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Third Sunday after the Epiphany
St. Stephen's Anglican Church
The Rev. Jeffrey O. Cerar, January 27, 2013


How Precious God's Word


Text: Nehemiah 8:1-10

This morning we have read a memorable story from the Book of Nehemiah. It is about God's people's devotion to His Word. And it is about how that Word moves in power in the lives of God's people. I want to walk through this passage with you. We begin with a little history to put this book of Nehemiah in context.

The day described in this chapter took place 142 years after the greatest disaster that ever befell the people of Judea—the fall of Jerusalem to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, and the exile of the people. That was in 586 BC. Nebuchadnezzar had ruthlessly pillaged Judea and killed its people. Just about everyone who survived was taken prisoner. They were marched off on a 1,000 mile trek to Babylon. Behind them, their Temple lay in ruins. Their great city was a shambles, and its protective walls had been torn down. Their king had been disgraced, and his eyes had been gouged out. And worst of all, they had knew that this calamity was God's judgment for their sin. The prophets had made them see that their worship of false gods and their injustice and debauchery were an abomination in God's eyes, and God had given them over to a bloodthirsty enemy.

It was God's judgment; but it was not to last forever. The prophet Isaiah had told them that God would not abandon them, and that their disgrace would be redeemed. He foresaw that their exile would come to an end, and God would restore them to their homeland after 70 years. He foresaw that God would use a Gentile prince to deliver them. That turned out to be the Persian king, Cyrus, who defeated the Babylonians in 539 BC. God moved the heart of Cyrus, and he decreed that the Jews were free to return to their homeland. The migration occurred in several waves over many decades. The 70th year after their exile began was 516 BC, and that was the year they completed the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem.

Three generations after Cyrus, King Artaxerxes I reigned in Persia. Nehemiah was one of his close personal advisors. He was from a Jewish family that did not all return to the homeland. In chapter 2 of this book, Nehemiah tells us he went to see Artaxerxes and asked permission to go to Jerusalem and head up the next important project of their restoration, the rebuilding of the wall around the city. Artaxerxes agreed, and arranged for the funding of this project.

That is how Nehemiah came to Jerusalem. He tells us in Chapter 6 that the wall was completed on the 25th day of Elul. Six days later was their New Year's celebration, the first day of the seventh month in the Hebrew calendar. And that is the day we are reading about this morning. Nehemiah wanted this date to be remembered. From what he tells us and from contemporary histories, we can date it precisely to October 8, 444 BC.

As we begin chapter 8, we see that it was the people who requested that the Word of God be read at that celebration. Everyone gathered in the city at the square near the Water Gate. They told Ezra the priest and scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses. (Nehemiah 8:1) This would have been the Bible for them, the Torah. Sometimes, it is not the hierarchy who demand that we do the things God wants for us. Sometimes the people rise up and ask. This day, a high platform was set up so everyone could see the reader. On either side of Ezra were 13 other elders, indicating the solemnity of the occasion.

And so, Ezra read the Torah. He read from sunrise until noon. Can you imagine us listening for six hours as the Bible is read? Well, if you are as hungry for God's Word as those people were, you can easily imagine it. The Word of God was precious to them. It was the one thing that never changed for them, even in exile. It is difficult for us to appreciate how hard it had been on them to lose the Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Exile. We can worship God anywhere, but they couldn't. The Temple had been where God resided. When it was gone and they had been resettled a thousand miles away, it was as if God had gone away. But still they had His Word.

If you think about it, after 70 years in exile, very few of the people who knew Jerusalem and the Temple were still living. And yet, they were still intact as a people; and their faith in God remained intact. That was because they had God's Word.

How precious was the Word to God's people? If you want to know, read Psalm 119 some time. It is the longest of all the Psalms. It has 176 verses, and every one talks of the preciousness of God's Word.

I will praise you with an upright heart
as I learn your righteous laws. [Psalm 119:7]

You are my portion, O Lord;
I have promised to obey your words.
I have sought your face with all my heart;
be gracious to me according to your promise. [Psalm 119:57-58]

O how I love your law!
I meditate on it all day long.
Your commands make me wiser than my enemies,
for they are ever with me.
I have more insight than all my teachers,
for I meditate on your statutes. [Psalm 119:97-99]

Your statutes are wonderful;
therefore I obey them.
The unfolding of your words gives light;
it gives understanding to the simple.
I open my mouth and pant,
longing for your commands. [Psalm 199:129-131]

How precious is the Word of God today? My friends, it remains the most precious book ever written. Every year, more Bibles are sold or given than any other book. It has been translated into far more languages than any other book. More Bibles are sold in one month than the greatest blockbuster popular novel sells in a whole year. People in places where it is illegal to be a Christian or to possess a Bible hide them away as if they were diamonds. People on their death bed ask to have the Bible read to them. People in a crisis ask their friends, "What does the Bible say?" The Word of God is, simply, God speaking to us about everything He wants us to know. No words could ever be more precious than that.

And here are the people of God in 444 BC. They have been restored to their homeland. Their Temple is rebuilt. They have just finished restoring the walls around their great city in 52 days. It's a day to celebrate, and they say, "Bring out the Word of God and read it to us."

As Ezra began to read all the people stood up. Nehemiah tells us in verse 6:

Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted up their hands and responded "Amen! Amen!" Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.

Even before the Word was read, the people were drawn into worship. The Word of God inspires worship. The moment when we acknowledge that the Book is being opened and God is about to speak to us, makes us want to worship Him. To worship God is to glorify Him. And we glorify Him and thank Him and praise Him for the precious gift of His Word.

Ezra and the Levites had planned well for this occasion. They knew that there were many among the people who did not know the scriptures well. So they had arranged for the Levites to spread out and gather small groups of people around them, and they instructed the people in the Law. The text tells us that they read from the Word, "making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read." (Nehemiah 8:8) When the Word of God is understood, it exercises great power in our lives. Have your eyes ever glazed over when you read the Bible or listened to someone read it? That's what happens when we aren't earnestly seeking all the treasure that is there.

then the words are going to roll off us like water off a duck's back. But when you understand what it is saying,

then the Word comes alive. And then its power is manifest. Down through the millennia, the Word of God, sharper than any two-edged sword, has cut to the heart of people and changed their lives forever.

The power of the Word was manifest that day at the Water Gate square. Nehemiah tells us that the people wept as they listened to the words of the law. They wept tears of repentance, as the people recognized how bad they had been, and what a disappointment they were to God. Has that ever happened to you when the Word was read? It has happened to most of us, for we all are sinners and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)

History has shown that revival is most often precipitated by the people coming to grips with their own sin. The famous East African Revival, which began in the 1930's was a movement of the Holy Spirit. It was opposed by many missionary clergy, who felt it was too enthusiastic. The Holy Spirit was not moving "decently and in good order." In fact, students at the Bishop Tucker Theological College in Mukono, Uganda, caught the Holy Spirit and started having prayer meetins in the wee hours of the morning. When they were told to stop, they continued on. Twenty-five students were expelled. But when some of the church leaders began to repent, they fanned the flames of revival. Most conspicuous among them was Festo Kivengere. He had been guilty of apostasy and loose living, and had been an opponent of the revival. But when he repented in 1941, Festo became a powerful evangelist, taking the influence of the revival to a global plane.

When believers repent and return to the Lord, something is set free in the spirit realm, and the fires of revival can sweep across congregations, cities and even nations. And, in fact, that is what happened in Jerusalem in 444 BC. This day kicked off a revival. All the people and their leaders entered into a solemn agreement to turn from the things they had been doing that had been wicked in the eyes of God.

Unfortunately, that revival eventually petered out. But that is why the Word of God must continually be read by the people—so that its power can be brought to bear again and again to heal and to convert and to save.

On that day in Jerusalem, as the people wept in repentance, the leaders encouraged them. 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. [Nehemiah 8:10]

Nehemiah called for a festival celebration. The Word of God elicits worship and repentance; and it also elicits joy. How can we not be joyful when we hear the words of God?

How can all that not make us want to jump for joy? Joy is one of the fruits of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22). "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: rejoice!" says the Letter to the Philippians (4:4) The joy of the Lord is your strength, says Nehemiah. And Jesus told us that if we obey His commands, His joy will be in us, and our joy will be complete. (John 15:11)

One of His commands was to love our neighbor; and He frequently told us to care for those in need. And here, we see Nehemiah telling the people that, as they prepare their celebratory feast, they should set some aside for those who have nothing.

The Word of God is precious. It inspires worship. It is powerful. It convicts. It converts. It ignites revival. It elicits joy. And it impels us to reach out to others.

Like the people of Jerusalem, we have enjoyed God's blessing. He has kept us as a close family in a time of crisis, just as He did the Hebrew people. He has given us a home here in this place, just as He brought them home to Jerusalem. He is building us a house of worship, just as He rebuilt their Temple. And what has defined us and held us together is the same as it was for them 2500 years ago: the Word of God.

May we always joyfully show and share the love and truth of Jesus. May the Holy Spirit kindle revival in our community; and may we fan the flames for the glory of God.

© The Rev. Jeffrey O. Cerar, 2013

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