Nehemiah 8:13 ( ESV )
13On the second day the heads of fathers’ houses of all the people, with the priests and the Levites, came together to Ezra the scribe in order to study the words of the Law.
I love the small gem that is found at the very start of this verse. Look at what the passage says, “The heads of the father’s houses of all the people.” The beauty of this passage is that the leaders of the people wanted to take on also spiritual leadership for the people. They were seeing their need for having lives that were in need of rebuilding.
May I ask this question of you dear brothers? As the man of the house are you willing to take the spiritual leadership of your home? You may have forsaken this responsibility a long time ago or never even taken up the cause. Yet, it is our duty as Fathers to be the example in this area. We should be the ones who pray with our children. We should be the ones who talk about Him daily. How many of us have sacrificed our children to the gods of entertainment and pleasure rather than to the God who saved their souls?
Ladies, please do not misunderstand me in some of your situations you have had to take this role upon yourselves. Your husband may not be saved or is running from the Lord. Please continue to be the light of hope within your homes. Yet, I also pray that if they do know the Lord that you will help them to take the spiritual leadership that God has called them to. Be willing to trust the Lord if your husband is trying to lead in this area.
These men were not just satisfied with what they had been told they wanted to know more. The leaders, even the priests and the Levites went to Ezra to study the Law. All great awakenings of the heart must first take place with an intense desire to know more about the Word. The more that we know about the Word, the more we will want to know about our Savior.
Nehemiah 8:14-15 ( ESV )
14And they found it written in the Law that the Lord had commanded by Moses that the people of Israel should dwell in booths£ during the feast of the seventh month,
15and that they should proclaim it and publish it in all their towns and in Jerusalem, “Go out to the hills and bring branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees to make booths, as it is written.”
In their reading of the Word of the Lord they must have come across Leviticus 23:33-43. This passage deals with the feast of booths. It was a feast that marked the completion of the harvest and reminded the people of their wanderings in the wilderness during the time of Moses. It was a joyful feast as they were reminded of how the Lord had provided for them physically. They were also reminded of how the Lord had brought them out of Egypt.
In the same way, we as believers when we read the Word of God should rejoice at how He has brought us out of the bondage of sin. He has translated us into the kingdom of light. He not only has done this but like the walls around Jerusalem He is gathered about His children. We are in the palm of His hand and no one can take us out of that. We need to loudly proclaim this truth to others and to rejoice.
Take time brothers and sisters to remind yourselves of the goodness of your God. Even in the darkest of time He is there to give us hope. He has provided and will continue to provide for us as His children. We are no longer the children of Egypt.
Nehemiah 8:16-17 ( ESV )
16So the people went out and brought them and made booths for themselves, each on his roof, and in their courts and in the courts of the house of God, and in the square at the Water Gate and in the square at the Gate of Ephraim.
17And all the assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in the booths, for from the days of Jeshua the son of Nun to that day the people of Israel had not done so. And there was very great rejoicing.
The people immediately when they read this passage went on out and did what it said. That’s it brothers. They did not question what was said to them. They just simply obeyed. There is joy just in simple obedience to His revealed Word.
How many people I have counseled through the years that are not happy or “angry” at God. They will tell me how miserable they are. I am glad that I am able to share with them and to offer them hope. Often though when I explain what they need to do, they walk away. It’s too hard or how can God allow this in my life? Why should we expect God to give us a heart of joy if we know that we are walking in disobedience to Him?
The Bible tells us that the whole assembly who had returned did what God had commanded them. They heard the Word of God and like Ezra they did it. When this happened there was very great rejoicing.
Nehemiah 8:18 ( ESV )
18And day by day, from the first day to the last day, he read from the Book of the Law of God. They kept the feast seven days, and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly, according to the rule.
If I want true revival as we have already seen in this passage than I will want to be saturated by the Word of God. Think about it from the first day to the last day Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God. These were probably the first five books of the Bible. In case you haven’t read them they can be difficult to read. Yet, these dear brothers and sisters were joyful as they heard stories from the Word.
My heart grows heavy when I hear even believers tell me I would read my Bible but it’s so boring. I don’t have time to read it. I am too tired at the end of the day. My only comment on these issues is BALONEY. We have before us the very breath of God. It is the only book that is LIVING. It is the only book that reveals our creator’s heart for man to look into and be able to see. Who has bewitched you in your slumber? Wake up!! Pray aloud, Spirit of God reveal your Word to me. Open my eyes that I may see. I want to know YOU.
Yes, it was a time of rejoicing. When we begin our study though in Nehemiah 9 we will also see how God wants us to reflect upon our lives as well. What a wonderful Savior we serve.
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