Gospel today. Let us remember our great God, recognize our sin and take hold of His complete forgiveness. And let us rejoice.
Father, may we point to You in all we do this day. May we rejoice gladly and give freely and invite others in to receive the freedom of the Gospel. And may we do it all as worship. Amen.
The reading in Nehemiah was truly touching this morning, and I was thinking of revival all throughout it. How I long for our land to experience revival again! I and my church pray expectantly for it, and I cannot wait to share this passage with my little fellowship of believers. I know they will appreciate it as well.
What really got my attention, though, was Ps. 30:12 – "that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent."
We tend, so often, to be careful not to do things for our own glory, and that is definitely right and scriptural, but sometimes we are glorified by the world for a heroic act, or just being in the right place at the right time. My prayer for myself, and all of you ladies who are hungering for His word alongside me, is that, when we do have a glorified moment, we will attribute all praise to Him!
"And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law" (Nehemiah 8:3). Later on, the men of each household "came together to Ezra the scribe in order to study the words of the Law" (vs 13).
I've had a LOT of time on my hands recently since my schedule is basically empty until the middle-end of June, and it's given me big opportunity to focus more on God's word. When I read this, I felt a mix of conviction and awe for these people; they heard it from early morning until midday. I started to reflect: am I spending enough time in God's word? Am I helping other people to know and understand God's word? Am I praising the Lord for what I'm learning through His word?" SUCH big, important reflections to ponder. Things are getting pretty busy around here, but I CANNOT forget to root myself in His truth daily like these people, here! I cannot forget to put His kingdom– reading, observing, sharing, and praising His truth with others in ALL I do– before mine. Lord, I pray that this day would be full of praise to you in every word, thought, action, and deed. I thank you for the ample time you've given me to study your word in the early morning and midday during this season. May it not be wasted! Continue your good, patient work in me, Lord Jesus. Praise you. Have a blessed Friday, girls.
Oh AnnaLee, how easy it is for us to neglect study of the Lord's word in favor of doing other things with our free time instead. It is a constant battle in my own heart as well, and I praise the Lord that you are learning early to treasure your time in His word.
You have encouraged me to spend more time with Him!
Let us rejoice! for God is a forgiving God and he has forgiven us of all our sins. Let's become aware of our sins walk away from them and rejoice in God's name. God forgives us and his forgiveness is renewed for us every day. Thank you God for your love for us.
Revival: “The Spirit of God working through the Word of God in the lives of the people of God.” -J. Edwin Orr // We can see that in the beginning of chapter 8 the Spirit of God was already alive and active within the people before the reading of the Word!! Isn’t it true that when people gather into one group (whether large or small) for the things related to God.. the Spirit of God is moving!? Of course!
v. 3 “…And all the people listened attentively” ..reminds me of everyone who is a part of SRT! They were all hungry for the Word of God!
v. 4 “Ezra the teacher of the Law stood on a high wooden platform built for the occasion.” // This verse really stood out to me as well. This wooden platform was built SPECIFICALLY for this occasion. The people had taken the time to build this because they wanted to maximize the effect of the Word of God on the people. Just a small practical act that would, in turn, have a profound effect!
I also loved that like this mornings devotional had said.. The Levites helped the people who were hungry for God’s Word so that they could understand it. James 1:22 “Do not merely listen to the word … do what it says!” We can’t do anything until we are able to understand what God is saying to us! As a result of hearing God’s word, they became aware of their sin, or convicted. This awareness is so important, but let us take it a step further and turn away from our sins and walk in the light of obedience!
Finally the last thing I wanted to mention that ties into the above: The people did what the Word said! they built temporary shelters and lived in them. The beautiful part about this is directly after the “DOING” in verse 17 ..it says “And their joy was very great!” This can only mean that obedience truly does lead to joy! and there are several examples throughout the Bible that prove this to be true. God didn’t include all His commandments to confine us and make us miserable, but to ACTUALLY give us freedom. Freedom that we can fully enjoy :)
Thank you for sharing!!!
Wow…I really enjoyed reading that especially that last paragraph about obedience to God's word truly liberates us…what a great reminder!!
Your words are so encouraging and insightful, Jaida! Thank you! yesterday I was reading a bit through Ezra and found this: "[Ezra] had begun his journey from Babylon on the first day of the first month, and he arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, for the gracious hand of his God was on him. For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel" (Ezra 7:9-10).
Ezra devoted himself to the study of the Word (bible study), observance of the Law of the Lord (DOING what the Word said), and teaching it's decrees in Israel (TEACHING it, SHARING it with other people). This goes right along with what you said about studying and obeying the word of God bringing about blessing! The gracious hand of God was on Ezra because He did those 3 things. I wrote down in my journal "Studying, obeying, and teaching the Word = blessing!" It's really helped focus me in not only reading God's word, but helping others to understand it and sharing with others as well. It's so simple, but so huge! Thank you for more biblical insight onto this :) Have a great day, sister!
What a wonderful insight, Jaida! Thank you so much for taking the time to encourage the rest of us :)
LOVE what you said about Ezra, AnnaLee! I never noticed that! The gracious hand of God was on Him because he obeyed the Word! And I love the word “devoted!” He didn’t just read through the pages: devoted – “having strong love or loyalty for something or SOMEONE..” being God. Thank YOU for your insight!! Have an amazing day! :)
Ladies, this is a little off topic from today's devotional but I wanted to share some good news with you! I graduated from high school last weekend and I have been getting ready for the summer and college next year! This past week, I have been struggling with God's plan for my life though. With all these new beginnings and new responsibilities, I was beginning to be overwhelmed. I was searching for a roommate, looking at classes to take, and trying to decorate a dorm room! This study has been forcing me to question what my role in God's kingdom is. I have felt a calling for the past year to get involved in the nonprofit world. I love business and I love volunteering. I have a passion for feeding people and making sure nobody goes hungry; we have so much here that nobody should be hungry. I wanted to merge those passions in college and hopefully work on the business side of a nonprofit. I would love to open my own one day.
I began to doubt myself though. Like every young person, I don't know what I am going to do. I have been praying though for God to give me wisdom and discernment so I can figure out my role in his kingdom. I want my college life, education, and career to follow his plan! Yesterday, I think he gave me an answer. A few weeks ago, I signed up to volunteer with a local non-profit that cooks fresh, nutritious meals using food grown in their garden and gleaned from other local vendors. They deliver the food, in food trucks, to low income neighborhoods and to the homeless. I fell in love with this organization! So, I went to volunteer yesterday and work on prepping food for the weekend. At the site, I met an intern who is a Junior at the same school I will be attending! We started talking and she is majoring in exactly what I was thinking about. Her plans were almost identical to my own. I saw the work she was doing and I learned about the opportunities she had. She gave me great advice and encouraged me to continue with this degree. Although it will be challenging, I believe this was God's confirmation that I was doing the right thing. It is amazing how he answers prayers! I do ask that this community will continue to pray for me so I can have guidance and wisdom about what to do next. I will need God's strength, support, and grace in college! I am just so glad we have a God who is always there by our side!
You go girl! Amazing story – God loves to encourage us hey? Happy friday, and have a lovely weekend x
Catie, I too am graduating high school– tomorrow, in fact! Sister I am so so happy and excited for you as you've shared the beautiful things the Lord is doing in your life. I prayed for you now and got all teary-eyed! May He continually lead and guide you with His mighty, powerful, loving arm as you continue to press into Him and trust His words to you. I know how scary it is– I have a passion for the abused and neglected, and would like to work as a trauma counselor & advocate for children when I get older, but I too have no real idea about what exactly God wants me to do. What I do know is that the Lord has amazing things planned for us, no matter what they are! Let His confirmation sit well in your soul. May it give you peace and boldness to proclaim His word in ALL you do, word, thought and deed! I will continue to pray for you. Please be praying for me too, that I wouldn't let anything hinder what the Lord wants to do with/through me in the coming months! I love you sister! Be encouraged, don't lose heart! :) Have a great day. Keep updating SRT, as hearing what God is doing in your life is a big encouragement.
Wow! AnnaLee you are wise beyond your age! I had seen your comments around here recently (as I’ve been going back to study Nehemiah) and I never knew you were a senior in highschool! I am graduating this year, 2015, so I’m looking forward to God doing amazing things through me. Right now, I am caught between deciding which college I am meant to go to. Please read my blog post titled “Comfort” on my blog “yethelovesmeso.wordpress” and you’ll see what I mean.
Thank you so much for your encouraging comments and responses AnnaLee! I know these were months ago, and this reply may surprise you, but I feel I just had to write this.
We must always take reading and hearing the Word of The Lord as something so precious and beautiful that it makes us want to weep. That the Sovereign Lord takes time to speak to us and guide us is very precious. It is very easy to just read the Word and take it for granted or just read it and not want to live it. Rejoice because The Lord speaks to us and gives us the best way to live our lives.
Amen Peggy. I was thinking of that in my alone time with Christ this past week. Things have gotten really busy with graduation, and it's so easy to just read it because I "have to." Until I realize that the LORD– Yahweh, Abba, GOD, the Creator and "Higher Being" whom everyone in my old philosophy circle used to try to make sense of and reach through futile thought– wants to SPEAK to me. About what's going on in MY heart, MY mind, MY life. It brings me to tears, now that I type it out. That He would care so much as to not only make us, breathe life into us, but also to show us how to live like He does: fully, spiritually, creatively, righteously, full of justice, joyfully, deeply, lovingly… that's extraordinary. We take the bible for granted so often… but viewing it here, as it really is, how could we NOT study it? It's blowing my mind right now. Thank you for this insight, Peggy.
This song is really reminding me of the extraordinary nature of the Lord's Living Word… even if it's not your cup of tea, listen. It blows my mind when I hear it. Be blessed today, sisters. I love you all! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9SNpWFU4_w
Very insightful and I know I need to apply this to the mundane things in life!
Such a wonderful foreshadowing of Jesus' mercy!
I won't be caught up in the weeping. I know how far I have been from following God's laws, and I will not wallow in my inferiority. I will read and rejoice in knowing that my debt has been paid through His amazing grace.
This is so important, drasch. I get too caught up in the weeping, in the guilt and shame– ha! none of that is the Lord whatsoever. Lord, let my sin bring me to your arms. Let me come running like a 3 year old who just got hurt, who just hurt you. And let nothing keep me from embracing you fully today… no sin, no shame, no fear, no guilt, no weeping. Today is a day Holy to the Lord; let us rejoice and be glad in it!