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Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10

Writer's picture: Aimee NilesAimee Niles

Ezra-Nehemiah (while we separate them into two books, in the Hebrew Bible it is a single book: Ezra) is a story of return from exile and reestablishing what it means to be God’s chosen people–particularly in the face of exile and conquest. The wider story of this week’s lectionary passage is one of complex geo-political maneuverings: Judah was conquered by Babylon in 586 BC, but then Babylon was subsequently conquered by the Persians in 539 BC. The return of the people to their homeland came under the Persian rulers, starting with King Cyrus.


King Cyrus has gotten a lot of renewed attention recently due to some connections between current politics in the United States and Cyrus’ role in allowing the Temple to be rebuilt and for the Jews to return to Jerusalem. Some current commentators have used this as an example of God using non-godly people to accomplish God’s will. Add to the mix that Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem to “rebuild the walls” and there is a messy mud puddle of messages that one can easily cherry pick to form a certain narrative. These are periphery pieces to the lectionary passage and the only reason I am mentioning it here is to give an example of how an Old Testament text can have a deep impact on today’s thinking. Non-contextual interpretation of scripture can be used to justify a lot.


The question becomes: What is the context of this passage? Ezra is written in a time of a deep identity crisis for the Jewish people. It is a time where they are no longer, really, the Israelites because Israel is conquered. They are moving into a new era for their people, profoundly impacted by defeat and exile. Who are they in the face of such destruction? How can they continue to be God’s chosen people when they have endured such terrible things?


Nehemiah 8 invites the reader to learn about identity-making and the impact of storytelling on the identity of a people. Ezra, the high priest, reads the book of the law of Moses to the people (Nehemiah 8:1-3). He reminds them, in a sense, who they have been in the past.


An important note is the inclusion of not just men in this endeavor, but women and (perhaps) children as well: “all who could hear with understanding” (Nehemiah 8:2). And the gathering happened not in the Temple, where women would have been excluded, but at the Water Gate. As the people are learning who they have been, and who they will be, it is not the domain of men to make such decisions, but a shared responsibility among all.


But the people do not hear the law with joy, instead they wept and mourned. It is painful to realize that the story you have been telling yourself about identity is proven to be false. Laying aside the false, the fantasy, self (whether as an individual or as a nation) is painful.


But Ezra offers encouragement to move beyond the pain and into action. He encourages sacrifice and offerings to God (as the people might have heard about in the reading), but also eating of fatted meat and sweet wine: To quote Tom Haverford and Donna Meagle from “Parks and Recreation”–Treat yo’self! And not just those who could afford the delicacies, but everyone. Ezra makes it clear that sharing was caring.


This passage gives us an opportunity to examine what it means to be in the midst of an identity crisis–perhaps not so much as individuals, but as communities. Far too often, when the true-selves are revealed as lacking, the automatic response is shame, pretending it doesn’t exist, and reinforcing the facade. This passage shows a different path: recognition without shame, a little bit of self-care, and encouragement to do better–”the joy of the LORD is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). It’s not an excuse to ignore new-found knowledge and awareness, but an invitation to react to that knowledge in a different way and recommit to who we could be. To do the work to be who God directs us to be.

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