Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10–Notice how the worship practices of Ezra and Nehemiah
are quite similar to ours today. Ezra the scribe reads the Book of the Law in
the presence of the people. After they heard the word, they responded in two
ways. First they feasted. Delicious festive food prepared with much fat. The
fat of sacrificial animals was offered to God as the tastiest element of the
burnt offering, the fellowship offering, the sin offering, and the guilt
offering. The fat was not to be eaten in these cases. They also remembered the
poor and those less fortunate on these joyous occasions. Likewise, we today
respond in two ways. We come to a worship service to hear the Word. We eat the
sacrifice of Christ in the Sacrament and then we respond in sacramental living.
In service, we worship God. We respond by reaching out to our neighbors and
especially to those whose need is great. We respond as the Word of the Lord has
taken root in our lives.
When Jesus opens His mouth to preach, gracious words flow from His lips. The Scriptures are, indeed, fulfilled in your hearing (Luke 4:21–22). For Christ was anointed by the Spirit of the Lord “to proclaim good news to the poor,” “to proclaim liberty to the captives,” and “to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18–19).
By this proclamation, Christ releases His people from
captivity and gathers them to Himself in His Church. So it was when the Lord
released His people from Babylon and returned them to Jerusalem. “Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites
who taught the people,” sanctified the whole congregation by the reading
and preaching of the Law (Nehemiah 8:8–9). [2]
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