This chapter just blessed me so much today!
The people of God
wanted to hear his words. They heard his words and understood and wept. They heard something they should be doing, and they did it.
Nehemiah 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 Ezra
the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded
to Israel.
2 And Ezra 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.
4 And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which
they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and
Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his
left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchiah, and Hashum, and Hashbadana,
Zechariah, and Meshullam.
5 And Ezra 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 Ezra 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.
7 Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub,
Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and
the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in
their place.
8 So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly,
and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.
9 And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the
priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the
people, This day is holy unto the LORD your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all
the people wept, when they heard the words of the law.
10 Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and
drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for
this day is holy unto our LORD: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is
your strength.
11 So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Hold
your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved.
12 And all the people went their way to eat, and to
drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth, because they had
understood the words that were declared unto them.
13 And on the second day were gathered together the chief
of the fathers of all the people, the priests, and the Levites, unto Ezra the
scribe, even to understand the words of the law.
14 And they found written in the law which the LORD had
commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the
feast of the seventh month:
15 And that they should publish and proclaim in all their
cities, and in Jerusalem, saying, Go forth unto the mount, and fetch olive
branches, and pine branches, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and
branches of thick trees, to make booths, as it is written.
16 So the people went forth, and brought them, and made
themselves booths, every one upon the roof of his house, and in their courts,
and in the courts of the house of God, and in the street of the water gate, and
in the street of the gate of Ephraim.
You need to have a ready heart. You've got to have already prepared your heart. We could read this on a different day when we haven't been open to the words of the Lord, and may not get anything out of it except that it is history. These people were open and ready to receive His word. =) =) =)
sMiLeS,
