What I Noticed Today (Nehemiah 7-8)
Nehemiah 7
In verses 1-3, still concerned for the people’s safety, Nehemiah put Hanani (his brother) in charge of Jerusalem and Hananiah as commander of the fortress because he feared God more than most men.
- Nehemiah ordered guards to be at the city gates at all times and that the gates not be opened until late morning and closed again in the evening.
In verses 4-7a, God put it in Nehemiah’s mind to register the people of Jerusalem by genealogy.
- He started with those who had returned first (exiles deported by King Nebuchadnezzar) with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bihvai, Nahum, and Banaah.
In verses 7b-65, the balance of chapter 7 records the names of the families of exiles of the people, the priests, the Levites, temple servants, and those who could not prove their lineage.
- The assembly was 42,360 people (v. 66), not including 7,337 slaves and 245 singers.
- The family leaders gave a significant amount of gold and silver to the temple treasury.
Nehemiah 8-10
These three chapters reflect the form of a typical suzerain-vassal treaty of the ancient Near East: Nehemiah 8, the covenant is read; Nehemiah 9, their sin is confessed; and Nehemiah 9, the promise of obedience.
Nehemiah 8
In verses 1-12, the seventh month, which was an important month with the New Year’s celebration, the Day of Atonement, and the Festival of Booths, the people gathered together in front of the Water Gate.
- Ezra, the priest, brought the people together in an assembly to read from the Book of the Law.
- The assembly included all those who could understand (this would likely include children of a certain age).
- When Ezra opened the book, the people stood out of respect.
- They bowed their heads and worshiped.
- Levites helped the people understand as the Law was being read.
- Nehemiah, Ezra, and the Levites taught the people that this was a Holy day; they should not mourn or weep but be joyful.
In verses 13-18, on the second day, the heads of households, priests, and Levites came together to study the Law with Ezra.
- They found instructions in the Law to celebrate the Festival of Booths (Leviticus 23:37-43), which was to be celebrated from the 15th to the 22nd of the seventh month.
- So the people built booths and lived in them for seven days with great rejoicing, and Ezra read from the Law each day.
- On the eighth day, they held a solemn assembly.
Some thoughts for additional consideration:
- I love the scene as we see it in Nehemiah 8, with the entire assembly of people, including older children, coming together to hear the word of the Lord. The people stood as the Word was being read and worshiped the Lord. The Word was read with leaders ensuring the people understood what they were being taught. Finally, the household leaders, priests, and Levites all came together to study the Law and then took action with the people based on what they learned.
What did you notice in your study today? Feel free to visit the website and leave a question or a comment.
