Nehemiah 8
One morning the people of Jerusalem and the near villages all came to one of the city streets. It was a feast day when they left their usual work to rest, and honor God. There were men, women, boys and girls, and Ezra, who was a priest, was asked to bring the Book of God’s law to read aloud to them.
They had made a platform near the gate for him to stand on, to be more clearly heard. There may have been seats for the people, or they sat on the ground, but when Ezra opened the Book they all stood up in respect to God’s words, and when he prayed, they bowed down to the ground.
Some of the words read made the people weep, because they knew they had not obeyed. Nehemiah, Ezra, and the other men who read, told the people not to keep weeping, but to rejoice in God’s goodness, and to take portions of their food to those who could not be present.
The next day some of the men listened again while Ezra read from the Book of God, and they heard of a feast which their people had not kept for many years. For this they were to make porches, or arbors, called booths, from the branches of trees, to sit under for seven days, so they would not forget the time the Lord had taken Israel from Egypt.
The people went to the woods and got thick branches and made the booths, some were made in their yards, some on the roofs of their houses, which were flat with stairs from the ground, and much used for people to sit in the open air; then they also made the booths in the court of the Temple and in two of the streets. It must have been a pretty sight to see the, booths of the leafy branches all over the city, and the people sat under them and listened each day while Ezra read from the Book of God, and “there was very great gladness.”
The Book they had was in Hebrew, but we have those writings in our languages in the first part of our Bibles. Sometimes now a boy or girl is asked at home or elsewhere to read a verse of the Word of God and reads so low, or carelessly, that it is not understood by others, and is read as though ashamed to read God’s word. Notice how it was read that day, “distinctly”, so all the large company could hear (verse 8), and all were “attentive” to listen.
Near what gate did the people sit to hear God’s Words? (Read Verse 1).
Why did the people “make great mirth”? (Read Verse 12).
ML 01/14/1940