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Nehemiah 8 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
Why is it important to read and hear the Word of God?
The one who reads this is blessed, and those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep what is written in it are blessed, because the time is near!
Revelation 1:3 HCSB
Even though this blessing is specific to Revelation, I don’t think it’s a stretch to apply it universally. Jesus offers a blessing to those who read His Word. He offers another to those who listen to His Word. In Nehemiah 8, the people decided it was appropriate to gather and listen to the reading of God’s Word.
Gather, Read, Listen
Ezra, a scribe, was passionate about the Word of God. He was inspired by the Spirit of God to read it for the people. The people were also inspired by the Spirit of God to gather together and open their hearts and minds to its truth. Anytime we are inspired to read and hear the Word, blessing will follow. This is why we gather together every Sunday to hear the Word preached by individuals who are passionate about following after God’s heart.
It is important to understand that outside of God’s Spirit, we cannot work up our own motivation to receive the Word of God. The people listened to Ezra for 6 hours! How is that possible? They respected His Word. They honored it by standing to their feet. They wept as its truth cut their hearts. When we gather together it is important that we pray and ask God to give us a divine interest into His Word. His Spirit will bless us!
The Role of the Reader
It is also important that we understand the role of the reader from this text. If the people who are listening do not come away with a greater understanding of the Word, the pastor or preacher has failed. Sermons are not comparable to other forms of public speaking. The ways of God are not intellectually discerned, but spiritually discerned. If the people who gather are only entertained by the pastor, he has failed. If the people who gather leave admiring the wisdom of the pastor, he has failed. If the people leave motivated by a prayer or three helpful steps which are not rooted in understanding the Word of God, the pastor has failed.
I personally do not care if others think my presentation was sufficient when I preach. I don’t want that praise. I desperately want others to have a greater understanding of God’s Word. I would much rather have someone tell me that my communication was lacking but that they came to understand God’s Word as opposed to my communication being flawless with no new understanding of God’s Word.
They read out of the book of the law of God, translating and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was read.
Nehemiah 8:8 HCSB
Understanding and applying the Word of God is the goal of any pastor, preacher, or teacher!
Putting It Together
If we pray for God to inspire our hearts to understand His Word and we have a speaker/teacher who is dedicated to helping us with that process, we will reap the blessings found here in Nehemiah 8. What are those blessings? As I wrote earlier, the people were divinely inspired to listen for hours and hours. They stood up and praised God, raising their hands in worship. They were excited about God’s Word and hungry to feast on it. If this is not happening in your church, then it is probably time to evaluate your heart’s posture to God’s Word, the motivation of the pastors/teachers of your church, or both.
The Word of God is full of both grace and truth. It both inspired them to praise but also convicted them as they wept and mourned. It did not return void but accomplished its purpose in the hearts of these believers. It’s absolutely beautiful.
My favorite part of this section is when Nehemiah, Ezra, and the priests instructed the people not to weep or mourn any longer. Why would they do such a thing? Because the joy of the Lord is our strength.
“Do not grieve, because the joy of the LORD is your stronghold.”
Nehemiah 8:10b HCSB
This entire scene ends appropriately with a celebration. Is this not the same for us today? Yes, there is conviction. Yes, there are tears of Godly sorrow. However, we are not told to stay there. Godly sorrow leads to repentance which leads to Salvation which leaves no regrets! (2 Corinthians 7:10) Through repentance, we can be forgiven and we can then celebrate all God has done in us and through us. This is the desired destination to our journey with the Lord.
Forgiveness. Repentance. Joy. Strength. Celebration.
Do not weep. Today is a holy day. Jesus is King, and through repentance, you are His child.