Our daily devotional on Nehemiah 8 stands as a pivotal chapter in the Bible, particularly within the context of the Ezra Project, a ministry dedicated to reconnecting individuals with the Word of God. This chapter recounts a profound moment when Ezra, the priest and scribe, reads the Law before the assembled people, igniting worship, reflection, and repentance. As we delve into this passage, we’ll explore its significance through personal reflections and journal entries spanning over three decades. From initial inspirations in 1991 to the formal establishment of the Ezra Project in 2002, the themes of worship and self-discovery through Scripture remain central. Join me in uncovering how Nehemiah 8 not only shaped a ministry but continues to call believers today to immerse themselves in God’s Word. To read about the remnant that was preserved to populate Jerusalem, read the daily devotional on Nehemiah 7.
Nehemiah 8 Commentary by Allen J. Huth
Nehemiah 8 is one of the most significant chapters in the whole Bible as it relates to the Ezra Project. See if you can figure out why, as you read or listen to Nehemiah 8.
Let’s see if my three journals unveil what we are looking for in Nehemiah 8. We will begin back in 1991, which is a significant date I will explain in just a moment.
What Is Nehemiah Chapter 8 About?
In 1991, I read Nehemiah 6-8 on the same day and wrote mostly about chapter 8. “Chapter 8 will be a part of my ministry, Ezra, my namesake. For he read the Word of God to the people from early morning until mid-day, and he stood at a wooden podium. Reading causes people to worship, to understand, to mourn, and weep. And it convicts us of sin, and then we celebrate. What a great ministry this will be.”
I find this passage in my journal utterly amazing! Let me share a secret with you. I never really go back and look at these journals unless I do a devotion like this. That was 1991. The Ezra Project did not begin until 2002. I did not realize I wrote something about the Ezra Project eleven years before it even started. Amazing.
Now let’s look at 2002, the year the Ezra Project actually did begin. In 2002, I was reading the Book of Nehemiah in the month of March. I was reading a book a month, so I read Nehemiah a couple of times that month. It is very significant now, as I read the two entries of this chapter in March of 2002. I will explain after we look at these entries.
Why Did the People Weep in Nehemiah 8?
The first one was March 8th, “Verses 1-12 are the basis for the Ezra Project. After many years without God’s Law, Ezra opens the Book before the people. They worship because they learn who God is, and they weep because they learn who they are. Like in the days of Ezra, people today need to reconnect with the Book. That’s my mission with the Ezra Project.”
Then on Sunday, March 24th, I read Nehemiah 8 a second time and wrote, “This passage is the theme for the Ezra Project. I want to be like Ezra, committed to bringing the Bible back before God’s people, reading it, and encouraging others to read it again. When they do, they weep and worship once again.”
I now fast-forward to my journal entry on April 1, 2002. April 1st was the day after Easter in 2002. I wrote in my journal, “The first day of the rest of my life. Today, I begin a dream, a passion, to work on the Ezra Project full-time. What a way to begin the day after Easter. Praise God for this marvelous opportunity.” April 1, 2002 was the beginning of this ministry. It was the beginning of the Ezra Project based on Nehemiah 8:1-12.
Let’s look at my journal from 2012 on Nehemiah 8, ten years after the beginning of the Ezra Project. I split Nehemiah into two portions. I read verses 1-12 on one day and 13 through the rest of the chapter the next day. I wrote about 1-12, “The theme of the Ezra Project. Ezra the scribe. Ezra the priest. We all have many labels: husband, father, grandpa, boss, friend, etc.”
Is Reading the Bible a Form of Worship?
I continued to write, “The assembly was both men and women, according to verse 2. We should be attentive to the Bible, according to verse 3. Just opening the Word of God is an act of worship. People stood, according to verse 5. The Word was read and taught, referring to verse 8. People wept when they heard the Word. Often, we are convicted of our sinfulness. They also rejoiced because they understood the words that were declared to them, according to verse 12.” Once again in my journal, I referred to this passage as the theme passage for the Ezra Project, connecting God’s people to God’s Word.
The next day, as I finished Nehemiah 8, I wrote, “Leaders came to study the Word and found it was the season to celebrate the Feast of Booths, so they did. Obedience produces joy, according to verse 17. ‘And day by day, from the first day to the last day, he read from the Book of the Law of God’” (v. 18).
What Happens When You Read the Bible Daily?
You have just read the passage that inspired me to start the Ezra Project. I have used this passage in churches many, many times to challenge people to come back to the habit of daily Bible reading. I hope, by reading or listening to this passage, you are challenged to spend time in the Word of God each and every day of your life.
As we read in this passage, two things happen when we read or hear the Word of the Lord. We will worship and we will weep. Why do we worship? Because we learn who God is. Why do we weep? Because we learn who we are. Learning who God is and learning more about ourselves always happens when you spend time in the Word of God. May God bless you as you commit to spend time in His Word each and every day.
Prayer
Lord, thank You for Nehemiah 8, especially verses 1-12, the very passage that started a ministry called the Ezra Project in 2002. To God be the glory. Good things You have done through this ministry.
Thank You for the priest and the scribe Ezra. And thank You for the Ezra Project. May You allow us to continue to connect Your people to Your Word. In Jesus’ name, we pray it. Amen.
