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 who 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,

Photo by Gift Habeshaw on Unsplash

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)

Don’t Isolate—Engage!

We have all dealt with people who just want to do things their own way, expressing their opinions unfiltered by any increased understanding. As it is written,

“Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire;
    he breaks out against all sound judgment.
A fool takes no pleasure in understanding,
    but only in expressing his opinion.” (Prov. 18:1-2)

Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash

But the challenge for us, is to not become this person, by neither allowing our understanding to ossify though overindulging in our opinion nor becoming brittle through our stubbornness. Isolation is insidious. It can arise when we feel rejected by others in some way but also when we feel superior to or independent of, others.

There is an example of this kind of foolish behavior among the parables of Jesus,

And [Jesus] told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ (Luke 12:16-19)

Kenneth E. Bailey, in Jesus Through Middle-eastern Eyes, points out that in the culture of 1^st Century Palestine, it would have been unthinkably foolish to make important decisions without wise counsel. Some decisions are too important to be made alone. The Rich Fool doesn’t consult anyone…he is satisfied with his own internal dialogue instead of consulting the advice of others, or more importantly, seeking to ask God what he should do. This is the trifecta of foolishness:

1. thinking he needed no other human counsel or input; 
2. completely failing to involve the Lord in his decision-making process; 
3. assuming that all he had been blessed with was for his own use—to enjoy at his leisure.  

We do well to remember that God is the ultimate source of any true blessing we enjoy, yet even so, it is not intended as a terminal blessing—one that ends with us—but one that can only truly be received and enjoyed when it is shared with others. The Abrahamic blessing was no different. The blessing given to one man would ultimately be extended into a blessing for all the families on earth (Gen. 12:1-3). This should prompt us to consider how what we have received participates in the shared goodness of God. Secondly, we cannot participate in the wonderfully redemptive plan of God if we isolate our individual selves from others or insulate our local congregations from engaging with other groups in our community.

One thing is certain: when we engage with others, we can’t just express our opinion without listening to other viewpoints and potentially corrective reasoning, not to mention caring relationships, that might restrain us from doing stupid and hurtful things.

Unfortunately, too many consider social media outbursts to be engagement. While significant conversation can be facilitated across great distances by various digital platforms (I currently use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn in addition to blogging) we may be shielded by our digital avatars and emboldened, or “disinhibited”, to attack or bully others and thus “breaking out against all sound judgment.”

Photo: Greg Dueker

Are we followers of Jesus Christ? We should remember that while he consistently confronted the sin of the religious leaders (usually in person), of him it could also be said,

“He will not quarrel or cry aloud,
    nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets;
a bruised reed he will not break,
    and a smoldering wick he will not quench,
until he brings justice to victory;
     and in his name the Gentiles will hope.” 

(Matthew 12:19-21, citing Isaiah 42:2-4)

If we represent him, then our approach should not be one of obnoxious tirades and trolling launched from an insulating distance where our ego can easily dismiss opposing voices as “ignorant idiots.” We would do well to draw nearer to others than ever before—to hear their stories, to celebrate their triumphs, and sit with them in their pain and brokenness. Such relational engagement has mutual benefits (See my pastoral post on "Talking to Strangers"). Others might experience healing and deliverance through our participation in relational gospel ministry, but we will be changed as well! We benefit from having our paradigms challenged, our pet perspectives turned upside down, and our cardboard concepts enfleshed by the Spirit working through the unexpected. Sometimes it is hard to face reality through relationships with less-than-perfect people, but the alternative is that I might never be set free from the prison of my own opinions. 

My application of this passage admonishes me, saying, 

• Don't isolate yourself to pamper your opinions. 
• Don't make major decisions independent of wise counsel. 
• Don't do stupid stuff because you don't have anyone you would allow to change your mind. 
• Do let the Scriptures, taken in context, be the filter on your affections, thoughts, and speech. 

Photo by Hans-Peter Gauster on Unsplash

So, what does this anti-isolation message mean for the way we prepare for roles as pastors, chaplains, missionaries, and other avenues of service? Are we passionate about ministering but self-trained, or tend to form our beliefs in isolation? Maybe we earned a degree years ago and launched out on our own, but now wonder how best to minister to a post-everything culture?

If any of these are the case, I encourage you to become more Biblically orthodox while also becoming more of a bridge-building ambassador than ever before! Find cohort-based learning communities from well-respected seminaries that are designed for those currently serving in ministry roles and leverage the advantages of both classroom engagement and online flexibility. I am pretty certain that your ideas will be challenged, your faith will be strengthened, and your ministry refocused and readied in anticipation of new seasons of fruitfulness!