Revival and the Word of God....Nehemiah 8

This is the Truth Network. Forever thy word is settled in heaven. Psalm 119, verse 89. I'm Stu Everson. Welcome to this special Wednesday in the Word Leader podcast, where we prepare and equip our leaders of this special Bible study outreach breakfast.

Every week to teach through the scriptures. Thirteen Dario locations. There's a men's group meeting and several of the Locations host the women on Thursday morning. Stay tuned. Be encouraged as we jump into this week's Wednesday in the Word.

French author Victor Hugo. Said. England has two books. The Bible and Shakespeare. England made Shakespeare.

But the Bible Made England. It's a quote that I actually just read from Warren Weersby's excellent commentary on Nehemiah called Be Determined. This is Nehemiah chapter 8. This is a book that elevates the book. The Word of God.

It's got 18 power pack versus And Dr. Horn, right in the middle of building, the middle of attacks, adversity. In the middle of all these things. God answering prayer, bringing the people back into the land, preparing the land and the walls and the gates and all that. for the people.

the numbering of them in chapter 7. Here we have A revival breaking out that is spurned on by the word of God. What a great chapter. What a great place to be in our study, Hundock. Yeah.

Right in the heart of the book, many people would say it's the apex of the book. the mountain peak in this glorious story of how God used one man. who humbled his heart and surrendered his life to be used of God. And as Nehemiah himself reminds us repeatedly in the opening chapters. The hand of God was on his life.

And we've observed that for seven chapters. where we're beginning in a faraway palace. in the capital of the Persian Empire. Under a king. Who really didn't know the Lord certainly was friendly to Nehemiah, and who was his cupbearer.

And the Lord had been working on his heart. But way in those days. From chapter one to where we have come, we have watched God do wondrous, miraculous things to preserve and prepare. And strengthen and bring about this incredible result of the wall being built. in 52 days.

So what an incredible story. And what an incredible God. We watched a faithful servant arm the people of God, encourage the people of God, model faithful leadership to the people of God. and judge them rightly and righteously. and serve them faithfully.

So all of this has been territory that we've covered and we've made those applications that are appropriate to our lives. Through this, but we come now to this section in chapters eight and nine. Where now that the walls have been rebuilt and the city has been prepared. We see a shift. And two things are going to happen that we have not seen thus far in the book.

Number one, We're going to see the introduction of Ezra. into the book. And you see that right away in the opening verse of chapter 8. And Ezra is going to bring something. Front and center.

that Nehemiah is going to bring the entire nation to receive and that is the law of the lord the torah of god the word And what we're going to see. In this chapter, is that the reading and the heating of the word. brings conviction. And conviction desires further explanation. We're going to see that.

uh at the end of the chapter and all that leads to repentance and to joy and to covenant renewal and the celebration. In something that had been part of the word of God, but had not really been observed since the days of Joshua. And so this is an amazing. Chapter of Renewal. And renewal always begins.

Where God began this chapter, and that is with. the public and careful, intentional. reading and explaining of his word to people who desperately need it. And that's chapter eight for us. And just to see how the people respond and to see this introduction of Ezra, this great priest and scribe who's.

On in years now, a bit older. Of course, many. Many theologians, and we've talked about it here on this podcast, Dr. Horn. Really see in the canon of scripture Ezra and Nehemiah kind of being one kind of joint book because they are so connected.

One leads up to the other. Ezra comes in, can you set us up with these 18 verses? How do our teachers, how do folks approach these? Really? The end of chapter seven.

Many really believe that chapter 7, verse 73 Is connected to chapter eight because it kind of sets up this time frame, the seventh month, which I believe is, which I believe is like January 1st for them. Like, this is a new year, a new leaf is being turned over, and the children of Israel were in their cities. And so, here you go, they're here. And they have this, I guess this what many call Watergate revival.

So set us up. How do we break these verses down? 18 verses right here, kind of toward the three-quarters of the way through the book of Nehemiah in chapter 8. Yeah, so I divided into four parts. But before we get to the four parts, let me just remind you of this thread.

that you got to follow through the chapter.

so that the chapter holds together. and that all of the ideas that are in this thread um really come to bear throughout the chapter and so i said it earlier but let me just repeat it for our leaders And those of you that are leading these Bible studies. I think as you get to this chapter, it's really important. That you take this thread that I'm about to give you. And you make sure to anchor it deeply into the mind of everybody who's leading these Bible studies because this thread.

holds the chapters together but it's easy to miss. If you don't know where to see it and where to look for it.

So, again, let me remind you: it begins. With the word of God, the public reading and explaining of the word of God that leads to conviction among the people. And you can see that. uh throughout the chapter these people are hearing the word of god And it's bringing conviction. And then they want more explanation.

This is one of the things that happens in a genuine work for God or from God. is that conviction always leads to a greater desire for more of God's word. And we see that in the text. And the more they understand God's word, the more it brings about a revelation. of their failures to live up to that word that leads to a repentance.

So you've got the reading of the scripture. And by reading, we mean the teaching of the scripture. conviction from the scripture. further explanation about the scripture that leads to repentance. And when you get to repentance, there is great joy, and then there is covenant.

Renewal and celebration.

So, those are the big ideas, right? The intentional explaining of the Word of God, the reading and teaching of the Word, which leads to conviction, which leads to more in-depth explanation, which leads to repentance. Which brings joy and results in covenant renewal among the people. and the celebration Uh Of this incredible feast that God instituted for his people in the days of Joshua.

So that's the thread. I don't know if you want to add anything to that, Stu, but that's really the sort of main ideas. that are woven throughout the chapter.

Well the impact of these words in this chapter You know, going way back before Christ, back in the Old Testament times. of the Exposition of God's Word. The reading and then the The clear explaining and teaching. This is what God's word says, observation. This is what God's word means by what it says, interpretation.

This is what God's word. Applies and how God's word applies to your life. We see that in this passage in its So critical. I just wanted the big ideas, we'll hit on it later, Dr. Horn.

I want you to break down the 18 verses, but you You're your your thread there. Is a critical thread in the church today that more pastors would take up the book and quit. Going off and waxing eloquent on your great stories and your great analogies. And yeah, those things have a place, but get into the book, read the text of Scripture, teach the text of Scripture, go back to say: this is what God is saying. This is what his word means.

This is how it connects with the rest of scripture. And I just, the more I study this chapter, Dr. Horne, I just, you can't help but not get a higher view of God's word. And an all-revival breaks out. In fact, this is a great little statement.

I've picked this up from a couple of pastors preaching on this. That the what what Pastor Davey calls it a revival because it's but in truth, no revival. Reformation, you look at the Great Reformation. No revivals ever happened. or let's say in a positive way, every revival that's ever happened Has occurred, has been caused, has been affected, and has come out of an awakening of God's word, a reading of God's word, a discovering of God's word.

We see it in, of course, in Ezra, we see it in other places in Josiah, in Chronicles, but we see it here front and center. In chapter eight, of course, we'll see more response next time in chapter nine.

So, I just really hope that this is a great, maybe this could bring a revival in our pulpits if we would just trust in God's Word and the power of God's Word, properly taught, properly proclaimed, of course, pointing to the hero Jesus Christ and to the gospel and every message and every verse. Wow, what could happen in our day?

Now, I don't want to just jump to the end, Doc, but I want you to take us there. Take us, give us some little, give us some teaching guides through these 18 verses. You know, kind of, I know there's, they received it and then they responded to it, and then. They understood it and then they reacted. And, you know, we have all that.

So take us through that as we look at this.

So the first division is in the first eight verses.

So verses one through eight. really paint a picture and think about it this way. This is the reset button. for all of israel god is resetting the nation he's resetting the heart He's resetting the mind. He's resetting the will.

And he's gonna do it through the word. This nation has been in captivity. They have returned in stages. They have spent years rebuilding the platform of the temple, re-establishing the daily sacrifice. Rebuilding the wall that had crumbled during the attacks of the Babylonian.

destruction 100 years earlier. And so here they are now, and God is hitting the reset button. And the way he hits the reset button is so different than the way we hit the reset button. You know, he hits the reset button by bringing forward. the word of God and particularly the Torah.

If you were going to Hold a revival for your church. And you were to gather all of the people together on a Sunday morning, and you said to them, We're going to spend the entire morning. We're going to start at eight o'clock. And we're going to go all morning till noon. for four hours and we're all going to stand.

We're not going to set. We're all going to be gathered in the sanctuary. And the pastor is going to open. The word of God, and he is going to read it to you. And he started with the book of Genesis and read slowly.

and carefully and clearly Through the entire Pentateuch, I mean Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. And that's what happened. They read verse eight from the book. from the law of God and they did it clearly. and they gave sense.

They interpreted it accurately. And the people understood the reading.

So that's what's going on here. There is the assembly of the people and the public reading of the law. And so look at verse one. All the people gathered. As one man into the square before the water gate, so we just, as you pointed out in verse 73.

All the people. Once the wall had been built, they had gone to their places, they'd gone to their different towns all throughout Israel. And here On this day, all of them regathered. Either they came back or this happened before they left. as one man in the square before the Watergate.

and they instructed ezra to bring The law of Moses.

Now, this is Ezra the scribe. He's described this way in Ezra chapter 7. He was a ready scribe, a prepared. qualified teacher of the law of Moses. And so Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly.

Both men and women, and all who could understand what they heard.

So there were young people here. That's a reference to young people. And this happened on the first day of the seventh month. And he read from early morning until midday in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And all the ears of the people were attentive.

to the book of the law. The idea there is that there was an eagerness. a receptiveness of what they were hearing.

Now, here's an interesting detail. Verse 4. Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood, and then there are 13 names. that are named.

So here are these Men standing with Ezra and they are standing on a wooden platform. Can you imagine? The ministry that the people who built that platform had. in enabling this revival. We typically look at Ezra.

And we look at the Levites that were around him. And those who went about explaining the word of God to God's people. And we never think about the hands. who built the wooden platform on which Ezra stood. And Those people whose names are not written down.

Had a great ministry that day for all of Israel, right? They enabled something great to happen. You know, when you think about great movements. that God brings to his people through his church and through his word. There's usually A spiritual leader that is at the head of it.

There may be others around him that are facilitating it, but we often forget that there are many, many unnamed people whose names we never know, whose faces we never see, who do things like this to make it all possible. Think about All of the people that work behind the scenes to make a podcast like this go out over your airwaves. Think about those people who come in to make the towers function well. Think about the people who run the social media accounts. for the Truth Network.

You know, you and I get to be the voices. on this podcast but but there are many hands that go into dispersing it Think about all those people at Dario's restaurants that set up the tables and tear down the tables after we're done and make sure the doors are open for the people to come. All of those people have a great part in the word that is going forth. And I don't want to miss. that opportunity.

So here in the first eight verses is this section where the assembled people hear and receive the word of God. And many are involved in that ministry. And so that's the first big idea here. Love that idea, and I love the, I love the, and of course, we roll the credits on these folks.

Some in chapter three as they built, and we rolled the credits a lot in chapter seven as they're named. and where they're from and all these folks having a hand in this and yeah the this uh this platform that this wooden uh pulpit as it were it didn't build itself right those chairs hey those chairs Sunday morning and worship They didn't put themselves there, so let's make sure we. Recognize everyone in God's economy has a unique role and a unique gift and a unique Contribution, Dr. Horne. It's also, you know, practically speaking, without PA systems.

and whatnot and maybe maybe uh interesting acoustics This elevated platform. you know maybe two things that It showed this, hey, the word is above us all.

So it elevates the word into the proclamation thereof, but also. It gives a a better sound carriage. Over that large group of folks that were gathered at the watergate of all places. Yeah. Well, that's what chapter, that's what verse five says, right?

He was above all the people. Yep. and all the people could see him and hear him so yeah i think you're spot on Yeah, I just love that. Yes, sir.

So that's it, kind of gets us into it. There's a lot of details. You can get into the time period that's important. It's interesting, it notes that Ezra was a, and you touched on this a little bit, he was both a, A scribe, I guess someone who Takes down the word of God and then makes Plain the word of God and explains the word of God, but also a priest.

someone who goes before God in an intercessory role. you know, to between God and the people. And so here he's. really showcasing that role, particularly of a scribe, but Just his role in scripture is so good. We could do a whole study on Ezra, you know.

I mean, there's so much. Yeah, well, it's interesting. If you go back in the lineage of Ezra, and it's listed out, his genealogy is given to us in the book of Ezra, chapter 7. And he is a direct descendant of Aaron, the first high priest.

So we are talking about someone in Judaism. Who is given high, high honor? He is held in high regard. There's nobody higher, held in higher esteem in the eyes of Israel other than Moses and David, than Ezra. Ezra Ezra is in many ways, the second Moses.

and he is bringing the law of moses And he is reading and explaining that law. And the people respond by saying, amen. Amen. Literally, verily, verily. be so true true And lifting their hands and worshiping the Lord with their faces to the ground.

So there is this great reading and receiving of the scripture.

Now, that's the first thing. The second piece comes in verses 9 to 12. And in verses 9 through 12, just like there was a great receiving of the word. And a great understanding of the word.

Now there is deep conviction. Because of the word. And you can see this, right? Nehemiah is watching the people respond as they understand the word, as they make their way through the Pentateuch. As they hear the stories in Genesis.

and they realize who God is and who they are. And as they understand the calling of Abraham, the role of the nation, and then they're reminded of the great exodus. In Egypt, and then as they grieve over the great rebellions, the 13 rebellions that are recorded in the book of Numbers and are reminded of their own rebellion against the Lord. And then in the book of Leviticus, they're encouraged by the great day of atonement. and the feasts and the sacrifices that have been set up as means by which as a nation their sins can be covered until God sends the Messiah.

And then, as they hear again the words of Moses in the giving of the second law, Deuteronomy, and they realize the heart nature of that law, not just the hand nature of that law. um they're they're heartbroken because they realize we have fallen very, very far from this law. And you can see that in verse 9, the people wept. as they heard the words of the law. And it's to the point that Nehemiah, the governor.

And Ezra the priest and the scribe had to say to the people, Don't weep. This is a feast day. This is a holy day to the Lord. Do not mourn or weep. because the people were devastated by what they heard.

And so they come and they say in verse 10, go your way. Eat the fat. Drink sweet wine. And send portions to everyone who has nothing ready. For this day is holy to our Lord.

And that's what you. find happened on these great feasts. When there was a feast day or a great holy day in the book of Leviticus, this is what people did. They rejoiced. They ate food that they never had an opportunity to eat on normal days.

They drank sweet wine and they shared with others. And he goes on to say, do not be grieved. For the joy of the Lord is your strength. In other words, the people were just overcome. By their sin, they were overcome by how far they had fallen from the expectations of the law.

They hadn't heard this law in years. they they hadn't uh really received the law. In many, many, many years. And so all of a sudden, here they are hearing the word of God and the spirit of God brings deep conviction and deep mourning and deep sorrow. You know, one of the things that I think.

that we miss. Uh, when we hear the word of God, is we fail to ask the spirit of God to do this. Lord, would you break our hearts? Would you bring about this deep mourning? I mean, typically I can't remember a service as a pastor and I've been preaching for 40 years where I've had to say to the people, don't mourn so much over your sin.

Stop weeping over your sin. I've never had to say that to a crowd. I've wished. That they would mourn over their sin. I wished.

that they would weep over their sin. I wish that a holy hush. would follow over the crowd but i've never in 40 years of preaching. ever had to do this and here is a deep deep conviction that comes on these people who have heard. And Nehemiah and Ezra come to the people and say, look.

Don't be a overwhelmed by your sorrow. Don't be overwhelmed by your sin. The joy of the Lord is your strength. And the reason that you can rejoice in the Lord is, He's the one who forgives you, He's the one who's restored you. He's the one who's receiving you.

So the Levites in verse 11 calmed all the people saying, be quiet, for the day is holy. And do not be grieved. And then in verse 12, this great verse, all the people went their way and they ate and they drank and they sent portions and they made a great rejoicing because they had understood the words that were explained to them. And so there is this. joy-rooted strength that Piper talks about.

Piper has this wonderful way with words and he talks about a strength that is rooted in deep joy that is sourced in the in the in the response. that God gives us. It is coming from God's nature. And when we realize the mercy of God and the grace of God that we've received. The response to that is joy.

And the way we recognize that is when the word is taught to us. This word that convicts us also heals us. And that's really what happens here in this section.

So there is this section of deep conviction. and wonderful rejoicing. Yeah, and really, chapter 9 will be a further, deeper outgrowth of this as we get into the confession of sin more explicitly. which will be not this coming week, but the following. But Dr.

Horn. Just amazing how Jesus said, Blessed are the poor in spirit. He said, Blessed, happy. Are they that mourn?

So there's a real sense to which there's a The word of God is quick and powerful, sharp and two-edged sword. Hebrews 4:12, the word is piercing, it's convicting, it's doing its work in these people.

Some of these folks have never, maybe never heard the word. They didn't have access to it in Persia and in other areas where they were exiled.

So here they come home and for the first time. They they were hearing from the sacred scrolls. That their forebears had maybe spoken about over the fire and maybe cited a little bit to them, but they were actually hearing directly the word of Almighty God, and it cut them and it convicted them and it brought them to this point. I just love that. I love that.

The the The power of God's word on display. And, you know, all over the world, there are people that will travel for hours. By foot. I saw this in Sudan firsthand. Just to hear God's word.

Just to hear a message. And if the pastor doesn't go for. Two hours, he's in trouble. Oh, that's right. We want a meal and we want this conviction and we want to hear what God has to say.

We want to hear, thus saith the Lord. And so this happens. And then, of course, we quote this verse: the joy of the Lord is our strength. Nehemiah 8:10. I'm about to tweet that here a little bit.

That's just such a. powerful verse On what God's joy is, which is a deeper sense of. Of God working in us and that divine satisfaction.

So I love, I don't want to belabor these verses, but some say chapter 10, chapter 8, verse 10. Is just one of the key verses in the whole thing because out of out of the this kind of renewal Rebirth. just reformation there does come a a sense of deep satisfaction in God that Nothing else can bring us. No rituals can bring us. Nothing that the the being in the foreign lands, no matter how nice they were.

that nothing can satisfy, nothing of this world can bring. the things of this world would grow strangely dim. in the light of his glory, in the light of his face. In the light of his word.

So keep tracking. That's through verse 12. And then what goes on? What happens? How do we look at this as we wind down this chapter?

All right, so the third division is verses 13 through 15. And what happens here is very interesting.

So, the people have gone their way in verse 12, they have been strengthened. uh by the word they uh they are rejoicing greatly Because they understood the words that were declared to them. In other words, the source of their joy is the Lord, but the means of accessing that joy is the word. And so I think that's really important for us. to understand that that when we find ourselves in a place where our souls need to be encouraged.

And we need strength. The strength that comes from joy is from the Lord, but the means of getting that strength and accessing that joy is the word. And so that's really clear in verse 12. They rejoiced because they had understood the words that were declared. The word declare there isn't just the word get up and read, it's the idea of these words were expounded to them, they were delivered.

Uh the the teaching was delivered to them.

Now. The heads of the families Realize this is immense. And so the next day they come with the priests and the Levites. And they get together with Ezra to do more studying. of the word of the law.

And they found something written in the law that God had commanded Moses. and that they had not been doing for years.

So the third section is this.

So in the first section, there is the public gathering. and the reading and receiving of the word. In the second section, there is the responding to that word with both sorrow and joy that comes from the word. and is given in the strength that God supplies. But in this third section, there is further explanation.

In other words, there is a great desire. on the hearts of the leaders of these people to know more. We want to know more. We want to make sure we understand this word that has brought such joy and such strength to us. And so they come.

And they study the words of the law. And in verse 14, they discover.

Something that was written.

So this is not oral tradition. This is not the Mishnah or the Talmud. They come to the actual words of God, the inspired documents. As you said, the sacred scrolls. And they discover that there is a feast.

That the Lord had commanded his people. to do for him involving the building and dwelling in booths for a week. in the seventh month. which is the month they're in. And that they should proclaim it.

and publish it in all their towns. and in all Jerusalem. Go and to the hills. Bring branches of olive. and myrtle and palm and other leafy trees and make booths as it is written.

They go into the word. and they find something That is relevant to them at that moment. They're in the seventh month. and they find something. Related to the seventh month, where they live right now.

that that God prescribed that Israel used to do but that they haven't been doing. And they get instruction about that. And then in verse 16, it says, the people went out. And brought them and made booze for themselves. We'll come to that here in just a moment.

But there is this incredible, in verses 12 through 15, this incredible desire. To really get to the root of what God has said and what God has written. They're not going to be content. With just a superficial understanding of God's word that has brought great joy, they really want to know who God is. And they want to find out what God has said and what God desires.

There is a real heart here for. revival and a real heart for ongoing study. and a real heart for this ongoing obedience. to God's word. And I often think about this in my own life.

You know, oftentimes I have these moments where there's great joy that God brings into my life. And I live on the joy. And really what the joy should do is it should drive me back to the word that was the source of that joy. And that's what's going on here in this second or in this third section here. And then the final piece is in verses 16 through 18.

And we'll get to that here in just a moment, but I wanna give you an opportunity. To add anything you want to add to that third section.

Well, I did a little dive on the feast of booths, and I was pretty impressed with that. One pastor said basically that. The children of Israel, the leaders called everyone to go to take, to grab their kids and go on a camping trip for a little bit, because they're living in kind of in tents and it's to celebrate. This, you know, God's beautiful deliverance of his people from Israel. All these feasts in the Bible, Dr.

Horn. are thoroughly scriptural and they're thoroughly Magnifying of God. They point to Him, they point to His goodness and His greatness and It says in these verses that they hadn't done this since really the days of Joshua.

Now, some. All the scholars I read believe that some folks had. You know, there had been individuals, there had been pockets, remnants of those who had celebrated, but some just. Just weren't able to. And just as a corporate nation, as a corporate nation, right, not happening.

Yeah, so coming together, doing this, I mean, this is going down to their roots. This is, we are all. all grounded And who God is. What he had done. and how he took care of them In that wilderness season, how he took care of them with that fire by night.

with that cloud by day. with the manna from heaven, with the water from the rock. with the quail, with all those different things, protecting them from their enemies. And so it's really taking them in to literally living out. And it makes you wonder: what are things I do?

Practically, demonstrably that show God's worked in my life, you know, that show. You know, some folks have a prayer closet. It's just where God has met them. You know, it's a beautiful thing. We don't want to be ritualistic, and that's probably what had happened, these feasts.

even up to Jesus' day. They had become ritualistic to the point where Jesus walks in in John 8. You know, he says, I'm the light of the world. You know, here you have the Feast of Lights. I'm the light.

You've missed the whole point of God's revelation, of God's Messiah, of God's deliverance. You're just going through these motions, the external.

So this was. really a a an internal Heart-driven. Activity to celebrate into show hourly The reality of God's word working inwardly inside of them. And I guess, and you know, it continues to climact in these final verses here. Yeah, so the the final piece is There is this.

obedient, joyful corporate worship. that is the response to all of this right the whole point to the feast was not as you said this legalistic ritualistic thing where You know, we can't live in our houses for seven days. That stinks. Or it wasn't this family excursion. Hey, we get to go camping.

There was a religious reason for the feast. And it was that every family once a year for a week. would relive what their ancestors lived for 40 years in the wilderness. They would dwell in a temporary tent or a temporary booth. and they would experience the provision and the protection of the Lord.

And during that time, there was obedient response to the Lord. This is number one. And you can see that immediately, right? In verse 16, so the people went out. And brought them and made booths for themselves, each on his roof and in the courtyards of their house.

and in the square at the water gate and in the square of the gate of Ephraim. And all the assembly of those who returned from captivity made booths. and lived in the booze. For from the days of Joshua, the son of Nun to the day. uh the people of israel had not done so and so there was this obedient This great obedience.

And then there was this great rejoicing. And you can see that at the end of verse 17. And there was. Very great rejoicing. This is even greater than the rejoicing we saw up earlier in the chapter.

There is this exuberant celebration. um you know think about A day when we gather together. I mean, think about a church that has. had a mortgage. For many, many years, and it comes today when we're gonna celebrate the fact that we've paid this off, and the church is packed.

And all the former pastors are there, and there's a great ingathering of people. Who've moved maybe to other towns and they've come back. And there is this festive moment, there is this great rejoicing.

Well, that's what's going on here. There's this obedient. response and this great rejoicing. And here's the difference between a family vacation and what was going on. In verse 18, and day by day, from the first day to the last.

Ezra read from the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days. And on the eighth day, there was a solemn assembly according to the rule, according to the instruction.

So this was worship. And again, at the heart of it. was not the booth. Or the leaf, or living out away from your house in your courtyard or on your roof. At the heart of it was this worship.

This obedience and this rejoicing that kept coming back over and over to the word of God. and to the obedience. that word demands it. And so, you know, as we wrap the chapter up. I think the applications we want to make need to be word applications, right?

We don't want to use this chapter to say, hey, you need to take your family on a family-centered vacation. maybe go camping out in one of the national parks and take a week and refresh. That's not what's going on here. There is this obedient worship. That is producing great joy and deep revival in a nation that is being rebuilt.

just like the walls had been rebuilt in the earlier chapters.

So the applications I would make would be this. whatever you do and whatever you build gather and unite around God's word. God's word has to be at the heart of it.

So that's application number one. gather and unite around God's word. Secondly, When you celebrate God's word, make sure you are celebrating a word you understand. Make sure that you have a clear and accurate understanding. of the word that you are celebrating.

Otherwise, it's just an empty celebration. These people were not just celebrating because somebody was standing up going, Torah, Torah, Torah. They were celebrating because, for the first time, maybe in their life. They were reading and understanding God's word to them.

So unite around God's word. but celebrate what you clearly understand. And then number three. allow that word to bring conviction that leads to repentance that brings joy. Let joy not come from Uh, the wall that was built, or from the beauty of the choir, or from the excitement of the day.

Let the real joy that's going to strengthen you come out of repentance. That is Come about because of a conviction that God has worked in your heart because you understand the word that you're celebrating.

So unite around God's word. and celebrate the words you understand. but allow that word to bring conviction that leads to repentance that produces joy. And then obey promptly. That's number four.

When God convicts you. Obey promptly, go and do what these people did. Hey, you know what. We haven't obeyed the Lord. We haven't observed this feast.

Well, what is the thing you haven't obeyed when you celebrate God's word and you allow that word to become clear in your mind? and God begins to convict you, what are you going to do with that conviction? Are you going to celebrate? Oh, I was so glad I was convicted. And then you go do nothing about the thing you were convicted about.

There has to be an obedience. that is personal, it's tangible, it's immediate, it's fresh. Uh and it is according to the scripture. And then the fifth thing is continue. all of what you have gained by ongoing relationship and engagement with the word.

Revival is not a once and done event, right? Commit to the ongoing study. And Understanding and obedience of the word as a way of life. They kept the feast. and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly according to the rule So what is ruling your life?

The same thing that was ruling Ezra, the same thing that was ruling Nehemiah, the same thing that was coming to rule this nation needs to be what rules us. And that's the word of God. And that's chapter eight in a nutshell. Wow. What a powerful word, Dr.

Horne. You know, Colossians 3 says, Let the word of Christ dwell. In you richly. And it talks about the result of that word dwelling in you. There's going to be songs and hymns and spiritual songs and rejoicing in melody to God.

There's going to be change that's outwardly manifested. And just like we see as the word of God. Impacted them and entered into their hearts, their ears. And there's a visible. impact and this isn't As you're getting up and saying, hey, here are five or six steps to, you know, to help your relationships.

You know, here, here, here, write these seven or eight tips. on the better you. and and sadly, tragically, breaks my heart. And I hope pastors are hearing this. I hope they'll take note.

I hope they'll be convicted as I am. That God's not calling you to be the TED Talk pastor, the motivational speaker pastor, the storytelling pastor. He's not calling you to be the comedian pastor. You know, he is calling you to preach the word. God does not need your help, God does not depend on your brilliant rhetorical skills.

Yes, God's gifted you. But he's gifted you. You've got to study it first and get in that book. And they'll let the book get in you and then through you you're proclaiming The word. The word is what's powerful.

The word is what changed these people. It's like we have, Dr. Horn, it's like we have, we're offering people the firsthand access to a nuclear spiritual weapon. That will transform hearts. I mean, look at what Psalm 19 says.

The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul, rejoicing the heart, making wise the simple. Look at what God's word does in that Psalms. It's sweeter than honey, even the honeycomb. It's more valuable than gold. Look at what Psalm 119 says.

It says the word of God will make you wiser than your enemies. It'll make you smarter than your teachers and on and on and on. And here's the crazy thing, Dr. Horne. This isn't a new word.

This isn't some, oh, God's giving me a fresh word. God's giving me a fresh manifestation. No, friends, you start hearing that a lot. You better take off. You better hit the exit door and go somewhere where they're going to bring you the word of God.

The gospel is not new. The Word of God is not new, but what it does is it renews and it does a new thing. And it transforms because it's God's holy word. And that's why we need to hear it, listen to it, study it, read it. Teach it.

Meditate on it. Memorize it. Hide in our hearts that are the hide in our hide in our hearts that we will not sin against him. Let it be a lamp unto our feet, a light unto our past. And Dr.

Horn, I just see. This return to God's word, I almost see a convicting call. to the church today. I mean imagine what would happen If God's word was once again elevated, if we all said, Hey, we're going to erect platforms and we're going to speak from those platforms, you know, not some, not a bunch of smoke and lights. And entertainment because we got to pack this place out.

God's going to use, we got to do that. God needs our help. No, we're going to proclaim faithfully. Boldly The word of God, as it was written, to whom it was written, who's talking, what are they saying? that Jesus Christ could be exalted in every page and every message.

And if we don't come away from Nehemiah chapter 8 with that, Dr. Horn, I think we've missed the whole kitten. Yeah, absolutely. No, absolutely.

Well, it's been, you know, to kind of put a little bow on it. The last four words of this chapter are according to the rule. And to your point, we've got to come back to the word. Everything in this chapter rises up from and is centered on and is governed by the word the word of god the written word of god Not some private interpretation of it, although Ezra certainly did interpret it. accurately at the end of the day what was authoritative was the written word according to the rule and may our lives be according to that rule may our lives be shaped by that word And let's pray to that end.

Amen. Yes, sir.

Take us out of here with a prayer. And, you know, we just are.

So grateful for those who faithfully are teaching God's word. I hope you'll encourage Your pastor and your spiritual leaders in your life. To be faithful to the text of scripture and to teach the whole counsel of God. I mean, we are in an Old Testament book. written centuries before Jesus Christ came in that manger.

And listen to how rich it is, and how powerful it is, and how alive it is, because it's God's word. It's just amazing. You know, so yes, the epistles, yes, the law, the prophets, the Torah, the Psalms, all of it. is the encapsulation of the wisdom of God. Which makes us wise unto salvation.

And so, Dr. Horton, thank you for your faithfulness, brother, to walk us through and to guide us and to teach us and to. And to share these truths with us and to help us all kind of tighten up and be better as we tighten up. deliver this most important word wherever God takes us. Amen.

Well, let's pray. Lord, we are so grateful for this chapter. As we have in every chapter, Lord, as we pray at the end of every broadcast. And every podcast, Lord, we're thankful for your word. It is our food, it is our nourishment, it is our hope, it is our joy.

the word of the lord uh is is alive it is quick it is powerful and we see it here as it rejoiced an entire nation it turned the hearts of an entire nation back to you And so, Lord, we're thankful. We're thankful for men like Ezra who spend their life studying it. We're thankful for the 13 men that stood around him to explain it. Lord, in our ministries, we're thankful for Bible study leaders, Sunday school leaders, and IWANA leaders and all kinds of other youth group leaders. You take the Word of God in so many different ways and apply it to the lives of people.

But at the end of the day, The explanations are only helpful. If they're according to the rule, according to the word that you have set forth. And then, Lord, we're grateful for the people, the unnamed hands. that build the platform upon which all of this rests. And so, Lord, we lift our hearts to you and we ask.

that you would continue to bless your word. continue to draw us to that word. And use that word to shape us we pray in Jesus' name. Yeah. Thank you, Dr.

Horn, and thank you for joining us for this Wednesday in the Word podcast. Learn more at wedintheword.com. Follow us on YouTube, Facebook, and all social media, including Instu Graham. and be encouraged, stay in the word. Read it.

Share it, study it, memorize it, and meditate on God's Word. Every word of God is pure. He is a shield to those who put their trust in him. Proverbs 30 verse 5.