CHAPTER 8

(445 B.C.)

EZRA READS AND EXPLAINS THE WORD OF GOD

¹And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spoke unto Ezra the Scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded to Israel. (Blessed people! They are asking for instruction from the Bible, and they have an instinctive feeling that to hear Gods Word will help them. Most definitely it did, and most definitely it will!)

²And Ezra the Priest brought the Law before the congregation both of men and women, and all who could hear with understanding (even little children), upon the first day of the seventh month (our October, the time then of the Feast of Tabernacles).

³And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday (about 6 hours), before the men and the women, and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the Book of the Law (the meaning is: The ears of all the people were to the Book, fixed on that, and on nothing else).

⁴And Ezra the Scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchiah, and Hashum, and Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam (these men stood with Ezra, evidently, to support him; how many presently are standing with the man of God?).

⁵And Ezra opened the Book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people [standing on an upraised platform];) and when he opened it, all the people stood up (the Jews commonly sat to hear and stood up to pray; but in hearing they occasionally stood up to do great honor to the person or the occasion; it is not to be supposed that they stood during the whole of the six hours that Ezras reading lasted):

⁶And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with their faces to the ground (very similar to modern worship, and we speak of that which is truly of the Spirit).

⁷Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the Law (expounded it during pauses in the reading): and the people stood in their place (this doesnt mean that the people stood all of this time, but that they kept their place all of this time, whatever their posture).

⁸So they read in the Book in the Law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading (identically as true Preachers of the Gospel are to do presently; this is expository teaching, the only kind which will help people to understand the Word; it simply means that the Scripture is read and then explained).

⁹And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha (Governor), and Ezra the Priest the Scribe (who wrote the Book of Ezra), and the Levites who taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the LORD your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the Words of the Law (people wept, for they recognized how deeply they had sinned against so loving a God; it was hearing the Words of the Book that awoke them to this consciousness; however, the weeping, which was contrition for sin, now occasions joy, even as it always does).

¹⁰Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet (in other words, rejoice in the Lord), and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared (share with those who have nothing): for this day is holy unto our LORD: neither be you sorry (the Lord has forgiven you, so there is no more need to be sorry); for the Joy of the LORD is your strength. (They were now encouraged to rejoice, because God was rejoicing in them. This was the Joy that filled Gods heart because of their obedience, which meant both strength and safety to them. If we presently follow their example, we too will experience the Joy of the Lord, and it will be our strength. Remember, this is Gods Joy, which we are privileged to share.)

¹¹So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be you grieved.

¹²And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth, because they had understood the Words that were declared unto them (great rejoicing).

THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES RESTORED

¹³And on the second day were gathered together the chief of the fathers of all the people, the Priests, and the Levites, unto Ezra the Scribe, even to understand the Words of the Law (only the leaders gathered on this day, all in order to study further the Word of God).

¹⁴And they found written in the Law which the LORD had commanded by Moses, that the Children of Israel should dwell in booths in the Feast of the seventh month (Feast of Tabernacles).

¹⁵And that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities, and in Jerusalem, saying, Go forth unto the mount, and fetch olive branches, and pine branches, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of thick trees, to make booths, as it is written.

¹⁶So the people went forth, and brought them, and made themselves booths, every one upon the roof of his house (roofs are flat in that part of the world), and in their courts, and in the Courts of the House of God, and in the street of the water gate, and in the street of the gate of Ephraim (those who lived away from Jerusalem made themselves booths in these particular places).

¹⁷And all the congregation of them who were come again out of the captivity made booths, and sat under the booths: for since the days of Jeshua (Joshua) the son of Nun unto that day had not the Children of Israel done so. And there was very great gladness (it is not to be understood that there had been no previous compliance of this Feast, but only that there had been no such joy and general celebration of the Festival; it is the very great gladness that is especially insisted upon Pulpit).

¹⁸Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the Book of the Law of God. And they kept the Feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according unto the manner (according to the Scripture [Lev. 23:3343]).