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in Hebrew “ from the light,” not 9:30 a . m . Furthermore, the school was in session every day for seven days, with a closing “solemn assembly” on the eighth. 7. Its results. First, “the people wept” (v. 9), which suggests conviction of sin. Second, Jehovah was confessed as “ our Lord” (v. 10). Third, the people rejoiced greatly because they understood God’s Word (v, 12). Fourth, they obeyed the Word (vs. 14-16). With all our modern methods, it might be profitable for us to go back to Nehemiah to learn how to conduct a successful Bible School. Golden Text Illustration In one of my early pastorates I asked one of the members of my church how she was getting along in her Christian life. She replied: “ Very poorly. My life is a disgrace to me and to the church; it is a disgrace to Jesus Christ. I don’t under stand why it-is,” “Do you study your Bible every day?” ' I asked. “ Oh, no, but I study it occasionally, when I have time.” A little baby was lying in a baby carriage near by, and I said: “ Suppose you should feed that baby once in two hours today and once in six hours tomorrow, then let it go without eating at all for three or four days because you were busy, and then go back and feed it every two hours the next day, and keep up that process; do you think the child would grow?” “No,” she said, “I think the child would die under that treatment.” And yet that is just the way you are treating your soul.—W . R. C lark , in One Thousand Evangelistic Illustrations, by Webb. Giving Thanks for God’s Book N ehemiah 8 :1-18 Memory Verse: “I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart” (Psa. 9:1 ). Approach: In our last story, we found that the Jewish people had finished build ing the wall and were ready now to wor
o f receiving the judgment of God upon such evildoers as they were. They “wept, when they heard the Words of the law” (cf. Rom. 3:19; 8:7, 8 ; Gal. 3:10; John 3:36; Heb. 4:12). The hearts of the people Were touched (vs. 10-12). They were to trust in the sufficiency of God’s provision for their sinfulness—truth which was also revealed in the law of the Lord. They were exhort ed to cease their mourning and to enter into the joyousness of the feast (cf. Deut. 16:14, 15). Gladness came because “they had understood the words” read to them. When minds are instructed and hearts reached and wills moved by the W ord of the Lord, joy invariably will follow. Points and Problems The eighth chapter of Nehemiah pre sents a picture of the first “Daily Vacation Bible School” of which we have any his torical record. Notice several things in connection with it: 1. Its location. They held it in the “ street” (v. 1). The Hebrew word means “broad place.” They did not wait for a building. 2. Its organisation. Ezra the scribe acted as superintendent, and his helpers and teachers are named in verses 4, 7, and 9. 3. Its membership. This school was not only for the children but for everybody. And the enrollment was good—“All the people gathered themselves together as one man” (v. 1), “both of men and women, and all that could hear with understand ing” (v. 2 ) , which means that they must have had a “Beginners’ Department,” for children begin very young to “hear with understanding.” 4. Its opening exercises. The superin tendent stood on a raised pulpit, and his assistants stood beside him (v. 4). When the superintendent opened the Bible, all the people stood up, performing an act of respect which would be an impressive way to open a service for us today. Then there was an opening prayer by the superintend ent (v. 6), followed by a response from the people who answered, “Amen.” Finally, there was a period of worship with every head bowed (v. 6). 5. Its teaching session. The Word of God is the only textbook (v. 1), it evi dently being regarded as more important than mere nature study and the cutting out of paper dolls. The teachers did three things. First, they read the Word, and read it distinctly, which is the first thing that every teacher should learn to do (v. 8). Second, they “gave the sense” ; that is, they explained what it meant. And third, they saw to it that the people were “caused to understand the reading.” It is not enough merely to read and teach. We should take pains to discover whether our teaching is “getting across” to the hearers. 6. Its length o f time. The school began in the “morning” and continued to “mid day” (v. 3). And “morning” here means BLACKBOARD LESSON
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ship God. They all gathered together in a broad flat place outside the water gate and set up a platform, or pulpit of wood. I wonder whether you can think o f who would be their teacher that day? Not Nehemiah ■—his work was to help them build the
wall. They needed some one who could read and explain God’s Word to them. Yes, Ezra, the scribe, was just the man who could do it, “ for Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.” Lesson Story: The people asked Ezra to bring the book o f the law of God to read to them, and he did. Ezra stood on the pulpit of wood and read from early morning until noort. And Ezra praised the Lord, and all of the people lifted up their hands and said, “ Amen, Amen,” and they bowed their heads and worshiped God. As the people listened to the law, they began to think o f the many times that they had disobeyed it, and they felt sorry about it. They felt so sorry that they began to cry. Then Ezra the scribe and Nehemiah their leader said something like this:
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