Nehemiah 8:4 – And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that they had made for the purpose.
I got this idea from a fellow preacher, Ryan Cummings. He led a Zoom study last year for our camp because camp was cancelled (like everything else) because of Covid. This was a study on dealing with disappointments, setbacks and things just not being as they should be.
The book of Nehemiah is set during the days of the 3rd group of returning Jewish exiles. This small remnant, let by Nehemiah, returned to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
After the walls were built, Governor Nehemiah along with the religious leader Ezra set up a dedicated time to read God’s word. Ezra would read the Law of Moses to the people all day, and the Jewish religious leaders would all teach and explain the Scriptures. It was a time of renewal and revival. But it was also a reminder of disappointments.
Ezra stood on a platform of wood. I’d never really thought about it, but Ryan pointed out that the previous platform upon which King Solomon prayed was a platform of bronze.
Solomon had made a bronze platform five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high, and had set it in the court, and he stood on it. Then he knelt on his knees in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward heaven, (2 Chronicles 6:13).
From bronze to wood. From millions of people to tens of thousands. From a giant magnificent temple to a more modest structure. From being owners of the land to being servants in the land. Disappointment after disappointment.
Yet, what do the people do? They worship! They praise! They sing! They read from the word! They repent and make commitments to follow God again! Even if the preaching and teaching of the word came from a wooden platform instead of a bronze one, the most important thing was that the word was still preached.
Life is full of disappointments. We can make our own lists of things that went wrong in life. It just didn’t go how we planned. But even when we stand on a platform of wood, we must praise God and worship Him. Make the best of what you have and the situation in which you find yourself. Nehemiah and Ezra didn’t have the ideal situation, but they still ensured that the people were taught and encouraged.
What about you and me? How do we respond when disappointments and setbacks come our way? No, life isn’t as it “should” be, but we have to deal with what “is.” Preach the word and make the best of what currently is. But do it all for God’s glory. That’s what Nehemiah and Ezra did.