Nehemiah 8 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study

Nehemiah 8 Short Summary:

In Nehemiah 8, all the Jews gathered in Jerusalem to hear Ezra read from the Book of the Law of Moses. Ezra read from the book and then gave commentary to help the people understand. After hearing the reading, the people were sad, probably because they realized how negligent they had been in keeping God’s commands. They resolved to do better, and they started by observing the Feast of Trumpets and the Feast of Booths.

Nehemiah 8 Summary

WHEN:

• 538-537 BC – Cyrus the Great of Persia frees the Jews from their Babylonian captivity.

• 516 BC – The rebuilding of the Temple is completed in Jerusalem.

• 457 BC – Ezra arrives in Jerusalem.

• 445-444 BC – Nehemiah arrives in Jerusalem.

KEY CHARACTERS:

• Nehemiah – The former Jewish cupbearer to the king of Persia. He motivated the Jews to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. He was appointed governor of Judah.

• Ezra - A priest and scribe who was skilled in the Law of God. He arrived in Jerusalem around 13 years before Nehemiah.

WHERE:

• Jerusalem – The capital of the Kingdom of Judah and the location of God’s Temple.

OUTLINE:

• EZRA READS THE LAW OF GOD TO THE PEOPLE (8:1-11):

  • The people of Jerusalem gathered at the Water Gate, and Ezra read to them from a scroll containing the law God gave to Moses.

  • This civil and religious law was given by God to Moses to govern the people of Israel, and it was supposed to be passed down from generation to generation, but the Tribes of Israel had failed to follow it.

  • Ezra read from the scroll from morning until midday.

  • After reading from the scroll, Ezra and the men assisting him added commentary to help the people understand what they just read.

• A DAY FOR REJOICING, NOT A DAY FOR WEEPING (8:9-12):

  • When the assembly of people heard the Law of God read, many of them started crying, probably because they realized how negligent they had been in keeping God’s commands.

  • But Nehemiah and Ezra lightened the hearts of the people by telling them it was not a day for sadness but a day for joy. It was the 1st day of the 7th month; a special feast day called the Feast of Trumpets (Neh 8:2; Lev 23:24).

  • The people were told to return to their homes, enjoy good food together, and share what they had with the poor.

  • The people did as they were instructed and went away rejoicing because they had heard and understood the words of God.

• THE FEAST OF BOOTHS (8:13-18):

  • The next day, the leaders of Judah returned to hear more of the Law of God. They learned that they were supposed to keep the Feast of Booths for 7 days, beginning on the 15th day of the month (Lev 23:33-36).

  • The meaning of this feast is described Leviticus 23.

  • Leviticus 23:42-43 – “You shall dwell in booths for seven days, all native Israelites shall dwell in booths, that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.”

  • The people were to live in make-shift structures for 7 days to remind them of how God took care of them, brought them out of Egypt, led them through the desert when they were a nomadic group, and eventually gave them a permanent land with better homes in Canaan.

  • The leaders of Judah spread the news throughout the land and all the people prepared to celebrate the feast.

  • They gathered branches and built booths (temporary living structures) on the roofs of their houses, in the courtyards, and in the squares of the city.

  • According to Nehemiah 8:17, this feast had not been kept in this way since the days of Joshua.

  • The Book of the Law of God was read to the people every day of the feast.

APPLICATION

• What might you discover if you read God’s book?

• The people of Judah had been in the Promised Land for several decades, they had reestablished worship at the Temple, but they were still ignorant about some of God’s key commands.

• Perhaps you’ve attended a church for decades, but have you ever studied God’s book seriously?

• Who knows what you might find in there?!

• You may discover things you need to be doing but you’re not doing.

• You may discover things you are doing that you shouldn’t be doing.

• Don’t rely on the decades that came before you to reveal the totality of God’s truth to you, go to God’s book and let Him teach you what He requires.