Wise Master Builder #17 | The Foolishness of Preaching

Introduction 

Culture is downstream from the deity of that culture. Take a short detour with me to Narnia. Remember the Calormenes? They’re described as “grave and mysterious”. Remember their god, Tash? He’s a walking nightmare. 

IN THE SHADOW OF THE TREES ON THE far side of the clearing something was moving. It was gliding very slowly Northward. At first glance you might have mistaken it for smoke, for it was gray and you could see things through it. But the deathly smell was not the smell of smoke. Also, this thing kept its shape instead of billowing and curling as smoke would have done. It was roughly the shape of a man but it had the head of a bird; some bird of prey with a cruel, curved beak. It had four arms which it held high above its head, stretching them out Northward as if it wanted to snatch all Narnia in its grip; and its fingers—all twenty of them—were curved like its beak and had long, pointed, bird-like claws instead of nails. It floated on the grass instead of walking, and the grass seemed to wither beneath it.

But what about the people of Aslan? Free, friendly, lighthearted. 

Most of them had legs bare to the knee. Their tunics were of fine, bright, hardy colours — woodland green, or gay yellow, or fresh blue. Instead of turbans they wore steel or silver caps, some of them set with jewels, and one with little wings on each side of it. A few were bare-headed. The swords at their sides were long and straight, not curved like Calormene scimitars. And instead of being grave and mysterious like most Calormenes, they walked with a swing and let their arms and shoulders go free, and chatted and laughed. One was whistling. You could see that they were ready to be friends with anyone who was friendly and didn’t give a fig for anyone who wasn’t. Shasta thought he had never seen anything so lovely in his life.

Here in Nehemiah we find the beginning outlines of what a Christian culture looks like.

The Text

Now it came to pass, when the wall was built, and I had set up the doors, and the porters and the singers and the Levites were appointed, That I gave my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the ruler of the palace, charge over Jerusalem: for he was a faithful man, and feared God above many.  […]
Nehemiah 7-8

Summary of the Text

Having completed the walls, Nehemiah finishes the project by installing doors (v1, Cf. 6:1), organizing porters, arranging the choir rehearsals, delegating certain governmental duties to both his brother Hanani and (confusingly) Hananiah (perhaps a captain of the temple guard) (v2). Nehemiah gives the gatekeepers instructions which indicate Jerusalem was still in danger from her enemies (v3). God placed it in Nehemiah’s heart (v5) to take a roll call of the exiles, using the list found in Ezra 2 as his reference point (vv4-73).

The wall is finished, but this reckoning of people reminds us that God is building a house for His name out of people. Ezra returns to the narrative, and once more that remarkable man presides over a wonderful moment of the story God was telling. How will God build this house made of people? From morning until midday, Ezra reads the Law of Moses to the assembled body of saints (vv1-3).

This text brings a now familiar sight before us: a preacher standing at a wooden pulpit, book opened, the people standing eager and attentive, a word of blessing, shouts of “Amen”, lifted hands, bowed heads, ministers at the ready to explain the meaning (vv4-8). Nehemiah (the kingly figure) with Ezra (the priest), along with the Levites join in a prophetic task: teaching the Word (v9). This Word cut the people, bringing them to tears (v9). But Nehemiah proclaims that this day was a holy day, and thus mourning was out of place, instead a feast should be observed. The reason for this feast? The joy of the Lord is your strength (vv9-12). So they have a merry potluck because they understood the Word (v12).

On the second day, (the 2nd of Tishri) they come across the description of the Feast of Booths (Lev. 23:33-43) which was to begin on the 15th of Tishri (vv13-14). Part of that celebration, according to Deuteronomy’s ordinance for it, was that every 7th year the Torah should be read (Deu. 31:10–13). The people took action to prepare for that feast (vv15-16), and observed it with great joy (v17). This hadn’t been done for 900 years, since the time of Joshua (v17). This feast anticipated the desire of Yahweh to tabernacle with His people, and it shouldn’t sneak past our attention that here they kept the feast principally by attending to the Word (v18, 1 Cor. 5:8). You can see the Incarnation of the Word from here.

Not Like the Scribes

Ezra instituted within the life of Jews the continual reading of the Torah each Sabbath in all the synagogues. Remember that very few Jews actually returned to the land (roughly 50,000); but this diligent reading of the Word became the norm within the life of the synagogues of the scattered Jews. This custom is seen during Jesus’ ministry when he read from Isaiah in His home synagogue of Nazareth (Cf. Lk. 4). Though this custom of reading the Word, which Ezra began, was wonderful it slowly became anemic. The cause was scribes who preached without authority, like “schoolboys reciting their lessons”. When Jesus comes along, the people found His ministry remarkable for his authoritative preaching.

What Ezra began with his scribal schools was not a glorified OT trivia club. Remember he recruited Levites to assist him in his main project. And here we see it in action. The Word read and explained in order that God’s people might understand it and live in the glorious light of it. Ezra, if you’ll recall, “had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments (Ezra 7:10).” 

Christ perfectly knew the will of God, and delighted to do it, “Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O LORD, thou knowest (Ps. 40:7-9).” Jesus comes along and proclaims the kingdom of God had come, a kingdom where hearts would be renewed by His Spirit to not just parrot the commandments of God, but a delighted joy in doing them. 

Think of the suitor who daydreams about ways to show his love to the girl he is sweet on. His heart is captured, and so he tries to think up every way in which he can shower her with good gifts. He is smitten, and so he ditches everything she might be offended by. To please his beloved is all he thinks about. This is the new thing which Jesus brings into the world. New hearts, alive with love to the God who graciously set His love upon us.

Eat the Fat

We’re not told what text so provoked the people to tears, perhaps the mere totality of the weight of it all, or perhaps the was something more specific. One possibility is that some of the laws which immediately precede the instructions of the Feast of Booths regards the marriage laws for the Priests and their children. Priests and their sons were only to “take a virgin of his own people to wife (Lev. 21:14).” Also, if a priest’s daughter married a foreigner she was cut off from the priestly line (Lev. 22:12). 

Consider that two of Nehemiah’s principle enemies are intermarried with the High Priest. Sanballat’s daughter was married to the High Priest Eliashib’s grandson (Neh. 13:28). Tobiah (likely a wealthy half-Jew himself) was “allied” (קָרוֹב lit. kinsman) to Eliashib; this strongly implies that he had married into the High Priest’s family. 

Whether these texts or others, we see that the Law performed its purpose in cutting the people to the heart, convicting them of their sin. But Ezra and Nehemiah’s response to the tears of the people is a bit surprising. Eat, drink, be merry. Not because tomorrow you die. But because they had been made to understand the declared Word.

A Christian Culture

So we come back to what we began with. What sort of culture does the Living Word of Christ beget? What sort of kingdom is Christ King of? Is it full of dour faced grumps? Is it full of self-righteous legalists? Is it full of insecure puppies, scared that their master will kick them again? Is it full of pupils trying to appease a strict professor?

Paul tells us that the preaching of the Gospel is foolishness (1 Cor. 1:18-31). Why is it so foolish to the wise of this world? Because it tells repentant sinners that their sins, every last one, is forgiven and forgotten. It tells those who were once God’s enemies that they are now His adopted sons and daughters. Those who once were to be paid the wages of their sin are now offered an inheritance of everlasting life in the heavenly Kingdom of God.

Does the Law cut and convict? Most certainly, and this is a glorious good. For along comes the Gospel and says, “Dry those tears, and come to this merry feast of bread and wine!”

Charge and Benediction

If your sins are forgiven, really forgiven, you can live in true liberty. You can truly be merry and joyful, because the Word of Christ has been proclaimed to you and you have, by grace, been made to understand it.

Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Hebrews 13:20-21