Transcript of Day 271 (Nehemiah 8-10) - Year 7

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, Esra and Nehemiah team up to present the people with God's word. Specifically, it was probably the Five Books of 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, gather together to hear the presentation. From early in the morning until midday, the people stand as Esre 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. Esre 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, 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 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 household come back for another day of Torah 101. That when they cover Leviticus 23 and realize there's a feast they've forgotten. 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 for 40 years while they lived in booths in the desert. This is still around today, and it's known as Sucat. 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, Esra reads more of the books 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 6 hours, then they confess and worship for 6 hours. That's a full day. Then the Levites stand up and praise God, and someone, probably Esra, 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 Abraham and brought him out and gave him a new name. He paid attention to Abraham's heart. 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 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 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 Esra finishes praising God for all he's done in the past, 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. Right now, we're dealing with a lot. 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 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. 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 words said. They'd abandoned one of his feast for nearly a thousand years, and still he's like, Okay, let's circle back up again. I'm not giving up on you. God is committed to being known by his people and being in relationship with them. He's so patient and persistent distant. 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. We're almost finished with the Old Testament. Lots of you have had questions along the way, and this month we're offering a special bonus episode for our Recaptains, where I respond to your questions about the Old Testament. This content is exclusively for Recaptains who are at the bonus content tier or higher. Now is a great time to sign up or to upgrade your plan.

We offer great perks like this for our Recaptains every month. You can learn more about how to support the Bible Recap and see all the great perks at the Recaptains link on our website, the Bibleiblerecap. Com, or click the link in the show notes.