Nehemiah 8 - A People of the Word

 

 

The first half of Nehemiah is focused on the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. In the second half, Nehemiah is restoring a people. Let’s read Nehemiah 8:1-12.

 

 

Alright, let me set the stage for what’s going on here. There’s a flash mob at the Watergate. Verse 1 says that everyone was gathered at the Watergate. At that time there was about 50,000 people in the city and most of those people were present. This was quite a scene.

 

 

What makes this even more incredible is that this is a portrait or foreshadowing of a church. Look at this. Nehemiah’s leading at the helm. Ezra and his posse are preaching the word. The Levites, are discipling the people; helping them understand and apply the word. And it says that they were gathered as one man-sound familiar? Every church needs gifted leaders and preachers, called and envisioned by God to organize and teach the church and keep it on course to accomplish its mission. This is a picture of the church working well.

 

 

So Nehemiah has set the stage and prepared the way for Ezra and the other 13 men with him to read and preach the word for 6 hours! This would be like going to Centerway Square and preaching through the 1^st 5 books of the bible for 6 hours straight and everyone who walks by just stops, captivated by what they heard.

 

 

 

Hungry for the Word: The people were hungry for the Word of God. They were willing to stand for 6 hours to listen to Leviticus preached! That’s how hungry they were. They knew the stories, they knew their parents and grandparents had been exiled because they disobeyed the law of God. They knew from the brokenness of those stories, they knew from the brokenness of their walls and the brokenness of their own lives that they needed the Word of God.

 

 

This seems impossible today, right? And even though it seems that our society increasingly wants nothing to do with God, I believe we are seeing a generation that is growing increasingly hungry for the truth of God’s Word. As society becomes more broken and individual lives experience more brokenness, the façade that people have lived in that says “No need to worry about the future. I can live for me, here and now”, is being exposed as the lie that it is-it doesn’t deliver. And people want to know the truth. These people knew they needed truth; they were hungry for it.

 

 

 

High View of God’s Word: They had a high view of the word of God. Today, if we’re going to talk about truth and God’s word we need to define what we mean. There are basically 3 broad views of scripture. 1^st is a low view of the Word of God. These are the people that say there are no absolutes, no truth. They view scripture as below them, to be used by them. They walk on it, twist it; even use it to justify their own sin. Or they disregard it altogether.

 

 

Next are the people that view scripture as beside them. This is often unintentional. These are the folks ask “what does this scripture mean to you?” And they go around the bible study with everyone giving a different meaning for themselves of the same scripture and they’re all right; comes from opinion and circumstances. What’s truth to you may not be truth to me. Here’s the problem, scripture was written by an author with an intended purpose and meaning. If we don’t read and interpret the word through the authors intended meaning, its relativism, not truth. And it empties scripture of its power in our lives.

 

 

The right view of scripture is that it’s above us; absolute truth; has all authority over our lives and submit to it; it has one specific and intentional meaning for us. Why is this so important? The Word of God is our foundation and properly orients our lives. Let me see if I can explain this.

 

I grew up in Daytona Beach, FL so my sense of direction was formed on the east coast. I instinctively knew that if the ocean was on my right I was heading north; if it in front of me I was heading east. I always knew where I was because my orientation was based on the ocean. But when we went to Sarasota in June I ran into a problem. Sarasota is on the west coast of FL. When the ocean was on my right I was heading south-but I felt with every ounce of my being that I was going north. I took many wrong turns and went many miles in the wrong direction because my orientation was off. What I needed was the unchanging truth.

 

 

People wonder around through life disconnected from reality; disoriented and confused about what their purpose in life is; aimlessly taking wrong turns, trying new avenues that only take them farther away from the creator who loves them. The word of God anchors us in reality and gives us, not just a road map, but an eternal perspective. If we understand this it will drive us to the Word of God. They were hungry for the truth of God’s Word. Church, are you/we hungry for God’s Word? Why would we not want to live under its authority? Why would we not hunger for the Word?

 

 

Through the Lens of the Gospel: One thing I hear a lot is-I know I should read it, I want to read it, I know I need to read it but it’s boring; I can’t figure it out or understand it-I don’t know what it means. There can be many reasons for this (not entertainment, engage heart/mind) but let me tell you why I think people think the bible is boring; because they fail to read scripture through the lens of the gospel. The cross is the centerpiece of history and all of scripture. It’s the central context of all of scripture.

 

 

This book is the historical story of God’s redemptive plan to rescue sinful, broken humanity; not about Abraham, Noah, Moses and David; it’s about God using these characters to accomplish His great and amazing plan of salvation. It’s all about Jesus! Jesus coming to earth in flesh to live with sinful man, to die the sinner’s death and to conquer sin and death in His resurrection so that He could rebuild what had been broken down and redeem and restore a people who would gather as one to be a blessing to the nations and worship Him forever.

 

 

That’s what the bible is about; every book, story and chapter. Without the context of the gospel all we have is information…without transformation-meaningless, and up for interpretation. But Jesus gives the bible meaning. We need to read scripture in full view of the gospel. Why? Because that’s how Jesus interpreted scripture. In Luke 24 He said “all the Law and Prophets are fulfilled in my death, burial and resurrection.” He viewed all of scripture through the lens of the gospel.

 

 

If we don’t, we will view, read, interpret and preach scripture with us at the center (moralism). So a sermon out of Nehemiah might be 4 ways to be an effective leader…with God’s help. Be like Nehmiah or David. Without a gospel view we see scripture through our story, not God’s story. Or we remove our story and Gods story and scripture becomes purely academic and ultra boring.

 

 

But reading scripture in full view of the gospel puts Christ at the center of the story and gives hope to our story. And produces in us humility and hope; Humility because it convicts us that we’re great sinners, hope because it comforts us that we have a great Savior; Humility because it calls us to submit to authority of the word and hope that it will redeem and restore the brokenness of our lives.

 

 

John Piper: “I love the bible the way I love my eyes. Not because my eyes are lovely but because without them I can’t see what is lovely.”

 

 

Without the Word of God we can’t see the light of the gospel or the riches of Christ; we wouldn’t know that we’re great sinners who have rebelled against God and deserve death and we wouldn’t know that God’s mercy and grace has been extended to us through Jesus and His gospel! When we read scripture like this it gives us the knowledge of God that leads us to fear Him and the wisdom of God that leads us to salvation so that we can see and know Jesus and enjoy Him forever. Don’t we want to experience the bible like that? You can, just read every word in full view of the cross and let it permeate your soul.

 

 

 

The Word Leads to Worship: So Ezra read the Word to all the people and look at what Ezra does in vs. 6. He Blesses the Lord, the great God. The main purpose of reading and preaching scripture is always to worship God; that we would have our view of God expanded and respond by blessing the Lord. The Word of God, rightly viewed and interpreted, will be focused on God (how great He is) and will produce worship of God. The most important thing for us to know every day is how great God is because our view of God shapes the way we live.

 

 

We we’re created to be worshipers, we can’t change that; we’re always worshiping. And our default because of sin is to make ourselves big and worship us. But scripture reorients us to the truth that we are very small but God is GREAT; He is worthy of ALL our worship. Then we can live our lives appropriately in response to who God declares Himself to be.

 

 

This is what all preaching is about-magnifying God. That’s what Ezra did and look at how the people respond: vs. 6-“Amen, Amen!” What are they saying? “It’s true! Let it be so in my life!” Some of you are surprised, you didn’t know there were Pentecostals in the OT. We have like 1.5 people in the church that occasionally give up an amen. But I’m guessing there are more than that who believe the word is true and want it to impact their lives. Am I right? Yes, the word of God is true! May it be so in my life!

 

 

They also responded by lifting their hands…during the preaching. In response to the greatness of God, I surrender every area of my life to the truth of scripture. I’m not sure there’s a less expressive existence on earth then being white in the Northeast. And I’m not here to be the worship police. I hear this question a lot, “why do I need to do this or that to worship?” I think it’s the wrong question. I would ask why aren’t you affected and why wouldn’t you do this or that in response to who God is? Let me just say this, God is worthy of our passionate response.

 

 

 

The Word Leads to Repentance: Look at vs. 9. “All the people wept as they heard the words of the law”. This is incredible! Ezra is reading the Law and the people are moved to tears. What’s happening here? Ezra’s telling them about Adam and Eve, how they rebelled against God-that’s us, we rebelled. Noah and how God wiped out the wicked with the flood-we’re wicked; we need to be rescued from destruction. Then he reads Exodus and the people realize, that’s us too, we’ve been exiled and we need to be redeemed and set free. And then He gets to Leviticus-we’re not keeping any of these laws, we break them every day. We’re guilty, we’re not adequate to obey all of these, we’re doomed if someone doesn’t help us.

 

 

This is a gospel moment. As the word is read the people see how great and holy God is, and they’re in awe and worship Him. And at the same time in they see the great depth of their sinfulness and their need for a savior and begin to mourn and weep for their sin. They’re seeing what they hadn’t been able to see before-that there is a huge gap between how great God is and how lowly and needy they are. And this conviction leads them to repentance. The gospel always demands a response, always changes the heart. It either leads us to repentance or pride. But there is no neutral response to the gospel.

 

 

You can’t be exposed to unattainable/infinite gap that exists between us and God and walk away saying “I’ll just try harder, I’ll do better.” Every time we read the word we encounter a great and holy God who demands perfection. And every time we’re reminded that we’re sinful and, on our own, we’re unable to meet His standard, to keep the Law. Every time we’re faced with our great need to be rescued, our need for a Savior. And every time we see Jesus; strong and mighty to save, the love of God incarnate; our only hope.

 

 

Look at vs. 9-10. You no longer have to weep. The joy of the Lord is your strength! Your hope rests in God, your redeemer. Your rescue and redemption rests with the strong arm of the Lord. Nehemiah is giving hope to the people. And the same is true today. Our hope and our salvation rests on the strength of the Lord; not in our character but in His character. We can rejoice and rest because of the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. This is a revival in the heart.

 

 

 

Enjoy and Share!: And that’s not all. I love this! Nehemiah tells them to go eat the fat and drink wine and share it with those who don’t yet have it. GO CELEBRATE!! Rejoice and throw a party! Include others in the joy you’re experiencing. There are some who are still weeping. Some don’t even know that there’s a gap yet; go tell them that Jesus has bridged the gap; that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life! There’s some that are still hardened in pride, give them some fat too.

 

 

Nehemiah sends the people out on mission; to take what they just received out and bless their city.

 

 

 

The Word Leads to Obedience: Really quickly, let me unpack the last section of chapter 8. They continue to read the word and they realize that they’re supposed to be celebrating the festival of Booths. This was something the Lord instituted to be a reminder…of the harvest/God’s provision and their rescue out of Egypt and journey through the dessert (very relevant). Here’s the point, they read the word and they did what it said. They obeyed the word and the effect (vs. 17) was “very great rejoicing”.

 

 

This is the effect of holding scripture high above us and viewing it all through the lens of the gospel. Church, we’re called to be a people of the Word; to have an ever growing appetite for scripture and an ever expanding view of who God is. The more we’re in the Word the more we’ll be reminded of the Truth that sets us free-Jesus-and the more we’ll be free to live for Him and the more we’ll have to share with others.