Power in the Pages: Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10 - Third Sunday after Epiphany

¹All the people [of Israel] gathered together into the square before the Water Gate. They told the scribe Ezra to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had given to Israel. ²Accordingly, the priest Ezra brought the law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could hear with understanding. This was on the first day of the seventh month. ³He read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law. ⁵And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. ⁶Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands. Then they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. ⁸So they read from the book, from the law of God, with interpretation. They gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.
  ⁹And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law. ¹⁰Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” (NRSV)

Scroll of Isaiah from Qumran, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. [retrieved January 25, 2019]. 

When I was in seminary, I attended a Friday evening Shabbat in a local synagogue with a number of my friends and classmates. Two things stand out in my memory about that experience… First, I never felt more welcome in any church than I did that evening as a Christian worshipping with Jews. Second, I was even more struck by how much of the service was conducted in Hebrew. At one point, a young man—no more than fifteen—stood up and read the Scriptures in Hebrew. Doubtless, he was a bar mitzvah—a son of the commandment—meaning that he was considered a full member of the congregation. Think of it like our confirmation—except that it’s exceedingly longer and more intensive. It’s likely this young man knows far more about the Hebrew Scriptures than even I do.

You can’t help but wonder: why so much focus on the Scriptures? Is it because they love God more than we do? Do they fear God more than we do? Or is there some other reason?

For clues, we can look to our first reading for today—in the little-thought-of Old Testament book of Nehemiah.

The year is about 400 B.C. The exodus from Egypt under Moses was 850 years ago.  550 years ago, Israel was at the height of its power under King David.  But by now, that’s ancient history.  What isn’t ancient history is the nearly 50 years of exile in Babylon. 

God’s prophets made it crystal clear that the exile was punishment for having neglected God’s Word.  They didn’t bother teaching it or listening to it—and their relationship with God unraveled, as did their society.

Then suddenly, Babylon falls, and the exile is over.  The new king permits the survivors to go home and rebuild Jerusalem—which is great—but no easy task.

For starters, God led 650,000 Jews out of Egypt across the Red Sea under Moses (Num 1:45-46).  But only 42,000 Jews are returning home from the exile (cf. Neh. 7:66)

Everything must be rebuilt from scratch—not just buildings but the entire economy and way of life. And of course, the temple must be rebuilt. The city wall must be rebuilt to repel enemy attacks. 140 years pass before they get to where they are today. Even then, this nation a shadow of its former—self in terms of its size, strength, and stability.

Nevertheless, all the survivors gather at the newly-built wall—and the priest Ezra reads the book of the Law of Moses. From early morning until midday. God’s Word is spoken and read, with interpretation. The people listen. They worship with their faces to the ground. They say “Amen, amen,” and weep as they hear the words God has for them.

Why does the reading of God’s Word get such a reaction?

For starters, I doubt they had been hearing it much, given the fact that they’d spent the last 140 years rebuilding everything. Furthermore, 97% of the population would’ve been illiterate and those who could read wouldn’t have owned private copies of the Scriptures.

In a larger sense, this entire nation had been to hell and back. They waited a long time for this day to come. On this day it was crystal clear that despite their forebears’ unfaithfulness, God had been faithful. God remained faithful to their generation as well. Now, they can face the future with hope.

Has God’s Word ever spoken to you so powerfully—that it moves you to tears or casts you down to your knees in worship? Does Has God’s Word ever been so powerful as to compel you to acts of love and generosity—and it feels like you’re not in control? Has God’s Word take your life in a completely new direction?

Remember that the bible is not a textbook. It isn’t a biography. It’s far more than just doctrines and laws. The bible is all about relationships. It’s the story of God in relationship with ordinary people like you and me—and the transformation that results within that relationship. This is why God’s Word is so important and so central in the Christian life: to nurture you in God’s love, which is realized in the family of faith.

So when our young Jewish friends spend years preparing for their Bar or Bat Mitzvah, and learning the Hebrew language, it’s not “works righteousness.” They do this to strengthen their relationship with God, with each other, and with the world God made.

Yes, the bible is mysterious and difficult to understand. Yes, it’s full of strange laws that don’t make any sense—and words you can’t pronounce. Yes, it can be boring, depressing, and downright frightening—just like real life.

But that’s where the church comes in. We listen to and study God’s Word together, and we make sense of it, together. We’re bound together not just by our baptism, but by the fact that we live in the same communities. Our children attend the same schools. We share the same struggles. We have the same hopes and dreams for our children. And it may surprise you to know that the people who will help you to make sense of the Scriptures don’t hold seminary degrees, TV shows, bestselling books, or $1,000 haircuts. They’re people just like you. And they’re our children.

Waiting in the pages of your bible are life-changing and world-changing relationships; freedom from sin and the rebirth of a new creation; a vision of life as it can be for the family of God and the people we serve. Together, you can face and overcome anything—because the joy of the Lord will be your strength.

God is gracious and merciful; slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. God speaks—and pain is turned to healing; their fear is turned to hope; helplessness turns to strength. The hungry are fed. God’s love lives in the community that clings to God’s Word.

So what are you waiting for? Open the pages and dive into brand new life.