Nehemiah. Pt. 9 Ezra ministers the Word of God to the People.

Good Morning and we can all be thankful that Jehovah has given us another day to serve Him no matter what activities we have planned. 

We are going to see that Ezra and the men who assisted him were very busy on this day.  They had much work to do reading the law to all the people while making sure that everyone understood the scripture.  Isn't this what a good pastor does for each sheep in his flock? 



Ezra's Godly helpers in ministering the Word to the people

Nehemiah 8:7-8  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 as the people stood in their place.  So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.

Nothing is included in the text of scripture by accident.  The Spirit of God governed the entire process of verbal inspiration and He added some more names of men who helped Ezra disseminate the Word to the people. 

• Jeshua means "he is saved" and reminds us how God saved the Jewish people from their captivity.

• Bani means "built up" and it reminds us that under Nehemiah the work of rebuilding Jerusalem was completed in about 52 days!

• Sherebiah means "Jehovah has scorched" and that reminds us that Jehovah thwarted the evil plots of their enemies.

• Jamin means"right hand" and this reminds us of the power of God's right hand and right arm to do what He says He will do.

• Akkub means "insidious" and this reminds us of the depraved nature of our enemies.

• Shabbethai means "sabbatical" which reminds us of the day of rest our gracious God built into each week.

• Hodijah means "Jehovah is my majesty" and reminds us of the glory of God in all things.

• Maaseiah means "the work of Jehovah" and this was all around the people hearing from God at Jerusalem.

• Kelita means "crippled" and reminds us of how damaged by sin we are until we accept the salvation provided by Jehovah.

• Azariah means "Jehovah has helped" and reminds us that He always provides a way for us to know Him and be saved.

• Jozabad means "Jehovah has endowed" and reminds us how God gives certain skills and gifts to His people to do His work.

• Hanan means "he is merciful" and this is that lovingkindness that God extends to us through Jesus Christ when we turn to Him in repentant faith.

• Pelaiah means "Jehovah does wonders" and throughout the books of Ezra and Nehemiah we have seen this to be true. 

The inclusion of all these men in the list of those who helped Ezra teach the Word of God is purposeful.  The meanings of all the names are a clear testimony that God is at work. 

Jehovah saves people from sin and establishes them.  He defeats our insidious enemies with His powerful right hand.  Jehovah is majestic in all His wonderful works and He helps those who call upon Him.  He endows us with gifts and skills and He is merciful to us.  All of this is on display as the precious Word of God is taught to a large number of spiritually hungry people.  

The Word of God was honored and carefully explained to all the Jewish people

First, these men caused the people to understand the law. 

They put in hard work by going to each family listening to Ezra's teaching to make sure that they heard the Word and that they understood what it meant. 

Today some pastors prefer to give their opinions about what they think the scripture says instead of just telling people clearly and plainly, "This is what God says and this is what it means to you and me." 

Good pastors take the time and put in the effort to give us the clear sense of what scripture means so we can honor God because we understand what He is telling us. 

Second, they read the scripture clearly and distinctly.

I have heard preachers and teachers fly through the text of scripture as they read it so that they could get right to what they wanted to say.  

I have also heard preachers and teachers mumble when reading the text instead of clearly enunciating and pronouncing the words to the congregation. 

We need to pause and remember that when we read from the Bible we are reading the Holy Word of God from Heaven.  We need to slow down and take in each word so we are able to think about His Word as we read it or as it is being read to us.

The men helping Ezra teach carefully recited texts of scripture with correct pronunciation.  The word "distinctly" tells us how carefully the Word of God was pronounced to the people.  It is a word that means good diction was used.  Their actions honored God and their hearts desire was to help the Jewish people understand the law. 

Third, these men communicated in an understandable way the true meaning and implication of the scripture to each family.

They gave the sense of what God said to the families gathered at Jerusalem. They gave the people clear insight into what the scripture said so that they might act in a prudent manner toward God. 

They caused them to understand the reading from scripture.  These men helped the people read and heed the Word of God. They helped them know what God said with their minds so that they might live rightly before God.  What we learn and understand from the Bible is always intended to move us to actions and responses that honor God.

You may have heard the term "expository preaching."  That is exactly what is going on in this text.  Ezra leads the teaching of the scripture and then he sent these men out to all of the families to help them understand what God said, what it meant and how it applied to them. 

Praise God if you sit under the preaching and teaching of an expository pastor because they put much labor into studying the Word in order to bring it to us and help us understand it and respond rightly to what God has said.

The people honored the Word of God by standing up for the entire time that the Word was opened and taught.

The Jewish people were ready and prepared to hear from God. They really wanted to know what He said so that they could glorify Him by the choices and actions that they made.  They stood up for hours as the Word went out from Ezra's pulpit. 


Points to Ponder....

• Preachers and teachers of the Word of God are responsible to be prepared to share God's truth with the people of God.

• The scripture must be handled in a way that brings honor and glory to God. 

• Scripture should be read at a pace that respects the Author of scripture and that reflects the holy nature of the text.

• Scripture should be pronounced with good diction so that people can hear each word distinctly.

• The goal of each Pastor and Teacher should be to ensure that every person who hears, understands what God said and how it applies to our lives. 

• Preaching and teaching should never be about sharing what our opinions are. What God actually said in His book is infinitely more important for us to hear and understand. 

• Our response to the Word of God should honor Jehovah. 

We are so blessed today because we sit in comfortable church buildings with comfortable seats and oftentimes with air conditioning.  Yet, we have brothers and sisters in Christ around the world who experience suffering and sometimes are forced to meet in secret. 

I suspect that Christians suffering persecution have a more earnest desire to hear from God than many Christians in America today. 

My prayer for all of us is that the Lord Jesus Christ will send an intense thirst and longing for His Word into each of our hearts.  I want to crave the preaching and teaching of the Bible as much as the Jewish people did during the days of Ezra and Nehemiah.

This is a prayer that God will honor if we bring it to Him.  Will you join with me in praying for a real, life changing revival in the people of God in America?  We are in desperate need of the Spirit of God to move in a mighty way because the church in America has mostly lost its way by becoming more like the world.

Bob