Ezra Reads the Law (Nehemiah): What do you want God to do in your life? In your family, church, or community? Do you want more spiritual life, growth, or healing? How about for your kids or grandkids? Do you want to see a revival? Devotion to understanding and applying God’s word is always the beginning of revival. Recorded on Oct 25, 2026, on Nehemiah 8:1-18 by Pastor David Parks.
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This sermon is part of our series, Nehemiah: From Ruins to Revival. When Nehemiah heard about the desperate needs of the people living in Jerusalem during the Exile, he was deeply moved. Someone had to do something! Nehemiah’s story is what happens when wise and courageous leadership has a God-given burden to help. Nehemiah faced significant opposition and leadership challenges while mobilizing thousands of people to complete a major building project. But through it all, one thing was clear: It’s amazing what can happen when God’s people get to work!
Sermon Transcript
I have a distinct childhood memory of standing in the bathroom, looking at a little plastic cup up on the counter. I must’ve been pretty young because I was looking up at it. And I prayed, “God, if you’re real, make that cup move.” And do you know what? It didn’t. Well, later in life, I heard the verse, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test” (Mt 4:7). Ok, fair enough. But I think that experience is pretty common—the desire to see God do something. Whether you’re a kid or an adult, let me ask you this: What do you want God to do in your life? What do you want to see God do in your family? In this church? In this community? What if we saw a special outpouring of the grace of God with many people coming to faith in Jesus and growing in their faith? What if we saw a revival? Wouldn’t that be amazing? But how? Well, today, we’re continuing a sermon series from the book of Nehemiah called From Ruins to Revival. And we’ve said that the book of Nehemiah tells the story of the Jewish remnant in Jerusalem at the end of the Exile, around 445 BC. It’s a story of God’s people getting to work, under the wise and faithful leadership of Nehemiah, and rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem. And today, we’re getting to the revival part of the story. We started this series with the thought that it’s amazing what can happen when God’s people get to work. Today, we’ll see how much better it is when God gets to work on his people through the understanding and application of his word. Whatever you want God to do in your life, especially if you want to see a revival, you need this message. If you have your Bible/app, please open it to Neh 8:1. Now, as you turn there, you might notice we skipped most of chapter seven. Why? Because it’s a list of who returned from the exile and what they brought. I’m well aware that back in chapter three, when it was another list—a list of who built the wall and what part of the wall they were working on—we didn’t skip it. And I made a big deal about the fact that even though we don’t know these people, God knew them, and that’s why we need passages like this in the Bible. But I already preached that message, ok? So we’re skipping chapter seven.
Nehemiah 8:1-3 (NIV), “When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns, 1 all the people came together as one in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the teacher of the Law to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded for Israel. 2 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. 3 He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.” Last week, we saw that the people of Judah, under the capable leadership of Nehemiah—against all the odds and with constant threat from enemies in every direction—finished the wall around Jerusalem in 52 days! Because the gracious hand of their God was on them, they cleared away the rubble from the broken-down wall and rebuilt it nine feet thick. They finished the wall at the end of the sixth month, so the people had only a few days to go home (wherever home was in Jerusalem or around Judah) before returning on the first day of the seventh month. The people gathered in a public square and had Ezra bring out the Book of the Law of Moses to read. This was most likely the Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament in our Bibles today: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. By Jesus’ day, people divided the Hebrew Bible (what we call the Old Testament) into three parts: the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms/Writings (cf. Lk 24:44). So, for something like six hours, Ezra (and others) read from the Law of Moses. That’s a long time! At any rate, who was Ezra? Well, Nehemiah was the governor, a political leader, while Ezra was a priest of the line of Aaron who returned from exile in Babylon about 13 years earlier. As cupbearer to the king of Persia, Nehemiah had been uniquely qualified to lead the project to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem, dealing largely with political threats and opportunities. But Ezra “had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the LORD, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel” (Ezr 7:10). In Malachi, it says, “…the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, because he is the messenger of the Lord Almighty and people seek instruction from his mouth” (Mal 2:7). Ezra was a good priest, so he was uniquely qualified to lead the project to rebuild the people spiritually as they returned from the Exile. Just as Nehemiah had addressed all the people when he pitched the wall project, so Ezra addressed all the people here, including men, women, and children old enough to understand. And everyone listened attentively. These people wanted to know what God had said and done in the past. They were hungry for God’s word! We’ll see this as we continue.
Nehemiah 8:4-12 (NIV), “4 Ezra the teacher of the Law stood on a high wooden platform built for the occasion. Beside him on his right stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah and Maaseiah; and on his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam. 5 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. 6 Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. 7 The Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan and Pelaiah—instructed the people in the Law while the people were standing there. 8 They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read. 9 Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, “This day is holy 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. 10 Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” 11 The Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, for this is a holy day. Do not grieve.” 12 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.” So, Ezra was up high enough for everyone to see and hear him (remember, no mics or speakers, no livestream, right?). And when he opened the book, everyone stood up out of reverence for the word of God. That’s a strong start. And when they heard the word of God, they worshiped the Lord and responded, “Amen! Amen!” which means something like, “Yes! We agree!” Amen! After Ezra’s teaching, a group of Levites continued reading the Law, “making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read.” Now, this is a great definition for expository-style preaching, where the goal of the sermon is to clearly teach and apply one main text of Scripture in its proper context. We also use topical-style preaching, where you teach what multiple Biblical passages say about a particular topic. We do this, for example, for Christmas and Easter, and other times as well. But we believe the majority of your preaching diet should be expository, working through a book of the Bible so you understand the text in its context. The Bible is an incredible book. In one sense, it’s easy enough for a child to understand, as there were children in the congregation that day. But in another sense, the Bible contains a depth of riches you could spend a thousand lifetimes studying without ever running out of new treasures to discover. The Bible is the most studied book in history, and we’re not done with it. But one thing that often happens when people read or hear God’s word is that they are convicted of sin. This can initially seem like a crushing burden—to realize the depths of your sin, your separation from God, the judgment you deserve, and your utter inability to save yourself. No wonder the people wept after generations of unfaithfulness leading up to the Exile. But judgment isn’t the end of the story! And Nehemiah, Ezra, and the Levites knew it. When they saw the people “weeping as they listened to the words of the Law,” they knew they needed hope; they needed the other half of the story. Our guilt and shame are not the final word. The people needed a reminder that the joy of the Lord was their strength. God had not abandoned them in the Exile, even in their unfaithfulness. The Law of Moses describes the terrible conditions that would lead to the Israelites’ exile from the Promised Land. But in the Law, God also promised to bring them back. This holy day represented the fulfillment of what God had promised. God had been faithful. The people were coming home. It was a time of thanksgiving. It was a time for gratitude and praise, not weeping and mourning. It was time for everyone to feast, even for those who didn’t have enough. And celebrate they did, with great joy, not because they were proud of themselves or hopeful for the future of their city or nation, but because “they now understood the words that had been made known to them.” They understood God’s word, and it had brought conviction, but then it brought great joy (and generosity). Amen! But do you see what’s happening? With the preaching of God’s word and the people’s response in their conviction of sin, their joy, generosity, and worship, we just might have the start of a revival. But will it continue?
Nehemiah 8:13-18 (NIV), “13 On the second day of the month, the heads of all the families, along with the priests and the Levites, gathered around Ezra the teacher to give attention to the words of the Law. 14 They found written in the Law, which the Lord had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites were to live in temporary shelters during the festival of the seventh month 15 and that they should proclaim this word and spread it throughout their towns and in Jerusalem: “Go out into the hill country and bring back branches from olive and wild olive trees, and from myrtles, palms and shade trees, to make temporary shelters”—as it is written. 16 So the people went out and brought back branches and built themselves temporary shelters on their own roofs, in their courtyards, in the courts of the house of God and in the square by the Water Gate and the one by the Gate of Ephraim. 17 The whole company that had returned from exile built temporary shelters 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. 18 Day after day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God. They celebrated the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day, in accordance with the regulation, there was an assembly.” This is God’s word. So, was this the start of a revival? Absolutely! It continued the next day, with the leaders of the families, priests, and Levites hungry for God’s word and learning from Ezra. God’s word is for everyone who can understand it, but especially for leaders. Leadership without God’s wisdom can be very destructive. But when they read about the Festival of Tabernacles (also called the Festival/Feast of Booths), they immediately put it into practice. They wanted to “not merely listen to the word,” but to be doers of the word (Jas 1:22). Jesus would approve. Using his metaphor, they were building their houses on the rock (Mt 7:24-27). Now, the Festival of Tabernacles comes after the harvest, but it wasn’t a typical harvest celebration. It was supposed to be a reminder of God’s saving grace, when he rescued Israel from slavery in Egypt, and led them through the wilderness before entering the Promised Land. The tabernacles/tents were supposed to remind the Israelites of their wilderness time when they were utterly dependent on God. When Joshua celebrated the Festival of Tabernacles, it was special because it represented the fulfillment of God’s promise to give them the land. They were finally done with the Exodus. When Nehemiah celebrated the Festival of Tabernacles, it was again special because it represented the fulfillment of God’s promise to bring them back to the land. They were finally done with the Exile. No wonder their joy was very great! Everyone was camping around the city, remembering their utter dependence on God’s faithfulness. They remembered what God had done for their people in the past and celebrated what God was doing in their day. It was a party. And they remained devoted to the teaching of God’s word, and to doing what it says. Amen. Now, this revival spirit will continue in the weeks ahead. But for today, how might we apply this text (in its appropriate context) to our lives? Well, here’s the big idea: Devotion to understanding and applying God’s word is always the beginning of revival. What do you want God to do in your life? Probably more than to move a cup on the bathroom counter. Do you want a revival? Do you want spiritual life? Do you want a special outpouring of the Spirit of the living God? Do you want to see your life transform more into the likeness of Christ? Do you want your children to grow in the grace of God? Do you want more of the kingdom of heaven? Then be devoted to understanding and applying God’s word. Be quick to listen, quick to believe, and quick to obey. The more you do this, the more likely it will bring a spiritual revival into your own life. But when you’re devoted to God’s word, you don’t just get better at understanding God’s will; you get to know God! This is why we are committed to expository preaching. And this is why we do sermon-based discussion in our community groups—to understand and apply God’s word. But this isn’t just for you. It’s for all people, including the next generation. It’s fantastic that they included kids old enough to understand as part of the congregation. We do that here at our church. We don’t have separate worship for elementary-aged kids and older because they’re old enough to understand. This is intentional because it’s so valuable to have kids with us in worship. This is true for many reasons, but I’ll just give you two. First, just as Ezra and the Levites read and taught from the Scriptures and their kids could understand, our kids can understand too. I regularly get questions, comments, and coloring pages from kids that show they are listening. Now, will their comprehension be the same as an adult? Probably not (although some of our kids certainly get it!). But most kids understand more than we give them credit for, and those seeds of God’s word can take root and grow over time. Second, it’s so important for kids to see their parents worship. To see mom and dad sing, pray, serve, love, and give all in response to the good news of God. That is so helpful for their discipleship, for their ability to follow Jesus in life. By the way, it’s helpful for them to see other loving adults, people who aren’t their parents, do these things too. You can have a huge impact on the next generation, even if you don’t have kids. Finally, what Ezra and all the people practiced during Nehemiah’s day carried on into the New Testament for followers of Jesus. In Acts chapter 2, it says that the early Christian church “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching.” They were devoted to understanding and applying God’s word, and especially, in the time of the Apostles, to the good news of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. God’s people finally understood how God would deal with the ultimate problem of their guilt and shame, forgive their sins, and restore their fellowship with God. They finally saw the fullness of how the joy of the Lord was their strength. Of course God’s people, in Nehemiah’s day and during the time of the Apostles, were devoted to other things as well. To fellowship and break bread together, to share with those in need, and to share the gospel with the lost. But every case of revival in Biblical history, and ever since, has begun with a reclamation of devotion to understanding and applying the word of God. So what do you want God to do in your life? Are you devoted? Are you quick to listen, believe, and obey? It just might be the spark that starts a holy fire in your life. Let us pray.
