Tips for Teaching This Week’s Session of The Gospel Project for Adults

Listen to this week’s leader training podcast with Y Bonesteele, team leader for The Gospel Project for Adults, for a summary and guidance in leading your group.

This week’s additional resources for study and preparation:

• Commentary: “The Spirit of God, Working Through the Word of God, Brings Revival” by David Guzik
• Sermon: “Becoming People of the Book” by H. B. Charles Jr.
• Conference Talk: “Coming Together Around God’s Word” by Nancy Guthrie
• Podcast: “How to Listen to God’s Word” by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth with Dannah Gresh

Transcript of Leader Training Podcast:

Hi, this is Y Bonesteele, team leader of The Gospel Project for Adults. Welcome to another Leader Training podcast. Today, we are in Unit 18, Session 2, The Law Taught. With the core passage of Nehemiah 8:2-12, and the key concept of: Scripture should lead us to worship, repent, and celebrate.

The Context on page 120 of the Leader Guide tells us that after the completion of the wall, Nehemiah established measures to protect the city, made a census of the returnees, and assembled the people. As part of the restoration of the city of Jerusalem and the restoration of the people, we find Ezra the priest bringing the law to the people. First, it’s interesting to note that in verse 1, all the people gathered at the square in front of the Water Gate. They were not in the temple although it was newly rebuilt. It wasn’t a time for sacrifice but a time for all to hear the Word of God—men, women, and children, all who could understand; it was a general assembly.

Starting in verse 2, then, we see that on the first day of the seventh month, “Ezra brought the law before the assembly of men, women, and all who could listen with understanding,” which probably included the youth and children who could listen with understanding. And Ezra read from the Book of the Law from “daybreak until noon,” about 6 hours. Because it was about 6 hours, it probably wasn’t every single word of the Pentateuch, the Book of the Law, but probably selected passages. And “all the people listened attentively to the book of the law.” “All the people” is mentioned 9 times from verses 1-12. And “people” is mentioned 13 times in total, including those 9 times. Though it is Ezra that is the main figure as the priest reading the Word, it is the people that seems to be the focus here. Ezra stood on a platform, built for this purpose; they had made preparations for such a moment to make sure the people knew the importance of hearing from the Word of God. Ezra had men with him, to his left and to his right. Some think them to be Levites, but others say they were just lay leaders. In either case, there was a unity of spirit and the leaders stood with Ezra to support the importance of reading from the Word. Ezra opened the book, or the scrolls, “in full view of all the people.” And again, “all the people” stood up as he opened the scrolls, in reverence for the word of God. Ezra “blessed the Lord, the great God” and the people lifted up their hands in praise and agreed with an “Amen, Amen!” Then they knelt low and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground in submission and humility. The people were in awe of the Word of God and knew that listening to it, meant they had to stay true to it.

What is your reaction when you’re convicted by God’s Word? Maybe your reaction is with action, like listening to praise music. Maybe it’s making a to-do list like sharing the gospel with neighbors more or serving in the church somewhere. Maybe it’s confession. Maybe it’s just a deep awe and worshipful spirit. Answers will vary here.

How might you respond to God’s Word with your entire self—physically and emotionally—like the Israelites? For some of us, a changed physical posture seems odd, or you’re not used to it. You should go ahead and try it at some point in your life and see if it’s helpful for you to show reverence and submission to God. It can be helpful for some but not for others. Although the Bible does give us examples of postures, God is always more concerned about our hearts than anything else. However, occasional kneeling or lifting up of hands is descriptive in Scripture.

After hearing God’s Words read, thirteen Levites explained it to them. Verse 8: “8 They read out of the book of the law of God, translating and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was read.” Yes, the Word of God is simple but at the same time complex. Others more studied helped translate and give meaning to it for the people. Also some of the people may not have known Hebrew as some spoke Aramaic. Translating was needed for some.

And hearing the word, some must have been broken by their sin or emotional in awe of God that they were weeping and the leaders had to tell them not to “mourn or weep.” And instead of weeping, they were instructed to, “Go and eat what is rich, drink what is sweet, and send portions to those who have nothing prepared, since today is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, because the joy of the Lord is your strength.” These words were restorative words for the people of Israel. They knew they had been unfaithful; they knew they deserved the discipline they received in exile. But hearing this, they could see and feel that “the joy of the Lord [was their] strength” as they gathered, with a new temple, and new walls and a new gathering around the Word of the Lord. God had restored His people as He promised, and it was not a time of mourning. And the Levites continued to reassure the people in verse 11: “11 And the Levites quieted all the people, saying, ‘Be still, since today is holy. Don’t grieve.’” Then all the people did what was instructed. They ate and drank and sent portions and had “a great celebration, because they had understood the words that were explained to them.”

So they celebrated for a few reasons: because they repented and were in awe of God; and also because it was the first day of the seventh month, the beginning of the Feast of Trumpets, noted in Leviticus 23:24, marking the beginning of the Jewish civil calendar, marked by repentance and rest, a burnt and sin offering, and the blowing of trumpets. It’s also called Rosh Hashanah.  The reading of the Word on the Feast of Trumpets was timely.  Trumpets are blown for announcement, forewarning, and celebration. The people of God coming back to Him and His Word, and God’s restoration of their city and their land, inaugurated a holy day of repentance and celebration. They initially mourned but their leaders called them to also celebrate “because they had understood the words that were explained to them.” There is a time for serious mourning but there is a time for joyful celebration when the Word is understood. There is so much to be thankful for and joyful for when we hear the Word of the Lord. Remember too, that after the Feast of Trumpets, in ten days time, on the tenth day of the seventh month, it would be the Day of Atonement.

What does your attitude toward your own sin reveal about your understanding of who God is? Hopefully, we feel wretched when we sin and we try to resist it when possible. But we also know we will sin. But because we know God is a good God and Jesus paid the price for us, we do not need to live in guilt and shame. We are forgiven because God is a gracious God. The Israelites understood that as they celebrated being back in Jerusalem, being back in a restored relationship with their God.

What do the Levites’ commands teach you about God’s heart for His people? The Levites commanded the people to not mourn and to celebrate. There is a time for mourning and a time for celebration. God desires joy for us and in us. Throughout the Bible, we see God’s people having celebrations as they remembered the goodness of God. This is true for us today as well. Sometimes as Christians, we have lost our sense of joy, yet with God on our side and as our strength, how can we not be joyful?

Thus, we remember that the reading of Scripture is important, individually and corporately. Through the study of Scripture, we discover together who God is—His holiness, goodness, grace, and mercy. Scripture points to Christ and His wondrous works of salvation. Hearing and studying it together leads to the growth of God’s kingdom.

On to the Group Experience, go through the icebreaker and transition into the Context. Pass out copies of Pack Item 12: Ezra and Nehemiah handout. Use it to highlight the main headings for the ministries of Ezra and Nehemiah, showing how Ezra helped restore worship, Nehemiah helped rebuild the wall, and both helped in rebuilding the people. Continue into the Recap, asking people to share highlights or questions.

Move on to the Group Activity, recreating the chart on a board. Form pairs or small teams and read through Nehemiah 8:2-12, completing the first two rows, looking at how Ezra and the Levites interacted with the book of the Law and what resulted first. Answers may include that Ezra’s interaction included bringing out the book of the Law, resulting in helping the people see the importance of the books, resulting in the people standing in reverence. He blessed the Lord with scrolls in hand resulting in connecting the fact that the book of the Law is important because it’s authority is from the Lord, our great God, resulting in uplifted hands of worship from the people, an agreement from the people, and bowed knees in worship as well. The Levites’ interaction with the book of the Law included explaining the book, reading from it, translating it, and giving the meaning of it, resulting in the fact that “the people could understand what was read” as seen in verse 8, and also resulting in the people weeping and mourning in awe and in repentance. The returning exiles interacted with the book of the Law by gathering for the occasion, to hear from the book of the Law, read by Ezra and translated and given meaning by the Levites. They gathered and they stood in reverence, lifted up hands in worship, agreed with their “Amen! Amen!”, and knelt in submission and worship. They listened and understood. Their actions resulted in weeping and mourning soon to become celebration, because of their understanding of the Lord and His Word.

Then ask the questions at the bottom of page 127 of the Leader Guide: “Why do you think the Israelites were told not to mourn or weep (vv. 9,11)?” Possibly, God and the leaders did not want to let the Israelites drown in their shame and guilt. God has just brought them back  to the land and restored their temple, wall, and city. There was a time of mourning and weeping but there is also a time to continue repopulating and restructuring Jerusalem to its former glory to showcase what God could do and will do for His people. “What do you think verse 10 means when it says, ‘The joy of the Lord is your strength’?” Mourning can turn to despair and hopelessness pretty easy if you let it but God wanted the people to move forward. He had brought them back for a reason. A renewed commitment to God’s covenant is what He needed from the people. In restoring the city and land and in restoring their own hearts, God wanted them to find strength in the joy they found in the Lord to move forward, to continue to restore the land and their relationship with the Lord. “How do you think the people felt hearing the book of the Law after being in exile for so long?” It reminds me a little of meeting in churches again after Covid. There is a refreshing spirit that exudes when we gather as a community, as one body, around the Word, reading it together, understanding it together. It had been a long time for most, if not all of them, to be in such a large crowd of like-minded people who love the Lord. There must have been a seriousness but also a lightness, a burden lifted, in that assembly.

Then fill out the last row in their smaller groups and discuss as a large group after. How do believers today interact with the Word of God and what are the results. Possible answers may include: gathering for worship services to hear sermons, gathering in small groups or community groups to study biblical text, or individually studying God’s Word daily. We also add that general conversations with others can include a focus around Biblical topics or verses in an informal way. These are ways we can interact with God’s Word. What results is a new joy or passion for God’s Word, a noticed difference in the way we live, the way we love God and others. Hopefully it causes us to mourn of our sin, although perhaps that doesn’t happen as often today as it should. Also mourning against injustices in our world or mourning for those who haven’t heard the gospel. We hope that our understanding of the Word transform us, transforming our actions and thoughts, but honestly, sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn’t. How we respond is indicative of how much we actually do understand God’s Word.

Debrief with: “How does your present situation affect your perspective of God’s Word?” If someone is going through tough times, God’s Word can be encouraging or convicting, it can cut deeply as well as soothe. Sometimes we want more of God’s Word because the peace and encouragement it brings. But sometimes too, we don’t always like the rebuke.

“Why do you think most people today do not respond to Scripture the same way the returnees did?” Perhaps we take the Word of God for granted many times. If we have been a long-time believer, we think we know the Word of God or we think we already live it out. But there’s always so much more to learn. Sometimes we don’t react to sin in our lives with mourning; we might take on grace so much that we don’t see the weight of sin, individually, corporately in our churches, or corporately in our nation. We don’t grieve against injustices. We are myopic on the wrong things and don’t live as kingdom people. But the whole of Scripture gives us wisdom and truth and salvation through the person of Jesus. It enlightens us to who God is and who we are and how we are to live as holy people, His people.

Summarize and answer the Hands questions if time is limited: “What is one thing you can do this week to remind yourself of God’s commands in a way that results in worship and celebration?” Maybe focus on a worship song that is clearly taken from Scripture. Maybe have a coffee time with friends focused on solving problems or questions with Scripture and enjoying that fellowship. Maybe inviting a friend to a small group or a church service and grabbing a meal with them afterwards to see their thoughts. Your group may have other answers here.

Continue through Next Steps as additional application points and end with prayer requests and praises. Ending with a Psalm, Psalm 119 is long and rich in focus on God’s words and commands. Pick a section or a few verses beforehand to highlight or pray through that you think would be encouraging to your group.

Hey, thanks again for joining me on another Leader Training podcast. Reach out at [email protected] and hope you have a great group time!