True Revival / Nehemiah 6-8
Amen. Well, we are back together in Nehemiah. We are going to be in chapter six, and we’re going to book it all the way through chapter eight, verse eight. This covers what might be my favorite passage in all of Nehemiah. I think about the passage we’re about to cover every time I come to teach. If you’ve noticed, when I come up, I typically put my Bible down on the podium or music stand and then back off. The reason I put the Word there is because I want to say, “That’s what is important.” I want to get out of the way and pray for God to bless our time, so that this book might be exalted, opened, and understood.
In many ways, this book—like God said to Moses—is not an idle word; it is our very life. The Scriptures are what make this community unique. The Scriptures make us distinct from the world around us. We have an inspired Word of God, a God-breathed text given to us so that we could know God. It changes us, shapes us, and makes us a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.
Deuteronomy 32:47 (NASB)
‘For it is not an idle word for you; indeed it is your life. And by this word you will prolong your days in the land, which you are about to cross the Jordan to possess.’
The Hand of God and the Finished Wall
In chapter six, verse fifteen, the wall is completed. This incredible project—a two-and-a-half-mile wall, an engineering miracle—is finished in just fifty-two days. It is a significant event. Nehemiah, of course, led the charge. The miracle is so incredible that in verse sixteen, you’ll notice the enemies and the surrounding nations are afraid. It says they “fell greatly in their own esteem.” That’s the Bible’s way of saying they’re having some low self-esteem issues. They aren’t motivated anymore. Their confidence is fading because they clearly see that the hand of God had been upon the people.
Nehemiah 6:15-16 (NASB)
So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of [the month] Elul, in fifty-two days. When all our enemies heard [of it], and all the nations surrounding us saw [it], they lost their confidence; for they recognized that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.
It’s one thing to accomplish something by our own strength and have people say, “Boy, that person is really strong.” It’s another thing to go about something in such a manner that people look at it and say, “The hand of their God was upon them.” That will cause even the most stalwart of enemies to lose heart.
There is an interesting leadership point in verses seventeen through nineteen. We see this character, Tobiah, who has been a punk from the very beginning. He has been a thorn in Nehemiah’s flesh all along. Here is a good side note on leadership: very rarely, if ever, does a leader experience a time with absolutely zero opposition. Even though the wall is finished, this guy is still lingering around. He’s still taking shots, weaseling his way in, and exchanging letters with people on the inside. As a leader, your problems may fade, but they will never be completely removed. Nehemiah lives in that constant sense of low-grade tension.
Beyond the Machine: Reforming the People
In chapter seven, Nehemiah sets up protocols for the newly reestablished city. These people had no gates, no wall, and no sense of structure. Nehemiah, being a good leader, establishes authority and hierarchy. He puts the gates in order, tells them when to open and close them, and establishes governance for this community of faith.
But what’s interesting about Nehemiah is that you get the idea in verse five that this isn’t just about organization. It isn’t just about the “machine” they’ve created. I read a quote from Chuck Swindoll—and if you’ve ever read Swindoll, you know he’s phenomenal—where he said many organizations remind him of a story about an impressive machine. It had hundreds of wheels, cogs, gears, and lights that all moved or lit up with the touch of a button. When someone asked, “What does it do?” the inventor replied, “Oh, it doesn’t actually do anything, but doesn’t it run beautifully?”
Nehemiah is setting up the structures for the machine, but the focal point is not that the machine runs well. The focal point is the reform of the people. Nehemiah’s holy discontent didn’t end with the wall. His heart was for the people who were in distress.
Nehemiah 7:5 (NASB)
Then my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials and the people to be enrolled by genealogies. Then I found the book of the genealogy of those who came up first in which I found the following record:
He populates the city and establishes the glory of God’s people being inside this new walled community. He brings them in, and a revival is about to break out. It’s interesting to remember that the people of God were in this situation not because they didn’t have big enough swords or weren’t good enough with bows and arrows. They were in desolation and captivity because of disobedience. They heard what God said and chose preference over obedience. They chose to worship pagan deities and reject the Word of God. They rejected the Sabbath and the idea of resting and worshiping God. So, God gave them a “time out” in Babylon as a reminder that He is the priority.
Now, the souls of the people who spent fifty-two days building a wall are about to be rebuilt. Every great revival in human history has had two primary pieces. The first piece is when people faithfully communicate God’s Word. It starts with the Scriptures and a sense of clarity about what God has said. The second part is an appropriate response from God’s people.
What True Revival Looks Like
In our day, the idea of “revival” can be a bit weird. Most of the time, revivals end up on a church calendar: “We’re having a revival in December on Tuesday from seven to eight. God is showing up; we already checked with Him.” Or, you go to something called a revival and it’s “Uber emotive.” It’s all about the experience. You see guys doing spiritual yoga, running around the auditorium, and people passing out. It just gets weird. I have to ask: is that the biblical picture of revival?
About five centuries ago, God began to stir the hearts of men who felt the church needed to be reformed. This was the Protestant Reformation. God lit a fire in the hearts of guys like Zwingli, Knox, Calvin, and the figurehead of it all, Martin Luther. They looked at the church of their day—which had become corrupt, bureaucratic, and was abusing papal authority—and they cried out. Luther said that salvation is Sola Gratia and Sola Fide. It was by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
But the overwhelming banner cry was Sola Scriptura—Scripture alone. That was the focal point. Even the architecture of that day reflected this. Reformation architecture took the pulpit and elevated it. In some churches in England, you’ll find massive spiral staircases leading someone fifteen or twenty feet above the congregation, as if to raise the Word of God to be lofty and exalted. Some even have carvings of the minions of hell trying to climb to the top, with a little dog—the “hound of heaven”—barking to keep them away so the man of God can teach Sola Scriptura.
That is the cry of revival. Luther famously said that unless he was convinced by Scripture and plain reason, his conscience was captive to the Word of God. He said, “God help me. Here I stand. I can do no other.” He stood before his accusers willing to risk his life on the basis of sound doctrine. That is where revival begins.
The Gathering at the Watergate
In chapter eight, the revival begins. All the people gather together “as one man.” They are assembled and unified at a place called the Watergate—not to be confused with the Nixon administration! This was south of the Temple Mount, right above the Springs of Gihon.
It’s interesting that they met at the city gate rather than the temple. The temple had segregation; there was the Court of the Gentiles, the Court of the Women, and the Holy Place. You couldn’t all be together there. But at the Watergate, everyone—men, women, and children who could understand—assembled. This wasn’t a religious ceremony; it was the people of God in their everyday life assembling to experience God together.
Nehemiah 8:1-3 (NASB)
And all the people gathered as one man at the square which was in front of the Water Gate, and they asked Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses which the LORD had given to Israel. Then Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly of men, women and all who [could] listen with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month. He read from it before the square which was in front of the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of men and women, those who could understand; and all the people were attentive to the book of the law.
You see a changing of the guard here. Nehemiah begins to decrease, and Ezra begins to increase. This is fascinating because, remember, Sanballat and Tobiah had accused Nehemiah of being out for his own gain, trying to make himself king. But Nehemiah humbly steps back to raise up Ezra. This wasn’t about Nehemiah’s power. He gives Ezra the spotlight and disappears from the narrative for several chapters.
Nehemiah was a cupbearer, a general contractor, and a governor. He was a political figure. He defers to Ezra, who is a scribe and a priest. Professionally, Ezra’s job is to know his Bible. Personally, Ezra had set his heart to study, practice, and teach the law of the Lord.
Ezra 7:10 (NASB)
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.
Nehemiah, being a good leader, says, “You’re better at that than I am. You do it.” He gives him the baton. They build a wooden platform for Ezra—an old-school pulpit raised above the people. He stands there with thirteen other men, and he brings the Torah. The goal of his teaching is understanding. This wasn’t an information dump. Ezra wasn’t trying to impress people with fifty-cent words. He was reading in such a way that the people “got it.”
This was a substantial reading. It says they read from early morning until midday. That’s six or seven hours of reading the law of God! That’s like saying, “Deuteronomy chapter one… here we go.” Most likely, the thirteen guys with him helped him read, and they likely read selected portions rather than every single word straight through.
The ears of all the people were attentive. These people understood something we have often forgotten: the Word of God was the key element of their covenant community. It was their distinctive. They memorized it, studied it, and did life by it. They made decisions by it. Husbands and wives built their marriages by it. They weren’t casual Bible readers; they were consumed by it. They stood in ovation for seven hours. I don’t know about you, but that’s a long time to listen to the book of Leviticus!
But they weren’t worshiping the book; they were worshiping the God the book revealed. When Ezra blessed the Lord, the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” and bowed with their faces to the ground.
Nehemiah 8:5-6 (NASB)
Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. Then Ezra blessed the LORD the great God. And all the people answered, ‘Amen, Amen!’ while lifting up their hands; then they bowed low and worshiped the LORD with [their] faces to the ground.
There was another group of men out in the crowd. As Ezra read, these men would pause and explain the text to the people. It was like a sermon discussion small group. Ezra would read, then the leaders would check in: “Does that make sense? Anyone need help?” Then Ezra would keep going. They were reading the Law “clearly,” making it distinct so that the people could understand.
Nehemiah 8:7-8 (NASB)
Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, the Levites, explained the law to the people while the people [remained] in their place. They read from the book, from the law of God, translating to give the sense so that they understood the reading.
The Power of the Living Word
That is the nature of true revival. It starts with the faithful communication of the Word of God. Can I ask you a question? Do you know what book you have in your hand? Do you really know what you’ve got? The Bible says this book is inspired by God—literally theopneustos, “God-breathed.”
2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NASB)
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
God has stuff for you all over the Bible. Read it all! I’m reading through Jeremiah right now, and it’s a beat-down because the people in Jeremiah’s day are idiots. They keep making stupid decisions and getting judged. I find myself saying, “What is wrong with you people?” And then I look in the mirror and ask, “What is wrong with you?”
This book claims it is living and active, sharper than a double-edged sword. It will mess with your life in the best of ways. It will haunt you and hunt you down. It will expose areas needing repentance and affirm areas needing applause. It gets into every nook and cranny of who you are and begins to change you.
Hebrews 4:12 (NASB)
For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul. It makes the simple wise and rejoices the heart.
Psalms 19:7-8 (NASB)
The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
Show me a Christian who refuses to read their Bible, and I’ll show you a Christian who is a baby in adult clothing. We have to read our Bibles. Job said he treasured the words of God’s mouth more than his necessary food. Jesus said man does not live on bread alone but on every word from the mouth of the Father.
Job 23:12 (NASB)
’I have not departed from the command of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.
Matthew 4:4 (NASB)
But He answered and said, ’It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.’’
Proverbs says that where there is no vision, the people perish. People usually associate that with a building campaign, but the verse goes on to say, “But happy is he who keeps the law.” When there is no Word of God in your life, you are unrestrained. But when we obey the Word, we are happy.
Proverbs 29:18 (NASB)
Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, But happy is he who keeps the law.
That’s why Joshua was told to meditate on the Law day and night so that he would be prosperous and find success.
Joshua 1:8 (NASB)
’This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.
It is amazing to me how many Christians keep the Bible on a shelf or leave it in the car so they don’t forget it for church next week. We have the “Hebrews five problem.” By this time, you ought to be teachers, but you need someone to teach you the elementary principles again. You need milk, not solid food.
Hebrews 5:12 (NASB)
For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.
Maturity is connected to the time we spend in God’s Word. Our sanctification is the energy of God moving in us, but the Word is the tool that shapes us. Too often, we come to faith, realize we aren’t going to hell, and then we just coast. Twenty years later, you’re still a spiritual baby because you won’t read the book. Friends, read the book! It will set your life aflame.
Study, Practice, and Teach
I want to close with Ezra. He stood on that wooden podium with thirteen guys helping him and thirteen more in the crowd. There were no fireworks, no drama, no solos, and no music. Just the reading of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy.
Ezra set his heart to study the law of the Lord. He wanted to figure out what it said. There is one interpretation of the text but multiple applications. We have to handle it accurately, like a surgeon making a clean cut.
2 Timothy 2:15 (NASB)
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.
Ezra also set his heart to practice it. We have plenty of “smarter sinners” who can articulate the Word but don’t practice it. James says that if you hear the Word and don’t do it, you’re like a person who looks in a mirror and immediately forgets what they look like. We need to be “effectual doers.”
Finally, Ezra set his heart to teach it. Fathers, it is your requirement to teach your kids the Bible. I am not the pastor of your home—you are. Ladies, the older women are required to teach the younger women.
Titus 2:3-5 (NASB)
Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, [to be] sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.
Paul told Timothy to preach the Word in season and out of season, because a time would come when men would not endure sound doctrine but would want their ears tickled.
2 Timothy 4:2-5 (NASB)
preach the word; be ready in season [and] out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but [wanting] to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
One thing I’ve always appreciated about this church is that you want it straight. You don’t want five points to a happy life where every point starts with the letter “P.” You want to know what the book says. There is a sense of leaning in here. You hear the Word and say, “Bring it, because I want to grow up.”
I hope this message sinks deep into your heart and causes you to fall more in love with this book. It is our very life.
Let’s pray together.
Father in heaven, we thank You for the privilege of having a Bible. We don’t have to grope for understanding; we can rest in Your inspired Word. Thank You for this book that shapes us. Now, help us to read it. Help it to “slow drip” into our lives and wash over us. Move us from being babies to those who grow up in Him. Be patient with us, for we are broken and in need of a Savior. We rest in Your mercy. In Christ’s name, Amen.