Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1917-12-07
INTERNATIONAL
SUNDAYSQlOQL
LESSON
(By e. o. SELLERS. Acting Director OF
the Sunday School Course Of the Moody
Bible Institute, Chicago.)
Copyright. 1917, Western Newspaper Union,)
LESSON FOR DECEMBER g
EZRA AND NEHEMIAH TEACH
THE LAW.

\ The first day of the seventh month
(S:2) was about October 444 b. G.
" Seven days feast (vv. 1919 was the
4 feast Of the Tabernacles beginning
II the 18th Of the seventh month (OctO.
\ ber) and continuing for seven or
u eight days Uev. 23). Nehemiah was
/ the governor; Ezra the scribe, chief
\ priest; and Artaxerxes king of Per-
sia, ruler over Palestine. It would be
Interesting to look up the sudden In
terjection Of Ezra's name into this
\ discourse; also the special reasons for
teaching the Bible. There Is In this
chapter record Of full week and
OF the daily events Of that week.
!. The Preparation. Go back to
, verse 20 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 II 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-
err The writer of Nehemiah calls the
book "the law which the Lord hath
commanded. unto Moses" (See v.
CT, 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 1t was God who had
written 1t as he. had commanded |
Moses. II was not mob there was
organization and equipment. (See v.
and ~ The Bible was also read so
that the people could understand ii
". ~; 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
tfnctly."
". 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 worship OF the book.
The Bible Is not fetish or a charm
against sickness or accident. The
verse caused the people to under
stand the law" w. y probably means
that Is was translated into the ver-
neculnr, the language of the common
people. While Gods word Is n 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-
Their Is the Holy Spirit himself (John
l6:12-15; ] John 2.20-27). This
method of beginning the study OF the
word and Its continuance as presented
N these verses is good suggestion
'or modern Sunday school workers.
There is blessing In being teacher
md JOY In being nearer.
III. The Hearing Of the Word. wv
I'D. As Ezra and Nehemiah and
heir associates and Levltes taught
he people, there was a flve-fold result.
'irst: There was conviction and
Mourning. The word of God always
onvlcts of sin, but the people were
old not to mourn over the past, nor
'ere they to weep. for all the people
iept ". o.. When men hear the
lords of the law there will be con.
lotion of sin. (See Eph. 81; Heb.
I'D Weeping may not however. be
e Cor. 7:l0). Weeping
'eakens, but that was not designed
lther the exhlaration of Joy. More
yer, they were to seek the refresh
tent OF food and drink. Indeed, the
~ of the Lord was to be their
rength ". 10Y. "And there was very
reat gladness' ". ~. In verse IL
e are told that the Levites exhorted
he people to hold their peace, that
lie day was holy and that they should
grieved. To this the people re-
'onded ". 12), and made great mlrth |
cause they had understood the dec.
ration OF the word Of the Lord. No
re that Joy and gladness came after II
'edience, also that Nehemiah. the
vernon had part In the teaching. II
Is great thing for any people when II
cir civil rulers are genuine, intelli. Il
mt. and spiritual leaders. The peo- II
were instructed to show their graft. II
de as well as their plety by remem- -
ring "those for whom nothing had n
en- prepared" ". 10Y. The fourth
suit was peace ". 11)--the peace =
right relation with God (Rom. &. 4
Phil. 40. Mourning can be con.
lued too long, and. therefore, II was -
cessary to employ the emotion of A
nth and the exercise of work that y
people might enter into this peace H.
e fifth result, therefore, was sery. y
w. 10. Notice that their thanks ~
Ing portions and their service were IPi
sed upon, an intelligent knowledge IA
Gods word. II there Is ANYTHING 90
1t present-day social service needs &.
Is the illumination which comes ~
m knowledge of Gods word. Last -
all. worship wv. 1879. Worsbln FIR,
q compound of worth" and .sbn y :,
lat is God worth to mel Worship cess cess,
the answer. AT Its best II Is the ~, 4 y