ASSASSIN
05-23-2008, 08:57 PM
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON FOR MAY 25, 2008
RENEWING THE COVENANT -
Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5, 6, 13, 14, 17, 18
BACKGROUND:
There is little doubt that the children of Israel ( Judah ) had great leadership. They had Daniel to pray for their forgiveness after they had been in captivity in Babylon for some 70 years; they had the Prophet Haggai to meet them in Jerusalem and urge them to honor God by completing the Temple so that they could worship properly. Then there was Nehemiah who risked his life in more ways than one in order to complete the rebuilding of the walls and the erection of the gates to the city. All this took more than 90 years. But in today’s lesson, something takes place that is at least as important as anything else that has been done so far – renewing the covenant with God...
Now a covenant is an agreement between at least two parties, almost always requiring something of each covenant party. This covenant had to be renewed because it had been broken – by the people. It is important to remember that God never breaks His part of a covenant. It was therefore incumbent on the people to approach God in seeking to restore good relations. In truth, they should have been more than anxious to do so, since God had delivered them from bondage without the good relationship being restored...
So the prayers have now been offered; the temple has been completed; the walls have been restored; now, it is time to reconnect with God...
FIRST DAY: ATTITUDE OF REVIVAL (Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5, 6)
All the people gathered, “…as one man…”. That is, they were together, in one accord. This is the atmosphere that existed many years later when the Holy Spirit began His work in the hearts of men (Acts 2). It would seem that the Spirit of God responds to good fellowship. It is difficult, if not impossible, to summon God in His Glory amid a people divided by strife...
And the people appeared to have little interest in being entertained (as we often do today); they simply wanted to hear the Word of God. Now some had almost certainly heard this before, since Ezra the Priest had been in the country for some 15 years; but others – possibly those that came with Nehemiah – had not heard the Mosaic Law at all. It is interesting that men, women, and youth alike gathered to hear the reading of the Book of Law. If nothing else, it demonstrated the universality of the Word of God. It is intended for all ages...
Here is another interesting point: Ezra read from the Book of Law for some six hours, and they not only didn’t get bored, the people were “attentive”. One can only imagine what would happen in today’s congregation – one that is acclimated to a few verbal words and them music to break the monotony. Indeed, if there were any breaks at all during this period, it was to have portions of the Word explained (cf verse 7)...
Beyond all this, the people may well have stood for most if not all of the reading. Look at veerse 5: “….all the people stood up”. Of course many experts argue that the standing was merely temporary, but this writer can find little scriptural evidence of this...
Verse 6 shows how God’s Word was accepted by the people. After all, the Book of Law is a protracted list of requirements for mankind. The people recognized the reading of all this as one enormous question to them: Do you accept this, and do you commit to responding positively to these edicts?. The answer on the parts of the people was positive. Not one, but two “Amen’s” , coupled with sincere worship. Yes, the people had promised to begin “doing right” immediately...
Have you broken good relationship with God lately? If so, have you since pledged to modify your behavior and come back to Him?
SECOND DAY: ACTION OF REVIVAL (Nehemiah 8:13, 14, 17, 18)
Too many times in our religious life we are content with “getting happy” in a heated service, then going home to the very same behavior to which we are accustomed. Not so with the Israelites here. The reading of the Word caused them to advance into Bible study (Does that happen today?). They “found” the Feast of Tabernacles. Of course, that is surely not all they found; it was just that the season for that celebration was at hand, and remembering that they had just promised God that they were going to serve Him, they decided to begin immediately...
So on the heels of two days of intense Bible study, the people went into a total of eight days of special celebration – even though that celebration required that they literally move out of their nice homes (remember they had built the houses before they completed the Temple?) and live in “booths” in the open air. Again, they were “entertained” on a daily basis by having the Word read to them regularly. After that came the eighth day, and a “solemn assembly”. Can you imagine how the Spirit must have been moving in that service?....
A
RENEWING THE COVENANT -
Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5, 6, 13, 14, 17, 18
BACKGROUND:
There is little doubt that the children of Israel ( Judah ) had great leadership. They had Daniel to pray for their forgiveness after they had been in captivity in Babylon for some 70 years; they had the Prophet Haggai to meet them in Jerusalem and urge them to honor God by completing the Temple so that they could worship properly. Then there was Nehemiah who risked his life in more ways than one in order to complete the rebuilding of the walls and the erection of the gates to the city. All this took more than 90 years. But in today’s lesson, something takes place that is at least as important as anything else that has been done so far – renewing the covenant with God...
Now a covenant is an agreement between at least two parties, almost always requiring something of each covenant party. This covenant had to be renewed because it had been broken – by the people. It is important to remember that God never breaks His part of a covenant. It was therefore incumbent on the people to approach God in seeking to restore good relations. In truth, they should have been more than anxious to do so, since God had delivered them from bondage without the good relationship being restored...
So the prayers have now been offered; the temple has been completed; the walls have been restored; now, it is time to reconnect with God...
FIRST DAY: ATTITUDE OF REVIVAL (Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5, 6)
All the people gathered, “…as one man…”. That is, they were together, in one accord. This is the atmosphere that existed many years later when the Holy Spirit began His work in the hearts of men (Acts 2). It would seem that the Spirit of God responds to good fellowship. It is difficult, if not impossible, to summon God in His Glory amid a people divided by strife...
And the people appeared to have little interest in being entertained (as we often do today); they simply wanted to hear the Word of God. Now some had almost certainly heard this before, since Ezra the Priest had been in the country for some 15 years; but others – possibly those that came with Nehemiah – had not heard the Mosaic Law at all. It is interesting that men, women, and youth alike gathered to hear the reading of the Book of Law. If nothing else, it demonstrated the universality of the Word of God. It is intended for all ages...
Here is another interesting point: Ezra read from the Book of Law for some six hours, and they not only didn’t get bored, the people were “attentive”. One can only imagine what would happen in today’s congregation – one that is acclimated to a few verbal words and them music to break the monotony. Indeed, if there were any breaks at all during this period, it was to have portions of the Word explained (cf verse 7)...
Beyond all this, the people may well have stood for most if not all of the reading. Look at veerse 5: “….all the people stood up”. Of course many experts argue that the standing was merely temporary, but this writer can find little scriptural evidence of this...
Verse 6 shows how God’s Word was accepted by the people. After all, the Book of Law is a protracted list of requirements for mankind. The people recognized the reading of all this as one enormous question to them: Do you accept this, and do you commit to responding positively to these edicts?. The answer on the parts of the people was positive. Not one, but two “Amen’s” , coupled with sincere worship. Yes, the people had promised to begin “doing right” immediately...
Have you broken good relationship with God lately? If so, have you since pledged to modify your behavior and come back to Him?
SECOND DAY: ACTION OF REVIVAL (Nehemiah 8:13, 14, 17, 18)
Too many times in our religious life we are content with “getting happy” in a heated service, then going home to the very same behavior to which we are accustomed. Not so with the Israelites here. The reading of the Word caused them to advance into Bible study (Does that happen today?). They “found” the Feast of Tabernacles. Of course, that is surely not all they found; it was just that the season for that celebration was at hand, and remembering that they had just promised God that they were going to serve Him, they decided to begin immediately...
So on the heels of two days of intense Bible study, the people went into a total of eight days of special celebration – even though that celebration required that they literally move out of their nice homes (remember they had built the houses before they completed the Temple?) and live in “booths” in the open air. Again, they were “entertained” on a daily basis by having the Word read to them regularly. After that came the eighth day, and a “solemn assembly”. Can you imagine how the Spirit must have been moving in that service?....
A