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Nehemiah's renewal

The message of Nehemiah with lessons for true spiritual renewal

Picture the scene. Now that their 70-year exile in Babylon is officially over, some small groups of Israelites have begun to return to their homeland.
In the face of considerable opposition, this handful has completed stages one and two of their national renewal: they have rebuilt the Temple and the walls of Jerusalem.
This, though, is only the beginning. If it is going to last, the work must above all involve a spiritual renewal. Therefore, the people ask Ezra the scribe 'to bring out the book of the law of Moses (Nehemiah 8.1). Then, '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' (Nehemiah 8.10) In this chapter of the Bible, we see four features of genuine spiritual renewal.

Explaining Scripture

The people wanted to hear from their God, so they came together for a great assembly to listen to the reading and explaining of the Bible 'from daybreak until noon' (Nehemiah 8.3). It was a marathon teaching session, as Ezra and the Levites helped the people to understand the Law of God. Eager for every word from their God, 'all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law' (8.3). Then, still not satisfied, they all came back the next day for more, and the day after, too. 'Day after day, from the first to the last, Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God' (8.18)
This is typically where genuine renewal starts, with the understanding. As we hear the message of the Bible and give it our attention, God begins to work.

The message of Scripture brings sorrow

This exposition of Scripture was, however, no dry intellectual exercise. It did speak first of all 'to the head'. But through the mind it then spoke powerfully to the emotions - 'to the heart'. So strong was this that as they heard the Word, they began crying; 'all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law' (8.9).
No doubt this was because it made them think of all their sins and failures. It showed them their deep disloyalty to God, the very fault that had led to their national defeat and exile 70 years before. They didn't try to make excuses. They didn't say to each other 'we couldn't really help it' or 'we're no worse than anyone else'. They wept over their shortcomings.
Today we still need to learn the same lesson. We may hear the Bible preached in church, but do we respond? Do we repent? Sin is serious. If we saw our sins properly, judging ourselves against the standards of Scripture, we too would cry for shame and grief.

The message of Scripture brings joy

Ezra, Nehemiah and the others could not let the people stay sad - the message of the Bible is too good for that! Nehemiah said: 'Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength . . . 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' (Nehemiah 10.12).
Sorrow for sin and joy in God may sound like opposites. In fact, they nearly always come together in Christian experience, and it is almost impossible to have the one without the other. The rule seems to be: 'little sorrow, little joy - great sorrow, great joy'.

The message of Scripture brings obedience

At a certain point in their Bible reading, they discovered something new: 'They found written in the Law . . . that the Israelites were to live in booths during the feast of the seventh month . . . (8.14). They could have questioned the practicality of this, they could have said that it was out of date, they could have laughed at it as a silly idea. They did none of those things. They simply obeyed. We need to do the same. This is true spiritual renewal.

Tom Forryan