I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Nehemiah 7-8.

    Once the wall around Jerusalem was complete Nehemiah called the people together to celebrate its completion and to rededicate themselves to God. I believe that, at least to some degree, this was modeled on the re-dedications under King Josiah and King Joash. As part of this process, Ezra the scribe (the one for whom the Book of Ezra was named) read the Book of the Law to the people. Nehemiah, Ezra, and the other leaders set things up so that everyone in the large crowd could hear and understand what was going on. There were multiple people spread out in front of the people reading the law and explaining its meaning to the people. The people reacted to the Law in much the same way that King Joash had done. They recognized how far they had fallen short of keeping God’s commands and wept in grief. Nehemiah, Ezra, and the others explaining the Law remonstrated with them to not mourn. This day was intended to be a day of celebrating the completion of the wall, of God restoring Jerusalem to His People. Further, the leaders exhorted the people to celebrate the fact that they had heard and understood God’s Law. The people followed their leaders’ advice.

    However, the people were not satisfied with hearing the Law and celebrating, then going back about their business. They selected leaders to meet with Ezra the scribe to determine how they could order their lives so as to live according to God’s Law. The following day, the selected leaders met with Ezra and began to study the Law in detail. They quickly discovered that the Festival of Shelters was due to be celebrated shortly. So they arranged for a proclamation to go out for the people to do so. The key here is that it was not Ezra, or one of the other long term students of the Law who made this discovery. It was made by those who had not previously studied the Law. We need to remember that it was those new to the study of God’s Law who made this discovery. We need to be receptive to the insights brought to the study of God’s Word by those new to it.