The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-12-16
EZRA TEACHES THE LAW
BY Edward Leigh Pell, D. D.
for Neh

Golden Text-The law OF the Lord
is perfect, converting the soul.--Ps.
10: I.
Historical Setting. --Time.--The first
day OF the seventh month tTisri)
about b. c. 445 or 444. The seventh
month embraced parts OF our Sep
TENDER and October. Nehemiah had
| been In Jerusalem about two months
and the walls had been completed one
week.
| Place--probably the open square
| OF Ophel. southeast of the temple
area. ATtaxeras. king of Persia; Ne
hemiah. governor tTirshatha) of
Judah.
The Lesson Text In Everyday Dress.
| A week after the completion of the
walls great multitude OF people who
We're In Jerusalem attending the feast
Of trumpets. gathered in the public
square southeast OF the temple area.
ana called upon Ezra to read to them
out OF the book Of the law. OF Moses.
In obedience to the summons Ezra.
attended by thirteen leading men.
mounted the platform and Opened the
book in the sight OF all the people. .
At this the people stood up as a sign
OF reverence for the law. and Ezra
gave thanks to God. perhaps repeating
= psalm of praise to which the people
resonded with loud amens, at the
some time pointing toward heaven az
calling upon God to be their witness.
Then they FRUSTRATED themselves upon
the ground in prayer, after which Ezra
began to read. the law and to explain
az. or. at any rate. to translate It
into the half Chaldee vernacular then
spoken by the people. In this he
seems to have been assisted by the
men who stood with him on the plat
form. who probably relieved him at
intervals. and also by other men, Lev
ties. who were probably stationed at
intervals through the crowd ia repeat
and explain the reading where the
voice from the platform could not be
heard. A. the reading continued the
people began to realize how far they
had fallen short OF the requirements
OF the law. and the air was presently
hiled with their lamentations. But
Nehemiah and Ezra reminded them
that II was the feast Of the rumpets.
and therefore a time for rejoicing and
not weeping. and exhorted them to
go their way and enjoy the day and
send gifts to those who were In need
that they might enjoy the day also.
The Heart Of the Lesson.
The central truth In in the attention
which the people gave to the reading
Of the law. Attentive listening ia al
ways a significant fact We read a
mans heart by the things to which he
listens attentively. When a boy listens
with reddening cars to u vile story we
know what 1t means. When a girl
strains her ears to catch another's
tattle we know what that means. Talk
business In a crowd and in a moment
you can pick out evry business man
in It. Talk politics ana you will know
who IN interested In politics. Talk
abo0t the church ana you will know
who II interested In the church. Talk
about God and you will know who -
interested in God.
When we are told these Jews~were
attentive to the law we are prepared
for the whole story. We are not sur
prised to hnd that they came to Ezra
and asked him to read to them. The
two facts ht We would expect at
tentivS hearing from such pebble, ana
We would expect such people from
such attentive hearing. They were at
tenttvs because they wsre intsrested.
They were Interested IN the reading
becauss they had ~ interest IA
the law. Thsy fslt an interest In the
INV because they had IN intArest Ia \
God. This u thu bottou fao4.a q Wa