Nehemiah 8 represents one of the greatest corporate worship services of Scripture! The elements of the worship, the response of the people, and the work of God through the teaching of His word all come together to form what was a glorious revival of the Word!
1. v1 “all the people gathered” - this was corporate worship!
2. v1 “they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses” - the Word of God was the focus of the gathering!
3. v3 Ezra read from it from morning until midday - the people were hungry for truth so time was not an issue!
v3 “And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law” - the people wanted to know the Word of God!
vv4-5 Ezra stood on a platform made for this purpose and was above the people - this was not to elevate Ezra but rather to elevate the Word. Architecture does communicate!
v5 “as he [Ezra] opened it [the Book of the Law] all the people stood” - Posture communicates much! This is a sign of reverence.
v6 Ezra blessed the Lord, the people said “Amen, Amen,” lifting their hands. “And they bowed their heads and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground.” - Extraordinary respect of God’s Word and profound response to it!
vv7-8 “the Levites helped the people to understand the Law,” “They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.” - The Word that was read was then explained. This was an entire day of expository preaching!
May the Lord revive the Word in our day as in Nehemiah and Ezra’s day!
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