Nehemiah - Restore the Word of God

Introduction: Imagine you are going to bake cookies. And you want your grandmother’s favorite recipe? So you call her and say and ask for it…and she has no idea. She doesn’t measure…she just knows.a little of this, a pinch of that. Now it’s not that she’s all willy nilly about what she puts in it, but she has become so acquainted with her cookies that she no longer needs the recipe. She just bakes.

So grandma has a choice now. She can say, “I can’t help you.” or She can say, “why don’t you come over and I’ll show you how to make these cookies.”

This is the attitude we should have with the word of God. We should become so acquainted with it that there is a natural outpouring in the way we live our lives.

But let’s make sure that we can articulate to our kids the recipe for the way we live our lives.

Let’s make sure that we are living our lives with the Bible at the center.

Bible: Turn with me in our Bible’s to Nehemiah 8

Transition to the Text: Having build the wall, and restored order to the people, Nehemiah sought to restore the Word of God to its rightful place.Some might wonder why restoration of the Word of God didn’t come first in restoring the people. Instead of leadership, order and identity coming first why not the word first. Because apart from Godly leadership, order and identity, the word of God is the most dangerous and misused book the world has ever known, because containing the truth it can become a battering ram to crush people instead of what it was meant to do…build up.

A perfect example of this is in the time of Jesus when the rulers and leaders used the Bible to justify all sorts of hypocrisy and atrocities.

John 5:39–40 ESV

39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.

John 5:39 ESV

39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me,

The Bible is a book to be respected and used well. The law commanded parents to rightly handle the Law and pass it on to their kids. But they didn’t do that (on a massive scale). So everyone now is pretty much biblically illiterate and unable to teach the Word. This is where Ezra comes in. He’s going to read it and properly interpret it. So proper leadership comes first to build the people up with order and identity so that no one might misuse the word. But having established godly leadership, city order, and proper identity, the word of God is properly

john 5:39

Big Idea: Restore the Word of God in your life and let it move you to action.

Stories tend to have movements marking the flow of the story. Kind of a beginning happened which led to something else which on down the road leads to a conclusion. And of course the Bible is no exception. It’s one long string of cause and effect and God is the cause.

Now we see clearly 3 movements in the text here in . Something happens leading to something culminating in something eslse.

3 Movements of the people in

Nehemiah 8:1–5 ESV

1 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. 2 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. 3 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. 4 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. 5 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.

It started with:

1. It started with Interest in the word of God (8:1-5)

Explanation: Ezra was a pillar in that Jerusalem community for many years before Nehemiah came to rebuild the walls. He’s been faithfully teaching the word of GodThe people called for Ezra to bring out the book. tells us that Ezra came to Jerusalem in the 7th year of Artaxeres. Nehemian came to Jerusalem in the 20th year. So Ezra was in Jersualem for 12-13 years before Nehemiah.

So he is like somewhat of a celebrity pastor. His biography is in :

Ezra 7:6–7 ESV

6 this Ezra went up from Babylonia. He was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses that the Lord, the God of Israel, had given, and the king granted him all that he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him. 7 And there went up also to Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king, some of the people of Israel, and some of the priests and Levites, the singers and gatekeepers, and the temple servants.

Ezra

And the people gather as one in the square by the water gate and they had a request for Ezra....BRING OUT THE BOOK! The rebuilt city and of the faith of Nehemiah had led to revival in the city. And there was now a restored interest in the Word of God. They asked Ezra to read to them. Because 1) Not everyone could read and 2) They only had one copy for the city. And it was kept in the Temple. Now whether they knew this or not, this was in keeping with God’s command in where God commanded the people to gather every seven years in the 7th month of the year and read/listen to the entire law.

So Ezra, like any good spiritual leader probably enthusiastically obliged. They built him a giant platform to stand above the people to read. And he read for 6 hours straight. And the people stood. So what started out as mere interest in the word of God, turned into reverence and awe.

Illustration: Have you ever found interest turn into passion? Maybe it’s a hobby of your spouse or a TV show that you don’t think you would like. Next thing you know, you are hooked.

Application: The Bible is more than just a book to read occasionally. It’s a book to read and build your life around. By the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, the book of the law was already over 1000 years old. Many might say it was outdated and irrelevant to a people now subjugated to a foreign power. They had no king and had lost much of their national identity. What did they have left? Paul answers this in :

Romans 9:4–5 ESV

4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. 5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.

The word of God was their heritage. Of all the people who ever lived. God chose Israel to bring about the Messiah. So mere interest in the words leads to full on revival as the people remember who they are. And more than that they remember whose they are.

And now, if you are in Christ, you are a people for God’s own possession. You have been restored by the blood of Jesus.

Renewed reverence for the word of God led to renewed reverence for the God who chose them to be a people for His own possession.

Let’s read what happened next:

Nehemiah 8:6–8 ESV

6 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. 7 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. 8 They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.

Nehemiah 8:6–12 ESV

6 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. 7 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. 8 They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading. 9 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. 10 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.” 11 So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be quiet, for this day is holy; do not be grieved.” 12 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.

Interested in God’s Word moved the people to:

2. Biblical interest moved people to Reverence for the Lord. (8:6-12)

Explanation: Now it’s interesting that they already had a reverence for the book of the Law in that they stood for its reading. But notice what happens when Ezra started reading.... “They bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.” Going on in vs. 9, we see that it made them very sad. And they likely should have been. For many this is the first time they are hearing the words of God. And they are probably realizing just how far they fall short.

It’s one thing to willingly break the law. But to live your entire life and only now realizing that you have been wrong for so long. This led to mourning. And mourning led to repentence. Revival usually begins with repentence. The first great awakening started from the preaching the most famous sermon ever preached (outside of Jesus)...”Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by Jonathan Edwards. And just like Jesus’ primary message, he called people to repent. People always want to say Jesus called people love....stop cherrypicking verses. Jesus called sinners to repent. He just did it in a loving way.

When is the last time you read the Bible and you felt sorrow? But the truth is that our sorrow shouldn’t last for long. You see when we approach God with humble hearts, he lifts us up out of despair and gives us His love, mercy and grace..

But in this case their sorrow wasn’t right in this moment. The problem was that the Law actually commanded them to be joyful right now. As they enter into the 7th month, they were commanded to rejoice. So in reverence for the Lord, the leaders, Nehemiah, Ezra, and the Levites are like....NOOOOO! Don’t be sad. There will come a time to be sad in chapter 9, but right now we are commanded to rejoice in reverence for the Lord.

In a sence they are commanded to pull themselves together. Go get something to eat. See most of us would fit right in. They just needed a snack.

So the people showed great reverence to God by being joyful.

Illustration: We can get caught up in the cult of personality of a celebrity, a politician even a pastor. In the time of Nehemiah it probably would have been easy to be in awe of Nehemiah and Ezra. It happens all the time. Pastors can get caught up in people’s reverence and awe for them when the truth is that we should we should as best we can get out of the way and point the light on God!

Application: When you read the Bible or listen to it read? When you listen to a sermon that aims to expound upon the word of God, does it lead you into a greater reverence for God? A deeper conviction that he is awesome! Because that is the way it should be. When we meet God in His word, it should reveal to us how far we fall short and then magnify the God who, in grace, picks us up when we fall low.

But, as odd as it is to say, reverence to God is not the end of this reading of His word. As interest in the word moves us to reverence for the God revealed in His word, reverence for God should move us to obedience to what that word commands!

Let’s read how the people responded.

Nehemiah 8:9–18 ESV

9 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. 10 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.” 11 So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be quiet, for this day is holy; do not be grieved.” 12 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. 13 On the second day the heads of fathers’ houses of all the people, with the priests and the Levites, came together to Ezra the scribe in order to study the words of the Law. 14 And they found it written in the Law that the Lord had commanded by Moses that the people of Israel should dwell in booths during the feast of the seventh month, 15 and that they should proclaim it and publish it in all their towns and in Jerusalem, “Go out to the hills and bring branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees to make booths, as it is written.” 16 So the people went out and brought them and made booths for themselves, each on his roof, and in their courts and in the courts of the house of God, and in the square at the Water Gate and in the square at the Gate of Ephraim. 17 And all the assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in the booths, for from the days of Jeshua the son of Nun to that day the people of Israel had not done so. And there was very great rejoicing. 18 And day by day, from the first day to the last day, he read from the Book of the Law of God. They kept the feast seven days, and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly, according to the rule.

Nehemiah 8:13–18 ESV

13 On the second day the heads of fathers’ houses of all the people, with the priests and the Levites, came together to Ezra the scribe in order to study the words of the Law. 14 And they found it written in the Law that the Lord had commanded by Moses that the people of Israel should dwell in booths during the feast of the seventh month, 15 and that they should proclaim it and publish it in all their towns and in Jerusalem, “Go out to the hills and bring branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees to make booths, as it is written.” 16 So the people went out and brought them and made booths for themselves, each on his roof, and in their courts and in the courts of the house of God, and in the square at the Water Gate and in the square at the Gate of Ephraim. 17 And all the assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in the booths, for from the days of Jeshua the son of Nun to that day the people of Israel had not done so. And there was very great rejoicing. 18 And day by day, from the first day to the last day, he read from the Book of the Law of God. They kept the feast seven days, and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly, according to the rule.

This moved the people to:

3. Reverence for the Lord leads to Obedience to His Word. (8:13-18)

Explanation: Back in vs. 7, Ezra had people who were ready, willing and able to help the people understand the word. Additionally vs. 8 shows that Ezra went to great pains to be clear so that....people could understand. Because what good is a Bible you can’t understand. Because it’s not about memorizing it or struggling through it. Or even using big words. We need to understand it in order to obey it. And they did understand it. on the second day, a smaller group came to dig a little deaper. And vs. 14 says that as they were reading, it was found....As they were reading law, the likely came to

Leviticus 23:34–36 ESV

34 “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, On the fifteenth day of this seventh month and for seven days is the Feast of Booths to the Lord. 35 On the first day shall be a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work. 36 For seven days you shall present food offerings to the Lord. On the eighth day you shall hold a holy convocation and present a food offering to the Lord. It is a solemn assembly; you shall not do any ordinary work.

They understood what they needed to do. So as you are reading this, you immediately realize that you are commanded to celebrate a feast on the 15th day of the 7th month. That’s now less than 2 weeks away. You need to plan for a nation wide feast to honor the God of the universe....and you have 2 weeks to plan. I love how they give the little tidbit that this command by God had not been obeyed since the days of Joshua. Nehemiah come to Jerusalem in 444 B.C. and under Joshua the people of Israel settled in the land around 1,400 B.C. So almost 1,000 years!!!!! Anyone triggered right now? It would be easy to say, it’s too late now, but there is always next year. So your interest in the law has lead to reverence to the God who has revealed himself in that law. And you realize that in just a few days, you need to celebrate a feast of the Lord. How do you respond?

You get down to planning that feast. Oh you have to tent camp in the front yard for a week? No problem. It’s not about inconvenience anymore. When you read the word and have reverence for the God who is so amazing and awesome and would stoop as low as to set you a part as a people for His glory. You obey.

Illustration: I’ve often heard that not knowing the law is not an excuse. But it should be. Because if I don’t know I shouldn’t cross the street except at a designated crosswalk then I shouldn’t be held accountable for jaywalking. Or that I’m not allowed to recycle a pizza box…But God notoriously shows grace to the ignorant in the Bible. Up until the point that you have access to His word. Once you know what God expects…you obey.

James 1:22 ESV

22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

James

Application: As followers of Jesus we have a responsibility to know what the word of God says. You also have a responsibility to know which old testament laws we can disregard (sacrifices and don’t eat bacon) and which ones are still binding (gathering for worship and not committing adultery or murder). It’s not like the days of Nehemiah when they didn’t have a Bible in their homes. They had to go to temple to hear from God’s word. We have no excuse not to know our Bibles. But then we have a responsibility to read it and seek to understand it. so that we can obey it.

Conclusion:

People in churches are always talking about wanting revival as if revival is some mysterious act of the holy spirit that could happen at any moment. But true revivals always begins with a renewed interest in the Word of God which leads to a reverence for God which leads to obedience to His word.

Fo example, the Great Awakenings in Great Britain and America transcended race, ethnicity, gender and even denominations as people from all walks of life returned to the Bible in the face of a growing culture that ridiculed the Bible and mocked Christians, people became more and more interested in the Word of God.

Do you want Revival in our country? Revival will not happen apart from us restoring the Word of God in our own lives. In our homes. In our communities. In our churches. As we take God at His word and seek to live it out!

How will you respond to this?

Are you interested in the word of God?

Does that interest move you to reverence for the God the Bible talks about?

Does that reverence move you to obedience of what He writes?

Reflection: How central to your life is the Word of God? Will you make a change!

Now what? Let’s read your Bible and apply it to your life.