Introduction

I love reading biographies, and one of the best I have ever read is David Teems biography of William Tyndale. Tyndale was born in 1494 during the Dark Ages.

Christianity is a religion of the Word, but England had practically lost all knowledge of the Bible. For example, one of Tyndale’s friends, John Hooper, was a bishop, and he oversaw 311 priests. He did a survey and found that 9 of them did not know what the 10 Commandments were. 33 did not know they were in the Bible, and most thought they came from the NT, not the OT. 10 didn’t know the Lord’s Prayer, and 30 didn’t know Jesus was its author. That’s bad. If the priests were that ignorant; imagine how ignorant the common man was. England was in spiritual and moral darkness.

In God’s providence, Tyndale got ahold of a GNT and some of Martin Luther’s works. He fell in love with the Bible and was determined to teach it in England. But the RCC resisted. One time he got in an argument with a priest, and the priest barked that England needed the Pope more than the Bible. Tyndale famously replied, “I defy the Pope and all his laws, and if God spares my life, before many years pass I will make a boy behind the plow to know more Scripture than you do.”

That’s what he did. Tyndale gave his life to translating the Bible into English. He finished the NT in 1526 and printed 16,000 copies. But it cost him his life. He was arrested and condemned to burn at the stake. But he never lost his conviction for the Word or the gospel. His last words were, “Lord! Open the king of England’s eyes.”

Tyndale believed in the power of this book. And he was right. Publishing Tyndale’s NT was one of the most impactful events in all English-speaking history. The English Reformation exploded like nowhere else in the world, and the English-speaking world (and frankly the whole world) has never been the same. Why? Because the Bible is God’s living Word.

Today’s text illustrates the transforming power of understanding the Bible. Ezra will read the Bible and explain the Bible, and this simple act changes everything. This story challenges us to, “Understand the Word so you can rejoice and obey.” It consists of 2 units that I’d like to summarize with 2 challenges. First, vv. 1–8 challenge you to…

I.  Understand the Word (vv. 1–8)

We have reached a major turning point in Nehemiah. The wall is done, and defenses are in place. Now Nehemiah must address Israel’s spiritual lethargy. Nehemiah’s 2^nd major task is revival. Like Tyndale, he believed the Bible is the key to any true spiritual awakening. Therefore, he organizes a massive…

The Assembly (vv. 1–4): The chapter division actually should be in the middle of 7:73. It is now the 7^th month, which means they had only finished the wall a week or two prior. Nehemiah isn’t messing around. Israel must get right with God.

The 7^th month was also very important to Israel’s religious calendar. The Law commanded Israel to observe the Feast of Trumpets on the 1^st day of the month. The Day of Atonement was on the 10^th, and the Feast of Booths ran from the 15^th to the 23^rd. This calendar drives Nehemiah 8.

Nehemiah gets right to it by calling an assembly on the 1^st day (cf. v. 13), during the Feast of Trumpets. The main attraction is that Ezra the scribe will read the Law. This is a big deal because like Tyndale’s England, Israel did not know the Law. That’s a problem. Israel must know the Scriptures.

God had said in Deuteronomy 31:10–13, “At the end of every seven years…at the Feast of Booths,when all Israel comes to appear before the Lordyour God at the place which He will choose, you shall read this law in front of all Israel in their hearing.Assemble the people, the men and the women and children and the alien who is in your town, so that they may hear and learn and fear the Lord your God, and be careful to observe all the words of this law.Their children, who have not known, will hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, as long as you live on the land which you are about to cross the Jordan to possess.”

God said that every 7 years at the Feast of Booths (later in the 7^th month), everyone including the children were to listen to the entire Law. Why? Because knowing God’s Word is what will produce the fear the Lord and obedience to his will. That’s exactly what Nehemiah is doing, and he will do it again at the Feast of Booths because Israel has a lot of catching up to do.

So, v. 4 says he built a large wooden platform and podium just for this event, and he set them up by the Water Gate (Slide), probably because it was the most practical place for a large assembly.

And notice that the assembly began at “early morning.” That means sunrise, so don’t complain about 10 am! And if you think our services are long, this one stretched from sunrise until midday. For 5–6 hours they stood in the sun listening to Ezra read the Bible.

And Nehemiah included any child old enough to understand as Deuteronomy 31 prescribed. Kids can understand the Bible, and they must understand because the Word will transform their lives.

Therefore, we don’t want to merely keep the kids busy in our children’s ministry. We want to teach the Scriptures, sound doctrine, and practical godliness. And when they are in here, don’t underestimate what they can absorb. Train them to listen well. We’d love to help you build a strategy.

So, this is quite a scene. 10s of 1,000s of men, women, and children gather around Ezra’s pulpit at sunrise to spend several hours listening to Scripture, many of them for the very first time. The Bible matters. And notice how the congregation responds when Ezra opens the scroll.

The Worship (vv. 5–6): Ezra begins the assembly by walking to the podium and opening the scroll. The people respond with several powerful acts of worship. They are instructive for how we should respond in worship. I talked for a while about these verses on a Sunday night this spring when we talked about expressiveness in worship.

First, they “blessed the Lord the great God,” not the scroll itself. We don’t worship the Bible or any other object. We worship the God who wrote the Bible. And we don’t love the Bible or read the Bible as an end in itself but to know and glorify the God who wrote it.

But the Bible is God’s Word, and we honor God by honoring his Word. So, when Ezra opened the scroll, the people “stood up” as a show of respect. We still do this. When someone important enters the room, we stand to greet them. It’s certainly appropriate though not essential to do the same for reading Scripture. The Bible is God’s Word. There’s nothing special about the paper, but the words are precious. The Word demands respect.

Next, Ezra prays and praises the God who gave his Word, and the people responded “Amen, amen.” Amen can mean several things: “That’s true!” “I agree.” “Yes.” Or “May it be so.” It can communicate affirmation, joy, or a simple prayer for God to work. It’s a biblical and good response. It’s good for your soul, and it ministers to those around you. Use it! Here the people are expressing agreement with Ezra’s prayer. They are praising God and giving thanks for his Word.

Next, they lift their hands. Today, many people raise their hands as an expression of excitement, but in the Bible, it is an expression of need. Israel needed God to meet with them and transform them. So do we every time we gather for worship. Whether you lift your hands or not, come to church begging God to transform your heart and our church through the Word.

Finally, “They bowed low…” This expressed humility, submission, and worship. Understand that we never study the Bible merely to learn stuff, and preaching is never merely an academic exercise. It is an act of worship. We study to know the Lord, love the Lord, and submit to his will.

Increasingly, churches believe that the main part of worship is the singing and the emotional high it brings. The preaching is a quick appendix at the end. Certainly, singing is important. It honors God, it raises godly affections, and we speak to one another through singing together.

But since the Reformation, Protestants have put the pulpit at the center of our auditoriums to declare that preaching is the main event. God primarily speaks to us and transforms us through his Word.

And your worship does not end with the last hymn. At least it shouldn’t. You worship God when you listen attentively to his Word and respond with joy, repentance, and obedience. Israel acted out their worship with these expressions. And whether you do the same actions or not, you must have the same heart of worship when the Word is opened. Finally, notice in vv. 7–8…

The Teaching (vv. 7–8): Remember that these people did not have 5 Bible translations in their homes and lots of study tools. Many of them had never heard the Bible. So, Nehemiah, Ezra, and the other leaders knew they were going to get lost quickly when Ezra began to read. And that wasn’t okay because God gave us his Word to be understood.

In fact, understanding is crucial to this story. The climax of vv. 1–8 is that “they understood the reading.” And v. 12 says they had a “great festival because they understood the words which had been made known.”

That’s very important because a lot of people read their Bibles at home or sit under preaching at church because they think the mere act earns God’s favor. So, I want to be clear that grace does not flow because you go through the motions. Rather, grace flows when we understand what it is saying, we encounter God in his Word, and we respond with praise and obedience.

Nehemiah and Ezra understood this, so they made a plan to explain the Word. Verse 4 said that 13 men stood with Ezra on the platform. They were probably major leaders or family heads who stood with him as a show of support. But v. 7 lists 13 Levites. They were not on the platform; instead, they were spread throughout the crowd to help the people understand.

We don’t know exactly how it worked, but Nehemiah probably divided the people into 13 groups. Ezra would read a section of the Law. Then v. 8 says the Levites would “translate to give the sense.” There’s some debate about how to understand this verb.

The NASB takes the view that the Levites translated the Hebrew reading into the Aramaic the Jews had learned in captivity. But I lean toward the ESV translation, “They gave the sense.” They explained what the text meant and how to apply it.

That’s still the aim of preaching today. It’s not my job to tell you what I think or to give you a commentary on the latest news headlines because my opinions don’t matter, and they won’t save your soul or make you godly. My job is to read the Bible, explain the Bible, and apply the Bible. 2 Timothy 4:2 says, “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.”

Many voices are competing for your attention and claiming to have the key to solving your problems and giving you a happy life. Sadly many Christians are getting their counsel from the world, and they come to church only looking for a feeling or experience. But only the Bible is the “sword of the Spirit.” It is your hope of eternal joy in Christ.

So, love this book, study this book, and work to understand this book. 1 Peter 2:2 commands you, “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation.” I hope you believe you need the Word like a baby needs milk and that it shows in how you live.

So, for several hours Ezra read, the Levites explained, and the people understood. Then vv. 9–12 describe the congregation’s response. They challenge you to…

II.  Celebrate the Word (vv. 9–12).

Once again, the key, really the climax, of this section and of the entire passage is v. 12b. Ezra and Nehemiah’s method worked. The congregation heard the Word and understood what it meant.

But God didn’t give us the Bible merely for academic study. When the Holy Spirit plants the Word in a person’s soul, it always begins in the mind, but it never stays there. 2 Timothy 3:16 states, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.” The Bible confronts, corrects, and transforms our hearts and our wills. Nehemiah highlights 3 responses by the people. Their initial response was to weep.

Weeping (v. 9b): You may think they are weeping tears of joy because they have finally understood the Word, but that’s clear not the case. Verse 9 says they were mourning, and v. 11 says they were grieving. Why is that? It’s because the Holy Spirit used the reading and the explanation that followed to convict the people about their lack of obedience.

Yes, Nehemiah tells the people not to mourn, which is fascinating. I’ll say more about why he says this later. There are a couple practical reasons why he makes this appeal. But we know that it’s not because Bible study or preaching should never bring grief.

James 4:9–10 command people who are living in sin, “Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom.Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.”

If you are harboring sin or not serving Christ like you should, the Word of God will bring conviction. “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” (Heb 4:12).

It’s not fun, but it is good because the highest joy you can know is to draw near to God, and you can only do that with a clean heart. People who truly love God are not passionate about holiness because they are proud legalists; they pursue holiness because they love Jesus and want to near their Savior.

So, whenever you sit down to read the Bible or sit under preaching you should pray, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way” (Psa 139:23–24). Ask God to show you your sin. So, weeping has its place. But Nehemiah calls the people to make sure it stays in its proper place. The 2^nd response is…

Rejoicing: This is fascinating to me. The people were overwhelmed with sorrow as they realized how they had been disobeying God. But Nehemiah replies in v. 9, “This day…” Notice also v. 11.

I really want to know why they made this appeal. Wouldn’t the want Israel to mourn over their sin and confess it to the Lord? Or is God saying conviction is bad, and I should start preaching like Joel Osteen?

On one level, these appeals are tied to the fact that they are supposed to be observing the Feast of Trumpets. God had decreed that this was a day to rejoice in God’s provision. Nehemiah did not want them to miss the sacred significance of this particular day.

But there’s more to it than that. Specifically, we’ve already seen that the Bible encourages conviction and mourning over sin. But the Bible also teaches that there’s a time to move on. “A time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance” (Eccl 3:4).

This balance is crucial because in the hearts of sinners appropriate and good grief over sin can easily spiral into debilitating despair and defeat. I’ve seen it many times doing counseling. Someone is overwhelmed with guilt, and they run away from God instead of toward him. They resign to laying in the muck of their sin instead of working to get out.

Remember, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:1). And the Bible promises, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Grace is greater than all your sin. So, when you fail, don’t let Satan tempt you with despair. Run to the grace of God.

But my favorite statement in this entire passage is v. 10b, “Do not be grieved…” Conviction and weeping have their place, but they are not the engine that drives the pursuit of godliness or impactful ministry. No, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” Joy brings far more powerful and lasting motivation than sorrow ever will. And joy glorifies God and draws people to Christ in a way that sorrow will never match.

I so appreciate the emphasis that John Piper has brought to Christianity today. His famous line is, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.” That rocked my world when I first heard it. But it’s deeply biblical. God wants you to have joy, and he’s glorified by your joy.

You know why? Because he gives it. “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” Joy is a fruit of the Spirit, and it is a wonderful blessing. So, pursue Christian joy. Worship God for his grace. Give thanks for God’s blessings and help others do the same. Talk often of God’s goodness. Smile. Rejoice in the Lord always.

Don’t be fake or plastic, and certainly don’t be afraid to be honest about your griefs and pains. Let people bear your burdens with you. There is a time for mourning. But the joy of Lord is your strength, and the strength of us all. I love that, and I love the fact that we serve a good God who desires our joy. That’s awesome! The 3^rd response is…

Feasting (vv. 10, 12): As I thought about this text this week, I was struck by how much feasting God built into the rhythm of Israel’s calendar. Leviticus 23 details 7 annual feasts. Then there’s also all sorts of thank offerings and peace offerings that Israel could bring. God wanted them to spend a lot of time feasting together. That’s what Nehemiah is calling for here. He told them to enjoy the Feast of Trumpets.

Why this emphasis. “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” But as well, we honor God when we enjoy God’s blessings together. It declares his generous grace. Not only that, we can by a means of his generosity. Notice that Nehemiah commanded them to “send portions to him who has nothing.”

So, yes, gluttony is evil, and you can feast to your own glory. But you can also feast to the glory of God, and the Bible encourages you to do that often.

Conclusion

So, the people scattered (v. 12) “to celebrate a great festival.” They had a great time. But what was the ultimate cause for their joy. “They understood…” They were happy because they heard the voice of God in his Word, and they understood what it meant and how to apply it. You have great reason for joy today. You are holding God’s Word in your hands, and if you are a Christian the Holy Spirit is opening Scripture to your mind and your heart. Praise God for that! But I hope that what we have done today will simply serve as an appetizer for your week. Study to understand God’s Word. It will bring joy, and it will transform your life for God’s glory and your good.