Nehemiah 8

God’s People Gather

Nehemiah 8:1-12

MI: God’s word is living and active, it brings, people in, it convicts, it drives us to repentance but also joy

ME:

When people gather.

When I see people gather it is often for something important.

It could be for a certain cause such as a rally or when people go on strike.

It is something very unique that causes people to band together.

It brings about a sense of unity and strength.

The Golden State Warrior had a slogan for last season that was “strength in numbers.”

It is a coming together for a common good.

When people gather it changes things.

My mom a couple of years ago went to New York during New Years Eve.

My aunt lives there and it is something that she always wanted to see.

So they went to time square and watched the ball drop.

And hearing her explain this experience gives me anxiety.

She would tell me that everyone was just packed in like sardines.

There is hardly any room to move.

And she was so far away from town square that watching the ball drop was not very impressive.

But there was something special about being surrounded by thousands if not millions of people that she told me, you just have to be there.

I have been to concerts and football games, and other large gatherings, and there is something so incredible about when people gather for a common purpose.

Now some gathers are not for good reasons, we know this, but a gathering of people for one purpose is something that is powerful.

Regardless if it is good or bad.

I know that we have probably experienced this before.

WE:

Who has been to a concert before?

What concert? (Toby Mac and Skillet)

Who has been to a professional sports game or college?

What was it? (Cubs games/ Seahawks game)

Have you ever been to conference?

Youth pastor conference/ Leadership conference/ Promise Keepers

Now put yourself back in that setting.

Its a large group of people gathering.

It’s a ton of people singing the same song!

It is thousands of voices cheering for a team when they score.

It is hearing a message and feeling a conviction in your soul!

We understand what it is like to be in a crowd of people.

It is powerful and it is moving.

Now take that and that is what we are stepping into here in Nehemiah 8.

The wall has been built the people are feeling secure.

Recall Austin told us about this last week.

The people have and are continuing to return from captivity.

And remember they have been in captivity because they were not following God’s commands.

And now that everything is coming together— they are beginning to establish some traditions that they have not had for over 70 years.

And many of those traditions involved the reading of God’s word.

The reading of God’s word would be read to large gatherings of people.

It was powerful and it was moving.

I think that this can still be true when believers gather to hear God’s word.

While we are a small group of people it is always amazing to get together and open up God’s word and seek to understand and grow in our relationship.

It is a common goal that unites us.

We see this happening at church or at youth group.

So lets open up to Nehemiah 8 and being to read about what is happening now with Nehemiah.

GOD:

The plan tonight is to slowly walk through these 12 verses.

Nehemiah 8:1–2 ESV

And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the Lord had commanded Israel. So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month.

Notice that phrase all people— you will see that 8 more times and when you see it say YO!

All the people— YO

So they were gathered at the water gate.

This was just a place that was a bit larger then the temple and allowed a larger crowd to gather.

Now we are introduced to a new character named Ezra.

Ezra was helping Nehemiah as he was actually there rebuilding the city before Nehemiah showed up and Ezra was a scribe and priest.

So He was asked to read the law of moses.

And you may be thinking?

Why?

Well this was actually a tradition for God’s people that dated back to Moses time.

Deuteronomy 31:10–12 ESV

And Moses commanded them, “At the end of every seven years, at the set time in the year of release, at the Feast of Booths, when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God at the place that he will choose, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing. Assemble the people, men, women, and little ones, and the sojourner within your towns, that they may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, and be careful to do all the words of this law,

The people who have been away for 70 years are now beginning to establish their customs, their traditions again.

This is a big deal for God’s people who have not been following the Lord— they are coming back into this convent relationship that they broke which caused their city to fall 70 years ago.

Okay— we good so far—

Let continue to read:

Nehemiah 8:3–6 ESV

And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law. And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand, and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam on his left hand. And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people, and as he opened it all the people stood. And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.

Ezra just read to the people for like 6 hours.

And the people just stood there.

I know we may not fully grasp this but they did this because they were hungry for God’s word!

They haven’t had it in so long.

Think about your favorite food.

Now imagine going 20 years without consuming that— can you imagine what you would do to have something that you didn’t have for 20 years?

I wouldn’t need a seat, I would eat it standing and until I was too full to move.

The people wanted to hear the word!

They needed to hear the law!

They had such respect for God’s word that they stood up while the word was being read.

And as they were reading the law— look at how the people responded.

They knelt— they worshiped, they prayed, they shouted.

God’s word moves people.

And not only that but God’s word is for everyone: it is alive, it convicts, and it brings joy.

All the people were present and there was this hunger not for food, or water, but for God’s word.

Have you ever longed for God’s word like these people did?

I don’t know if I have?

What does that say about our relationship with God and his word?

Maybe nothing, but maybe something right?

Let’s keep reading:

Nehemiah 8:7–9 ESV

Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, the Levites, helped the people to understand the Law, while the people remained in their places. They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading. And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law.

The law was being read and the people were listening, and as they were listening, they begin to be convicted.

And the more all these people began to explain the law the more the people begin to weep.

They were cut to the heart.

God’s word is alive, and it convicts.

And the people were hearing His word, some for the very first time and it moved them.

They were convicted of how they had been living, and it was a day that was not intended to be like this.

But to me it just shows me a couple of things.

God’s word should move us us.

God’s timing has nothing to do with us.

Conviction can happen even when it is intended to be joyful.

I do wonder what was read to cause the people to weep, but we are not told, but what most scholars can conclude it had to be a combination of the Law that was given to Moses that the people were not up holding and just the fact that many were hearing God’s word for the first time.

So they were not living for God.

They were feeling this.

Have you felt this?

Have you maybe felt like you haven’t been living up to God’s standards?

Or maybe when you first came to know Christ can you recall how His words hit you differently and it moved you to give your life to Him?

We can understand how God’s word can bring about emotion and it can lead the people to conviction and weeping.

Maybe they were weeping for another reason:

Maybe it was tears of joy because they finally are understanding God’s word.

No matter the case this day it was intended to be a joyful day.

That is what Ezra says, like This day is holy… do not morn or weep.

Let’s finish the passage.

Nehemiah 8:10–12 ESV

Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be quiet, for this day is holy; do not be grieved.” And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them.

The people were told to go, to eat and drink and send to those who have nothing.

God’s day was not to be not in mourning but it was to be joy because there strength comes from the joy of the Lord.

They have built this wall and they are finding security in this, but you know where true security comes from?

It comes from God.

True security comes from the Lord.

The people came to this understanding that God had been with them even in exile, even when they failed to honor Him, God never abandoned them.

How was this all shown to the people?

It was through his word.

God’s word is for everyone: it is alive, it convicts, and it brings joy.

I personally think recalling the past acts of God as shown in the Law— grieved the people because they realized that they had acted in disobedience to His word.

For God’s past acts should bring about joy and remembrance!

But when you have been away from the Lord for a time— it would bring conviction, because that is what His word does.

It brings people in because it is alive

It convicts because it is alive.

It restores because it is alive.

It brings joy because it is alive.

So if God’s word has this power, what does it mean for our lives?

YOU:

What is stopping you from diving into God’s word?

Maybe you just haven’t been challenged to it.

Or as we open up the Bible we see a ton of words and we maybe get overwhelmed and think we can’t understand it.

Maybe we don’t truly see it has God’s living words?

We see it just like any other book we have.

It has a cover and lots of pages.

It is the same as Dr. Seuss, or Harry Potter in your mind.

Maybe this is the first time you are hearing about God’s word being alive.

And for you maybe it changes things right?

I mean understanding that when we go to God’s word it is alive.

It has the power to convict but also bring Joy.

Maybe tonight— you know what you are suppose to do, but you have just been away for a bit.

Much like the Israelites who were just distant.

But now they were hearing God’s word and it impacted them.

You have a choice tonight— you have a choice every single day actually.

You can choose to allow God’s word to impact you or you can choose your own thing.

If you are a follower of Christ this needs to be something we add to our lives daily.

Because we you and I and us can get this.

Then we can impact our community.

WE:

Why?

Biblical community must be centered on God’s word.

What I think would be awesome is if we began to dive into God’s word not just individually but as a group.

There is something special about gathering together and reading and studying God’s word.

It unites us.

It bring conviction yes, but it also brings joy!

God’s word helps keep us accountable.

As believers today, we take heart when we read 2 Timothy 3:16

2 Timothy 3:16 ESV

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

Since God is the Author of Scripture, and it is not in His character to lie (Num. 23:19; Heb. 6:18), we know His Word is absolutely true.

When God’s Word is taught faithfully, it confronts our errors and shows us the way to live.

what commitments do you need to make today?

It is never to early to being to dive into God’s word.

And it is never to late to start.

We can come up will all the excuses in the book but what if we just began to read His word this week.

Maybe we only read one chapter a day.

That is a great start.

Maybe you only read one section of a chapter.

No matter, begin to develop these habits early!

We can do this!

In your groups tonight, you are going to come up for a plan, and then this week, we are going to stick to it, and then you can talk about how did next week.

Worship team come on up:

Will you pray with me?

Pray