“Revival” (Nehemiah 8:1-8)

The Word and Revival

How many languages are there in the world? There are about 7,000 languages spoken all over the world. Wycliffe is a mission organization. Its vision is to translate the Bible in every language. Once a friend of mine working as a Bible translator at Wycliffe explained how it works. It basically takes several years. It’s a long, tedious process. And it also takes a team effort. I asked, “Why Bible translation?” She answered, “Because where there is a Bible translation, there is a revival. That is why I devote my whole life to this work.” The Word of God is the center of revival.

Revival is a sovereign work of God. We cannot make it happen. But, when the ground is prepared, then revival will be there. Pastor John Barach tells the following illustration. Imagine two men living in a parched area of the world. Rainfall has been scarce. The need for moisture is intense. On the horizon, dark clouds are gathering. Rain seems to be inevitable. Both men are overjoyed at the prospects. One man is busy with preparations for catching the water. The other man does nothing but wait. Suddenly the rain pours down; the ground is soaked. This time, the action of the men is reversed. The man who has done so much preparation now stands in the rain with his face to the sky because he knows that his barrels will be filled. The other man, who had made no preparation, rushes about here and there scooping a handful of water to his mouth –  too frantic to really enjoy the rain. In a little while, the rain is gone, the little streams are dried up. One man was able to drink the handfuls of water, and he is thirsty again. The other man now has plenty to drink. What made the difference? The difference was in the preparation. Yes, Nehemiah’s revival was totally God’s sovereign work. But there was much preparation beforehand. At the heart of Nehemiah’s revival was the exposition of the Scriptures. Today we will explore how God initiates revival and how God’s people respond to it and prepare the groundwork for greater revival.

Come, Listen to the Word (8:1-6)

First, the people come and listen to God’s Word. The wall reconstruction project had been successfully completed in fifty-two days (6:15). And now the people moved into their own dwellings. At this time there was a spiritual vacuum in the city. Although the people had nice new homes and good jobs and were well protected, there was still something missing on the inside. There was a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man and woman of Israel. Nehemiah sensed this spiritual vacuum. The elderly sensed this spiritual vacuum. The young sensed this spiritual vacuum. This is the first sign of revival. God made his people aware of spiritual hunger and thirst.

How did the Israelites respond? They did come and listen to the Word. When the Israelites had settled in their towns, all the people gathered as one man in the square. And they asked Ezra to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses. It was not Ezra but the people who called a meeting and wanted to hear God’s word. In the square there were all kinds of people - men and women, young and old. The NLT version translates verse 2 in this way: “The assembly included the men and women and all the children old enough to understand.” There were even many children who were eager to hear God’s Word! When Ezra opened the book, all the people stood up. They could not remain seated because of the overwhelming reverence for God. All the people listened closely to the Scriptures from daybreak till noon, about 6 hours. And when Ezra praised the Lord, all the people lifted their hands and responded, “Amen! Amen!” And they bowed down and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground. The first groundwork for revival is to come and listen to the Word of God. Do you sense a spiritual vacuum? Do you feel empty and thirsty? Come, listen to God’s Word. Come to your prayer closet in the morning and listen to the Word there. Come to small groups, come to public worship, and listen to the Word. And you will be amazed how the Word of God can revive your soul.

Know the Word (8:7-12)

The second groundwork for revival is to understand the Word. In today’s scripture God’s Word was explained by the Levites so that all who heard could understand. Verse 8 says, “[The Levites] read from the Book of the Law of God and clearly explained the meaning of what was being read, helping the people understand each passage” (NLT). God prepared one person, Nehemiah, for rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem and the nation. And God also prepared another person, Ezra, for rebuilding the spiritual wall of His people. Ezra 7:10 says, “For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the LORD, and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel” (NASB). Please notice the order of it. Ezra did study the Word, obey the Word, and teach the Word. There are many preachers, including myself, who study and teach the Word. Too often they skip the second step. But Ezra taught the Word to his people after he himself had practiced it first. That was why his teaching was so powerful and transforming.

Ezra was an outstanding spiritual leader, but he was not an isolated hero. He had a good number of fellow workers who knew the Bible and were able to teach. So when Ezra read the Scriptures, the Levites explained the meaning and helped the people understand each passage. This is my prayer for you: that each of you will be a Levite, spiritual leader at home and at work, who is godly, knowledgeable, and teachable so that many will understand the Word and come to Christ. John Wesley said, “Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin, and desire nothing but God, and I care not a straw whether they be clergymen or laymen; such alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of heaven on Earth.” Amen to that! Let us pray for each other. Let us pray that God will prepare us, shape us, use us as His divine channel of revival.

Live the Word (8:13-18)

First, God’s Word is heard. Second, God’s Word is understood. Third, God’s Word is applied. This is the third groundwork for revival. In verse 13, the next day the leaders of the people came to Ezra again to study the Word in greater detail and apply it to their lives. They asked Ezra, “Please teach us more details, that we may do the Word.” They found that it was just time to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. What is the Feast of Tabernacles? It is one of the three major Jewish feasts. It lasts for seven days, and during the days of the feast all Israelites built their temporary booths and lived in them to remember that God delivered them out of Egypt. During these seven days, they read the Scriptures and worshiped God the Savior. Verse 17 says, “The whole company that had returned from exile built booths and lived in them. From the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated it like this. And their joy was very great!”

Here we find a very important biblical principle: Applying God’s Word is not a complicated process. Applying God’s Word is to go back to basics. In order to apply God’s Word, the people did go back to basics. They observed the feast of their forefathers as it was written. And when they did it, there was great joy. Genesis 26:18-19 says, “Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham… Isaac's servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water there.” When Isaac went back to basics, he found a well of fresh water. When the Israelites went back to basics, they were filled with great joy. Nowadays, many Christians are looking for fresh insight to apply the Word. Many churches are looking for newer and better programs for spiritual growth. But what we need most today is to go back to the Bible and do the Word as it is written. What we need most today is to go back to basics and dig again the well of our spiritual ancestors, and we will find a well of fresh water there.

Domino Chain Reaction

Perhaps you may have heard of “domino chain reaction.” It is known that a domino can knock over another domino up to one and a half times larger. If we put a domino, 5 mm high and 1 mm thick, the 13^th domino would weigh about 100 pounds and be more than a meter tall. In theory, the 29^th domino would be as tall as Empire State Building.

In some respect, revival is like a domino chain reaction. Revival written in chapter 8 is only a beginning. We see greater surprising work of God and spiritual awakening in the following chapters – 9 through 13. At that time the enemy built several spiritual strongholds in Israel, particularly three areas of their lives – “relationship” (intermarriage), “time” (sabbath-keeping), and “money” (tithing and offerings). Over these three areas, the people did what was right in their own eyes. But, when revival came, all of the strongholds of their lives fell down flat just like dominos!

We too have our own strongholds, particularly in terms of our relationships, our time, and our money. The enemy tries hard to build strongholds in those areas. And it’s impossible to demolish those strongholds with our own strength. We desperately need God’s help and intervention. We need revival. So, Let us return and listen to the Word humbly. Let us study and understand the Word clearly. Let us apply the Word to our lives faithfully. When groundwork is done, then revival will come in his time.