The Bible Recap - Day 271 (Nehemiah 8-10) - Year 6

Starting point is 00:00:00 Hey Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble and I'm your host for The Bible Recap. The exiles have returned, the temple has been rebuilt, and the walls have been restored. But as we know, God isn't concerned only with the details of where they live and worship. He's also concerned about their hearts. Today, Ezra and Nehemiah team up to present the people with God's Word. Specifically, it was probably the five books of Moses, which are known as the Torah or the Pentateuch. We started out our year with them—Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Today, all the men, women, and children old enough to understand,

Starting point is 00:00:41 gather together to hear the presentation. From early in the morning until midday, the people stand as Ezra reads the word aloud. And they pay attention. And when they aren't standing, they're worshiping with their faces to the ground. These people are receiving what they're hearing. And anytime there's a confusing spot, the Levites help them understand things. Ezra reads a little bit, and then the Levites explain it. They know it's necessary for people to not just hear the word, but to understand the word,

Starting point is 00:01:07 because we can't and won't respond properly to something we misunderstand or misapply. At times, what they're reading is heavy. We've been there, we know. And the people are grieved over it all. But the priest remind them that this is actually worth rejoicing over. Today is to be celebrated,

Starting point is 00:01:24 because it's a day God set apart to remind them about their relationship with Him. He reminds them that God is after their joy, and that reminder should strengthen them. So they end the day with a feast. Wouldn't it be nice if I threw us a feast every day? Sorry, I'm slacking. On day two, the heads of the households come back for another day of Torah 101. That's when they cover Leviticus 23 and realize there's a feast they've forgotten,

Starting point is 00:01:48 one God commanded a long time ago but that they haven't celebrated in almost a thousand years. The Feast of Booths, or Feast of Tabernacles, is a fall festival where they commemorate the fact that God provided for the Israelites for 40 years while they lived in booths in the desert. This is still around today, and it's known as Sukkat. It usually happens in September or October, so right about now if you're listening to this on the day it posts. It's a seven-day feast, and on every day of the feast Ezra reads more of the books

Starting point is 00:02:16 of the law to them while the Levites give the Bible recap. And on the eighth day after they finish celebrating, they have a sacred gathering. Later that month, they gather again for fasting and worship and repentance. They read the word for six hours, then they confess and worship for six hours. That's a full day. Then the Levites stand up and praise God,

Starting point is 00:02:35 and someone, probably Ezra, prays an incredible prayer, recounting all God has done for his people. You know I love verbs, so here are all the verbs God is verbing in this prayer in chapter 9. And if you listen closely, you'll hear a very abridged version of everything we've read since day one. He alone is God. He made heaven and earth and everything. He preserves everything He made. He chose Abram and brought him out and gave him a new name. He paid attention to Abraham's heart.

Starting point is 00:03:00 He made a covenant with him and kept his promise because he's righteous. He saw the affliction of his people in Egypt and heard their cries and performed signs and wonders to protect them because he knew they were being oppressed. He made a name for himself. He divided the sea. He cast their pursuers down. He led them by cloud and by fire. He came down the mountain to speak with them. He gave them rules and laws. He made his ways known to them. He gave them food. He brought them water. He told them to go to the promised land. He swore to give it to them. He performed wonders. He is ready to forgive. He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love. He doesn't forsake His people, even when they

Starting point is 00:03:40 sin and rebel. He doesn't depart from them. He gave his spirit to instruct them. He didn't withhold food or water. He made sure they lacked nothing. He gave them kingdoms and people. He multiplied their children. He brought them into the promised land. He subdued their enemies and gave them victory over them. When they rebelled, he gave them into the hands

Starting point is 00:03:59 of their enemies, but he heard their cries. He sent people to rescue them. They rebelled again and he abandoned them until they cried out to him again. He heard their cries again and delivered them again. He warned them to repent. He bore with them. He warned them through his spirit and his prophets. He gave them over to other nations, but he didn't make an end of them or forsake them. After Ezra finishes praising God for all he's done in the past,

Starting point is 00:04:24 he brings His prayer into the future and He appeals to God on the basis of God's established character. He says, We know you're a God who keeps your word. We've seen your steadfast love displayed to us repeatedly. And even when things have been hard for us, you've always dealt with us righteously and faithfully, no matter how wicked we've been. And right now, we're dealing with a lot,

Starting point is 00:04:45 and we know we deserve every bit of it, but please just take notice of it all, all our present hardships and trials. This prayer isn't demanding or entitled at all. It's a humble prayer of repentance and hope, honoring God and His character, while appealing for mercy because of His character. In chapter 10, the leaders sign a written covenant

Starting point is 00:05:05 saying they will obey God's laws. They say they'll finally pay attention and remember and honor him. They won't marry people who don't love Yahweh. They'll keep the commandments, including Sabbath. They'll give generously to God and those who serve in the temple. And they won't neglect the house of God.

Starting point is 00:05:21 What was your God shot today? Mine was the way he made himself known to the people who had long forgotten or ignored who he is. They'd never really known what his word said. They'd abandoned one of his feasts for nearly a thousand years and still he's like, okay, let's circle back up again. I'm not giving up on you.

Starting point is 00:05:38 God is committed to being known by his people and being in relationship with them. He's so patient and persistent. And I love how their hearts respond with both an ache and a shout of joy. After all this time, they're finally seeing him and hopefully they're realizing he's where the joy is. It's not too late to become a ReCaptain this month

Starting point is 00:06:03 while you can still access the bonus material. Each month we have a little something special for our Recaptons at the Bonus Content Tier and up. For September, we've got my personal Scripture memorization method. If you're a Recapton at the Bonus Content Tier or higher, you already have access to this in your account. But if you're not yet a Recapton and you want some additional tips and tricks for Scripture memory, you can join us and access it now. Check out the ReCaptains page on our website,

Starting point is 00:06:29 thebiblerecap.com, or click the link in the show notes.

The Bible Recap - Day 271 (Nehemiah 8-10) - Year 6

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