While they stood in their places, they read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a quarter of the day, and they spent another quarter of the day in confession and worship of the LORD their God. While they stood in their placesThis phrase indicates a posture of reverence and attentiveness. In the Hebrew context, standing is often associated with respect and readiness to receive instruction. The Israelites were physically demonstrating their commitment to God’s Word. Historically, standing during the reading of the Law was a common practice, signifying the importance of the moment and the authority of the Scriptures. This act of standing also symbolizes unity and collective responsibility among the people. they read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God
The "Book of the Law" refers to the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, which contain God’s commandments and instructions for His people. The Hebrew term for "read" implies a public proclamation, suggesting that this was not a private reading but a communal experience. This public reading was crucial for the Israelites, especially after their return from exile, as it re-established their identity and covenant relationship with God. The phrase underscores the centrality of Scripture in guiding the community’s spiritual and moral life. for a quarter of the day
This indicates a significant investment of time, approximately three hours, dedicated to the reading of Scripture. In the ancient Near Eastern context, such a commitment reflects the high value placed on God’s Word. It suggests that the Israelites prioritized spiritual renewal and understanding of the Law as foundational to their community’s restoration. This extended period of engagement with Scripture highlights the depth of their devotion and the seriousness with which they approached their covenant obligations. and spent another quarter in confession
Confession here involves acknowledging sins and seeking God’s forgiveness. The Hebrew root for "confession" conveys the idea of throwing or casting down, symbolizing the act of laying bare one’s sins before God. This practice was essential for the Israelites, as it was a means of restoring their relationship with God. Historically, confession was a communal act, reflecting the collective responsibility for sin and the desire for communal purification and renewal. and worship of the LORD their God
Worship, in this context, involves acts of adoration, praise, and submission to God. The Hebrew word for "worship" often implies bowing down or prostrating oneself, indicating humility and reverence. This worship was not merely ritualistic but a heartfelt response to God’s holiness and mercy. The phrase emphasizes the dual aspects of confession and worship as integral to the Israelites’ spiritual life, fostering a deeper connection with God and reinforcing their identity as His chosen people. Persons / Places / Events 1. The IsraelitesThe people of Israel who had returned from exile and were gathered in Jerusalem to renew their covenant with God. 2. The Book of the LawRefers to the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, which contain God's laws and commandments given to Moses. 3. Confession and WorshipThe Israelites engaged in a time of confession of sins and worship, acknowledging God's holiness and their need for His mercy. 4. JerusalemThe city where the Israelites gathered, significant as the center of Jewish worship and the location of the temple. 5. Ezra and the LevitesSpiritual leaders who facilitated the reading of the Law and led the people in understanding and responding to it. Teaching Points The Importance of ScriptureThe Israelites' dedication to reading the Law for a significant portion of the day underscores the importance of immersing ourselves in God's Word regularly. Confession as a Spiritual DisciplineConfession is vital for spiritual health, allowing us to acknowledge our sins and receive God's forgiveness and cleansing. Worship as a Response to God's HolinessTrue worship arises from recognizing God's holiness and our dependence on Him, as demonstrated by the Israelites. Community in Spiritual PracticesThe gathering of the Israelites highlights the importance of community in spiritual growth and accountability. Renewal and CommitmentThe event in Nehemiah 9:3 serves as a reminder of the need for continual renewal and commitment to God's covenant in our lives. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the practice of reading Scripture for an extended period, as seen in Nehemiah 9:3, challenge our current habits of Bible study? 2. In what ways can we incorporate confession into our daily spiritual practices, and what impact might this have on our relationship with God? 3. How does the communal aspect of the Israelites' worship and confession inform our understanding of the role of community in our faith journey? 4. What parallels can we draw between the Israelites' response to the Law and the call to be doers of the Word in James 1:22-25? 5. How can we ensure that our worship is a genuine response to God's holiness and not merely a routine or obligation? Connections to Other Scriptures Deuteronomy 31:11-13This passage emphasizes the importance of reading the Law to the assembly of Israel, highlighting the continuity of this practice in Nehemiah's time. Psalm 119:11Speaks to the value of hiding God's Word in one's heart, which aligns with the Israelites' dedication to reading the Law. 1 John 1:9Connects to the theme of confession, promising forgiveness and cleansing from sin when we confess to God. Romans 12:1Relates to the act of worship as a living sacrifice, which the Israelites demonstrated through their devotion and repentance. James 1:22-25Encourages believers to be doers of the Word, not just hearers, reflecting the Israelites' response to the Law. People Abram, Amorites, Bani, Bunni, Canaanites, Chenani, Egyptians, Ezra, Girgashite, Girgashites, Hashabniah, Hittites, Hodiah, Hodijah, Israelites, Jebusites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Levites, Og, Perizzites, Pethahiah, Pharaoh, Shebaniah, Sherebiah, SihonPlaces Assyria, Bashan, Egypt, Gate of Ephraim, Heshbon, Mount Sinai, Red Sea, UrTopics Book, Bowing, Confessed, Confessing, Confession, Forgiveness, Fourth, Law, Places, Prostrated, Quarter, Reading, Requesting, Rise, Spent, Station, Stood, Themselves, Upright, Worshiped, Worshiping, Worshipped, WorshippingDictionary of Bible Themes Nehemiah 9:3 1611 Scripture, inspiration and authority
1640 Book of the Law
5175 reading
7456 synagogue Nehemiah 9:1-3 6624 confession, of sin
7209 congregation Nehemiah 9:2-3 8627 worship, elements Library The Joy of the Lord is Your Strength. Neh 9:10
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John Newton—Olney HymnsQuestions About the Nature and Perpetuity of the Seventh-Day Sabbath.
AND PROOF, THAT THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK IS THE TRUE CHRISTIAN SABBATH. BY JOHN BUNYAN. 'The Son of man is lord also of the Sabbath day.' London: Printed for Nath, Ponder, at the Peacock in the Poultry, 1685. EDITOR'S ADVERTISEMENT. All our inquiries into divine commands are required to be made personally, solemnly, prayerful. To 'prove all things,' and 'hold fast' and obey 'that which is good,' is a precept, equally binding upon the clown, as it is upon the philosopher. Satisfied from our observations …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 Ten Reasons Demonstrating the Commandment of the Sabbath to be Moral.
1. Because all the reasons of this commandment are moral and perpetual; and God has bound us to the obedience of this commandment with more forcible reasons than to any of the rest--First, because he foresaw that irreligious men would either more carelessly neglect, or more boldly break this commandment than any other; secondly, because that in the practice of this commandment the keeping of all the other consists; which makes God so often complain that all his worship is neglected or overthrown, …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety The "Fraternity" of Pharisees
To realise the state of religious society at the time of our Lord, the fact that the Pharisees were a regular "order," and that there were many such "fraternities," in great measure the outcome of the original Pharisees, must always be kept in view. For the New Testament simply transports us among contemporary scenes and actors, taking the then existent state of things, so to speak, for granted. But the fact referred to explains many seemingly strange circumstances, and casts fresh light upon all. …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life Fragrant Spices from the Mountains of Myrrh. "Thou Art all Fair, My Love; There is no Spot in Thee. " --Song of Solomon iv. 7.
FRAGRANT SPICES FROM THE MOUNTAINS OF MYRRH. HOW marvellous are these words! "Thou art all fair, My love; there is no spot in thee." The glorious Bridegroom is charmed with His spouse, and sings soft canticles of admiration. When the bride extols her Lord there is no wonder, for He deserves it well, and in Him there is room for praise without possibility of flattery. But does He who is wiser than Solomon condescend to praise this sunburnt Shulamite? Tis even so, for these are His own words, and were …
Charles Hadden Spurgeon—Till He Come The Personality of the Holy Spirit.
Before one can correctly understand the work of the Holy Spirit, he must first of all know the Spirit Himself. A frequent source of error and fanaticism about the work of the Holy Spirit is the attempt to study and understand His work without first of all coming to know Him as a Person. It is of the highest importance from the standpoint of worship that we decide whether the Holy Spirit is a Divine Person, worthy to receive our adoration, our faith, our love, and our entire surrender to Himself, …
R. A. Torrey—The Person and Work of The Holy Spirit The Early Life of Malachy. Having Been Admitted to Holy Orders He Associates with Malchus
[Sidenote: 1095.] 1. Our Malachy, born in Ireland,[134] of a barbarous people, was brought up there, and there received his education. But from the barbarism of his birth he contracted no taint, any more than the fishes of the sea from their native salt. But how delightful to reflect, that uncultured barbarism should have produced for us so worthy[135] a fellow-citizen with the saints and member of the household of God.[136] He who brings honey out of the rock and oil out of the flinty rock[137] …
H. J. Lawlor—St. Bernard of Clairvaux's Life of St. Malachy of Armagh The Prophecy of Obadiah.
We need not enter into details regarding the question as to the time when the prophet wrote. By a thorough argumentation, Caspari has proved, that he occupies his right position in the Canon, and hence belongs to the earliest age of written prophecy, i.e., to the time of Jeroboam II. and Uzziah. As bearing conclusively against those who would assign to him a far later date, viz., the time of the exile, there is not only the indirect testimony borne by the place which this prophecy occupies in …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament The Preface to the Commandments
And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God,' &c. Exod 20: 1, 2. What is the preface to the Ten Commandments? The preface to the Ten Commandments is, I am the Lord thy God.' The preface to the preface is, God spake all these words, saying,' &c. This is like the sounding of a trumpet before a solemn proclamation. Other parts of the Bible are said to be uttered by the mouth of the holy prophets (Luke 1: 70), but here God spake in his own person. How are we to understand that, God spake, …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments Of Immediate Revelation.
Of Immediate Revelation. [29] Seeing no man knoweth the Father but the Son, and he to whom the Son revealeth him; and seeing the revelation of the Son is in and by the Spirit; therefore the testimony of the Spirit is that alone by which the true knowledge of God hath been, is, and can be only revealed; who as, by the moving of his own Spirit, he disposed the chaos of this world into that wonderful order in which it was in the beginning, and created man a living soul, to rule and govern it, so by …
Robert Barclay—Theses Theologicae and An Apology for the True Christian Divinity Influences that Gave Rise to the Priestly Laws and Histories
[Sidenote: Influences in the exile that produced written ceremonial laws] The Babylonian exile gave a great opportunity and incentive to the further development of written law. While the temple stood, the ceremonial rites and customs received constant illustration, and were transmitted directly from father to son in the priestly families. Hence, there was little need of writing them down. But when most of the priests were carried captive to Babylonia, as in 597 B.C., and ten years later the temple …
Charles Foster Kent—The Origin & Permanent Value of the Old Testament The Holy War,
MADE BY SHADDAI UPON DIABOLUS, FOR THE REGAINING OF THE METROPOLIS OF THE WORLD; OR, THE LOSING AND TAKING AGAIN OF THE TOWN OF MANSOUL. THE AUTHOR OF 'THE PILGRIM'S PROGRESS.' 'I have used similitudes.'--Hosea 12:10. London: Printed for Dorman Newman, at the King's Arms in the Poultry; and Benjamin Alsop, at the Angel and Bible in the Poultry, 1682. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. Bunyan's account of the Holy War is indeed an extraordinary book, manifesting a degree of genius, research, and spiritual …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 Ezra-Nehemiah
Some of the most complicated problems in Hebrew history as well as in the literary criticism of the Old Testament gather about the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. Apart from these books, all that we know of the origin and early history of Judaism is inferential. They are our only historical sources for that period; and if in them we have, as we seem to have, authentic memoirs, fragmentary though they be, written by the two men who, more than any other, gave permanent shape and direction to Judaism, then …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Nehemiah 9:3 NIVNehemiah 9:3 NLTNehemiah 9:3 ESVNehemiah 9:3 NASBNehemiah 9:3 KJV
Nehemiah 9:3 Commentaries
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