Sunday, November 3
Read Nehemiah 8:1, 2. What should this tell us about how important the Word of God was to the people?
When the Jews finally completed the building of the wall and moved into Jerusalem, they all gathered in Jerusalem’s open square in the seventh month. The seventh month, the month of Tishri, was perhaps the most important month for the Israelites, as it was dedicated to the Feast of Trumpets (preparation for God’s judgment, 1st day of the month), the Day of Atonement (Judgment day, 10th day of the month), and the Feast of Tabernacles (remembering God’s deliverance from Egypt and His provision through the journey in the wilderness, 15th day of the month). The gathering took place on the first day of the month, on which the Feast of Trumpets was celebrated. The leaders called together the men and women of the nation for this special assembly in order, through the reading of the Law, to provide an opportunity for them to learn about their God and history.
The people invited Ezra to bring the book of the Law of Moses before them and to read it. They even constructed a platform, a pulpit, for the occasion. It was not something that the leaders forced on the congregation. On the contrary, “they”, the people, told Ezra to bring the Book. Most likely Ezra read to the people from the books of Moses, which included the law given to Moses on Mount Sinai.
Read Deuteronomy 31:9-13. What did the Lord tell them there, and what lessons can we take from that for ourselves?
In Deuteronomy 31:9-13, Moses told the Israelites that, during the Feast of Tabernacles, they were to gather and read together the Law of God, and it mentions the various groups that should gather: men, women, children, and foreigners living within their gates.
A literal reading of Nehemiah 8:1 says that they gathered together “as one man”. What does that tell us about the importance of unity among the body of believers?
