Bring Out The Book Nehemiah 7:1-8:18

INTRODUCTION “Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?” Those are the words of David in Psalm 85:6. And those are the words that I hope are on our lips by the time we conclude our study this morning.

It is not uncommon for believers to at times drift into periods of weakness and indifference. For there to be stretches where there is little passion for the things of God, and little concern for how we might live for the glory of God. There are times when when we would best describe our spiritual life as dry, stagnate, and lifeless. And yet, the believer is not ok with this. The heart inevitably speaks, “Will you not revive us again?

My guess is that some of your are in that very spot. The things of God do not interest you much like they used to. reading is a chore that never gets done. Serving in the body is a burden. Old habits are becoming regular again. And your interest in the truth has wained. And what you need more than anything else is a fresh outpouring of God’s Spirit. You need a revival.

Now when I say the word “revival,” for some, that word conjures up images of big tent meetings with a preacher who can raise their voice a lot more than I can. Scheduled meetings where special services are held for a week, maybe two. People going door to door, handing out tracts. And that’s all well and good. But in we see a revival of a different kind. There’s no tent. There’s no fiery evangelist. Instead, there’s a recovery of - and return to - the Word of God. Up until this point, the focus in Nehemiah has been on the re-building of the walls. But now, the story takes a decisive shift and it’s no longer about physical restoration, but spiritual restoration. The first six chapters are about the building of walls, and now the rest of Nehemiah is about the building of people.

And what happens in chapter 8 is unique. It had been two hundred years since something like this had taken place. The last time would have been during the reign of King Josiah and the scribe Shaphan found the Book of the Law. Keep in mind that al these people who had returned to had been spent the entirety of their lives in captivity. They’ve lived with Babylonians, without a real awareness of what it means to be the people of God. Life for them was not the same as it had been for their ancestors. They knew they belonged to God but they were literally starving because what was missing was the Word of God. And so, as J.I. Packer so aptly says regarding this chapter, “God broke in.”

READ NEHEMIAH 8:1-18…

There is no revival apart from the Word of God. I’d say that is fairly evident from what we just read. Wouldn’t you? Should we desire to experience a genuine revival - either personally or corporately, it will not happen apart from the Word. And it all begins with a hunger to understand the Word…

1. Understand the Word (8:1-8) Now before we get too far, let me just say that we’re just sliding past chapter 7. And it’s not that chapter 7 is somehow inferior or less divine than the rest of Nehemiah. But if you’re glancing at it, let’s be honest, it reads a bit like the Jerusalem phone book. There’s a whole lot of names and numbers, and we don’t have the slightest idea who these people are. But let me point out just a couple of things from chapter 7, that help us understand what is going on in chapter 8. First, as we see in 7:1, the walls were finished as well as the doors. And Nehemiah appoints gatekeepers, singers, and Levites. Which is necessary in order for the city to renew its worship. You had to have

people who could keep the area secure, you had to have people who could carry a tune, and you had to have the Levitical priests to lead them in worship.

Second, Nehemiah is led by the Lord in 7:5 to assemble the people by genealogy. In other words, now that the city is rebuilt, he’s bringing back the Jews who live outside the walls of Jerusalem and making sure that they belong there. And so verses 6 through 73 are virtually identical to the list of people in 2. These are the people who have retuned from exile. Think of it as a checklist for a grand total of 50,000 people.

Third, the second half of verse 73 sets us up for chapter 8 by stating, “And when the seventh month had come, the people of Israel were in their towns.” The seventh month is important because it is a festival month which includes the feast of trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and more. And it’s against that backdrop that the spiritual renewal takes place. It’s during this time that God visits his people in a special way. And this visitation is revealed in a hunger for the Word.

You’ll notice that the “all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate.” There’s an emphasis, perhaps you caught it when we read the passage, on the word “people.” Thirteen times it occurs in the first 12 verses. An in nine of those instances it is “all of the people.” So what you have is all of the people - about 50,000 of them - gathering together and making a request that Ezra bring out the Book of the Law. “They told him Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the LORD has commanded Israel.”

Understanding the Word begins when we have a hunger for the Word. They asked Ezra to bring out the Book. Ezra wasn’t going door to door to recruit people. He did’t have a sign up sheet in the lobby. And when 50,000 make a request, it’s hard to ignore it. Can you imagine, 50,000 people chanting “bring out the book! We want the book!?” My guess is that the whole town shut down because verse 3 says Ezra read from early morning until midday. That’s about 5 hours and 15 minutes longer than what I preach on a typical Sunday. Makes our sermons look like a brief devotion!

And Ezra is the kind of guy you want teaching. Listen to what is written about him in Ezra 7:10, “Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.” And that in a nutshell is the job description of everyone who would teach the Bible. Revival does not spring forth from sensational conference speakers, intriguing stories, etc. It is built upon a foundation, whereby God’s people hold the Word in high regard. And because of that, they expect their leaders to study it, do it, and teach it.

Martin Luther, the great reformer, famously said this, “I simply taught, preached, and wrote God’s Word: otherwise I did nothing…The Word did it all.”

And so for six hours they stood in the heat - in the Middle East I might add - listening intently. Why? Because they’re hungry. Because they’re consumed with the Word. One of the signs that a person has been truly born again is a hunger for the Word of God. The Spirit of god creates a desire for the Word of God. I had a Hebrew teacher in seminary ask us one morning who in the room skipped breakfast. I didn’t raise my hand because I never skip breakfast. But some other people did, and the teacher went on to ask if they felt guilty. No one did. Then the teacher asked if they felt hungry. And so shouldn’t it be, that when there is no regular Bible intake, it feels as if we have skipped a meal? Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.

But I also imagine the reason why they listened so intently for six hours had something to do with the fact they believed it was really the Word of God. Because it’s quite easy for us to acknowledge that these words are from God, and yet live as if the Bible is not living and active (Heb 4:12). And we find

ourselves in that place where we don’t desire the Word like we should, or if we need reminding of its power - go to Psalm 119. There you have the longest chapter in the Bible. And verse after verse reminding us about the infinite value of the Word:

• “Open my eyes that I may behold wonderful things from your law” (18) • “Your testimonies are my delight, they are my counselors” (24) • “The law of your mouth is like thousands of gold and silver pieces” (72) • “Oh how I love your law, it is my meditation all the day” (97) • “The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple. I open my mouth and pant because I long for your commands” (130-131) • “I rise before dawn and cry for help; I hope in your words” (147)

Now look again at verses 2 and 3: [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.

Did you notice the repetition of who was there for Nehemiah’s six hour sermon? The men, the women, and all who could understand what they heard. That means the whole family was there. The children were present, not just the adults. It is important, as well as powerful, for children to be in an environment where they see adults worshipping and taking the Word of God seriously. It's important for them to see dad and mom with their open, and the attention focused on discovering what the Bible has to say. It's important for them to witness dad and mom taking the teaching of the Word and putting it into practice.

Don’t get me wrong, I firmly believe children’s Sunday school and children’s church both have an important role in the life of the church. But there is something about bringing children into the worship gathering, where they can see adults placing themselves under the Word, which is formative. And so I want to encourage you to bring your children into worship as soon as they are “able to understand.” Because when you model a genuine desire for worship and a hunger for the Word, it will influence them for a lifetime.

And did you notice the posture of the people? Last sentence: And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law. That word “attentive” indicates that they were eager to learn. They weren’t distracted. They weren’t talking to the person next to them. They weren’t playing Candy Crush on their phones. They weren’t thinking about where they were going out to lunch. Rather, they had determined that they were going to hear, receive, and obey. And honestly, in order for us to experience revival of sorts, we have to be the type of people who are attentive to the Word in both corporate worship and private devotions.

It’s one thing to passively listen, and it’s another to eagerly learn. And for revival to take place in the life of the believer, we need to be about the latter. Merely listening to an exposition of Scripture will not yield the same results as giving our full and eager attention. John Calvin illustrated this way. He said that merely listening is like a warrior whose armor goes unused. It hangs on the wall and eventually rusts. What good is an exposition of Scripture if it’s not eagerly received and applied? Instead, Calvin said the believer needs to allow its message to become ‘deeply fixed in his own heart’. We must make the Word our own so that by meditation it becomes ‘enclosed within the deepest recesses’ of the human mind.

Understanding the Word begins with a hunger, and it demands that we have a certain attentiveness. But it also necessitates that we are responsive. Verse 4 tells us that they made a large wooden platform,

specifically made for that purpose. And while some might argue that here we have a biblical precedent for how to build a platform or a pulpit, I think something more important is going on. My guess is that the wooden platform has nothing to do with Ezra’s height, and everything to do with symbolizing a people under the Word. Because look at what happens in verse 5: [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.

Ezra opens the book, above everyone, and they stand. Why? Why an act of reverence? Why the respect? Because they knew that when Ezra read the book, they wouldn’t be hearing Ezra they would be hearing God. And they were convinced of its authority over them. Now, that’s concept is not readily accepted. To think that someone else can tell me what to do, runs very contrary to the cultural narrative of today. At the very core of modernity is that there is no authority outside of myself. Since the enlightenment, external authority has been replaced by one’s own reason or intuition. So we’ve become, in a sense, our own moral authority.

In 1974, John Stott wrote an article where he posed the question, “Why should people believe that the Bible is God’s Word written, inspired by his Spirit and authoritative over their lives?” And he answered it not by some arguing the historical reliability of Scripture - although he could have - his answer “for accepting the divine inspiration and authority of Scripture is plain loyalty to Jesus.” And what he meant was that if you choose to follow Jesus, you can’t in all honesty be selective about what the Bible says. Because it doesn’t make intellectual sense to say, “Jesus, I’m trusting in your for my salvation. But I’m smarter and wiser than you, so I don’t need to submit to what this book says.”

Well, that wasn’t the case in Jerusalem that day. They recognized the Word for what it was. And in verse 6, [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. Keep in mind, Ezra is reading from the Law. And so it has been a thousand years since God spoke those words to Moses. But despite a thousand year gap, the people of God believed that God was speaking to them.

Take note of their expressions. In verse 5 they stood. In verse 6, they blessed God. We don’t know the specifics. Perhaps it was a reading of the Psalms, or a word of praise. They said, “Amen” which is a way of saying, “I agree. Yes.” They lifted up their hands. And they bowed their knees and put their faces to the ground. Normally, these are expressions we attribute to musical worship. But this is being attributed to the reading and explanation of the Word of God. Did you know that preaching is worship? That worship is not just music. Because how you respond to the exposition of Scripture, either is a response of worship or something entirely different. Apathy. Boredom. Or rejection. But in this scene, the response is worship and submission.

I like how Raymond Brown puts it when commenting on this verse. He writes, “Seeking His face, meant covering their own.” They recognized that these words were from the living God, and it rightly caused them to bow in submission. And it’s not that they worshipped the Book. No, they are adoring the God of the Book who reveals himself and communicates with us through it. And every time we come to the Book, we should come in humility because it is only by the power of the Spirit that we could ever understand and apply its content.

Listen, we will never experience revival - true and lasting - unless we give ourselves to the understanding of the Word. In verse 7, Ezra had men who were helping the people understand in their place. And verse 8: [8] They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading. So picture this: They hear the Word from Ezra. But it doesn’t end there. Other individuals assisted in making sure everyone knew what it meant. The Law was written in Hebrew, but certainly some of the people only spoke Aramaic, so you had to have some translating. But no doubt, there was also interpretation and application occurring as well. So in a very real sense they were doing

small group. By the way you should get involved in one if you aren’t. This is a shameless plug. The people had a small group session to work through the application of the preaching. And perhaps in this situation, the smaller groups would have been based around family units. Thus, what was being taught in public was being confirmed in the home.

A few principles from this: #1 We need the church. This idea, that I can learn the Bible on my own apart from the community of believers is flawed. We need others to help in our understanding. And if we need to help others - this is Matthew 28 being lived out. This is part of making disciples. #2 We need to be people who are teachable. Understanding the Bible requires effort. It requires time and humility. It requires discipline. #3 The Bible is central to all that we do. So we need to be a church that is marked by this simple pattern of reading, explaining, and applying.

Should we desire to experience a genuine revival - either personally or corporately, it will not happen apart from the Word. And it all begins with a desire to understand the Word, but it doesn’t stop there. There is also unspeakable joy that takes place. We need to be people who…

2. Rejoice in the Word (8:9-12) As the scene continues, look again at verse 9: [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.

Do you see what’s happening. After the people have heard and understood the Word, they realized something. They realized just how far they were from what God was calling them to be. They were convicted. They were grief stricken. Through their understanding of the Word, they began to see their own sin. In those moments they realized that it was their sin that caused them to go into captivity. It was their sin that caused the walls of Jerusalem to be broken. It was their sin that put a barrier between them and God.

If you decide to read, study, and understand this Book, you will begin to see life in a different way. You will become more sensitive to how your thoughts, attitudes, and actions grieve a most Holy God. The Word of God is sharper than a two edged sword, is it not? And listen, we only understand the gospel as good news because we know the bad news. So don’t resist the conviction of God’s spirit. Let the Word of God convict you of sin and welcome it as an opportunity for repentance and change. See it as an opportunity for revival and renewal.

While it is often the purpose of God to bring you to a place of brokenness, it’s certainly not His intention to leave you there. Listen to how Colin Smith puts it, “Conviction of sin is never an end in itself. It is always a means to an end, and the end is that we come to a deeper appreciation of God and His Son Jesus Christ.” The scene goes on to describe how their sorrow was turned to joy.

[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. After the people have grappled with the seriousness of their sin, the Levites urge them to dry their tears. Why? Because they knew that the grace and mercy of God was enough to cover their sins. After all, God wasn’t finished with them. He led them out of captivity, he restored the city, repopulated it with people, and sent people to teach them the Bible so they could once again live like the people of God.

Now if you remember this is the seventh month. And the first day of the seventh month meant it was the Feast of Trumpets. And it was a time for joy, because the trumpets was to prepare them for an even greater festival - the Day of Atonement. The Day of Atonement is by far the most important because on that day, the High Priest would take the blood of sacrifice, walk into the holy of holies, and make atonement for the people of God. The Israelites could look at the animal sacrifice and know that atonement - full and final was coming one day. But you and I, we simply need to look back to the Cross of Christ and see that atonement has been made. A final sacrifice that is sufficient for every one of our sins. Atonement has come! Atonement has been made by the sacrifice of Christ!

And this day, the Feast of Trumpets, was all about being joyful because atonement was right around the corner. Celebrate the grace of God. There’s no need to weep right now when you know that our Savior has given himself to bring you out of your sin. You and I stand on this side of the cross. We have a greater atonement to rejoice in because the savior has come and accomplished the redemption of His people. The law, just like it did in this scene, makes us keenly aware of our sin. It brings us to that point where we realize we need saving. But the gospel brings reveals to us the means by which that can be reconciled. That by trusting in Christ for our salvation all of our sins are wiped away. And that is cause for rejoicing!

And so what does it mean, verse 10, when it says the Joy of the Lord is your strength? Again, Colin Smith is helpful at this point. He writes, “It is not your joy that is your strength; it is God’s joy that is your strength. This is the joy that Jesus spoke about when He said that there is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents (Luke 15:7). Repentance on earth leads to joy in heaven. Our tears over sin are reflected in God’s joy in forgiving, and that joy is your strength.

Should we desire to experience a genuine revival - either personally or corporately, it will not happen apart from the Word. And it all begins with a desire to understand the Word, but it doesn’t stop there. There is also unspeakable joy that takes place. We need to be people who rejoice in the Word. The same Word that brings conviction is the same Word that points you to the Hero of Scripture, Jesus Christ. The last thing I want you to do is leave here with a preoccupation with you and your failures. I want you to leave here rejoicing that this Word reveals the grace and mercy of Christ. And that joy, gleaned from the Word, found it Christ, will be your strength. But it doesn’t stop there. We learn from this scene that we must also…

3. Obey the Word (8:13-18) It’s now the next day when we get to verse 13. And the heads of all the families come to Ezra for further study. After all, it’s probably not easy to teach and disciple a community of 50,000 people. So they want help. And here’s what they figure out in verse 14 and 15: [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.”

It no doubt sounds unusual to you, but according to the law they were supposed to observe this festival by making booths - or temporary dwellings - out of branches and live in them for seven days. It was intended to remind them of their days in the wilderness. It was to commemorate how God brought them out of Egypt and protected them during their wanderings. And in a sense, it was to remind them of how temporary everything in this world is. However, because of how far they had gotten away from God, they hadn’t practiced it in centuries. And so, they did it. They did exactly as it said. It was short notice to get ready for an observance like this. But they didn’t hesitate. They simply did it.

[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.

They did it. All of them did it, just as it was written. They didn’t do part of it. They didn’t debate with God as to whether or not it was still relevant. They did it just as it was written. And as you can imagine, it must have looked silly to the outsiders. To those outside of Jerusalem they must have thought they were nuts for rebuilding the city, only to camp outside their houses in a temporary hut made from branches. But it’s no different for you and me. Obedience to the Word will make us look silly and eccentric to those who don’t know Christ. But they didn’t care and we shouldn’t care.

Did you notice the result of their joy? End of verse 17. There was very great rejoicing. These people had never been so happy as when they were fully obedient. For so many, they spend so much time looking for joy in all the wrong places. But God is telling us that we will find the greatest joy in knowing Him, being brought low by our sin, experiencing his grace, and walking in a life of obedience to Him. Should we desire to experience a genuine revival - either personally or corporately, it will not happen apart from the Word.

CONCLUSION When we look to the person of Jesus, we see not only see someone who modeled the appropriate response, but the one gives us the power to be obedient. When He was twelve, he entered the synagogue and engaged the teachers of the law - giving careful attention to the When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, He responded by quoting the Word. When His public ministry began He stood up at a public meeting and read from the prophet Isaiah, proclaiming that it was now fulfilled in him. He constantly referred to the OT in his teaching, showing that he was the fulfillment of everything Israel had failed to be. And he was crucified, buried, and rose again in three days - all in accordance with the Scriptures. And after his resurrection He appeared to some disciples on the road to Emmaus and he taught them how all of Scripture is really about Him. Jesus Christ is the ultimate subject of this Book.

So let’s let the Word of God dwell richly in us. Let’s hunger to understand the Word - giving it our full attention. Let’s go to the Word to renew our joy as we look to Jesus. Let’s give our full obedience to the Word. Let’s be a people of the Book.

And let’s go to the Lord in prayer with a singular request this morning: “Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?”