The Sunday School Lesson

NEH. 8:1 And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ez'ra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Mo'ses, which the LORD had commanded to ls'ra-el.

2 And Ez'ra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month.

3 And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law.

5 And Ez'ra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up:

6 And Ez'ra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with their faces to the ground.

13 And on the second day were gathered together the chief of the fathers of all the people, the priests, and the Le'vites, unto Ez'ra the scribe, even to understand the words of the law.

14 And they found written in the law which the LORD had commanded by Mo'ses, that the children of Is'rael should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh month.

17 And all the congregation of them that were come again out of the captivity made booths, and sat under the booths: for since the days of Jesh'u-a the son of Nun unto that day had not the children of ls'ra-el done so. And there was very great gladness.

18 Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according unto the manner.

HEART OF THE LESSON Finally both the temple and the walls of Jerusalem had been rebuilt. The people of the city had obeyed God, but something more was still needed-not a physical structure but a spiritual identity. The people needed to embrace for themselves God's covenant with Israel.

1. God's message through Scripture (Neh. 8:1-3). In the seventh month, the scribe Ezra gathered the people in a square of the city and read Scripture to them, most likely from the books of Moses.

Although the listeners were Jewish, they may not have been very familiar with these Scriptures. Since the return from exile, the people had struggled along with little prosperity. Without the security of city walls, there may have been little happening in the way of schooling. Possibly the only religious instruction many had received came from their parents. And, of course, in those days people did not have Scripture scrolls in their homes.

For those standing in the finally enclosed Jerusalem, the reading of the Scripture may thus have been a firsttime hearing. Whether that was the case or not, however, the people listened attentively.

Being attentive to the Word of God is important for us too. Scripture is still the primary means through which God communicates with us today.

2. The people's response through worship (Neh. 8-5-6). At first glance, the action in verses 56 sounds as if it came before Ezra's reading of the Scripture recorded in verse 3, because, obviously, Ezra could not have read the Scripture without first opening the book. But that was probably a second opening, a ritual act in which the scroll was held aloft and extended to the people as a symbolic offering of God's

Word to the congregation after hearing the Scriptures. The fact that Ezra "blessed the Lord" suggests that he understood his action as a religious ritual as well.

In any case, the people responded with "Amen" and bowed in worship. Given God's clear commands that Israel worship no God but Him and make no idols representing anything (Exod. 20:2-5), it is unlikely that the people thought that they were worshiping the Scripture with this action. Rather, they were worshiping the Lord, whose words were delivered to them through the Scriptures Ezra read.

That is an important distinction for us as well. The Scriptures are high and holy, bringing to us the very words of God. Thus, we cherish, read, study, and revere the Bible. But when we worship, our action is directed to the God the Bible makes known to us.

3. The reestablishing of the covenant (Neh. 8:13- 14, 17-18). The next day, the people gathered again to continue listening to the sacred texts.

In the reading that day, they heard about a feast their ancestors observed in the seventh month.

The Feast of Booths commemorated the time when Israel lived in the wilderness after fleeing Egypt. For the seven days of the festival, the forebears of Ezra's generation resided in temporary huts, living as their ancestors had in their desert sojourn (Lev. 23:34-36). This was a dramatic way for the people to recall and celebrate God's care.

Learning of this festival, the people of Ezra's day immediately instituted it themselves so that they too could show that they considered themselves to be under the covenant God had made with their ancestors.

QUESTIONS

1. Where did the people gather on the first day of Tishri?

2. How does Ezra's teaching apply to searching for a church today?

3. In what way did the people show respect for God's Word, and how long did this continue?

4. What did the people do in response to their leaders, and what resulted from their obedience?

(Reprinted by permission of The Incorporated Trustees of the Gospel Worker Society and Union Gospel Press, P.O. Box 6059, Cleveland, Ohio, 44101)