
Nehemiah 6:15
So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days.
Spiritual awakening does not happen by accident, Great movements of God are generally preceded by careful preparation.
Nehemiah 7
1 After the wall had been rebuilt and I had set the doors in place, the gatekeepers, the musicians and the Levites were appointed. 2 I put in charge of Jerusalem my brother Hanani, along with Hananiah the commander of the citadel, because he was a man of integrity and feared God more than most people do. 3 I said to them, “The gates of Jerusalem are not to be opened until the sun is hot. While the gatekeepers are still on duty, have them shut the doors and bar them. Also appoint residents of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some near their own houses.”
The List of the Exiles Who Returned
4 Now the city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it, and the houses had not yet been rebuilt. 5 So my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials and the common people for registration by families. I found the genealogical record of those who had been the first to return. This is what I found written there:
6 These are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken captive (they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town,
1:9 where Nehemiah was claiming God’s promise to Moses (Deut. 30:2-4) that even after God’s judgment, if His people returned to Him in repentance that He would bring them back to the land from which they had been taken captive.
Nehemiah 1.8-9
8 “Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, 9 but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’
So my God put it in my heart,
Nehemiah saw the events of 7:5 as God fulfilling His promise
Nehemiah’s purpose was rebuilding the wall, but the Lord’s purpose was much bigger. He was interested in rebuilding His people.
Nehemiah 7:70-71
70 Some of the heads of the families contributed to the work. The governor gave to the treasury 1,000 darics b of gold, 50 bowls and 530 garments for priests. 71 Some of the heads of the families gave to the treasury for the work 20,000 darics c of gold and 2,200 minas d of silver.
This verse emphasizes that not all of the people contributed, but some did
Not Everyone will catch the vision or burden of God’s plan, but the ones who do will live a lifetime of blessing.
Nehemiah 8:1-3
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.
Nehemiah 8:5-6
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.
We need a revival of the word!
James 1:22-25
22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.
3 types of people
- People that use the Word as cornerstone of their life.
- People that choose to not read the word.
- People that read the word but do not allow it to change them (lifestyle, relationships, social media etc.)
We need to allow the word of God to change the course of our future.
The people were broken and it pushed them to worship!
*We can use the current events as a reason to walk in fear or a reason to worship*