In the book of Nehemiah, we’ve seen one man (Nehemiah) come from Persia to the city of his forefathers (Jerusalem) and in a matter of just a few months, take the piles of RUBBLE and turn them into a secure city wall. He has formulated and carried out a plan. He has organized people and assigned functions. Jerusalem has gone from CHAOS to ORDER in an amazingly short period of time.
HOW did he do this?
-Was it Nehemiah and his leadership abilities alone? NO.
-We recognize that God was working through all of this…
...moving the hearts of the Kings of Persia...not ONE king, but THREE: Cyrus sent the first Jewish exiles back to Jerusalem, Darius helped assure the temple was rebuilt and Artexerxes sent leaders and resources back on two separate occasions.
...God was moving in the hearts of the people of Jerusalem so they were willing to take on an overwhelming task in the face of strong opposition.
...God was working in the hearts of the wealthier residents of Jerusalem so that they stopped taking advantage of their poorer countrymen, and led them to give a generous “free will offering” to the work of the temple.
HOW DID GOD DO THIS? He used the faithful ministry of a man named Ezra. A man who had been sent by King Artexerxes 14 years before Nehemiah. He didn’t realize it at the time, but he was preparing hearts for the building project Nehemiah would lead..
I’m reminded of remark of Tampa Bay football coach John Gruden after his teams victory in this year’s Super bowl in his FIRST year as their head coach. In the post game interview, one of the reporters asked how his team accomplished such a monumental task in his first season as their coach. His answer- “Six years of hard work by Tony Dungee.” John Gruden came into a situation that was already STRONG and definitely headed in the right direction thanks to Dungee’s years at Tampa.
Nehemiah came to Jerusalem and found that God had already begun to prepare the hearts of the people.
Ezra was a scribe and a priest who had been sent to Jerusalem by King Artexerxes with ONE primary responsibility: To teach the Jews God’s law.
Ezra 7:25 “And you, Ezra, in accordance with the wisdom of your God, which you possess, appoint magistrates and judges to administer justice to all the people of the Trans-Euphrates– all who know the laws of your God. And you are to teach any who do not know them.”
When Ezra first arrived in Jerusalem, the moral and spiritual condition of the people was terrible, but as he taught them God’s Word, they began to respond to and obey the laws. Nehemiah comes years later and challenges them to trust God and build the walls, and they are able to respond in faith!
**What is the role of God’s Word in the life of His people?
**Is it significant that God sent the TEACHER (Ezra) before he sent the BUILDER (Nehemiah)?
**How can we benefit most from it?
“Scripture is like a pair of spectacles which dispels the darkness and give us a clear view of God.” -John Calvin
“This Book outlives, outloves, outlifts, outlasts, outreaches, outruns, and outranks all books. This Book is faith-producing. It is hope-awakening. It is death-destroying. And those who embrace it find forgiveness of sin.” -A. Z. Conrad
1.) God’s Word needs to be COMMUNICATED. (V. 1-6) READ VERSES
· The people gather...evidence of the impact of Ezra’s teaching ministry- The people recognize that the “first day of the seventh month” is the beginning of a special religious observance. The “Feast of Trumpets”:
Leviticus 23:23-25 “The LORD said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites: On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts. Do no regular work, but present an offering made to the Lord by fire.”
· The people request that the Book of the Law of Moses be read to them.
· It’s a family event...all the men, women and children old enough to understand.
· They give it significant TIME...from daybreak till midday (5 or 6 hours!)
· They recognize the SOURCE of the book and praise God...they get excited!
**Think about it and be a little bit ashamed...They are not awaiting a reading of the Sermon on the Mount or any of the powerful Parables of Jesus. They are not about to hear the powerful doctrinal writings of the Apostle Paul...they are waiting to hear the Law of Moses read and they are SHOUTING with joy and FALLING on their faces in worship.
Even with that LIMITED portion available to them, they recognize it as God’s POWERFUL and LIVING Word.
As Martin Luther wrote: “The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold on me.”
2.) God’s Word needs CLARIFICATION. (V. 7-8) READ VERSES
Nehemiah does not explain exactly how the reading and clarification of the Scriptures were handled, but we know that the crowd could have been between 30,000 and 50,000 people (based on the count in 7:66).
The best Bible scholars read this and believe there were times when Ezra read LOUDLY from the platform, but would PAUSE and the Levites would take and read that same passage for smaller groups, would “make it clear and give the meaning” (translation). The probably listened and responded to the questions of the people hearing the Law… “What does that mean?”
Notice their goal: “So that the people could understand what was being read.”
**God’s Word discloses the character and purposes of God.
**God uses “the foolishness of preaching” to help us understand and respond to that revelation.
3.) God’s Word proclaimed leads to CONVICTION and to CELEBRATION. (V. 9-12)
The most gratifying thing that happened is that the people really responded to the Word of God. THEY LET IT GET TO THEIR HEARTS and it convicted them of their sin.
As the Words of the Law are being read, Ezra, Nehemiah and Levites see people becoming emotionally broken by the Scriptures.
-Now it seems strange to me (does it to you?) that the leaders would begin to COMFORT and even COMMAND the people not to “grieve or weep”.
**Here’s what we don’t understand (because of our Western culture): As the war in Iraq came to an end and their religious freedom was restored, you saw many people show their “repentance” and desire for personal holiness (according to the Muslim traditions) by beating themselves with chains and hitting their heads with swords until they bleed. Those physical acts are “works” intended to show true repentance. In the day of Ezra and Nehemiah, the developing mood of sorrow and repentance on the part of these people would also lead to works of repentance...not chains and swords...but “sack cloth and ashes”- the changing of clothes and sitting in the dust to show sorrow. Fasting and other evidences of self-denial. There WERE and ARE times when it’s appropriate to take our sin and our sorrow over it very seriously...BUT
REMEMBER (Leviticus 23) this day is The Feast of Trumpets. This is a day that is devoted to the worship of God, marked by sacrifices, feasting and joy. It’s a reminder that the “Day of Atonement” is just 10 days away when you will celebrate that God has made a way for your sins to be forgiven.
It’s understandable that they feel CONVICTION
But God is also honored when His people CELEBRATE all that He has done for them.
Summary:
God’s word needs to be COMMUNICATED:
Read and proclaimed
God’s word needs to be CLARIFIED:
Taught, preached, explained. I need to let it get deep into my heart where it can cause CONVICTION and/or CELEBRATION...as the Spirit of God sees fit.
Application: Why did God give us His Word??
· Some people would say, “So we know all His rules and regulations...to limit us.”
· Some would even take that further...and believe that God gave us His word to make us feel “guilty and miserable.”
· But the truth is that God intends that His Word will transform our lives.
Rick Warren, in his book “The Purpose Driven Life” says- “No other habit can do more to transform your life and make you more like Jesus than daily reflection on Scripture. As we take the time to contemplate God’s truth, seriously reflecting on the example of Christ, we are transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory.”
**This Communion Table this morning: A time for INTROSPECTION and SORROW or a time for CELEBRATION and THANKSGIVING? The Scriptures warn us not to be careless or casual about sin when recognizing Christ’s sacrificial death, but this table emphasizes the COMPLETED work of Jesus Christ. When on the cross he said, “It is finished!”, the price for your sin was “paid in full” and you can say “Amen” to what Nehemiah said to the people: “This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
