Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1917-12-07
LESSON FOR DECEMBER 9
EZRA AND NEHEMIAH TEACH
THE LAW.

LESSON TEXT-Nehenliah 81, 4, 8, g.
SIP Read entire chapter.
GOLDEN TEXT-Thy word is a lamp
unto my feet, and light unto my path
Ps. 119:105
The first day of the seventh month
(S:2) was about October 444 B. G.
Seven days feast wv. 1919 was the
feast of the Tabernacles beginning |,
the 18th of the seventh month (Octo-
ber) and continuing for seven or
eight days (Lev. 23). Nehemiah was
the governor; Ezra the scribe, chief
priest; and Artaxerxes, king of Per
sia, ruler over Palestine. 1t would be |
interesting to look up the sudden in
teriection of Ezra'S name into this |
discourse; also the special reasons for |
teaching the Bible. There is in this |
chapter a record of a full week and |
of the daily events of that week.
|. The Preparation. Go back to
verse 70 of the preceding chapter, and
you will find that the temple had just
been receiving some large gifts. The
task Of finishing the wall was also
completed, all of which gives point to
verse one, where it says that the peo-
pie gathered themselves together as
one man. This was an ancient open
air meeting, one we do well to study.
The people requested Ezra to "bring
the book" 1t needed no catch-penny
operations to draw the crowd togeth-
er The writer of Nehemiah calls the
book "the law which the Lord hath
commanded unto Moses (See V. 1
cf. V. 14.) This, of course, would in
clude Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuter-
onomy, an Indication as to the Mosaic
| authorship of the Pentateuch, which is
in line with the statement that Jesus
Christ made that it was God who had
written it as he had commanded
Moses. 1t was not a mOb there was
organization and equipment. (See V.
and A. The Bible was also read so
that the people could understand it
| (v. 2); certainly something that is in
| demand in our present day. Ezra
| opened the book in the sight Of all the
| people, for he stood on an elevation
above them ". 81 and read "dis-
| tinctly."
II. The Reading of the Word. They
read the book, not from some COM
mentary or quarterly, though these
have value in their place. The read
ing began with reverence. Reverence
for but not a worship Of the book.
The Bible is not a fetish or a charm
against sickness or accident. The
verse "caused the people to under
stand the law" ". y probably means
that is was translated into the YER
nacular, the language of the common
people. While Gods word is a plain
book and easy to read, nevertheless
men of spiritual understanding are
needed to rightly divide" it unto the
people ". y. However, the great in
terpreter of the Bible, given by the Fa-
ther is the Holy Spirit himself John
16:12-15; John '2:20-2O. This
method of beginning the study of the
word and it's continuance as presented
in these verses is a good suggestion
for modern Sunday school workers.
There is blessing in being a teacher
g and joy in being hearer.
ILL., The Hearing of the Word. wv.
DID. AS Ezra and Nehemiah and
their associates and Levites taught
the people, there was five-fold result.
, First: There was conviction and
mourning. The word of God always
eonvicts Of sin, but the people were
told not to mourn over the past, nor
were they to weep, for all the people
wept ". 81. When men hear the
words of the law there will be con-
viction of sin. (See Eph. 6:7; Heb
4:12) Weeping may not, however, be
conviction e Cor. 7:10). Weeping
weakens, but that was not designed
rather the exhilaration of joy. More
over, they were to seek the refresh
ment of food and drink. Indeed, the
joy of the Lord was to be theil
strength ". 10Y. "And there was very
} great gladnesS" ". I'D. In verse II
: we are told that the Levites exhorte6
the people to hold their peace, thai
! the day was holy and that they should
be grieved. To this the people re
) sponded (v. 12) and made great mirth
3 because they had understood the dec
= laration of the word of the Lord. No
f tice that joy and gladness came aftel
e obedience, also that Nehemiah, tht
J. governor, had a part in the teaching
: 1t is great thing for any people whe1
> their civil rulers are genuine, intelli
: gent, and spiritual leaders. The peo
2 pie were instructed to show their graft
: tude as well as their piety by remem
: bering Sthose for whom nothing hat
r been prepared" ". 10). The fourtl
: result was peace ". 11)-the peace
e of right relation with God (Rom. 5
e 1; Phil. 4:T. Mourning can be con
, tinued too long, and, therefore, it wa!
r necessary to employ the emotion O.
q mirth and the exercise Of work tha
the people might enter into this peace
The fifth result, therefore, was sery
ice ". 12). Notice that their thanks
= giving portions and their service wer
r based upon an intelligent knowledg
, of Gods word. If there is anythin,
: that present-day social service needs
r it is the illumination which come
from a knowledge of Gods word. Las
of all, worship wv. 1919. WORSHIP
, is compound of worth and "ship.
What is God worth to me? Worshi
+ is the answer. At its best it is tn
e spontaneous exercise of the joy of tn
Lord in a redeemed soul. 1t is no
: spectacular, but quiet, reverent an
$ strong. 1t ascends to God; he alon
: is the object, however expressed
There is power in life built aroun
such center.
We Forget the BLESSINGS.