Renewed Allegiance to the Law

GOLDEN TEXT: “I am the Lord your God; walk in my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them.” —Ezekiel 20:19

EZEKIEL 20:19,20; NEHEMIAH 9:1-3; 10:32,35,37,39

NEHEMIAH supervised the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem, and Zerubbabel superintended the rebuilding of the temple, and it was “Ezra the priest” who “brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding.” (Neh. 8:2) It must have been a great day in Judah when this took place. A pulpit had been erected upon which Ezra stood as he read out of the book of the Law, as “all the people gathered … into the street that was before the water gate.”—ch. 8:1,4; 9:3,4

“Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up: and Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands.” (vss. 5,6) Not only was the Law read to the people of Israel that day, but Ezra and his assistants “gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.”—vs. 8

It is a fundamental principle in God’s dealings with his people that they understand his will and ways. God desires that his people worship him “in Spirit and in truth,” that is, from the heart, and in harmony with his truth. This is particularly true of spiritual Israel during the Gospel age. Through the Apostle Paul’s message to Timothy, he has admonished these to “study,” that they might show themselves “approved” unto him, “workmen that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth.”—II Tim. 2:15

The old axiom, “It doesn’t matter what one believes as long as he lives right,” is not in harmony with the Word of God. The Bible teaches that in order to live right it is necessary to believe right. Jesus prayed on behalf of his followers, “Sanctify them through thy truth, thy Word is truth.”—John 17:17

For the people of Israel to renew their allegiance to God’s Law, it was essential not only that the Law be read to them, but that they understand “the sense” or meaning of the Law; and Ezra was faithful in performing this task. The reading of the Law continued for seven days. On the eighth day there was a final “solemn assembly” as the Law prescribed.—Neh. 8:18

It was on the twenty-fourth day of the same month that the people came together again, not to feast, but to fast “and with sackclothes, and earth upon them,” (ch. 9:1) Again the Law was read to them, “one fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshiped the Lord their God.”—ch. 9:3

Then several of the Levites commanded the people to “stand up and bless the Lord,” and while they stood there was an eloquent oration recounting the goodness and mercy of the Lord, beginning from the time he first called Abram in Ur of the Chaldees, down to the time of their captivity. In this oration the punishments of Israel were regretted, “Howbeit,” they said to the Lord, “thou art just in all that is brought upon us; for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly. Neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers kept thy law, nor hearkened unto thy commandments and thy testimonies, wherewith thou didst testify against them.”—ch. 9:33,34

“Because of all this,” the statement continues, “we make a sure covenant, and write it; our princes, Levites, and priests, seal unto it.” (ch. 9:38) Those who sealed this covenant are stated in the talmudic writings, and unanimously by tradition, to have formed “The Great Synagogue.” It continued for 110 years, from Nehemiah to Simon the Just. Then it became known as the Sanhedrin, referred to in the New Testament.

In this covenant they bound themselves not to intermarry with the heathen (ch. 10:30); to keep the sabbath and sabbatical year (vs. 31); to pay one-third of a shekel annually to the temple and its services (vs. 32); to supply wood for the altar (vs. 34); and to pay the priestly dues. (vss. 35-39) This covenant was largely a re-affirmation of certain ordinances of the Mosaic Law, omitting the great basic requirements of justice and good will contained in the Ten Commandments, those referred to by Jesus as the “weightier matters of the Law, judgment, mercy, and faith.”—Matt. 23:23

This covenant represented a noble effort to strengthen the religious life of the Israelites, even though it did stress merely certain ceremonial aspects of the Law. It was a covenant which men added to the original Book of the Law.

Referring to the ordinances of the Law, Jesus said they should not be neglected, but that the Lord’s people should seek to get the spirit of the whole Law. (Matt. 23:23) It is so with us today. Every detail of the Lord’s will is important.

QUESTIONS

Who was used by the Lord to restore God’s Law to the returned captives from Babylon?

Was it important for the Israelites that they understand the will of God? Is what we believe important to know how we are to live?

What were the special points of agreement contained in the covenant with the Lord drawn up by Nehemiah and his associates?

Who signed this covenant?

What things of importance were omitted from this covenant?

What did Jesus describe as the “weightier matters of the Law”?

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