The Power of the Word

Nehemiah 8:1-18

Ezra Reads the Law

1 And all the people gathered as one man at the square which was in front of the Water Gate, and they asked Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses which the Lord had given to Israel.

2 Then Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly of men, women and all who could listen with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month.

3 He read from it before the square which was in front of the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of men and women, those who could understand; and all the people were attentive to the book of the law.

4 Ezra the scribe stood at a wooden podium which 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 Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up.

6 Then Ezra blessed the Lord the great God. And all the people answered, “Amen, Amen!” while lifting up their hands; then they bowed low 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, explained the law to the people while the people remained in their place.

8 They read from the book, from the law of God, translating to give the sense so that they understood the reading.

“This Day Is Holy”

9 Then 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 were weeping when they heard the words of the law.

10 Then he said to them, “Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

11 So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved.”

12 All the people went away to eat, to drink, to send portions and to celebrate a great festival, because they understood the words which had been made known to them.

Feast of Booths Restored

13 Then on the second day the heads of fathers’ households of all the people, the priests and the Levites were gathered to Ezra the scribe that they might gain insight into the words of the law.

14 They found written in the law how the Lord had commanded through Moses that the sons of Israel should live in booths during the feast of the seventh month.

15 So they proclaimed and circulated a proclamation in all their cities and in Jerusalem, saying, “Go out to the hills, and bring olive branches and wild olive branches, myrtle branches, palm branches and branches of 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 The entire assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in them. The sons of Israel had indeed not done so from the days of Joshua the son of Nun to that day. And there was great rejoicing.

18 He read from the book of the law of God daily, from the first day to the last day. And they celebrated the feast seven days, and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly according to the ordinance.

This is the reading of God word

Let us pray

Today I want to think about the power of God Word

See God’s Word is not like reading the encyclopedia or like reading the New York Times.

God’s Word is the only live Word.

Well, you might be saying, I’m alive. I have a heartbeat and brain, I’m alive. How can words on paper be alive?

See, the Word of God is not just mere words. No, the apostle John declared that the Word (or Logos) is God. In other words, Jesus is God in the flesh, and His words are Christ, and it is His word (or Logos), that God chose to use as the power to create.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”

Brothers and sisters, I am here to persuade you that when we read the Bible, we are reading the Words of God.

Remember that God chose to use the Logos to create the world. John 1:2 says that “All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.”

So, if God can create the universe by and through the Word. I believe God can create and rebuild our lives through the Word also.

Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

This is what the author of Hebrews wants us to understand, “Ezra read from it before the square which was in front of the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of men and women, those who could understand; and all the people were attentive to the book of the law.”

See, Ezra, desired to bring God’s people back to the truth. Remember Nehemiah had just finished restoring the walls of city, and now God has prepared the people’s hearts to receive His Word.

So the walls are built, Now God is about the build the house.

Remember that I truly believe in the power of the Word of God to create life.

I believe this is the heart of Nehemiah 8

Six times in this chapter, we read the word, “understanding.” (verses 2–3, 7–8, 12–13).

What is God telling us here?

Only those people old enough to understand the Scripture were permitted to be in the assembly [1]

In other words, those who could understand. Do you know that God has a way of turning up your soil, so that when He plants the seed of the Word in your heart, it has a way to producing fruit.

Let me break it down a little bit better. God will allow you to go through trials, so that when His word hits you, it’ll wake you up.

For those of you who like sports. God will allow you to have some losing seasons, so when you win the big game you will know that it came by God and not by you.

This is what God did for Israel during the days of Nehemiah

God allowed His people to go astray so that they will see that their ways often lead to destruction and God’s ways leads to restoration.

Noticed that the people wept in verse 9.

“because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.”

The people wept because they saw themselves the way God see us. “All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.”

So, he people came to the same conclusion that I hope we all come to this morning.

Scripture still speaks in the same voice. We are convicted of sin, and at the same time called to commitment.

Conviction leads to conversion—if we too hear and respond. [2]

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

See, That Bible that you hold in your hand. If you read it, and ask God to give you wisdom, you will began to see yourself as a hopeless sinner in need of a savior.

But then you will see that Jesus did for you what you can’t do for yourself. The way of salvation is through Him, the Word. It is through the one who created you. It is through the power that convicted Israel and the one who convicts your heart today.

See the hope was not that God showed them how sinful their ancestors were. The hope was in the new beginning they now had in their creator.

I want to encourage you Joel 2:25 states, “Then I will make up to you for the years That the swarming locust has eaten.”

I love the story of A saintly African Christian who told his congregation once that, as he was climbing the hill to the meeting, he heard steps behind him. He turned and saw a man carrying a very heavy load up the hill on his back. He was full of sympathy for him and spoke to him. Then he noticed that His hands were scarred, and he realized that it was Jesus. He said to Him, "Lord, are you carrying the world's sins up the hill?" "No," said the Lord Jesus, "not the world's sin, just yours!

Scripture still speaks in the same voice.

“The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.”

Allow me to pray for you

[1] Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Determined, “Be” Commentary Series, (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 96–97.

[2] Larry Richards, The 365 Day Devotional Commentary, (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1990), 294.