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Nehemiah Chapter 8 describes a significant moment of transition for God’s people after their return from exile in Babylon.
To see how this story speaks to us, it is important that we first understand its historical background. Jerusalem and its temple had been left in ruins after the Babylonian conquest of 586 BC. The people had been taken away to Babylon in exile, but now had returned to the land and the rebuilding project was well underway. The temple was rebuilt and rededicated in the year 516 BC under Ezra. Now under the governorship of Nehemiah, the city wall had been reconstructed despite opposition from enemies (Nehemiah 6:15). The moment of transition occurs just six days after the completion of the wall, “on the first day of the seventh month” (8:2).
Nehemiah 8:1 says that the people “gathered together” to hear Ezra read the Law. Verse three says that “all the ears of the people were to [or towards] the scroll of the teaching.” Just so, our ears must ever be attentive to the Word. Ezra the priest and scribe reads the Law, and the effect of the Word’s proclamation has much to say to a Church today that is likewise in a time of transition and in need of reinvigoration.
Worship
Verse five says that Ezra opened the book “to the eyes of all the people” and in verse 6, the people respond in praise with the “lifting up of their hands.”
There can be no renewal in the Church today without a prior renewal of worship. This will include new and reimagined forms of worship, but it will also involve a rediscovery of historic forms, as it did in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah when they recommitted to the observance of the festivals prescribed in the Law. Worship is not primarily a human religious endeavor. Jesus is our risen and ascended Head in heaven, and we the members of His body on earth. Through worship and the hearing of the Word, the Spirit incorporates us into Christ’s body to join in His praise of the Father. Worship is not, in the first place, something that we do. It is what God does to enfold us into the life of the Trinity and the result is our transition from death to new life.
Baptism
Ezra read the Law, not in the newly rebuilt temple, but in the public square in front of “the Water Gate” on the east side of Jerusalem (8:3). This gate provided access to the Gihon Spring, an important water source for the city. But at this point, the gate had likely not yet been rebuilt, and so only the ruins of the Water Gate remained.
It is through the waters of baptism that new members enter the gateway into the Church. A renewal of baptismal preparation in the form of catechesis, the retention of newly baptized members, and a recommitment to living out our baptismal vows will be key elements of Church renewal in our age.
Testimony
Our passage from Nehemiah 8 includes two groups of names that our eyes are likely to skim over as we read. The first group (verse 4) are possibly priests who stand beside Ezra as he reads the Law. The second group are Levites who were dispersed amongst the assembly to interpret and provide understanding of the Law to the people. What are we to make of all these names?
In his delightful medieval commentary on Ezra-Nehemiah, the Venerable Bede (c. 672-735) made much of the literal meaning of the names listed in the text, because he believed there was gold to be mined in every word of Scripture. Let us consider just two of the names – Pedaiah and Maaseiah. Part of the first group mentioned, Pedaiah is one of Ezra’s assistants. His name means “Yahweh ransoms” or “redeems.” Think of the ways in which God has liberated and redeemed you, freeing you to serve Him whose service is perfect freedom. In the second group, Maaseiah’s name means “Yahweh is a refuge.” How has God been a source of protection, refuge, and strength in your life?
Joy
Our passage ends with one of the most beautiful and memorable verses in all of Scripture. The people mourn and weep when they hear the words of the Law. Their hearts were convicted because they had not kept the Law. But Ezra and Nehemiah comfort them, saying, “Do not be grieved, for the joy of the lord is your strength” (8:10). Commenting on this verse, the 18th century founder of Methodism John Wesley, writes,
Rejoicing in God in serving him with cheerfulness, and thankfulness, which is your duty always, but now especially, will give you that strength both of mind and body, which you greatly need, both to perform all the duties required of you, and to oppose all the designs of your enemies.
God invites us to practice joy in hospitality, feasting, and fellowship. Gloominess and pessimism are enemies to the life of faith and must be actively resisted. So let us not neglect meeting together (Hebrews 10:25). Let us “offer hospitality to one another without grumbling” (1 Peter 4:9), and “rejoice in the Lord always” (Philippians 4:4).
The restored Jerusalem in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah was more than a brick-and-mortar temple and city wall—it was a community of people set apart for the worship and service of God. To form such a people, there was need for the proclamation and study of God's Word, which inspired renewed repentance and faith, and joyous festivity. May God effect the same transitions in us, His Church.
