Category Archives: Study Notes – Old Testament

Pastor Rick’s Study Notes on Isaiah 40:1-11 and Small Group Questions

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Isaiah 40:1-11 Jesus Present Comforting Lives

Summary Notes on Isaiah. This passage begins the larger section of Isaiah that looks outward toward the future, toward the end times, toward the Parousia of King Jesus. It is said that Isaiah’s style and writing is at the height of literature and at the same time so planted in the events we know as history and he knew as done in God’s timing in the future that, when he spoke of Jesus’ suffering, “it’s as if he is standing beneath the Cross”, breathing the same air and hearing the same cries. In this passage, he hears the distance cry of the Baptizer “make way for the King.”

Pastor Rick’s Study Notes:

Isaiah 40:1-11

v. 1 “Comfort, comfort my people,” God says.

v. 2 “Speak comfort over Jerusalem and declare to her that her battle is finished and that her sin and guilt are pardoned; for she has received double-payment for all her sins from the Lord’s hand.”

v. 3 His cries thunder in the desert places, “Make clear the way for the Lord! Ready the highway in the wilderness, straight and even, for our God.”

v. 4 “Every wadi and gorge will be filled in; every slope and summit will be leveled. The zigzags and detours will be straightened; the hazards and hurdles will be knocked down.”

v. 5 “The Lord’s glory will be revealed! Everyone, together, will see!” The voice of the Lord has declared it.

v. 6 The voice of the Lord commanded: “Cry out!” And he said: “What shall I cry out?” Cry this: “Everyone is quick to perish like the grass in the fields; all their fairness is gone like the wildflowers of the field.”

v. 7 “The grass shrivels and the wildflower withers and fades when the winds of the Lord blow through. Just like the grass in the field, so are people.”

v. 8 “Though the grass shrivels and the wildflower withers and fades, the word of our God shall stand firm for eternity.”

v. 9 “Get up on the high mountain, messenger of the Good News!  Lift up your voice with power, O Zion; lift up the Good News, O Jerusalem. Say to the cities of Judah, leave fear behind. See, your God is near!”

v. 10 “See, the Lord God will show up, mighty to reign in strength and his rewards and his deeds come with him.”

v. 11 “ Like a shepherd, he shall care for his flock, gather the lambs in his arm and support them in his lap, and for those who still nurse their young, he will lead gently to places safe and refreshing.”

v. 1 “Comfort, comfort my people,” God says.

This verse, and the following are the theme of the next 27 chapters. God is creator; therefore He comforts. The word for comfort means “cause to breathe again.” This is the declaration of the prophet to all prophets that come after. “God comforts because He created us and knows us.” Isaiah uses the present and continuous. Comfort now and keep comforting. Speak words to bring comfort from here onward.

v. 2 “Speak comfort over Jerusalem and declare to her that her battle is finished and that her sin and guilt are pardoned; for she has received double-payment for all her sins from the Lord’s hand.”

Speak could be declare or cry, or even sing. Because of the parallelism tendencies in Isaiah, probably speak/declare is proper. The warfare, the battle, the fighting against God is finished because they have surrendered and stand before the King. In His grace, he pardons and lifts life-long debt after double payment in sorrow. Illustration: the momentary pleasure of sin leads to multiplied sorrow. A seed sown in rebellion brings multiplied consequences in the form of a crop. And, yes, the Lord, in His position as Father, reprimands and disciplines His children. Otherwise, what kind of Father would he be? James 2

The anchor point in history for this passage and the remaining chapters of Isaiah is the captivity. God’s people are pilgrims, passer’s through, on the way to full identity with King Jesus. Bondage to no bondage, homeless to belonging, darkness to light. Danger and destruction to safety and care.

Double-payment means that their debt was so great that He saw its excess.

V. 3 His cries thunder in the desert places, “Make clear the way for the Lord! Ready the highway in the wilderness, straight and even, for our God.”

The voice of the one – now as we know, John the Baptizer – thunders and calls on the earth to make ready for its Creator-God. Another might be the call of the master to those who work to ready the paths for the Parousia of the Lord. Get the earth-movers and shovels out and make way for the King.

“His cries” is best translated “Voice.” No name; no identity here.

v. 4 “Every wadi and gorge will be filled in; every slope and summit will be leveled. The zigzags and detours will be straightened; the hazards and hurdles will be knocked down.”

Valleys are easier to travel; gorges, not so much. The hills and peaks will be flattened for the path. The curves and false detours (this word has a meaning of deception behind it) will be revealed and readied for the King. The rough places, like road hazards and boulders will be knocked down and leveled like they were a plain.

This is in command voice speaking to the wadi and slope, or to the ones responsible for making the way straight.

The parallel is for those very needs the Messiah-King comes to heal: the pride are brought down to humility, the humble are lifted up, the deceitful and crooked forgiven and given integrity, those who face extreme obstacles will be brought near.

v. 5 “The Lord’s glory will be revealed! Everyone, together, will see!” The voice of the Lord has declared it.

All the hard work of making the way for the King is for one purpose. To see the glory and honor of the King. The Lord is worthy of the worship that comes when He is revealed. Again, this is the Parousia at the end of times; and the Parousia as His Presence comes into the room. (Jesus steps into the room.)

In the “way-making” the glory of the King-Messiah is seen. What made the view difficult has been removed. This can be a map for prayer for our world. Make the way clear. Open eyes. Remove the obstacles. Straighten life to see His glory. Because His glory will be undeniable. Notice it doesn’t say all will bow to this glory; but all will, together, see.

The voice declares this entire prophecy, from comfort to glory.

v. 6 The voice of the Lord commanded: “Cry out!” And he said: “What shall I cry out?” Cry this: “Everyone is quick to perish like the grass in the fields; all their fairness is gone like the wildflowers of the field.”

This prophecy becomes a conversation; one prophetic dialog in answers and questions. The declaration is this: the life we so easily trust in, even glory in because of the gracious appearance we strive for, last but briefly, but God’s Word is rock solid in enduring.

v. 7 “The grass shrivels and the wildflower withers and fades when the winds of the Lord blow through. Just like the grass in the field, so are people.”

Like the grass that covers the fields or the wildflowers that, in bright color runs the folds of the hillside, it is beautiful today. But a dry wind blows and the beauty fades. So is it with me and with you.

v. 8 “Though the grass shrivels and the wildflower withers and fades, the word of our God shall stand firm for eternity.”

Our dilemma may be shared and universal, that we live briefly; but the provision of the Messiah-King is this, He comes in His glory to heal, to make a way. And he comes to  us for eternity.

v. 9 “Get up on the high mountain, messenger of the Good News!  Lift up your voice with power, O Zion; lift up the Good News, O Jerusalem. Say to the cities of Judah, leave fear behind. See, your God is near!”

Ascend to the mountain (Jerusalem is the city on a mountain) so the proclamation can be clear. God is here. Fear not. Good News has come. Say it with power. Declare it all around. Preach it. Publish it. Shout it from the mountains. The city of the King-Messiah becomes the evangelist.  

Illustration: Like the first person who sees the monarch on his horse or the pope rounding the curve in his pope-mobile, the news moves fast. In this case, the city on the hill is commanded to look from her heights and lift up the news. He’s here. The Parousia we’ve waited for.

This verse parallels the Great Commission. First, the city of Jerusalem is weighted with grief and guilt; but the God of eternity forgives and comforts and brings eternity; now the city that has been healed shouts it to the cities and villages. (Illustration: the hill towns of Italy and their towers.)

The appeal to leave fear in the dust is important. The disappointments of life can cause people to halfway believe Good News. The call is to discard what prevents us from knowing He is near.

v. 10 “See, the Lord God will show up, mighty to reign in strength and his rewards and his deeds come with him.”

Behold. Watch. The Lord comes in. His arm and shoulder are strong to reign. His wages and work go before him.

An interesting phrase: The Lord will come with his arm ruling for Him. The words emphasize his rule and his strength.

He will come to bring healing but He will act on the strength of His character. If one has rejected and will not acknowledge His glory, the deed will be punitive.

v. 11 “ Like a shepherd, he shall care for his flock, gather the lambs in his arm and support them in his lap, and for those who still nurse their young, he will lead gently to places safe and refreshing.”

The Lord is King and Shepherd at the same time. He never quits ruling. He never quits caring. Hold those two thoughts in mind when we feel abandoned or judged.

As if to emphasize “leave behind fear,” the prophecy expands the image of his rewards with him as Shepherd.

His sheep are scattered around the globe, sometimes in nations that seek to keep the roads crooked or the obstacles in place. He knows their names and he calls them to himself.

Small Group Study Questions:

  1. Who is the most famous person you’ve ever “run into” somewhere? Who was the first person you told?

Read Isaiah 40:1-11

  • These verses are all about communicating Good News. In vv. 1-2, the Good News is “comfort.” What, in your understanding, is another word for “comfort?” Why do we need “comfort?”
  • Who is the “voice” that cries in the desert? Hint: Read  vv. 3-5 along with Mark 1:1-4 Who does he prepare the way for?
  • One universal truth is described in vv. 6-8 that life is brief: we are here one day and gone the next. Read these verses. Where is the Good News of comfort found in these verses?
  • We get to “prepare the way” by declaring the Good News. What are some ways that our lives “shout” from the mountaintop the King is here? Who can to invite to experience the Good News this Christmas season?
  • Our series during Christmas is “Jesus Present.” Since Jesus is Present right now, what would you ask him for? Where do you need Him and His Good News of comfort?

Pastor Rick’s Study Notes:

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Ecclesiastes 3:9-15, Romans 8:28

Pastor Rick’s Study Notes:

(PRT) Ecclesiastes 3:9-15, Romans 8:28

Eccl. 3:9-10 What profit does a person accomplish from laboring? I have seen the grind God has given to people as vocations.

In these two verses, Solomon uses four different words having to do with work. What does a man profit in the work he is working? The first is work as in create, craft, fashion, make. The second is the hard laboring, the toiling. And in v. 10, the work as in occupation or business, and the exercising is that humble embracing of the occupation presented. We are creative and we have hard days sometimes; but we continue to embrace the activity God places in front of us.

All we do to labor, to grind out our work, to seek gain in our vocation, apart from God being at the center – is empty. What is missing? The Eternal One on the throne. The “stuff of eternity” God has placed in our hearts focused in a personal walk with the Father.

In the midst of change, in the swirl of what often doesn’t make sense, when the cultural grid for what is right and wrong seems to flip upside down; we can center our lives on what is eternal.

v. 11 Yet, God has made everything beautiful in his time and he has set eternity in the hearts of people. Still, no one can discover everything God is about from beginning to end.

Here is the counterpoint to the four words for labor; but God has made it all beautiful in season; he has set hope/eternity in our hearts. Appropriate time, season, timeliness, each is beautiful in the time we face it. And in the midst of this beautiful season, we know there is more. A longing to know more, to experience more is a gift. We long for more. We get a glimpse as His kids.

In his time is the emphasis of the first half; in our hearts the second. His time comes together in a beautiful way when the stuff of eternity leads the way.

Romans 1:19 God has put inside us a knowledge that He is and He created, thus deserves our lives. Yet, we stay small in our minds and perspective and focus on horizon on ourselves.

This word for eternity is also used for “world” and is use 300 times in the OT for eternity, but this is the only place the writer puts “the” in front of it. Perhaps it could be translated “the stuff of eternity” or “things everlasting.” The meaning changes in perspective to mean not just eternal but all things that are valued eternally. The contrast is all we do “in time” and “all that matters for eternity.” How do we connect these two cries?

Psalm 1:3,

We don’t get it all; but who would want to worship a God who can fully be comprehended? We see through a clouded mirror when we look at God’s work.

vv. 12-13 I know fully that there is lasting treasure only in finding joy and doing good in this life; for everyone to eat, drink and enjoy the reward of their hard work; truly this is the gift of God.

Solomon, the narrator, searcher for truth, and teacher here, brings his own conclusion. It is the same: he cannot know everything about God’s plans either. So, he recommends; pursue joy where it is found, do good wherever you can, work hard and enjoy what comes. Make the most of each day and moment.

Joy, rejoicing, happiness. God has given us a gift. Our work brings joy.

Romans 8:28 And we know that, for those who love Him, for those who are invited into His plans, God works all things together for good.

It’s not just the bad or the hard things that God uses for our benefit; it’s the good and beautiful things, too. We are invited into his purposes in every season, in every trial, in every rejoicing, the bring a full and beautiful life.

“we know that…” It’s what the first century church knew. If you love and follow God, and have said yes to his plans for your life, God the Father will take what you go through for our benefit. All will work together for good.

The context of this verse is the suffering we go through and the protective covering of the Holy Spirit and His readiness to answer our cries, even more, to lead us in those prayers.

“invited into His plans” is the calling to His purposes, mainly the redemptive story.

This passage emphasizes the free action and choice of each of us but acknowledges that, threaded through it all is God’s design and purpose to bring us to Him, to deepen our love for Him, and to accomplish His good works.

Pastor Rick’s Study Notes:

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Genesis 2:7, John 20:19-23, 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Pastor Rick’s Study Notes:

(PRT) Genesis 2:7, John 20:19-23, 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Gen. 2:7 And the Lord God molded and created the first human out of the dust and dirt of the earth, and He breathed into his nostrils the spirit and breath of life; and the man became alive, a living being.

  • That the Father created you and me is unavoidable for the Christian.
  • That the Father created you and me uniquely with soul, consciousness, and a desire to know Him lays the foundation for our relationship with Him.
  • That we are created from the dry and dusty dirt of earth connects us to our purposes here.
  • That we have the very breath of the Father in our souls connects us to the purposes of the Kingdom.

John 20:19 Then, the evening came on that same first day of the week, and the doors where Jesus’ followers were staying were shut and locked out of fear of the Jews; and Jesus entered and stood among them and said to them: “Peace to you.” v. 20 And after saying this, he showed them his two hands and his side. The disciples were overjoyed because they had clearly seen the Lord. v. 21 Then Jesus quieted them and said again: “Peace to you. Just like the Father sent me on the mission, I also commission you and send you out on mission.” v. 22 And after he said this, he breathed on them, and said: “Receive the Holy Spirit. v. 23 What sins you forgive, they are forgiven; what you hold onto, they stay.

  • Jesus doesn’t stop for locked doors or chained gates; he shows up where his Kingdom belongs.
  • Jesus says to you and me when we are fearful, “peace. Focus on me and my nearness.
  • Jesus says to you and me when we experience the fulness and joy of His life in us, “peace.” Focus on me and my mission.
  • Jesus gives us His Spirit to empower us, to guide us, and to accomplish the Kingdom through us.
  • Jesus’ Spirit inside us gives us discernment on how to show others how to be forgiven.

2 Timothy 3: 16 All the Scripture is God-breathed and effective for instruction in doctrine, for persuasive conviction, for straightening our lives again, and for training us in God’s standard of what is right. v. 17 That way, the person devoted to God can be complete, fully equipped, and ready to face every good work.

  • The Spirit of God has given us His Word.
  • This God-breathed Scripture is given with a purpose and outcome.
  • He has breathed His Word so we can be full of His truth, grow up in His purposes, and do the good works He puts before us.
  • This Scripture teaches us, convicts us, straightens us out, and trains us to know right from wrong.
  • His Truth is meant to move from the page, to the mind, into our hearts, and out from our lives through words and actions.

Pastor Rick’s Study Notes:

Gen. 2:7 And the Lord God molded and created the first human out of the dust and dirt of the earth, and He breathed into his nostrils the spirit and breath of life; and the man became alive, a living being.

The image is God the Father taking the dust and dirt, mixing it like clay with water, crafting a human, then coming face-to-face with his creation to give life through the Spirit. Add this to John 1 and how all things are created through Jesus the Son and the Trinity is deeply invested in this creative act of humanity.

When we read this verse and those around it, the “order” seems out of place in the events or actions. But the verbs do not indicate this is a chronological check list. This verse says God did it.

The dust and dirt are the finest of earth’s particles. He didn’t shovel up a load of clay but took the pure, dry dirt from the ground to form us. The earth doesn’t produce man’s body; God creates it. However, the dirt of earth is elevated as a gift from which people gain their sustenance and explore their creativity.

Then, the life-breath is given. The stuff of earth; the breath from heaven. Though the words themselves are mainly the breath of our lungs that maintains our lives, that He came to humans face-to-face to deliver this breath makes this unique. The human becomes animate and individual We don’t see the Father breathing into the nostrils of the armadillo, even though by His creative force, the armadillo breathes and is animated.

John 20:19 Then, the evening came on that same Sunday, and the doors where Jesus’ followers were staying were shut and locked out of fear of the Jews; and Jesus entered and stood among them and said to them: “Peace to you.”

The gates outside were locked and chained; the entryway to the room was shut and locked. He opens them miraculously. He goes through them. Jesus didn’t obey locks and chains. Where he belongs, he enters.

The disciples were hunkered down waiting for the intensity of the manhunt to blow over. They, at this point, had no answers for the Jewish authorities’ suspicions.  This is the point of hope. And hope based on faith in the truth of the Good News of God’s love for people through Jesus became their answer.

“that day” is something that each follower would look back on. And the evening of that day, Jesus shows up.

Peace to you is a common expression of greeting made more important when Jesus promises his supernatural peace to be ours. Here, it likely is also because of the fear prevalent in the room and the possible fear his sudden appearance made.

v. 20 And after saying this, he showed them his two hands and his side. The disciples were overjoyed because they had clearly seen the Lord.

Jesus knew their eyes needed a new image. Their last image was a brutal death and the finality of his dead body slumped over those removing Jesus from his instrument of execution. He held out his hands so they could see he really did hang on the cross and he survived. He uncovered his ribcage so they could see he really did get pierced by a Roman spear and lived. They knew he could not live through both cross and spear to the heart; he rose from the dead. He wasn’t resuscitated. He wasn’t in a swoon. He died. And he now lives and stands in the middle of their gathering. And they had clearly seen Him in His physical, recognizable body.

v. 21 Then Jesus quieted them and said again: “Peace to you. Just like the Father sent me on the mission, I also commission you and send you out on mission.”

Jesus says “peace” twice. The first time, because they were afraid; the second time because they were overjoyed.

Jesus uses two different words for “send” here. The Father sent Jesus to the mission of redemption. He came as a child, grew up and lived sinless, proclaimed and demonstrated the Kingdom of Heaven is near, was betrayed, tried, convicted, beaten, crucified, killed, buried, and rose again. He accomplished His mission. It was a specified mission to accomplish. Done. And now the hand off. Jesus now commissions his followers to the mission of taking the Good News of the Kingdom to those near and far. And the word John uses here is a more general term. We are sent to live our lives, to pursue good, to obey God, to raise our families, to worship in church, to be filled with the Spirit – so that, as we do these things, we will take the Gospel to the ends of the earth. We take His accomplished mission, the message of the Good News of the Kingdom, as our mission.

v. 22 And after he said this, he breathed on them, and said: “Receive the Holy Spirit.

This word for breathed is the same Greek that translates Gen 2:7. He breathed onto their lives a measure of the Holy Spirit; this prepared them for the full infilling and washing over by the Spirit on Pentecost. The image here is the Son gathering his followers near and, face-to-face breathing over them (one at a time, or all at once is not so important and not defined here.) And in this breathing, he imparts the Spirit to illumine them and strengthen them for the next 40 days. This was such a critical time. They could possibly scatter in fear and miss Pentecost (Peter has already renewed his occupation of fishing, it seems. Thomas was missing in action in this first visit Jesus makes.)

He breathed. It was not symbolic of the Spirit of God rising up inside the disciples; it was an impartation of the holy breath of God infilling his followers.

Some scholars say this was the “down payment” on Pentecost, and this makes sense. Jesus imparted all of the Spirit they would need to accomplish their mission for the next 40 days as they awaited the full “promise of the Father.”

Ezekiel 37:9 the prophet appeals to the winds to breathe on those dead, the bones in the valley, that they might come back to life.

v. 23 What sins you forgive, they are forgiven; what you hold onto, they stay.

This passage can be confusing. It can be who’s ever sins you forgive them, they are forgiven; but if you hold onto them or retain them, they will stay retained. In the context, it doesn’t seem to fit, and I can only wonder if this is one of those passages that John remembered in the middle of his account and inserted. I’m used to reading chronologically; that’s not always the way the accounts are written. My first choice is to read it in context with v. 22. That means their willingness to forgive is vitally connected with the work of the Holy Spirit inside His followers. This is confirmed by the example of Jesus’ proclamation, “Father forgive them.” And then Stephen saying the same thing. It’s an extension of grace and forgiveness in the face of harmful designs.

This is the formula for the Catholic practice of the confessional that developed through the early centuries of the church’s spread. Protestant and evangelicals take this passage and run as far away from this as possible. After all, only God can forgive sins. But we: 1) must forgive the sins others commit that harm us, and 2) we “pronounce” forgiveness when someone else extends forgiveness toward us. We don’t forgive on behalf of God, but our affirmation of someone’s announced change can strengthen the action as “done” and “under God’s grace.”

2 Timothy 3: 16 All the Scripture is God-breathed and effective for instruction in doctrine, for persuasive conviction, for straightening our lives again, and for training us in God’s standard of what is right.

The four areas God’s Word here is fruitful for: teaching truth, convicting us of the truth, correcting our lives to the truth, and training us to live measured by the plumbline of God’s view of righteousness. They are all different but help us align with a life that benefits from God’s blessing and keep us from the lies of the enemy.

The teaching is related to the doctrinal truth of theology as it relates to life.

The convicting of truth is a making plain what might be hidden, proving what is unclear.

The correcting is a putting down so it can be a standard in our lives.

The training has a meaning of discipline.

v. 17 That way, the person devoted to God can be complete, fully equipped, and ready to face every good work.

Literally, the man of God, hence the person devoted or belonging to God. Two different words having to do with complete. The first is the status of being fitted out completely; the second fully equipped in the face of what life might bring their way, so they can do good works.

Small Group Study Questions:

  1. What family member were you closest to when you were a child? What is you favorite memory with this person?
  2. How does God’s characteristics in Genesis 2:7 bring Him close to humanity? Which of God’s characteristics – creativity, compassion, or communications – shows up in your own life?
  3. Where does God need to breath His Spirit’s provision and power in your life today?
  4. What is God’s mission for Jesus’ followers in John 20:19-23? How does your understanding of God’s mission change how you live?
  5. How can we pray for you as you pursue His mission this week?

Pastor Rick’s Study Notes:

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Pastor Rick’s Study Notes: Haggai Overview and the Key Passage of the Prophecy.

Haggai Chapter 1

  • This prophet speaks into the early leaders who returned from captivity with the People of God, Zerubbabel and Joshua. These two leaders came to Israel with 40K refugees to rebuilt the Temple and begin to restore Israel.
  • And Haggai preached to them and encouraged them to follow God, trust in His care and power, and continue the work. He may have preached all the way into the days of Ezra when he returned to Israel – at least Ezra recorded the impact Haggai had on the rebuilding of the Temple.

The Big Issue: The work on the house of worship stalled for more than a decade, but the people of God were convicted and drawn back to His purposes through Haggai. V.12-15 is the turnaround passage.

  • Haggai is a book of questions? Do you build your house before you build your God a place of worship? Why the drought? Who can compare the former house to the latter one? Is there anything left in the barn?

Haggai Chapter 2

This prophet saw the big picture.

  • The People of God were returning to Israel to rebuild the Temple, restore the city and nation, all to accomplish the mission – to be a light to the nations and a place of worship for all people (2:5)
  • All that God wants from the nations will come to Jerusalem and it will be a place filled with His glory and a house of peace.

(PRT) Haggai 1:12-15

v. 12 They all obeyed the voice of the Lord their God: Shealtiel’s son Zerubbabel, Jehozadak’s son Joshua the High Priest, along with all the remnant, and they heeded the words of the prophet Haggai that the Lord their God had sent.  And the people honored and reverenced the Lord.

v. 13 Then Haggai, the messenger of the Lord spoke the Good News of the Lord, and said to the people: “I am with you,” says the Lord.

v. 14 And the Lord awakened the spirit of Shealtiel’s son, Zerubbabel, Judah’s governor and the spirit of Jehozadak’s son, Joshua the high priest and collectively the spirit of the remnant of the people. Then they came together to accomplish the work on the house of their God, the Lord of hosts.

v. 15 On the 24th day of the sixth month of the second year of Darius’ reign.

Study Notes:

v. 12 They all obeyed the voice of the Lord their God: Shealtiel’s son Zerubbabel, Jehozadak’s son Joshua the High Priest, along with all the remnant, and they heeded the words of the prophet Haggai that the Lord their God had sent.  And the people honored and reverenced the Lord.

The opposition they faced was discouragement, change, want, and the enemy.

  • And because of this discouragement, the people had simply become indifferent, ambivalent to the things of God.
  • They went through the motions because they had built the altar and the priests could make their sacrifices; but the fire of that altar hadn’t consumed them to the point that all they were and all they desired were the Lord’s.
    • What do you do when discouragement threatens your faith in action?
    • What do you do when defeat seems to characterize your life more than victory?
    • What do you do when disappointments overshadow and rob you of the joy you’ve known in the Lord?

v. 13 Then Haggai, the messenger of the Lord spoke the Good News of the Lord, and said to the people: “I am with you,” says the Lord.

  • This is the only time the word the New Testament translated as The Message, The Good News, or sometimes, The Messenger, is used in the OT.
  • It is Good News that God is with us.
  • In fact, The first part is the Lord’s Name – the great “I AM.” And the second part echoes Isaiah’s prophecy concerning Jesus – “His name shall be called Immanuel, God with us.”

v. 14 And the Lord awakened the spirit of Shealtiel’s son, Zerubbabel, Judah’s governor and the spirit of Jehozadak’s son, Joshua the high priest and collectively the spirit of the remnant of the people. Then they came together to accomplish the work on the house of their God, the Lord of hosts.

And the fire was reignited, first one person (the Governor), then another (the Priest) – then he awakened the whole remnant and their culture was changed.

v. 15 On the 24th day of the sixth month of the second year of Darius’ reign.

And all this happened in three months. Haggai hung around and taught and shows up in Ezra. But his faithfulness to speak to the authority and encourage the people changed their direction.

Pastor Rick’s Study Notes: Nehemiah 8:1-12

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Chapter 1

After at least three starts on the wall under Zerubbabel and Ezra, Nehemiah gets permission to take the immigrants and travel to Jerusalem.

Chapter 2

Prayer for grace in the moment- Nehemiah breathed a powerful prayer:

Chapter 3

When the building began, it was an all-hands operation. Each section was built by a different group and it is a great example of how diverse the work of the Kingdom can be: 1) religious leaders and their people, 2) families and extended families, 3) a group of sons, 4) a group of daughters, 5) different trade groups like perfume-makers, goldsmiths, 6) groups of neighbors, 7) politicians, 8) worshipers, 9) merchants and marketers.

Chapter 4 & 5

Don’t fear; keep building. To the vigilant, to the multi-tasker is the victory.

Chapter 6 and 7

Discourage their hearts, confuse their minds, weaken their hands.

52 Day project to complete the wall.

Chapter 8

Ezra read and the people were enthralled.

What happened at the first Water Gate.

Men and women, later sons and daughters – all who could get it, got it.

Mic drop in Jerusalem.

Revival in the city.

v. 11 Key verse.

(PRT – Nehemiah 8:1-12)

7:73 And so the priests, Levites, doorkeepers, singers, and a remnant of the people, the temple servants, and all Israel lived in their cities. And on the first day of the seventh month (around October) the children of Israel lived were living in their hometowns.

8:1 And the people came together in unity with a purpose in the streets in front of the Water Gate and the pleaded with Ezra the scribe to bring out Moses’ Book of the Law that the Lord has commissioned and given to Israel.

Ezra was part historian and annalist, part accountant, part teacher, and part priest. The word scribe has a complicated meaning. He kept up with the people, the story God was working out in them, and how His Word related to their story.

He had been in Jerusalem since the beginning of the return from captivity. He’d weathered the accusers, deceivers, and obstructors from the outside; and he’d encouraged the complacent, greedy, and selfish from the inside.

  • Nehemiah 1 God breaks his heart for his city and God’s people, they are just a remnant.
  • In Nehemiah 7 Only a few but God brings them together.
  • In Nehemiah 8 all who could came together. But God was still not done with gathering His people.

8:2 Then Ezra brought the law out on the first day of the seventh month (around October) to the gathering of men, women, and all who could grasp its meaning.

This day is the beginning of the celebration of Tabernacles and the Day of Atonement. The wall is finished; the people takes a few weeks to resettle; and they return to worship.

God’s Word is for all; God’s Spirit comes on all; even the children and anyone who could comprehend.

8:3 And he read from the book right there on the street before the Water Gate to the men, women, and all the people from daybreak to noon and those who could grasp its meaning were focused on the Book of the Law.

The word for “all” is used ten times in these 12 verses. The gathering has gone from a remnant of faithful, a few who would not give up, to all who lived there. But God was not done; the gathering of His people continued as more and more returned to Jerusalem. The same today: God’s people are still being gathered.

8:4 And Ezra stood on the wooden stage they had made for this very purpose. Standing to his right were: Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Urijah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah. And standing to his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchiah, Hashum, Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam.

These were the qualified leaders and teachers from among the Levites. The significance of six on one side and seven on the other is likely scribal – someone got moved or left out.

8:5 They stood above the people so all could see them, and when Ezra opened the Book from the stage, they all stood up.

The people prepared for God’s servants to be heard. They built a stage. At dawn at the Water Gate, the sun would be streaming down on the faces of the listeners. The sight for those on the platform must have been awe-inspiring.

8:6 And Ezra kneeled and worshiped before the Lord, the Great God; and the people responded “Amen! Amen!” They lifted their hands and they bowed down with faces to the ground all while they worshiped the Lord.

And his response at the sight was humility. He was down on his face worshiping. The people did likewise, not because they wanted to do what Ezra did, but because they were overcome by God’s presence. They heard truth, they worshiped, they lifted hands, they shouted, and they fell down before God’s presence.

8:7-8 Also, Jeshuah, Bani, Sheribiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Henan, Pelaiah, and all the Levites helped the people understand the meaning of the Law. And the people stood still as they read from the Book of God’s Law; and they gave clear insight to help the people comprehend what they were reading.

“Clear insight” could also mean that they “translated” to those who had been in foreign lands.

8:9 Then Nehemiah the governor and Ezra the priest and scribe made sure that the Levites taught the all the people: “This day is holy. This is from the Lord your God so do not grieve or cry, for all the people wept as they listened to the Words of the Law.”

The people were so loudly grieving and overcome by tears that the leaders were concerned the would miss the most important element of worship: joy.

8:10 And he said to them: “Go, eat and drink richly, and share your abundance with those who are without. For this day is holy to our Lord; don’t be sorrowful, because the joy of the Lord is your strength.

Our joy is our strong place of refuge. When we are tempted, run to the refuge. When we are accused, run to the refuge. When we face dark times, run to the refuge and rejoice that Jesus is near and loves us.

8:11 So the Levites soothed all the people: “Be at peace and don’t be sorrowful, for this day is holy.

When God’s Spirit falls in awakening power, convicting and persuading His people to know and seek Him above all, it changes His people forever. Nothing like it; no experience compares.

8:12 And all the people left there to eat and drink, and to share from their abundance, and to celebrate gladly, for they understood the words that were taught to them.

This was the day before Tabernacles begins and celebration is in order. And celebrate, they did! It was an eight day worship service.