After Reconstruction, We Will Need Re-instruction
Nehemiah 8
By Pastor Joe Roach
Introduction
"We're in the book of Nehemiah, and today we're starting Nehemiah chapter 8. Today's message is entitled 'After Reconstruction, We Will Need Re-instruction,' and we're in chapter eight, which starts on page 444 and goes to page 445. For those that have been with us, this has been a tremendous book. The book of Nehemiah, The Chronicles of Nehemiah, happened to coincidentally match the chronicles of our church, and maybe that's true of all scripture. Maybe there's a connection in every book in every description of the stresses and strains that they had, but this is almost uncanny, this one. So we're in chapter eight now."
Nehemiah's Accomplishments
"We're in our studies of the book of Nehemiah. We've seen how Nehemiah accomplished a very remarkable task in a remarkable way. The task assigned to him to rebuild the walls and the gates of Jerusalem, that's some project. The point of this history, and if you remember the last time in the last week's message, he finishes it in 52 days, and now a lot of the other issues begin. And the point of this history in Nehemiah is, as we've already noted, is given in the Apostle Paul's word to the effect that these things happen to Israel as samples or types for us, and as he says in First Corinthians 10:11, 'upon whom the ends of the ages have come.' These events picture the rebuilding of a life that has been damaged by sin or invaded by enemies or the rebuilding of a life that's just drifted away from the Word or from God."
The Need for Re-instruction
"Now chapter 8 highlights the fact that after reconstruction, the way we think about ourselves and about life when we go through reconstruction, all of us have been greatly affected by things that have been going on around us like them, by the philosophy of the world much more than we're aware. We've picked up from the media ideas and attitudes that we are hardly aware of as being wrong. We need to be re-instructed about these matters. In chapters one to seven of this book, we saw that certain words of the Apostle Peter describe what corresponds in our lives to the way to rebuild the walls and gates of our lives. The New Testament verse that corresponds to what we learn here in chapter 8 is Romans 12:2, and it says this: 'Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.' The instrument of that renewing is always the Word of God."
"That was one of the questions that I sent out. The question was, 'What is the thing or the object that helps us create a renewing of the mind?' It's not acting by going to church on Sunday. That's a very, very powerful statement. That means that we are debilitating ourselves to the power of change that is in the Word of God. We are not going out of here and appreciating the power that's in the Word and filling ourselves with it, so our minds are not getting renewed, and our hearts are not getting transformed, and we continue to struggle."
Hunger for the Word
"It's not surprising, therefore, that chapter 8 opens with a manifestation of great hunger for the Word among these people in Jerusalem. They resented it; they told Ezra the Scribe to bring out the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded for Israel. So on the first day of the seventh month, Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. That would probably include teenage children and perhaps even children as young as eight or nine years of age. He read it out loud from daybreak till noon. That's kind of long; our services aren't even that long."
"And as he did, they told him to bring the law of the Lord and to read it to them. This would undoubtedly be the entire Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible that Moses wrote: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. This indicates the tremendous desire of these people for the full truth. They listened while standing from daybreak until noon. Certainly, this long attention indicates how deeply they were aware of their ignorance about life and how much they needed answers from God. They were simply crying out for the truth."
The Gathering and Teaching
"After they have finished their work, they are desperate to hear from the Word of God, so they sent for Ezra to lead them in this. Mark also the fact that they gathered before the water gate. Remember from Chapter 3 that this gate was the symbol of the Word of God. That's why that gate was not rebuilt; it didn't need to be rebuilt because it symbolized the Word of God, the water of the Word. This is surely an appropriate place for this gathering to assemble."
"As I've already pointed out, the congregation included not only men and women but children as well. They must actually be starving for answers to the problems of life. Surely we have come to such a time in our own country. I find everywhere deep hunger among non-churched people to hear the Word of God. We see it in the square; we see it at meetings; we see it walking the streets; we see it at plasma; we see it in Wegmans; we see it wherever we go. For the most part, nine out of 10 people that we bump into are unchurched. They might have been previously churched, but you can't call yourself church if you're not going to church."
"People are being controlled because these are the nine out of ten that are unchurched, whose problems in life are washing over them, and they want to know the Word. They have this hunger. Amos predicted this; wherever it is taught with any degree of understanding, they are immediately attracted to it. Where shall our Watergate be? I think it will be The Pavilion across the street, Hope on the Hill Pavilion, that God will construct across the street. I think that will be a center point for our whole community. Nine out of ten times, these verses demonstrate the centrality of the Word in this gathering."
"Ezra the Scribe stood on a high wooden platform built for the occasion. Beside him on his right, now you're going to have to bear with me because he's going to name a lot of names here, and none of these people lived in Nanticoke. On his right stood Matthew, Uriah, Hilkea, and Macia, and on his left were Padaya, Mise, Hashem, Zechariah, and Mashulum. Imagine calling all those to dinner! Ezra opened the book; all the people could see him because he was standing above them, and as he opened it, the people all stood up."
The Reading and Understanding
"Then the Levites, Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Palaiah, God never forgets a name, they instructed the people in the law while the people were standing there. They read from the book of The Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read. Now how that's done is really a commentary. What a marvelously clear statement of how a church service ought to be conducted. The primary business of Christians is to understand the Word of God so as to think God's thoughts after him."
"It's not clear whether the Levites or the priests would probably be doing all that themselves. They would listen to the reading of Ezra from the high pulpit, and then they would perhaps gather in small groups, and the Levites would spread out among the great congregation and give an explanation of the passage. Then people would ask questions about it and discuss it. It seemed an excellent way to instruct, so they clearly understood what the Word of God meant. It is not only important to know what scripture says; it's even more important to know what it means, and then you need to discuss it. That was the format back then."
Impact of the Word
"And then in verse 9, it follows a description of the impact of this upon those who heard. Now the impact is not in a preacher's persuasiveness or in the way of delivery. The impact is created by the Holy Spirit. I could talk to a hundred people the same message, and four can say it changed my life, and 96 can say it meant absolutely nothing to me because it's not me; the Word pierces, and God does the work through the Holy Spirit."
"So in verse 9, it says, 'Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, "This day is sacred to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep." For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the law.' I remember Aaron singing 'How Great Thou Art' from the garden tomb. If you don't cry during that, then you're not listening. This is the power of the Holy Spirit when you realize that there's a tear in your eye for some reason. These people heard the Word, and they were all crying. Why were they weeping? It's because the effect of the Word of God is to show us what is wrong with our lives, what is creating the ruin and the disaster around us."
"As they listen to the reading of the scriptures, they saw that the cause of all the trouble in society is the human heart. Folly reigns in society. This is exactly what Jesus stated in the gospel of Mark in chapter 7, verses 20 to 22, where he says, 'What comes out of a man is what makes him unclean. For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly.' Jesus listed all of those. All these things come from within, but until you hear the Word, you do not realize that that is what is wrong. That is what made these people weep. They saw their own complicity in the ruin of society."
The Joy of Forgiveness
"They grieved for all the fine young people who are being destroyed by these terrible practices. Of all that is happening today, the most frightening thing is the lack of a sense of sin in society. People are doing terrible things, murdering one another, robbing each other, hurting each other right and left, but they do not feel they are doing anything wrong. They have no sense of the wrongness of it. That is what the Word of God is given to correct. It awakens afresh an awareness of what is causing the wrong."
"You know, the Word of God has a sense of convicting us through the power of the Holy Spirit so that we see this. The Levites calmed all the people, saying, 'Be still, for this is a sacred day. Do not grieve, do not weep.' And then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food, and to celebrate with great joy because they now understood the words that had been made known to them. That's verses 10 through 12. What a powerful statement of the effect of the Word of God when people understand it; it brings joy. The joy of the Lord is to see the hurt, the pain, and the despair which sin can produce, and you grieve over it. Then you are ready for the comfort of forgiveness. When your own sin bothers you more than others' sins, you are ready for forgiveness."
"What does the joy of the Lord mean? It is the fact that God has found a solution to these problems of sin. He has found a way back to sensible, sober, wise, helpful, wholesome living. How? By learning to think like He thinks. Begin to see the world from his point of view. Listen no longer to the clamor of the world. God gives us a desire to share that healing with others. He says, 'I will give you comfort, and I will give you compassion, and I will heal you, not just so you can feel better, so you can go do the same to others and tell them what I did for you.' Now you can offer your experience to others."
Living as Pilgrims
"That way of health is dramatically demonstrated for us in the closing verses of this chapter. God had anticipated the need of these people centuries before. He had provided a most remarkable visual aid to remind them of their pilgrim character. They were to go out into the country and bring back branches from olive and wild olive trees, and from myrtles, palms, and shade trees to make booths, as it is written. So the people went out and brought back branches and built themselves booths on their own roofs, in their courtyards, in the courts of the house of God, and in the square by the Watergate and the one by the gate of Ephraim. The whole company, this is verses 13-17, 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."
"When the Israelites first came out of Egypt, they were led out at a word of command. Then they left, and they got into the desert, one day's journey out, and night fell. Where were they to find shelter? Moses had been told by God that they were to collect boughs and limbs of trees, etc., and build booths for shelter. Then God ordained that they were to do this once every year, even though later they had homes to dwell in. They were to build these booths and live in them for seven days. This was to teach them that they were always pilgrims and strangers on the Earth. The true treasures of our life remain untouched because they're not here; they're there. To strive constantly to gain what everyone else has is a mistake, is our lesson here. God teaches us to hold these things lightly. He says we must never forget that we are in the world but not of it. We are never to settle down here for good."
"I love the way C.S. Lewis has put it. He says this, 'Our kind heavenly father has provided many wonderful inns for us along our journey, but he takes special care to see that we never mistake them for home.' For seven days, they saturated themselves in the thinking of God. That is what makes for realism. When you think like God thinks, you are thinking realistically. You are beginning to see yourself the way you really are. You are seeing your children, your home, and your nation the way they really are, through God's eyes. For the first time, you're able to divest yourselves of the illusions and delusions of a mistaken, confused world. You're beginning to work towards wholeness, healing, and strengthening of the inner man."
The Power of the Bible
"The Bible does this for me as nothing else can do. So it confronts me with paradoxes which intrigue me and challenge me. It exposes the secular illusions of the day and reveals the destructive ends to which they lead. It deals honestly with uncomfortable concepts and opposes the strongholds of tradition, correcting them with the authority of God. I've learned to appreciate the Bible most because it brings me face to face with God. That's the reason for scripture; it is to reveal God to us in a personal way. The relationship is so real that I can talk to him and hear him speak to me. No other book has such power to transport me beyond Earth to heavenly places."
"If the churches of this land saw the Bible in that light and listened attentively and eagerly to what it was saying and learned how to conduct their lives according to the wisdom of this Word and not the world, you think our world would be in the condition that it is today? I'm sure the answer is no. We desperately need the wisdom of the Word to instruct all of us how to live."
Closing Prayer
"Let's pray. Everlasting Father, wonderful counselor, mighty God, Prince of Peace, Holy Spirit, let your Word guide my choices, and let me not go ahead of you or linger behind you. I humbly ask for your guidance and direction today as I go through life. Please guide me in your love and lead me in your light so that I may not succumb to temptation and that darkness may not overtake me. God, I pray that you light my candle and enlighten my darkness. I pray for clarity in my day, in the name of Jesus. Amen."