Old Testament Revival
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Old Testament Revival
The book of Nehemiah describes when the Jewish exiles were allowed to return to their homeland from captivity in Babylon and Persia. Nehemiah lived during the same time as Ezra. However, Ezra was a priest, while Nehemiah was a high-ranking officer to the king of Persia, Artaxerxes, that allowed God to use him.
While both sought to restore Israel spiritually, Ezra was known for rebuilding the temple, and Nehemiah is known for rebuilding the walls. The temple was finished in 516 B.C. Followed by the completion of the walls around 445 B.C, and it only took them 52 days to complete.
While most of Nehemiah focuses on the rebuilding of the wall we are going to look through chapters 8-10 that highlight what scholars consider to be one of the greatest Old Testament revivals. We will see that when the people gathered in unity this lead to the peoples conviction, which lead to their confess, which allowed them to enter into covenant with God.
1.The People Gathered in Unity
1 Now all the people gathered together as one man in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate; and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded Israel.
2 So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men and women and all who could hear with understanding on the first day of the seventh month.
3 Then he read from it in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate from morning until midday, before the men and women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.
Nehemiah 8:1-3&6-8
6 And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. Then all the people answered, “Amen, Amen!” while 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, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, helped the people to understand the Law; and the people stood in their place.
8 So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading.
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The people of Israel are all gathered in one place and have asked for Ezra to read the Book of the Law. Ezra comes up to his place and before reading the law, he begins worshipping the Lord, and the people join in with the worship.
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,[a] 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,[b] and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading."
The people of Israel are all gathered in one place and have asked for Ezra to read the Book of the Law. Ezra comes up to his place and before reading the law, he begins worshipping the Lord, and the people join in with the worship.
After their time in worship then he begins to read the Law of God, and explaining the scripture. Looking at this information it sounds like your average church service, but this started early in the morning and went until the afternoon.
Furthermore, there was such a sense of unity that it says the people "gathered as one man", they all came with the same agenda to hear the word of God. Life gets busy, but when we come together we should come with the purpose to hear what the Lord has to say. This is what God's people did, and because of this the people were convicted reading in chapter 8 verses 9-12
2. The People were convicted
9 And Nehemiah, who was the governor, 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 nor weep.” For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law.
10 Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
11 So the Levites quieted all the people, saying, “Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved.”
12 And all the people went their way to eat and drink, to send portions and rejoice greatly, because they understood the words that were declared to them.
As the people listened to Ezra read the Law of God they began to feel deep conviction. This may have been the first time some had heard to the Law of God, or perhaps the first time they understood the laws. It was a time that the people were becoming aligned spiritually, they could finally see how far they had gone away from God's plan.
As the people listened to Ezra read the Law of God they began to feel deep conviction. This may have been the first time some had heard to the Law of God, or perhaps the first time they understood the laws. It was a time that the people were becoming aligned spiritually, they could finally see how far they had gone away from God's plan.
This caused them to begin to mourn. It does not say some of the people wept or just the emotional type wept, it says that all the people wept. Their hearts had been gripped, but were able to take joy that they had heard and understood the words that had been spoken. Which leads to our third point the people confessed their sins, lets read Nehemiah chapter 9 verses 1-3.
3. The people confessed their sins
1 Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, in sackcloth, and with dust on their heads.
2 Then those of Israelite lineage separated themselves from all foreigners; and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.
3 And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for one-fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshiped the Lord their God.
The Israelites came together again this time they were fasting, and had made sure to stay with like minded people, people that were following the same conviction, and began to confess.
The Israelites came together again this time they were fasting, and had made sure to stay with like minded people, people that were following the same conviction, and began to confess.
Again they would read from the word for a 1/4 of the day and the other 1/4 confess and worship. If you have your bible's with you can read in verses 6-37 the praise and confess they bring to the Lord. They begin to praise God for everything he has been, while they acknowledge the short comings of their people.
For example verse 17 says, "17 They refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt.[a] But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them."
And this was not just one person, or a few but the Israelite people coming together and individually repenting. Which led the people to make a covenant with God.
4. The people made covenant
38 “And because of all this, We make a sure covenant and write it; Our leaders, our Levites, and our priests seal it.”
-29
28 Now the rest of the people—the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the Nethinim, and all those who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, everyone who had knowledge and understanding—
29 these joined with their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse and an oath to walk in God’s Law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the Lord our Lord, and His ordinances and His statutes:
28 “The rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants, and all who have separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Law of God, their wives, their sons, their daughters, all who have knowledge and understanding, 29 join with their brothers, their nobles, and enter into a curse and an oath to walk in God's Law that was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the Lord our Lord and his rules and his statutes.
For the first time in a long time Israel had come back to God in unity. Not just a few good men or a few good families, but the Israelites promised God to live by His Law.
When Daniel had asked me to speak this evening I began studying, and asking God what He wanted me to say. I would read and read and pray and it didn't feel right, and then I came across these chapters, and thought Daniel must have already preached on this.
So I asked and he said you know I haven't, but pray on it and God will let you know if you're supposed to. Well in prayer this is what God showed me, this was during the Old Testament, Jesus had not come yet. The book of Nehemiah describes the restoration of the parts of Judaism necessary for the coming of Christ. The temple was rebuilt, the people understood the law, and their covenant was renewed. Then Jesus could come.
Today we have salvation available because Jesus lived a perfect life, died for our sins, and rose again. After walking here on earth for 40 days he ascended into heaven, 10 days later he sent the Holy Spirit. Now we are waiting for him to come again.
Before Jesus came the first time he sent a revival that brought thousands together, that heard and understood his word, this brought them to conviction, which after confession and repentance brought them in right covenant with Him. In the last days God will do it again.
My prayer for our church and community is that the Lord would bring not just our church but the lost and the back slidden together in unity, that we all would hear and understand the word of the Lord, that we would be convicted when our lives don't align with His plan for us, and through His kindness be drawn to repentance, and enter into covenant with Him.
28 “And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions.
says “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions."
says “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions."
Do it here Lord and do it soon.
This is how we are going to close our service out tonight praying for God to do this again. That our community and the surrounding communities would come into right relation with Him.