Good morning, I hope today’s chapters encourage you as much as they encourage me. We will discuss Nehemiah chapters 8-10.
Opening God’s Word
What a beautiful way to start out his morning. As I do daily, they come together and ask Ezra, the teacher of the Law, to grab the Book of the Law of Moses (v8:1).
The purpose of our reading through the Bible is to build that discipline. Even more so, it is to create the desire to hear the Word of God. That daily dose of vitamin G!
Regardless of our circumstances, when we have God in our lives, we know we can face anything.
There is no better way to know we are walking with God than to spend some time listening to Him.
Praying is how we talk to God. Being quiet, we can hear His voice in our hearts. Reading the Word of God is how we hear that voice through even the most chaotic of times.
Having someone read it to you helps you focus. This is one reason church attendance is vital.
I have had public engagements where I would sign my book Moving Ahead: How to Make America Godly Again. Even people wearing crosses or shirts with Christian themed messages on them will see the word God, and turn away. It is heartbreaking. Not because they reject my book, but because they are avoiding God.
The situation in Jerusalem was different at the beginning of chapter eight. They came together, united in purpose. Yearning to hear the Word of the Law of Moses.
No Complaints
I have watched people in churches look at the watches. You know they are becoming impatient for the service to end.
If you ask them about it, they have even mentioned that when they sit too long, their legs will fall asleep, or their back hurts.
Here we read Ezra preached from daybreak till noon (v8:3). They were standing in the square (v8:5). Not complaining but striving to understand all the teacher was saying.
At our church, we can get around one hundred people on a Sunday morning. Getting them to return on Wednesday night is more challenging. We are lucky to have fifteen people attend.
These Jewish people’s hunger for God’s word was so great that they came seven days in a row, from daybreak to dawn.
We can assume Ezra was a captivating teacher. His purpose, like mine, is to help the people understand what the Word meant (8:8).
They would share in a feast after the service (v8:10), but this was not why they were there. They wanted to know God.
As they heard the Words of the Law of Moses, they knew they were not following the commands. This convicted them and they wept (v8:9).
The Law of Moses teaches us about sin and the commandments God gives us for righteous living. People today want to hear about grace and prosperity. We want to hear about God’s love. He hopes we find happiness and fulfillment.
Many modern churches would reject Ezra’s message. But these people wanted God. They didn’t want what God could do for them, or provide. They wanted His presence in their lives.
God is the only reward we need.
Therefore, Ezra reminds them not to be sorrowful about their shame, but to rejoice in having that relationship with God (v8:10).
They were not worried about their comforts. Their homes were in shambles, but they lived on the rooftops under palm branches (v8:13-16).
Revival
They came every day for a solid week.
The closest thing I have experienced was a three day PeaceKeepers event. To get people to gather for three days, they had to have a mix of different speakers broken up with praise bands and special guests.
This was a transformative experience for me. I left feeling I had grown in my walk with the Lord.
These people were hearing Ezra preach somewhere around six hours a day, for a week!
Half of that time they were reading from the Book of the Law. The other half they were confessing their sins (v9:2-3).
They were not hearing a new spin on anything. They were being reminded of all God had done for their ancestors. How He brought them out of bondage.
Then they heard of their sins. How they acted wickedly (v9:33).
They remembered their relationship with God and admitted their failures. Then they renewed their commitment (v10:29).
It was a genuine commitment. They would not even violate the Sabbath when merchants offered to sell merchandise or grain (v10:31).
We get impatient if a sermon runs long, preventing us from going out to lunch or joining a friend to do some shopping. This had been their practice in Babylon. Now they wanted to honor God and respect His Laws.
This led them to give to their temple.
Verse 10:39 says, “We will not neglect the house of our God.”
Our churches today could be some much more than they are. We need to have a revival in our country.
People need to recommit themselves to seeking God and following His ways.
If we do, we can see the improvement in our land that followed this book of Nehemiah.
Tomorrow conclude the book of Nehemiah reading chapters 11-13