Title: Spiritual Revival / Nehemiah 8:1-12
The book of Nehemiah is a book that mainly records the activities of two men.
First, about 444 B.C., Nehemiah, who was a cupbearer under King Artaxerxes of the Persian Empire, returned to Jerusalem with the king’s permission and rebuilt the destroyed walls of Jerusalem in 52 days. . Nehemiah's outstanding leadership and faith in God overcame all these obstacles and completed the rebuilding of the wall in spite of mockery, threats, and plots from enemies in rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. This was possible with God's special help.
Second, under the guidance of the scribe Ezra, the spiritual revival of the people of Israel is recorded in Nehemiah 8-13. The people longed for the word of God, and the people who heard the word of God repented and returned to God to receive new strength.
The words of the text we read today describe the stages of spiritual revival well.
1. For spiritual revival to occur, we must feel spiritually thirsty.
Amos 8:11 says, “Behold, the days are coming, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine upon the land, not a hunger for bread or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the word of the Lord.” The people of Israel returned to their homeland from Babylon, but it had been a long time since they had not heard the words of God's law. They felt spiritually thirsty. So, longing to hear the word, we gathered in one place.
Verse 1 says, “The children of Israel dwelt in their original city, and in the seventh month all the people gathered together in the square in front of the floodgates and asked Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded Israel.”
The time and place are specified here.
1) Time: July. The seventh month is religiously the month of rest. It is the month for consecration to God, and it is January according to the civil calendar. It is to give thanks for God's grace and celebrate the first day of the new year.
2) Location: Square in front of the water gate
This was the large square in front of the temple in Jerusalem.
The people of Israel gathered in this square in front of the temple in Jerusalem for religious celebrations.
3) He asked the scholar Ezra to bring the book of the law:
The people gathered here longed to hear the word of God, that is, the word of the law.
2. For spiritual revival to occur, we must listen to God's Word.
In verses 2-3, Ezra read the Book of the Law, the word of God.
“On the first day of the seventh month, Ezra the priest brought the book of the law, and came before the congregation that could be understood by both men and women, and read it in the square in front of the floodgate from dawn to noon in the presence of men and women who could understand it; and all the people listened to the book of the law.” I did.
In the old days, there were few books of the law, so if one representative read it, people listened to it quietly.
The Word of God is a living Word.
3. For spiritual revival to occur, we must accept God's word as Amen.
In verses 5-6 we read, “Ezra the scholar stood over all the people and opened the book before their eyes, and when the book was opened, all the people stood up. Ezra blessed the Lord God, the great God, and all the people raised up their hands and answered, Amen, Amen, and bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.”
When we heard the word of God, there were threefold answers.
1) He raised his hand and answered.
Raising your hand usually means surrendering.
Raising your hand means realizing your own shortcomings and turning to God completely. There is an earnest desire to say, Lord, hold my hand.
2) Amen We answered with Amen.
“Amen” means truly yes.
3) They bowed down and worshiped with their faces to the ground.
4. For spiritual revival to occur, there is a movement to hear the Word and repent.
In verses 8-9, “they read the book of the law of God and interpreted its meaning, and made the people understand what was being read, and when the people heard the words of the law, they all wept.”
In Luke 3, after hearing John the Baptist's sermon, people repented and said, "Then what shall we do?" (Luke 3:10) They repented and were baptized.
5. For spiritual revival to occur, you will experience spiritual joy.
In verse 9, verses 9 to 10, “Today is the holy day of the Lord your God. Do not grieve or weep.” Nehemiah said again, “Go, eat the fat, and drink sweet things; Do not be troubled because it is the Lord's Day. The joy of the Lord is your strength.”
It means that we cannot rejoice when we experience the joy of forgiveness and meet God who forgives us.
1. The beginning of spiritual revival: longing heart, longing spirit, the demands of the times
empty heart, full heart
2. The process of spiritual revival: hearing the word of God, realization, repentance, the pain of repentance,
3. The result of spiritual revival: joy, change of life, and being moved by God's grace
Personal change, family change, church change
May it revive within these years. (Hab 3:2)