Old Testament Precedent for Expository Preaching in the Gathered Church
In Nehemiah 8, in the 5th century BC, God’s people, having returned from the exile to Babylon, gather to celebrate the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem and to hear from his word. And here we find a remarkable story of what we would call today a “revival.” At the center of it is an expositional movement.
The People and the Word
While Ezra, the lead teacher, receives a lot of attention in the passage as the leader of a dramatic worship service, it is striking that the phrase “the people” appears 13 times in the chapter. We are being guided not to miss what the people of God are doing: gathering to hear the word of God. As we read through this chapter, we find the word being taught in a large setting (Neh. 8:1–6), then in smaller groups (v. 7–8), and finally in homes (v. 13–18). It is an inspiring vision of what we ideally see in church life today: the word preached in corporate worship; the word studied and applied in smaller settings; and the word taught and lived out in the home.
The people gathered that day were not worshiping Ezra—a reminder that, however great your preacher is, he is not to be placed on a pedestal; nor were they worshiping the Bible—a reminder that Bible knowledge itself is not the goal of gathering to hear the word preached. No—they were worshiping the God of the Bible, who has revealed himself in Holy Scripture: “And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the Lord had commanded Israel” (Neh. 8:1, my emphasis). As a result, they responded in ways that are often seen today only in acts of musical worship: saying “Amen,” lifting up their hands, and bowing face down in worship (v. 6–8). What was it that produced such a worshipful response?
Be Attentive
First, they were “attentive” to the word (v. 3). They were focused. If this were written today, the writer might say, “They were not looking at their smartphones!” They were hungry for the word.
Second, they were thinking hard. The writer places a strong emphasis on the need to “understand” the word (v. 2, 7, 8, 12). It was as God’s people listened attentively to faithful teachers, and understood the message, that it changed them. This is a basic but important truth: for Scripture to change you, you need to understand it. The Bible is not a magic book, where, if we rub it the right way or sit in a room with it open at the front, it will change us. No, we become more like Jesus as we think—as we understand the word of Christ and allow it to have its transforming impact on us.
Reason to Rejoice
Third, as the scene unfolds in Nehemiah, the people are brought to the conviction of their sin (v. 9–10), but the word then leads them to joy. Why? For one, there was the realization that God was not casting them off. He was merciful. Moreover, they were led to joy when they learned a bit more about God’s grace and forgiveness. This first day of the seventh month (v. 2) was a festival month that began with the Feast of Trumpets (see Lev. 23:23–25). This was a joyful time. Trumpets would be played, and the people would be reminded that on the 10th day of the month the greatest of all feasts was to occur: the Day of Atonement, when the high priest would take the blood of a sacrifice, walk into the Most Holy Place, and make atonement for the people he represented. In other words, they were told to celebrate because atonement was around the corner! And five days after the Day of Atonement, the Feast of Booths began, which reminded people of God’s bountiful provision in the wilderness (Neh. 8:13–18; see Lev. 23:33–36; Deut. 16:15). This is why the leaders in the time of Ezra told the people to stop crying and start celebrating (Neh. 8:10)—not because sin should not make us weep but because the forgiveness of our sin should bring us through our tears to joy. “The joy of the Lord is our strength” (v. 10).
It is the same for us today. As new-covenant believers, we have a greater atonement to rejoice in. The law makes us aware of our problem—sin—and we weep. But the gospel brings us the solution—Jesus—and we rejoice. The joy of Jesus our Redeemer is our strength. And that is why we should want to read the Bible and hear it proclaimed. The Bible tells the story of the true and better sacrifice. We love the Bible because the Bible is about the Messiah. We need the Bible because we do not know about the Savior without it. We can know about God generally in creation, but no one can get from sunsets to substitution, from fall leaves to forgiveness, apart from the Scriptures. We rejoice in the message of Scripture—or we might say, in the hero of Scripture—because through him our greatest problem has already been solved.
All Eyes on Jesus
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and I keep a picture in my office to remind me of the need of God’s people for Christ-centered exposition. It is a picture of one of the many paintings of Lucas Cranach, the artist of the Reformation. It shows Martin Luther preaching at St. Mary’s Church, Wittenberg, Germany (where he preached from 1514 onward). The picture shows him with one finger on the text, and then with one finger pointing to Christ crucified. And the congregation’s eyes are all fixed on Christ (not on their world-famous preacher!). That is the goal of preaching in the assembly. The rapper Tupac used to sing, “All eyes on me!” but at the heart of Christian preaching in corporate worship is another plea: “All eyes on Jesus.” That is why preaching is a central part of our gathering. It is God’s gift to you, to point you to his Son and your Savior week by week, reminding you by his Spirit of his love for you and changing you to become more like him. Remember that as the preacher gets into the pulpit next Sunday, and your view of what is happening over the next 40 (or 20 or 60!) minutes will be refreshed and transformed—and so will you.
This article is an adapted excerpt from Gather: Loving Your Church as You Celebrate Christ Together by Tony Merida (© 2023). Published by The Good Book Company. Used by permission.
Tony Merida is the author of Gather, a part of the Love Your Church Series published by The Good Book Company in partnership with Acts29. Tony is the author of several books, including Love Your Church. He is Pastor for Preaching and Vision of Imago Dei Church, Raleigh, NC; Director of Theological Training for Acts 29; and a Council member of The Gospel Coalition.