Stories From The Hebrew Bible
EZRA’S GREAT BIBLE CLASS IN JERUSALEM
Stories From The Hebrew Bible
EZRA’S GREAT BIBLE CLASS IN JERUSALEM
When the wall of Jerusalem was finished, Nehemiah called all the Jews together. They came from villages and cities throughout the land to meet in Jerusalem. They met a great company with their wives and children, in an open place before the Temple. Ezra, the good priest and scribe, who had completed the great work of bringing together and writing the books of the Hebrew Bible, was in the city at this time. They asked Ezra to bring the book and read the law of the Lord to the people.
He came, carrying with him the great rolls on which the law was written. He stood up on a pulpit which they had built, so that all the people could see him. Coming with Ezra were men he had taught in the law, so that they could teach it to others.
When Ezra stood up in the pulpit, above the heads of the people, and unrolled the scroll, all the people, who had been sitting upon the ground, rose up, while Ezra gave thanks to the Lord who had given them His law. Then the people said “Amen!” with a loud voice, and they bowed until their heads touched the ground and they worshiped.
Then Ezra began to read in the book aloud, so that as many as possible could hear. The book was written in the old Hebrew tongue and some of the people did not understand it. So, Ezra chose men to stand by and as he read each sentence, these men explained it to the people. All this was done while the people stood and listened. So, as Ezra read, these men told its meaning. In this way the people understood the Word of the Lord.
Many of the people had never heard God’s law read before, and they wept as they listened. But their chief ruler Nehemiah, said to them,
This day is holy to the Lord; do not mourn nor weep, but rather be glad, and eat and drink and send gifts of food to those who are in need, for you are strong in the Lord and should be joyful.
And the Levites quieted the people, saying, “Hold your peace, for the day is holy. Do not weep, but be glad in the Lord.”
And all the people went home to feast and be glad, because they could hear and understand the words of God’s law.
After this another meeting was held, and the people confessed their sins before God. They also confessed the sins of their fathers in forsaking God’s law and not doing His will. All the people made a solemn promise to keep God’s law and do His will. They promised that they would be God’s people and would no longer give their sons to marry women who did not worship the Lord. They also promised that they would keep holy God’s day, the Sabbath; and would give offerings to the Lord’s house. They wrote the promise on a roll, and all the princes and rulers and priests signed it and placed their seals on it.
Nehemiah had now finished the work for which he had made the long journey to Jerusalem. So, he went back to Shushan and stood once more in his place, pouring the king’s wine at the king’s table. But after some years he again traveled to Jerusalem. He discovered that some of the people had not fulfilled their promises to the Lord, especially regarding keeping the Sabbath Day. People were treading wine presses, bringing into the city loads of grain, selling wine and grapes and figs – all on the Sabbath Day. And men from the city of Tyre, beside the Great Sea, who were not worshipers of the Lord, sold fish on the Sabbath. When Nehemiah saw all these evils, he was greatly displeased and said to the rulers of the city,
Why do you allow these evil things to be done, and the Sabbath Day to be broken? Were not these the very things that made God angry with our fathers, so that He let this city be destroyed? Will you bring God’s anger upon us again by doing such things on God’s holy day?
Then Nehemiah gave orders that before the sun set on the evening before the Sabbath, the gates of the city would be shut and not opened until the morning after the Sabbath was over. The men came with products to be sold and waited outside for the gates to open. Nehemiah looked over the wall and saw them and said, “What are you doing here? If you come here again on the Sabbath, I will put you in prison!”
Then they went away and did not come again on the holy day. By such strong acts as these, Nehemiah led the people to a more faithful service of the Lord. And after this Jerusalem grew large and strong, and was full of people. Jews from other lands began to come, until the region was once more filled with cities and towns. The hills over all the land were covered with vineyards and olive yards, and the plains were waving with fields of grain.
A little after the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, Malachi arose as the last of the prophets of the Hebrew Bible, and he said,
The Lord says, “Behold, I will send My messenger, and he shall prepare the way before Me. And the Lord shall suddenly come to His Temple; behold, He cometh, says the Lord. Behold, I will send you Elijah, the prophet, before the great day of the Lord shall come. And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers.”
And with these words the Hebrew Bible ends.
