Teaching 80 Nehemiah (part 4)

Join us today on #thefilter as we finish the lessons in the book of Nehemiah.
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Nehemiah 8:1-3
1 all the people came together as one in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the teacher of the Law to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded for Israel.
2 So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. 3 He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.
In the new testament, Paul asks Timothy to devote himself to the public reading of the word and of its preaching. In the time of Nehemiah, the word of God was read out loud to the people for a whole morning. Only those who could understand it attended and later, only the leaders of the families.
We must understand that the word of God, Old and New Testament, is powerful on its own. God works through his word and therefore we also should read the Bible out loud in our families. Reading the bible without explanation to people that can understand what is being said is beneficial but we must go further. God has gifted people in the church that can understand the original language and help others understand its meaning. Listen to what is said in verse 8:
Nehemiah 8:8
8 They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear[a] and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read.
The people of Nehemiah’s time spoke a mixture of the Philistine language and Aramaic because of their time spent in captivity. Many could not understand Hebrew and even those that could have had a hard time.
The Priests read the original text and explained its meaning to the people in a way that could be understood by all. When we teach the word of God we must be very careful that we explain the meaning to those who hear and help them understand what is being said. Although reading the word of God is beneficial, explaining it carefully is essential.
The people understood what was being read and were weeping openly because they understood their sins. At this time, Nehemiah and Ezra asked the people to turn their sorrow into joy. There is a time for repentance and there is a time to move forward in the joy of the Lord. We must make sure that we do not get stuck in the repentance mode because repentance can easily be transformed into accusation and judgment by Satan.
Listen to what happens:
Nehemiah 8:9-10
9 Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, “This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.
10 Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Ezra the priest and the teachers of the law asked the people to stop grieving and to go and enjoy choice foods and celebrate. The people are told that the joy of the Lord is our strength. This message is repeated many times by the apostle Paul. Joy is a safeguard to us, when we do not have joy we must examine ourselves to find out why. When we are not putting our trust in God we will lose our joy. When we are worrying about the future we will lose our joy. When we are walking in sin, we will lose our joy. When we allow Satan to accuse us and do not walk in freedom we will lose our joy. When we are trying to gain salvation by works, when our theology is wrong, we will lose our joy.
Joy is found under grace, joy is found when you are close to Jesus and filled with the Holy Spirit. Whenever you lose your joy, you should examine yourself. Listen to what Paul says:
Philippians 3:1-3
3 Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. 2 Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. 3 For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh
Paul is speaking about the importance of Joy in the context of False Teaching. Paul says that joy is a safeguard for us, it keeps us safe from the mutilators of the flesh. When you start to attempt to earn your salvation and please God by observing the law, you will lose your joy. This is like a gas gauge for us, it lets us know that something is wrong with our life. Paul says that those who are in Christ put no confidence in the flesh.