Bring the Book! (A SOAP Journal from Nehemiah 8:1-3, 8-9)

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In addition to regular articles, I regularly post some simple SOAP journals that were produced during a regular small group gathering to read, journal, pray, and encourage one another. These are not exhaustively studied as they are generally the work of 20 minutes of reading, 20 minutes of writing, and 20 minutes of sharing with each other what we have written. Whether we are Christian leaders or new believers, this group approach to Bible journaling is encouraging.
If you are not familiar with the term, we used the SOAP acronym as a simple devotional guide... standing for:

• Scripture—what verse or short section caught my attention today? 
• Observation—what can I briefly notice that the passage specifically says?
• Application—what will I do differently as a result of having read this today?
• Prayer—what will I ask the Triune God to do for, in, and through me today?

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S = Nehemiah 8:1-3, 8-9

And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate.

And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses

    that the Lord had commanded Israel. 

                So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly,

         both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, 

on the first day of the seventh month.

And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate

                               from early morning until midday,

                              in the presence of

          the men and the women and those who could understand.

And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law…

v. 8-9

        They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, 

  and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.

 And Nehemiah, who was the governor,

 and Ezra the priest and scribe,

 and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, 

         “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.”

                                  For all the people wept

      as they heard the words of the Law.

Photo by Nicole Honeywill on Unsplash

O = In this passage we read about a unique request. The people gathered “as one man” and told Ezra to “bring the Book” (of the Law) and read it. As a pastor and Bible teacher for over 30 years, I love it when people want to know more about what God has said in the Bible and then they respond to it on a heart level. In Nehemiah 8, it was not the priest, prophet, or governor that called for the reading of the Law, but the people who said, “Bring the book!”

It is quite possible that they realized that their re-entering the land was a new start and remembered something about how Joshua had gathered the Israelites at Mt. Ebal and Mt. Gerizim (in obedience to the Lord) to publicly read the Law and declare the covenant blessings and curses at the beginning of the campaigns of conquest (Joshua 8). The reading by Ezra was explained by faithful men so that all could understand. But their understanding was not just on an intellectual level, at this moment the hearts of the people were softened to respond. Their reaction to hearing and understanding the Law was to weep, likely with conviction and shame, for as a people and as individuals they had all violated the law. The Law also makes it clear that they could not hope to stand on their own and they had to be encouraged that “the joy of the Lord was your strength” (v.10). Despite their unworthiness, they could rejoice that “his steadfast love endures forever” (Psalm 136). The same is true for us today, as it is written,

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But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Eph. 2:4-10)

Photo by KEEM IBARRA
on Unsplash

A = In this passage, the reading of the Law was done publicly, and the explanation was public as well. Theological concepts and terms were interpreted so that all those gathered that day could understand. The law of God was not about secret knowledge for an elite few but was given as a gracious message for all—men, women, and children alike. In applying this passage, I find myself asking questions like: How eager am I to hear the Word of God? How well can I explain it to others? How readily do I respond on a heart level to God’s written Word?
This passage, in concert with many others, is a reminder to me of my need to hear, understand, and respond to the Word of God together in community, not just in introverted isolation. To the degree that I understand the Word of God, I should respond in humility, but also in the faith that it is the Lord who lifts my head and strengthens me with his joy! This situation reminds me of Luke 15:21-24 where the prodigal son comes back “weeping” but is gathered up into the joy of the Father’s overflowing love. Just as the father rejoiced in the return of his “unworthy” son, and picked him up off the ground, clothed him in a special robe, restored him with a ring, and prepared a feast for him, the Lord Jesus does the same for us! How can I not repent and return to him?

P = O Lord, let not my heart become disinterested in what you would say nor let it become hardened to my need to hear from you the Lover of my soul. May my heart respond in mournful humility for I regularly fall short, but also in joyful faith because you have made a way and desire to share your joy with us! May I like Ezra, “bring the Book” to read it not only to others but to allow it to read me and conform me to the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29)

Are We Merciful or just Mean? (Psalm 41)

This post was originally published on one of my other blogs, but because of its application to pastors and Christian leaders, I am reposting it here. As leaders, every word we speak, print, or post has the potential to bring healing or great harm (Prov. 12:18). Likewise, we are often the targets for those who are auditioning for Satan’s (i.e., accuser) job. Will we be revealed to be men and women of great mercy or mean as a snake? This meditation on Psalm 41 considers both possibilities and suggests ways that we can keep from becoming more hurtful than healing. 

Psalm 41:1-3

Blessed is the one who considers the poor!

    In the day of trouble the Lord delivers him;

the Lord protects him and keeps him alive;

    he is called blessed in the land;

    you do not give him up to the will of his enemies.

The Lord sustains him on his sickbed;

    in his illness you restore him to full health. 

Photo by Shail Sharma on Unsplash

In the previous post on Psalm 40, we saw the psalmist testify about the good that God had done for him, and we see that here in Psalm 41 as well… in the person of the Lord himself and in the one who represents him well. 

     “Blessed is the one who considers the poor!” (v.1)

Here is a question... are verses 1b-3 a description of what God does for the poor or what God will do for the one who cares for the poor? Perhaps both. Willem Van Gemeren, in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, notes that,

“The Father in heaven looks for those who wisely conform to his heavenly kingdom on earth: righteousness, holiness, love, and justice. He cares for the oppressed and delights to see his children's concern with the things that are important to him: concern for those in need (cf. 35:13-14; 112:9 –Emphasis mine).”[1]

We should also observe that David ended the previous psalm with the cry,

 As for me, I am poor and needy,
    but the Lord takes thought for me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
    do not delay, O my God! (40:17)

David might have been establishing a case whereby the Lord would do merciful things for him since he was also in need. It is also possible that he was emphasizing the importance for those who have power over the poor/weak/sick/powerless to use that power to help and not to harm. This idea may be supported by the title of this psalm in the Syriac which says, “It was a Psalm of David when he appointed overseers to take care of the poor.” (Adam Clarke)

This psalm seems to suggest that how we treat “the poor” in their day of trouble influences how we will be treated in our own day of trouble. Jesus picked up on this prophetic message (and others such as Psa. 18:25-26 and Micah 6:8) in the Sermon on the Mount when he said, "Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy" (Matt 5:7). Later James, Jesus' half-brother and leader of the Jerusalem church, wrote that pure religion is evidenced in our treatment of “widows and orphans” and not just some abstract form of personal piety (James 1:27).

Nineteenth-century preacher Charles Spurgeon, in his classic Treasury of David, elaborated on how the faithful servants of the Lord are both relationally wise and merciful in their consideration of the poor, “They do not toss them a penny and go their way, but enquire into their sorrows, sift out their cause, study the best ways for relief, and practically come to their rescue; such as these have the mark of the divine favor plainly upon them…“The promise is not that the generous saint shall have no trouble, but that [they] shall be preserved in it, and in due time brought out of it.”[2]

Certainly, these verses depict the kindness and grace of God, shown to those who are “poor”— a word that depicts the marginalized in every society on earth, but also in the Hebrew context that specially referred to those who were humble before the Lord, confessing the sin. In the New Testament, we see both aspects on the lips of Jesus in Matthew 5’s “poor in spirit” and Luke 6’s “poor” in an economic/power sense.

I am touched by the merciful kindness shown to "the poor" in verses 1-3 of this psalm. I am also disturbed by the contrasted meanness of others in verses 5-10 — the malicious, the slanderers, the whisperers, the scandalmongers, the prognosticators, and the betrayers!

Have you ever been “visited” by such as these? David had...

And when one comes to see me, he utters empty words,

    while his heart gathers iniquity;

    when he goes out, he tells it abroad. (v.6)

Pigpen by Charles Schultz

I don’t want to be the “utterer of empty words” nor one with a heart that “gathers iniquity” like velour gathers lint. I don’t want to spread abroad the iniquity I gather like so much sticky pollen and dust due to the negative charge of a fallen world. Instead, I want to spread the goodness of God which I have received. God doesn’t want his people to be the spiritual/relational equivalents of the Peanuts character “Pigpen” whose very presence continuously broadcasts dirt and dust. I also don’t want to imagine the worst for others (v.7) even though we are often faced with the reality of it.

Photo by Elijah O'Donnell on Unsplash

How can we keep from being mean like those described in v. 5-10? I don’t think that too many people set out to speak hurtfully or even use mean words, but the less we listen to the heart of God and more to the selfishness and demands of the world we start to sound like those to whom we listen. I was in a man’s office recently and noticed that his bookshelves were covered in a thick layer of dust. It didn’t happen all at once, but a little bit at a time, so gradually that he had not noticed it. But when I walked in for the first time, I noticed it right away. It is not fun when the light of God’s Word is focused by the Spirit on some areas of our hearts that have become clogged with the dust and disease of selfish pride, but it is therapeutic for it leads us to confession and cleansing!

What else can we do? Having confessed our sins to God and asked for mercy and grace to speak the truth in love, always looking to build up rather than tear down, there are several other safeguards, I would suggest that will prevent us from becoming one of those odious individuals mentioned in v.5-6 that hurts others verbally. We can...

1. Know that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit delight in you! Jesus was prepared for his times of greatest testing by the knowledge of his Father's love and acceptance (Matt. 3:16-17; 17:5). The triune God knows your flaws already and still delights in you! Publishing and critiquing the perceived faults of others does not enhance your standing before the Lord. It is not like playing “king of the hill” where we climb higher by pushing and throwing others lower. (--> Romans 5:6-11)
2. Know that our enemy, whose very name means “Accuser”, will not have the last word. And when the accuser is silenced by the manifested love of God in Christ, let us not play “devil’s advocate” and take up his taunts against others for whom Jesus died. (--> Rev. 12:10-11; Romans 8:31-34)
3. Know that we are secure in the loving presence of the Lord Jesus forever. We don’t have to be overcome with anxiety, insecurity, or discouragement at our own shortcomings. We are not called to climb up to heaven to win God’s favor, rather, he came down to us to set us free from all that brings guilt and shame! (--> Romans 8:14-17, 35-39) It is his love that transforms our hearts!
4. Know that our words quickly reveal the condition of our hearts. So, when we (or others) notice our words growing more caustic, impatient, overly sarcastic, let it be like an early warning system that our heart is no longer responding to the lovingkindness of the Savior, but has begun to go astray to gather and broadcast iniquity. (--> Matt. 15:1-20; 12:34; Mark7:1-23; Luke 6:45)
5. Know that you will always need God’s help and make a practice of asking for it, as the psalmist models for us in Psalm 141:3-4,

     Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;

         keep watch over the door of my lips!

     Do not let my heart incline to any evil,

         to busy myself with wicked deeds

     in company with men who work iniquity,

         and let me not eat of their delicacies!

As recipients of great mercy, even before we knew we needed it, let us extend mercy to others though they may not know they need it too! But having received it they will be changed. May the Heavenly Father and Christ the Son, use us to pour his love into the thirstiest of hearts through the work of the Holy Spirit this week! 

And for those of us who face the hour or day of trouble may we embrace the Lord's delivering presence in and through it! 

"Blessed is the one who considers the poor!

    In the day of trouble the Lord delivers him..." (v.1)

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[1] Willem A. Van Gemeren in EBC Vol. 5, Psalms—Song of Solomon, Zondervan. 325.

[2] C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, Vol. 2 Psalms 27-52, Baker Books, Grand Rapids, 283-284.