The Power of God’s Word | Nehemiah 7:73 - 8:18

Show Notes

Episode 700: 
In this episode, Chris and Kyle delve into Nehemiah 8, focusing on Ezra's pivotal role as a spiritual leader. Ezra, a descendant of Aaron, is introduced as he reads the Book of the Law to the assembled people, which includes men, women, and children old enough to understand. The hosts emphasize the significance of this moment, noting that it had been generations since the Israelites had celebrated in such a manner. Ezra's reading from the Pentateuch not only reconnects the people with their history but also serves as a catalyst for spiritual renewal.

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You're listening to The Bible Guys, a podcast where a couple of friends talk about the Bible in fun, in practical ways. Hey everybody, it's Friday, Friday. Yeah, Fridays are good. We're the Bible Guys. This is Chris and Kyle because and by the way, I don't know if you if you're watching on video, look it says the Bible Guys with Kyle and Chris. With either sure gray hair or very blonde here. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I appreciate it. Yeah on video. Good job Desiree for doing that. So Jeff's out of the country. So that's what Kyle's with us today. We're the Bible Guys, and today we have an exciting chapter Ezra or excuse me, me and Maiah, chapter number seven and eight. We're gonna be talking about Ezra joining the crew and reading the law and healing the people, not just protecting them physically, but protecting them spiritually. So before we dive into that, however, we have a segment today, Kyle, do you want to introduce. Yeah, Actually, this one is one I've heard people say is a fan favorite. It's called what made Chris Mad This week. Now, before we even get into this because I'm gonna le Chris think about this for a quick moments. One of the things that Desrey pointed out is that that I was the one It says that obviously Kyle was the mastermind behind everyone's favorite segment, which I think is quite a. I don't know mastermind. I don't know if I would say that, but I will say for anybody who wants to understand even how this podcast came to be, Jeff Forster actually had a vision for it a few years ago, pulled together a creative meeting and we tried to thinking of some segments that would be a fun you know, to kick off the podcast. And I remember, you know, there's a bunch of different things that were thrown out. There's some that are currently still going. Like I know one of the masterminds behind but I don't know if it was Jeff or his DESIREE had the Babylon b which I think people love that as well. Reading some of those that would you rather thinks. But I remember one of the things that stood out is that Chris, the more I got to know him and work with him, is he would sometimes come into meetings or he would come into a situation, and then's the things that would bother him, like about just everyday things were always just very precise, very. Detailed and very it was like superlative. Yes, very well, that's a part of it too. And I remember just being like honestly enamored with how like the things that I almost just took for granted and a negative like I was just like used to certain things, like you could point out every little detail about what bothered you. And I remember just thinking, what if we just said, like what made Chris mad this week? Like, yeah, let's try it one week, and then I've heard of people and then to your demise some of it, they keep on bringing stuff up and messing with you. But also I think it's it's it's great. A lot of good laughs over the years. Yah yeah, yeah, yeah, I've definitely gotten good and bad food back from it. Got a bad rap, but nevertheless, as soon as but you know, this is the reason why it is a good segment, because as soon as I thought what made Chris mad this week? It took me about five seconds. That's all it took. And I thought, I thought, oh, yeah, I was mad this week at something, and here it is. You ready for this. I walked into a restroom at a public restaurant and I realized that first of all, it was not clean, and uh and and and I won't get it of the restaurant, right, Yeah, I'm not gonna mention the name restaurant. What is it? Right? But it was but it was in Shelby Township. And which is a local place, you know locally here people understand that in Michigan. But uh, I'm not going to say it was. It was off of Van Dyke. But listen, the point is is, uh, this restaurant, No, listen, this restaurant, it was not Italian, had really bad bathrooms and I'm not going to go into it because it's gross. Uh So that part was gross. But then I go to wash my hands and I realized that water was everywhere, like everywhere, like like like all over the counter. I'm like, what's going on? And then I walked I looked over and I realized that there was no paper towels, and so I get these wet hands and then I go over to the to the air dryer and it doesn't work. And so literally I looked over and I realized there are no paper towels, and and there's no hair dryer, which means or there's no hand dryer, which means the people who own the restaurant, they obviously know that the handwriter doesn't work. Might as well just put out of order on it or something. So but but it then forces you to make certain that there's always paper towels. So we've run out of paper towels. And I can tell that it's been a while because there's water everywhere. Right, So I thought to myself, this is unacceptable, right, And I'm telling you, if you have a place of business and you can't keep the bathroom clean, then then close it down, buddy, Like close it down, like this is not acceptable. Bathrooms are one of the worst things to be a part of while you're in public anyway. Right, if you have to go to the restroom in public, it's like it's a big deal. Yeah, right, it's almost like alarming. Like when you go into a place, especially if it's I'm assuming you read a nicer restaurant, you go into a bathroom and when it's like catches you off guard, when it just feels like nobody's even thought about it. And then on the other end, when you find out a place super clean or like put together, it makes you like the place. Yeah. Well, like like you ever travel long distances going to the South and. You see BUCkies. BUCkies are amazing and they're known. For they say clean, best bathrooms, best best restrooms, that's what they're known for. And they'll literally advertise it. Then you walk in and then. And you're like, how could they be that that good? Then you walk in and you realize. There's eighteen. Amazing and it's like you're actually enamorate with the with the restrooms and everybody wants tom sit and you know, clean places or being clean places. So here's here's my here's my confession. And by the way, I don't normally get this vulnerable on the Bible guys, but I'm gonna I'm going to tell you something negative that I do that I should not do. Okay, uh Now, I've made a statement before about people who do not return their buggies in. Parking lotscha, gotcha. When people don't return their buggies, I do not retaliate. I do not like take the buggies. I've seen videos where people put it behind the cars, right, and they do things which is hilarious. I love it. But I've never done that. I've never gotten angry enough. Okay, but I do this thing when I come across a restroom in a public place that is not serviced, and it is horrible. I do this thing where I should not do. So I have these wet hands and instead of like drying them on my pants and getting my pants wet, what most people probably do is just shake them, right, But what I do is I shake them on the mirror. Okay. Now again, it's not a horrible thing because it's gonna you know, it's eventually the water is just gonna go away anyway, right, So it's not. Like they're gonna come in and go, oh my goodness water, right, They're not going to do that. But what I do is I do it on the mirror to send a message to anybody who might happen to walk in, or the people that come after me, so that they walk in. And go what is going on in this place? Right? But I literally just spray mirror and now it's covered in water droplets because I want it to be known this bathroom needs attention by either a worker or by the people who followed me, and that. Is not very nice of me. No, just mention it to the server. Yeah. You know, one time you and I were at lunch, like a couple of years ago or whatever, and I remember one time we're talking, you were like just looking over my head the whole time, like, oh, I should say the whole time. For a couple of minutes you were like something like was behind me that you were really. Dialed in on. And then you got up and then went and maneuvered their painting about three degrees east and straight it out, like all right, I feel better now, Yeah, because it was crooked. Because it was crooked. Yeah, you're like, this asked me face, I am. There's justice to this. Place, justice to the I didn't ask anybody. No, no, no, no, that one. You're just like, I'm fixing it. I can't sit. And the funny thing is, unfortunately, I would imagine that was there for weeks like. That, right, Oh, I'm sure just just off. By three degrees and no one even cared enough to fix it. No, nobody cared. Yeah No, that's good. So yeah, all right, make Chris mad this week. So if you ever follow behind you're in a restaurant and you happen to see a bunch of water on a mirror. Just look around for Chris our bo probably just look at the bathroom. Well, I don't want that to be the takeaway. I want to be that Chris is mad for the world. Okay. Chris is not just mad for Chris. Chris is angry for the all the people of the world who go into a public restroom and go, oh, this is awful, right, especially if it's by a nice restaurant. If you're an owner or even a worker, never underestimate the importance of a clean restroom for your public. Yes, okay, So go ahead and comment in if you're somebody who is in the same boat you agree with Chris gross bathrooms gross you out. Go ahead, let us know we want to hear from you. All right, let's hear your transition to this one, Bud. Speaking of. Smelly things, I would say that, oh, I can't even do it. I can't even do it, because there's nothing smelly about Ezra reading the Law of Moses und twenty degrees. Okay, I would say, speaking of attention, of maintenance and attention, how about that on a positive side, Ezra and me and Maiah both as as companions. What a contemporaries. They recognize that the people need attention and maintenance spiritually. That's great. That's where we open up in me and Mayah seven or actually starting in verse number seventy three B. Actually we're going to go all the way to the beginning of chapter eight, and it says this. In October, when the Israelites had settled into their towns, all the people assembled with a unified purpose at the square just inside the water gate. They asked Ezra the Scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had given for Israel to obey. So on October eighth, Ezra. The Priest, which by the way, they finished on alcober second right right. So less than a week later, Ezra the Priest brought the Book of the Law before the assembly, which included the men and women and all the children old enough to understand. He faced the square just inside the water gate from early morning until noon and read aloud to everyone who could understand. All the people listened closely to the Book of the Law. Ezra the Scribe stood on a high wooden platform that had been made for the occasion. To his right stood Metatayah, sima Anayah, Uriah Kayah and Messiah. Wow, dude, that's great kids that were Maybe they're in the same family, they'd be cool. To his left stood Padaiah, Michelle, Michael, Malkaha, Hashum, Zechariah, and Mashula. Again haa haa. Ezra stood on the platform in full view of all the people. When they saw him open the book, they all rose to their feet. Then Ezra praised the Lord, the Great God, and all the people chanted Amen, Amen as they lifted their hands. Then they bowed down and worship the Lord with their faces to the ground. The Leevites Joshua, Banni, Shariba jaymn Ah should have had you read this chapter. A bunch of other people. Hayin en Peliah then instructed the people in the law. While everyone remained in their places, they read from the Book of the Law of God and clearly explained the meaning of what was being read, helping the people understand each passage. Then Niamiah, the governor Asra, their priests inscribe, and the Leevites who are interpreting for the people, said to them, don't mourn or weep on such a day as this, For today is a sacred day before the Lord, your God. For the people had all. Been weeping as they listened to the words of the law, and Niamiah continued, go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don't be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. And the Leevites too quieted the people, telling them, hush, don't weep, for this is a sacred day. So that people went away to eat and drink at a festival meal, to share gifts of food, and to celebrate with great joy because they had heard God's words and understood them. Let me see that's it. In October ninth, one day later, the family leaders of all the people, together with the priests and levites, met with ezrav Described to go over the law in greater detail. As they studied the law, they discovered that the Lord had commanded through Moses that the Israelites should live in shelters during the festival to be held that month. He had said that a proclamation should be made throughout their towns and in Jerusalem telling the people to go to the hills to get branches from olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees. They were to use these branches to make shelters in which they would live during the festival, as prescribed in the law. So that people went out and cut branches and used them to build shelters on the roofs of their houses, in their courtyards, in their courtyards of God's temple, or in the squares just inside the water gate and the frame gate a frame gate. So everyone who had returned from captivity lived in the shelters during the festival, and they were. All filled with great joy. The Israelites had not celebrated like this since the days of Joshua, son of None. Ezra read from the Book of Law of God on each of the seven days of the festival. Then on the eighth day they held a solemn assembly as was required by law. Wow, that's great. Yeah, So Ezra is the same Ezra from the Book of Ezra. Obviously, he is actually a descendant from Aaron, Aaron the brother of Moses, and so he has the authority. He is a scribe, and he is a person of very much prominence. And actually he actually led I looked this up. He actually led the second group of exiles. Back to Babylon. From Babylon back to Jerusalem and four fifty eight BC under the reign of King art de Xerxes. Okay, this was about eighty years after the first group had returned under King Zarubable. Okay. So Ezra was therefore down in Jerusalem, right, And so he was just a teacher of the law. He had a great authority, and so him and Neemi were contemporaries. And as we can see, Nehemiah is referenced as the governor of the city now, right, So they had been there long enough where they've established you know, he's been there for months at this point in time, not years, but months, and they've built shelters for themselves, they have, you know, rebuilt the wall, and I'm sure, I'm sure it probably took them months even to organize things, right, So they finished the work in fifty two days, But it's definitely been enough time where Nehemiah is looked at and voted as governor of the area. And so then Ezra then reads this Law of Moses, and people are standing around thinking to themselves. Man, feel like a city again, We feel like a community again. We feel like these are the practices that are required. Remember, they they would build shelters, and they would even in the times of Jesus, they would still do that, Right, they would build these temporary shelters and read the Book of Moses, and and they would celebrate and worship in this way. And so here Ezra is doing this and he reads from morning until noon. That's a long time, right, it was a long time. Yeah, and people couldn't read just you know, sat there listening because they wanted to, they wanted to understand. Yeah. And just to point out because I know when when you know you read this, it said it's about as are reading the Book of Laws. It's referring that's actually the Pentituoke, which is the first five books of Scripture. So you got like this story Adam and Eve creation, then you get into the fall of Man, you get into some of you know, just just for anybody who's wondering, like what book of law is? This is just like a law book, you know. They they're trying to get a degree like what is going on here? And so it even has the whole and I imagine even for people who are new learners of this to hear about the Israelites and and God's promise for them, I imagine, I mean this was this was a joyful time for them to come together. So we hear about reading from what you say, it goes from from morning till till noon, morning till noon, ti till noon, I mean, long time to be reading this, right, But at the same time, this was a celebratory moment. So usually when they say from morning, they're referring to six am, six am, because that yeah, because because that's when the Jewish calendar started. A day started at six am, so six hours. Yeah, so usually it's six hours, so that's when the sun would break and come up and and uh and yeah. But they but this would have been something that would have been not a boring six hours for them. I think this would have been a joyful time. They're reading about where they came from. And then even it said it in there, it said the Israelites had not celebrated like this since the days of Joshua. So this was this was a this. Is a great moment, this festival and everything they got to experience. Yeah, so the first five books of Moses are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, and and uh. And a lot of those stories are the same, but they also include some of the greatest miracles. So Moses was revered and is still revered as one of the greatest prophets of God. Uh. And still you know, just one of the greatest deliveries. One of the greatest revered miracles of the Bible was the parting of the Red Sea, the delivery of slavery for hundreds of years God's chosen people, uh, you know, and and all the great miracles that God had shown up for for his people. And so I think that it probably felt very emotional for a lot of people, and they were probably connected to their ancestral stories, right, stories that were passed down. I mean, think about it, you know. So, Uh, it's it's been a couple of generations, you know, at least there's it's been it's been I think, I want to say, a couple hundred years since since Daniel. Right. So, uh, when was the Book of Daniel written. Here's an answer from Christianity dot Com. Yeah, sixth century, right, and so and so we're talking about five hundred and thirty, right, and then and then Ezra leads the second group of people down in four hundred and forty ish. So uh yeah, so it's been it's been one hundred and fifty years. Yeah, so think about it. That's uh, that's at least a couple of generations, right, that's three generations at least. Yeah. And it's interesting because I was I was listening to podcasts the other day from Theologian talking about just how it's so hard for us rapper head around their oral tradition of them share like the way they would share. But this is what they this is what they looked forward to. It wasn't like they had the Bible, Reddit or chat GPD readily readily available, and I think we sometimes forget that, right, Yeah, just this is like, this is what they this is the stories have been passed down and how to hear Ezra come as this profit. But one of the things that stood out to me from this, and it's kind of even mentioned even in the Life Application Study Bible, is that Ezra was actually seen as a spiritual leader of this group of people. Yeah, you already mentioned that Neamyah was the a leader in a lot of different ways. He was the governor, he was the leader, he was almost the architect, he was the project inerger, he was all those things, but it was actually Ezra who's a spiritual leader over that time. And it shows you, like I think you mentioned earlier, they needed a team. There's a group of them together that were they were working together on that. But also a reminder to anyone, you know, you don't have to just be a preacher or even to be able to communicate, even well honestly in order to help further God's mission, God's kingdom on this earth. And so maybe you're here right now and you're like, man, I really want to make an impact. I really want to help lead people to Jesus. I really want to you know, share my faith. But you feel like there's all these obstacles, there's maybe or maybe you need a platform. In reality, what God shows throughout the story through Nehemiah is that he used someone like Neamiah. He used his wisdom, he uses a sermon, he used his strategy in order to help rebuild the walls. He used what people were called weak and feeble to build the walls. He used, like you mentioned earlier, all the different tradesmen to do all this work. So don't ever underestimate what God or the gifts and skills and abilities God has given you, and how He wants to use that to glorify Him. That you don't just have to be a preacher or a pastor or a speaker in order to reach people. So I love that part of the story. Yeah. I think another sermon that's hidden in here somewhere too is the prominence of God's word being in the center as a community. So it says that they built a wooden podium for the purpose of Ezra to stand. In it, right, yeah, or to stand behind it or on it. I don't know what kind of podium it was, but obviously he was elevated, it says. And it says that he was prominent on the city and everybody sat around as a community and they heard God's word. And you know, the only time I really do that in my family, I mean we you know, we growing up, we would have devotions all the time. And obviously, I because I write sermons so much, I obviously very often I'll sit the whole family down and I'll. Say, okay, okay, here we go. I wrote the Eastern Message and I'm going to run this by you, and you know, let's see what you think of this. And I'll sit there in front of them, and I read scripture sometimes, but this feels a little different. The only time I ever picture myself doing this with my family is at Christmas time we read Luke chapter two, right, so you know, everybody sits down on the tree and you know, you you already sort of know Luke chapter two. You know, at least in my household, we do. And uh, and you already know what's coming. But you're doing it to what to elevate the birth of Christ on Christmas Day. You're doing it to remind everybody the focus of Christmas Day to to uh, you know, as a reminder of all things. And even though you know the story already, there's a there's a there's an elevation of the importance of scripture and the focus of that day on that in that in that moment, and that's sort of how I feel here. I mean, number one, it was tradition for them to do it this way right as a community, So so that's one thing it was. It was it was tied back to their tradition. But number two, it feels like it doesn't say so, but it feels like this is the first time that they've done this since the return of Jerusalem. And they've been at Jerusalem for some of them, probably for several years, maybe even for well for decades, right, because the first group came down and then it says then Ezra came down eighty years later, right, So so uh and it says, well, we haven't worshiped like that since the days of Joshua, which means that they haven't felt like a community, right, They haven't felt like like like you know, they've been They've been wandering around and existing trying to survive for for for a couple even generations, and then all of a sudden, now they're. There, you know, they're this. Uh, they have this moment where it feels like, hey, the word of God is prominent. Uh. And so all that to say this, Uh, here's how we relate. We relate by is the word of God prominent in your family? Is there is there a culture where God's word is made to be the center the focus, uh, you know, of of of that community. That you live in and your home that you live in. Because for them, they had said, man, it feels like everything's right again, and that's that's really what we want for our homes. Yeah, yeah, sorry that I love that that it's a focus on scripture and then a festival right after. It's like celebration. Yeah, and that's a good life right there, right, focus on scripture, celebrate life, live life to the fullest and uh here. And I just think it's really cool to put that in the forefront. That it's like sometimes when you focus on God as a family, you have no choice but to celebrate whatever that may be. You know, it doesn't be partying obviously, like let's throw a big bash, but it's almost the idea of like Sabbath. I love the idea of Sabbath. When you take that rest, you're able to focus on God, and then the next day it feels like like life. I mean, Sabbath is great on its own, but even still, it feels like the things when you take a rest from something, when you get back to work, when you get back around family, it's like all of a sudden, like things have new meaning. Color is different, that food, you know, it's it's one of those things where I think it's the way God intended differ it to be for us to put him at the forefront and everything. Well that's great. Well, hey, that is our time, and so we will pick up with the rest of Nehemiah on Monday. And I think Jeff will be back with us. Jen. Although we love you Kyle, we love Jeff as well. So hopefully we will see you guys back with us on Monday on the Bible guys, mhmm