Sermon Tone Analysis

Nehemiah 8:1-18

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stephen Caswell © 2000

The Bible

 

Ÿ A thorough knowledge of the Bible is better than a college education.-

/Theodore Roosevelt/

Ÿ All things desirable to men are contained in the Bible.

-- /Abraham Lincoln/

/Ÿ /As in paradise, God walks in the Holy Scriptures, seeking man.

--  /Saint Ambrose /

/Ÿ /Be astounded that God should have written to us.

-- /Antony of Egypt/

 

Introduction

 

French author Victor Hugo said over a century ago, /England has two books, the Bible and Shakespeare.

England made Shakespeare but the Bible made England./

Supporting that view, historians tell us that Elizabethan England was indeed a country of one book, and that book was the Bible.

Last Sunday morning we saw how Nehemiah continued his work.

This time restoring the people.

If God is to work in and through His people, then they must respond positively to His Word; and this chapter describes three basic responses: understanding the Word, rejoicing in the Word, and obeying the Word.

The whole person is involved, the mind /- understanding/, the heart - /rejoicing/, and the will - /obeyin/g, must be captive to God’s truth.

*I.

They Understood God's Word                II.

They Rejoiced In God's Word*

*III.

They Obeyed God's Word  *

 

/Firstly/  We Must Understand God's Word

 

/a.

They Requested God's Word/

 

*Nehemiah 8:1-2* /Now all the people gathered together as one man in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate; and *they told* *Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses*, which the Lord had commanded Israel.

So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men and women and all who could hear with *understanding* on the first day of the seventh month./

/ /

This was on the first day of the seventh month, which was the Jewish equivalent of our New Year’s Day.

The seventh month was a special time in the Jewish calendar because the Jews celebrated the Feast of Trumpets on the first day, the Day of Atonement on the tenth day, and the Feast of Tabernacles from the fifteenth day to the twenty-first day.

It was the perfect time for the nation to get right with the Lord and make a fresh new beginning.

The people didn't ask for a sermon against the social injustice or one promoting welfare.

They desired to hear God's Word.

They asked Ezra the scribe to read God's Word and preach a sermon to them.

Ezra was the ideal man to conduct this outdoor Bible school.

/He was a priest and scribe who had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel./

/b.

They Reverenced God's Word/

 

*Nehemiah 8:3-6* /Then he read from it in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate from morning until midday, before the men and women and those who could *understand*; and *the* *ears of all the people were attentive* to the Book of the Law.

So Ezra the scribe stood on a platform of wood which they had made for the purpose;/

/....

And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up.

And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God.

Then all the people answered, “Amen, Amen!” while lifting up their hands.

And they bowed their heads and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground./

*1.

They Stood* - When Ezra lifted the scroll and unrolled it to the passage he would read, the people who were seated in the square honored the Word of God by standing up.

They knew they would not be hearing a mere man speak his own ideas; they would be hearing the very Word of God.

After he opened the Word, /Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God/.

The people affirmed his words by saying /Amen, Amen/, which means, /So be it!/

Then they bowed their heads and worshipped God.

They didn’t worship the Book; they worshipped the Lord who spoke to them from the Book./

/

/ /

Our churches today have a desperate need in their public services to show more respect for the Word of God./ /We wonder how the Holy Spirit feels when He sees Bibles put on the church floor, or used as portable filing cabinets for miscellaneous papers, or even left behind in church.

We will /defend /the Bible as the Word of God, but we don’t always /treat /it like the Word of God./ Let's be careful to reverence God's Word! /

/ /

*2.

They Stayed* - The people remained standing while the Law was read and explained.

It was a united congregation that honored the Scriptures and was willing to devote half of their day to hearing it read and taught./

/Ezra started his reading and teaching early in the morning and continued through midday, which means the congregation stood and listened for five or six hours.

No doubt from time to time, he gave the people opportunities to rest; but the people were there to hear God speak and were willing to stand and listen.

They stood while the Book was read.

*Soren Kierkegaard*/ /said:/ When you read God's Word, you must constantly be saying to yourself, God is talking to me, and about me./

We are commanded to /give attention to the public reading of Scripture/ and yet in many churches, the only Scripture publicly read is the text of the sermon./

/Today, we talk about God but neglect His Word!/ /The words of *Amos 8:11* are true today./

Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: /Today there is a great need to hear God's Word in the Churches.

Our Church services should have readings from the Sacred Scriptures.

/c.

They Received God's Word/

 

*Neh 8:7-8* /Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, *helped the people to understand* the Law; and the people stood in their place.

So they *read distinctly from the book*, in the Law of God; and *they gave the sense*, and *helped them to understand the reading*./

The common people didn’t own copies of the Scriptures, so they were thrilled to hear the Word of God.

The word /distinctly/ in verse 8 means that the Law was explained to the people in a language they could understand.

The Word was translated and expounded in such a way that the people were able to apply it to their own lives.

The Hebrew language would have undergone some changes since the days when Moses wrote the Pentateuch, and the everyday conversational Hebrew of the people would be different in some ways from ancient Hebrew.

The Levites assisted Ezra in teaching the Law, for this was one of their God-given ministries.

They explained what God's Word meant.

They ministered in a similar way that pastors and teachers do today.

They probably mingled with the people and, when there was a break in the reading, answered questions and told them how to apply the Law to their own lives.

Here we have a balance between the public proclamation of the Word in the large assembly and the personal application in the smaller groups.

Both are important.

Mid week Bible studies can be so helpful in learning God's Word.

Not to forget the prayer and fellowship shared as well!

The people gladly received God's Word as it was explained.

No doubt the Lord was pleased.

Bible - Study of Commanded /   -- Helmut Thielicke/

 

The Word of God is demanding.

It demands a stretch of time in our day--even though it be a very modest one--in which it is our only companion.

... God will not put up with being fobbed off with prayers in telegram style and cut short like a troublesome visitor for whom we open the door just a crack to get rid of him as quickly as possible.

Application

 

/a.

They Requested God's Word - /Firstly Israel asked Ezra to read God's Word to them.

They longed to hear it.

They didn't have their own Bibles and sought to hear it from Ezra.

/Do you hunger and thirst to hear God's Word?/ /Do you read it every day?

Do you desire to hear it as often as you can?

Or does Television keep you from hearing it on Sunday nights?

/

/ /

/b.

They Reverenced God's Word/ - Secondly Israel recognized the importance of God's Word.

They stood while it was read out of respect for God who was speaking through His Word! /Do you reverence God's Word?

Are you thankful that you can have your own copies?

/Many believers aren't that fortunate!/

Do you treat God's Word with respect or use it as a place mat for coffee cups or a portable filing cabinet?

Do you worship the God who wrote the Bible?/