Citizens came from everywhere demanding this hearing. It needed to be public. It needed to be comprehensive. There needed to be accountability. The law was the law and no one was above it. They must have the whole truth and nothing but the truth. “And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses … And [Ezra] read from it … And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law” (Neh 8:1-3).1
The hearing of the Law at the Water Gate turned out to be a watershed moment for the people of Israel as they shifted from physical to spiritual repair. The wall around the city of Jerusalem had been completed. But a far more meaningful rebuilding project was underway within the hearts of the people of God. Revival was happening!
I would love to think that revival is happening in my country. Our track record after tragedies has not been too promising (think 9/11 and COVID-19). But Nehemiah 8 might help us detect if true revival is indeed underway. For one, notice that there was hunger for the Word. It didn’t come from Nehemiah or any other leader. This was no top-down movement. The initiative came from “all the people,” who wanted to hear the whole truth from “the Book of the Law” (v1). And no one, apparently, was concerned about missing lunch. Ezra read for about six hours, “from early morning until midday” (v3), while 13 expositors “helped the people to understand” (v7). All true revival has at its roots a desire to hear God’s Word.
As the people heard the Word, there was mourning over sin, “for all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law” (v9). In fact, their grief was so intense that they had to be reminded that this “first day of the seventh month” (v2) was a cause for joy, being the beginning of the Feast of Trumpets.
When Ezra finished, there was genuine worship. “And they bowed their heads and worshiped the LORD” (v6). Out in the public square before the Water Gate, no instruments were needed nor hymns required to lead God’s people to adore and exalt His Name. They only heard the Word, and it was enough. It was bare and beautiful worship.
Finally, there was obedience to the Scriptures. The very next day (v13), it was discovered in the Law that “the people of Israel should dwell in booths during the feast of the seventh month” (v14). Although they had celebrated this feast in the past, it had been many centuries since they had dwelt in booths during the feast. So they got to work. Huts were quickly assembled and they lived in them, keeping the feast for seven days, according to the Word of God.
Is revival happening in our land? It’s probably too early to tell. But being a revival detective among other people is not my primary calling. I need to hunger for God’s Word. I need to confess my sin. I need to worship the one true God. I need to be obedient to the Scriptures. Because if I do, revival will occur within me. And just maybe, it will spread a little further.
1 Bible quotations in this article are from the ESV.
