Okay, Shabbat Shalom everyone. Please open your Bibles to the book of Nehemiah, Nehemiah, chapter 8. We're going to read the whole chapter and we are going to seek to cover all the chapter today with the help of the Lord, and I'm reading, and all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate, and they speck unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commended to Israel. And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation, both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding upon the first day of the seventh month.

And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate, from the morning until midday, before the men and the women and those that could understand, and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law. And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Matataya, En Shema, En Anaya, En Uriah, En Chilkiah, En Maasiyah on his right hand. And on his left hand, Pedaya, and Isha'el, and Malkiyah, and Husham, and Vechashavadiyah, Zecharia, and Meshulam. And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people. For he was above all the people, and when he opened it, all the people stood up.

And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands, and they bowed their head and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground. Also, Yeshua and Bani and Sheravaya, Yamin, Akov, Shavtai, Hodaya, Maasiyah, Klita, Azariah, Yosevad, Hanan, Palaya, and the Levites caused the people to understand the law and the people stood in their place so they read in the book in the law of God distinctly and gave the sense and caused them to understand the reading and Nehemiah which is the Tershata and Ezra the priest the scribe and the Levite that taught the people said unto all the people this day is holy unto the Lord your God mourn not nor weep for all the people wept when they heard the words of the law then he said unto them go your way eat the fat and drink the sweet and send portion unto them for whom nothing is prepared for this day is holy unto our Lord neither be ye sorry for the joy of the Lord is your strength so the Levites stilled all the people saying hold your peace for the day is holy neither be ye grieved and all the people went their way to eat and to drink.

And to send portion and to make great mirth because they had understood the words that were declared unto them and on the second day were gathered together the chief of the fathers of all the people, the priests and the Levites unto Ezra the scribe even to understand the words of the law and they found written in the law which the Lord had commanded by Moshe that the children of Israel should dwell in Booth in the feast of the seventh month and that they should publish and proclaim in all the cities of Jerusalem saying go forth unto the mountain and fetch olive branches and pine branches and myrtle branches and palm branches and branches of thick trees to make booth as it is written.

So the people went forth and brought them and made themselves booth everyone upon the roof of his house and in their courts and in their courts of the house of God and in the street of the water gate and in the street of the gate of Ephraim and all the congregation of them that were come again out of captivity made booth and sat under the booth for since the day of Joshua the son of Nun unto that day had not the children of Israel done so and there was very great gladness also day by day from the first day unto the last day he read in the book of the law of God and they kept the feast seven days and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly according unto the manual this is the word of the Lord it's a very beautiful chapter I was fascinated with this thought beloved brothers and sisters we have to realize if there ever will be a revival among God's people whether it is Israel, our nation historically or whether it is the body of Messiah.

The church, the ecclesia today it must be done on a basis of the word of God you will never find any revival anywhere in biblical time in the history of Israel or even in the history of the body of Messiah among the people of God without God's word the Scriptures the Tanakh and the Brit HaChadasha we need the word of the Lord in order to revive God's people it is the word of the Lord that is being preached and people get saved when we preach the message of the gospel faith comes by hearing hearing by the word of God we share the love of God the love of the Lord Yeshua the Messiah with the world around us the Spirit of God takes the word of God and appropriated to the heart of the listener that he or she if they truly took the word and apply it to their conscience and to their hearts they will get saved And if a discouraged believer is away from the Lord, when he takes the word of God and.

Applies it to his heart by the Spirit of God, there will be revival among God's people. And so we have enjoyed to find out how Nehemiah in the first seven chapters built the walls of the city of Jerusalem, placed in order the gates thereof, put guards all around, and he really assisted our people of all the people of Israel with physical restoration among the people of God well by the time we get to chapter 8 chapter 8 9 10 11 12 and 13 those next chapters that we're going to deal with in this book of Nehemiah he's not only dealing with the physical restoration of Israel but he's dealing with the spiritual restoration of the nation of Israel and remember that I've said before as the Hebrew prophets and also the New Testament writers said whatsoever things have happened at full time Romans chapter 15 have happened for our learning that you and I will learn the things that happen to Israel appropriated to us in the present day dispensation.

We read in 1 Corinthians chapter 10 that all these things happen unto them, Israel, as an example, and they are serving to be for us as this lesson that we need to learn. Now here it is, chapter 8, interesting chapter, and here you can see that God is seeking to revive his people Israel you know God does not want us to stay dry and with lack of joy and lack of spiritual progress just you know we have a religion you know we're gonna sit in the pew we will not really necessarily apply the word of God to our lives you know we belong to God we are saved and yet we have this dryness in our lives as believers God wants to revive us God wanted to revive Israel as a nation at the time of Nehemiah and he used it through his word we would call it the Bible today it comes from the Greek word the book, which comes from the Hebrew word Hasefer.

You would notice that we did read here about the book. Notice verse 5 it says, and Ezra opened the book in Hebrew it simply means Hasefer. As far as our people Israel were concerned, there is only one book in existence, and that book is the Tanakh. The Torah, the Nevi'im, the Ketuvim, the law, the prophets, and the writing. And the Greek language took it in the very same way when the New Testament was written, and that's why when you open your Bible, it comes from the Greek word, Biblio, that was translated from the Hebrew word, Kasefer. And so, the only way for God's people to grow and to be revived, the Bible, the word of God, the Torah, the Nevi'im, the Ketuvim must be read and must be taught.

So I want you to notice this here, that in this chapter, we have a public reading of the Torah, the five books of Moses, by Ezra, who was there presenting before the remnant that returned, the word of the Lord and so notice how precious it is to see that the word of God affected these Jewish people it really grabbed them in their conscience grabbed them in their hearts and they were convicted and they were really changed in their behavior when the word of God affected them well the first three verses of Nehemiah chapter 8 we see the people of Israel gather together to hear God's law or God's word we begin with verse 1 you notice it says all the people gather themselves together as one man the streets it was way into the street that is called the before the water gate and they speak unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moshe the law of Moses which the Lord had commanded to Israel now we learn a few things here in this.

First verse first of all you notice they're all gathered together it was not a selective group but it was all Israel you know all the people gather themselves together as one man it's so beautiful to see when the people of God gather themselves together as one individual and you In order, secondly, they spake unto the scribe. You know, Ezra is the first time that he's mentioned here in the book of Nehemiah. Ezra, some years earlier, he came long before Nehemiah came, and he had already beautified the temple in Jerusalem, and he was, according to this word, he was a scribe. The Hebrew word for scribe is sofer.

He was the one that was copying the Torah, the chapters in the books. You might say, from one place to another. He was the one who is the scribe. You remember in the Brit HaChadasha, the scribes and the Pharisees and the Sadducees. Where do you think it's originated? It's originated right here. The early people of Israel, the remnant that came back from Babel and from Persia, they wanted to instruct our people of all, the people of Israel, in the ways of the Lord. Well, how do they do so? God raising a scribe, someone who is able to understand the word of God, and he will teach the nation.

Well, really, the scribes of Israel began right here by this man by the name of Ezra. He was one of those early Jewish men who sought to instruct the people of Israel in the things of God. And he was the one who was teaching our people of all the ways of God, the manners of the things of God, and so the Jewish people gathered together and they called Ezra, and he's called here the scribe, the sofer, by the way he's called also in Ezra 7 verse 6, the same thing, he's called hassofer, the scribe, and here they ask him to bring the book of the law of Moses, now notice at the end of the verse you know we sometimes question is the word of God is divinely inspired was it given by God well it does say at the end of verse 1 which the Lord commended to Israel it is God who had given to our people Israel in other words what you and I have in our hands today Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus Numbers, Deuteronomy and all the rest of the word of God it was divinely given to us by God.

It is God who commended Israel these words of the law. It was God given God breathed Peter says holy men of God spake as they were. Moved by the Holy Spirit we have the Bible in our hand that's why we believe that this book is not man made it is the word of God the Torah the Nevi'im the Ketuvim the Brit HaChadasha it's the word of God as far as we're concerned it's not man's opinion it's not man's thoughts it was simply given to us by God he gave these commandments to the children of Israel verse 1 already tells us this so notice secondly it says in verse 2 that Ezra the priest brought the law and he read it publicly by the way in verse 1 he is called a scribe in verse 2 he is called a priest and in verse 9 he is called a levy a Levite he is a scribe he is a priest and he is a Levite from the tribe of Levi notice what he does in verse 2 and Ezra the priest brought the Lord before the congregation both men and women and all that could heal with understanding.

Upon the first day of the seventh month now you notice that he was not limited to men it was not limited to women but it was all inclusive and including all that could heal perhaps they gather together all the boys and the girls the young men the young women as well all that is able notice according to verse 2b with understanding perhaps these little babies that couldn't understand perhaps they were kept by some in another location but he wanted the people of Israel to understand the word of the Lord and beloved brothers and sisters it is essential for us to understand what we read and that's why when we come together as brothers and sisters to the meeting we always have a public reading of the text of the word of God even if there will be no explanation whatsoever.

At least we heard the word of the Lord. And so Ezra brings the book out and you notice it says in verse 3 that Ezra read the word of the Lord publicly there from the morning until the middle of the day. It says. In verse 3, and he read therein before the street which was before the water gate from the morning until midday before the men and the women and those that could understand and the ear of all the people were attentive to the book of the law. You know, it is so precious. It's so refreshing. You see, the people of Israel in those days were in a great decline.

They were 70 years in Babel because of God's discipline upon Israel, the Jewish community. Then they came back and they rebuild the temple but yet there was still not sufficient you might say a revival among the people of Judah the people of Israel after Ezra came then Nehemiah came and when Nehemiah came you remember he was so sad because the people were in a sad condition the walls were in non-existence they were broken you might say falling apart and no gates and Nehemiah came to rebuild everything to restore the people of Israel to the Lord and to give them safety security and blessing so now that Ezra brought the book he was reading to them publicly and you notice there is no coincidence because it says it was before the water gate you remember when we studied in Nehemiah chapter 3 there were 10 gates began with a ship gate and ended with a ship gate the 10 gates around the city of Jerusalem but the water gate always represent the word of God faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God Yeshua tells us husband love your wife as the Messiah loved the assembly.

And gave himself that he might wash cleanse her by the washing of the water by the word the word of God is symbolically a symbol of cleansing and you see every time when we gather together and we read the word of God it has an effect upon our hearts it cleanses us it washes us Yeshua said to the disciples in the upper room you are all clean through the word and you and I if we have accepted the word of God and accepted Yeshua as our Messiah we are cleansed by the word of God positionally but now he is talking about practical cleansing those Jewish people are already back from Babel from Persia and they are now ready to hear the word of God and you notice these brothers and sisters how they were so attentive it says here in verse 3 the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law they were eager to listen they were eager to hear the word of the Lord you know sometimes we hear of people who are desiring so much.

Where they could hear the word of the Lord and they don't have these privileges that you and I have today and they long to have a place where they can gather together and the Bible will be taught the word of God will be preached the person of Yeshua will be proclaimed you see these people wanted to hear the word of the Lord now again I would like to remind you that when Ezra read he read from the morning until the middle of the day it was perhaps maybe from six o'clock to noon maybe six hours can you imagine he's reading and he's reading and everybody's attentive to listen to that you see of course i know that they were in a difficult days in Israel's history and they really long for that but you and i today have to admit if we're going to come to a meeting we're going to sit for one hour to listen to the word of God we already said it is too long cut it short right now i'm speaking for myself but for about four five six.

Hours Ezra was publicly reading the word of the Lord and Israel the Jewish people were so attentive we really want to hear what Ezra is saying as he presenting the word of the Lord you know this is precious brothers and sisters you see public reading was always required from the people of Israel whenever the Bible is being read on Shabbat for example there is always a public reading by the one who would stand in the front and we read it for all the congregation to listen to the word of the Lord just go back in your Bibles to Deuteronomy chapter 31 God through Moses said to Israel in those days in verse 11 it says when all Israel is come to appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose thou shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing.

Moses, Israel, when you are going into the promised land and you are gathering here around the Lord, I want my word to be read publicly. Notice, in all their hearing, before all Israel. Deuteronomy 31 and verse 11. Why? Verse 12, gather the people together, men and women and children and thy stranger within thy gate that they may hear and that they may learn and fear the Lord your God and observe to do all the words of this law. Notice, hear, learn, fear, and do. The reason that the Bible, that the word of God is being read publicly so God people will hear it, then that they will learn from it, then that they will have reverence, a fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom, and then ultimately will do it and live it out in their lives.

See, that's why the Word of God is so important, beloved brothers and sisters. We cannot neglect the Word of God, specifically in our gathering together as believers in Yeshua, the Messiah. So the people of Israel gather themselves together. Bring the book, Have et ha-sefer in Hebrew. And as far as Israel is concerned, the book, ha-sefer, it's the word of God. And so wherever we are, beloved brothers and sisters, let us not be ashamed to bring the book, to open the word, to read the Scripture, and to study it, to learn from the word of God. Well, look, in verses 4, 5, and 6 of Nehemiah chapter 8, Israel responds to the public reading of God's law very interesting how they responded it says in verse 4 as I described stood upon a pulpit of wood which they had made for the purpose and beside him stood other individuals now I want to mention you and I would look at this thing for us this is called a pulpit but the Hebrew word is not pulpit is really migdal migdal mats a wooden tower it must have been a very high tower it could be who knows five six feet high so because remember they are by the water gate by the street there many of these israeli Hebrew Jewish people there young people all the people male female and so on they're all gathered by the water gate they could not see from afar as they probably had a hard time to even hear what he had to say so they had to prepare for him an elevated tower like a little.

Migdal here it's called in Hebrew migdal mats made out of wood it's a high tower and he was on a plateau was standing there and reading so it was easier for everyone to hear I remember a few years ago I had the opportunity to be in Moscow in Russia and I remember I was invited to preach in one of these big fancy building was an older building the room for over a thousand seats i was told that nixon was in that building sitting there and i was told that one of these great preachers were preaching there and i was very humbled that they invited me to minister the word of God and when i went with the pastor the spiritual leader to speak i went from the top there and we came up in this tower and i'm looking down i see so many people below and so many people on the side but I was like on a big tower there and I felt so humbled to be able to stand up there.

And to speak to the people and you think about Ezra standing on a big high tower and high enough so the people could see him and the people could hear what he's saying even when Yeshua was in the Galil in Galilee when he stood by the shore and the people were sitting on the mountain he was presenting to everybody and became like a special speaker that everybody would be able to hear the word of the Lord and so they made for Ezra a pulpit or a tower made out of wood for the purpose and beside him stood other of the leadership of Israel here we have another list of people it seems to be six or seven on each side it says on the right hand then on the left hand of Ezra was Padaya, Mishael, Malkia, Chusham, Chashavdaya, Zekaria and Meshulam there were some on the right, some on the left and Ezra was there to present and to read publicly the word of the Lord before our forefathers, the people of Israel.

And so verse 5, it says that. Ezra opened the book. Again, the word the book, Hasefer. He opened the book in the sight of all the people. So in other words, that's why we believe that it was a very high plateau. And when he opened the scroll, everybody saw it. And you notice what it says? When everybody saw that he opened the book in the sight of all the people he was above all the people when he opened the book all the people stood up there was a reverence to the word of the Lord to the word of God the people there were sitting and then when he began to open the book everybody's standing up out of respect this is the word of the Lord beloved brothers and sisters this is God's word that's why we gotta respect the word of God we gotta take it seriously God is speaking to his people through his word though it is written but he is the one that by divine inspiration gave this word of the Lord to his people Israel so everyone is standing and then it says in verse.

Six and as I bless the Lord the great God he said that all the people answer Amen Amen Amen they lifted up their hands and they bowed their heads and they worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground again i would like to say certain things about that you see from youth it's almost become natural to us who are Jewish who grew up with a conservative family that when we go to the senegal and we pray you will notice many times we bow in such a way you go to the wailing wall today and you'll see our conservative people they would bow like that all the time you'll see them bowing as they are praying as they are reading the text they will always bow their heads why is it?

Where does it come from? It is something that has evolved over the generation by the people of Israel because of things that have happened in history to bow to the Lord to recognize that He is divine and we are human beings He is holy and we are not we are unholy he is just and we are unjust he is the creator and we are the creatures he deserves to be worshipped and adored and praised and notice how beautiful to see they say Amen Amen it says here just when he opened the book and you know the Hebrew word Amen every time we say Amen it's often time we translate it to mean may it be so and it is true may it be so when somebody pray and another one say Amen, we say may it be so.

I'm in agreement with it. But the root word also comes from the word Leha Amin, to believe. I believe what the Lord says in His word by saying Amen, Amen, I'm saying I believe. I believe. May it be so. And so the people of Israel said Amen, Amen. Verse 6b, they lifted up their hands and it's an expression of worship to God and then they bowed their heads and notice and they worship the word worship it's bowing down to the ground when Abraham received those three men who came to his tent in Genesis chapter 18 he ran towards them one of them was the Lord himself and he bowed to the ground he bowed in worship recognizing that this is the Lord I am before him I am to bow before him I am to recognize him and so how beautiful the expression that we have here in verse 6 and this expression Amen and Amen and lifting up the hands and bowing before the Lord is an expression of saying Lord we need you they've had many problems in their lives many needs they had in their life and they knew there's no one else that can fix my problem you know sometimes people think that they can fix their own problems in life and instead of turning to God instead of turning to the word of.

God they're turning everywhere else and they find out that the problem haven't been settled and the only one who can help his own people to deal with issues and problems is none else but God himself and for us as believers is our Lord Yeshua the Messiah through his word the word of God is powerfully speaking to us and helping us give us wisdom give us guidance in our life and when we submit to the word of God there is a promise of blessing so here are those people of Israel finally we see them now beginning with spiritual restoration and spiritual restoration always began with the word of God you cannot become spiritually restored and set the Bible set the book away it must be based on the basis of the word of God well notice that as we move along in this 8 chapter you find out now in verses 7 and 8 that the book of the law of God was read and explained to the people of Israel you see it's so important to give people.

An understanding of the truths that are found in the word of God so we read in verse 7 again a list of individuals notice Yeshua and Beni and Sheraviah and Yamin and Akov and Shabtai and Hodaya and Masiyah and Klita and Azariah and Yozavad and Hanan and Palaya and the Levites caused the people to understand the law and the people stood in their place now this is also beloved brothers and sisters very important see one of the reasons why we have Bible studies and Bible classes and discussions because we need to understand the word of God of course certain things are more difficult to understand than others and there are certain things that the Lord need to work in our hearts and to help us to understand but this is an important thing for every one of us to understand what God said in his word.

For example, to understand that salvation is by grace through faith alone. To understand that God entered humanity in the person of the Son and he took a form of a man to understand the necessity of the shed blood on the altar. All these things had to be understood. And if we don't understand them how can we continue on in our walk with the Lord well they were very clear seeking to teach the people and to make them understand what they read unto them let me just read some verses turn with me to Mark chapter 7 in verse 14 and when he had called all the people this is Yeshua when he had called all the people unto him he said unto them hearken unto me every one of you and understand I want you to listen to me Yeshua said to the people and I want you to understand what I'm telling you I want to make it clear before you Yeshua said to the people who gathered around him notice another verse in Luke chapter 24 again Yeshua is now ministering to the two who went to Emmaus and it says in verse 45 notice that then he opened their understanding that they might understand the Scripture.

See, Yeshua was the greatest teacher on earth and he caused people to understand the word. You know, when you and I don't understand something, we cannot continue on and build upon it. We have to understand the word of the Lord. Turn to Acts chapter 8 and verse 30. You remember the Ethiopian eunuch who went to Jerusalem and after he was so disappointed he left the city of Jerusalem and he was on the way back home and as he was reading on his chariot to one of the prophets he needed somebody to help him to understand. So God, Yeshua, the Spirit of God sent these men unto him and we find out that as Philip came to him and he went up on that chariot he said to him in verse 30 of Acts chapter 8 Philip ran thither unto him and he heard him read the prophet Isaiah and he said to him notice that he said do you understand what you read and he said how can I except some men should guide me and he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him and the place of the Scripture which he read was this he was reading Isaiah 53 he was led as a sheep to the slaughter and like a lamb done before his shearer he opened not his mouth verse 33 in his humiliation his judgment was taken away and who shall declare his generation for his life is taken from the earth so the eunuch answered Philip and he said unto him of whom does the prophet But speak this.

Does he speak it of himself or of someone else? So here Philip gave him the answer in verse 35. And Philip opened his mouth and he began the same Scripture. And he preached unto him Yeshua. You see, the suffering servant of Isaiah 53 is Yeshua the Messiah. But someone have to explain this, beloved brothers and sisters. And that's what was done for our Jewish people of all there in the land of Israel in a time of Nehemiah where they needed not only to hear the word of the Lord but they needed someone to explain to them. And how they've explained to them notice in these verse 7 it says at the end and they caused the people to understand the law and the people stood in their place they were listening notice what it says in verse 8 Israel read in the book of the law distinctly and clearly notice it says and they read in the book of the law of God distinctly and they gave sense and caused them to understand the reading you see it is so important to read the word distinctly the Hebrew word here for distinctly is meforash barur clear no doubt about anything and so they had to understand that in their mind and to clearly have it in their hearts but it had to be explained to them distinctly and that's why when we study the Bible when we learn here together on a regular basis we read the text and then we make some application about the text we by the grace of God trusting that the Spirit of God will help us to explain that that when you dear brothers and sisters leave the meeting hall.

You don't say well I really quite didn't understand what was said when the Bible was read and taught it's got to be taught clearly now we know we are failure many times speaking for myself we don't always know how to say things and in what manner but we believe that the Holy Spirit of God is able to take the words and to appropriate to our mind and to our understanding let me just read one more verse in Psalm 119 and verse 130 it says the entrance of thy words give light it gives us understanding to the simple if we have a simple heart to desire to understand if the word is entering into one's heart it gives us light it gives us understanding but we must be simple we must be simply willing to learn from the word of God in a simple way as God had given to us in his word so the people gathered together verses 1 to 3 Israel responded to the public reading verses 4, 5 and 6 and the book of the law was read and explained.

By the leaders of Israel verses 7 and 8 and now in verses 9, 10, 11 and 12 Israel's reaction to the words of the law see earlier they responded by saying Amen, Amen but now look at what happened to them there was something that gripped their conscience that really grabbed them in verse 9 it says in Nehemiah which is the Tarshata and Ezra the priest the scribe and the Levite that taught the people said unto the people this day is a holy day unto the Lord your God. Mour not, nor weep, for all the people wept when they heard the words of the law. Why did they weep? Why did they cry when they heard the word of the law?

They wept because the word of God convicted them. Because God's words spoke to their hearts and their conscience and they understood that there were many times not right with God. When we go wrong sometime in our own lives as believers, when sin come into our life, and then later on we realize when the Lord speaks to us, and we say, really Lord, I messed up. I should have submitted to your word. It speaks to our hearts and the love of God and the grace of God and the goodness of God encourages us and you restore us you remember what we read he restores my soul David said it in the Psalm the 23rd Psalm the Lord is my shepherd and the Lord is a shepherd of his people he sometimes have to spank us and to discipline us when we go astray but he's always in view of restoration and sometimes he allows us to weep he allows us to experience the consequences of our disobedience.

Like the prodigal son who has gone astray from the father and then he found himself in the pig pen and he found himself in destitution and then he said what I'm going to do here I can't stay here I will get up and I will go back to my father and when the father saw him he received him and restored him what a blessing there was such a joy but you see there is a time that the word of God speaks to us and it convicts us and it shows us our wrong and it shows us that we have messed up our life in the direction that we have gone and you see the book of Nehemiah of a rebuilding broken lives a rebuilding broken nation a rebuilding a broken assembly broken churches that have gone astray from the Lord that's the purpose of the book of Nehemiah, building it again, restoration to the word of God, and we need it in our own personal life in our own family lives in a local assembly, local congregation and in the whole body of Messiah.

And Israel our people will need it as well as they needed it here in Nehemiah time and they will need it in the future day you remember what we read in Zechariah chapter 12 they shall look upon me whom they have pierced and they shall mourn Israel in a future day recognizing that they rejected the Messiahship of Yeshua they will turn up and they will repent and they will turn back to him they will mourn realizing the wrong direction that they have gone like you and I in our own personal life when we go astray from the Lord we realize what a mess i made i should have listened to the word of the Lord and so the Lord convicted them and they began to weep you know that the word for mourn is the word it's like you are mourning for a dead person that was sincerely out of the hearts of the nation who realize that they have gone astray the reason that there were 70.

Years in Babel is because they had gone astray and now that they are back they need to be restored again after years pass by and the word of the Lord restoring the people of Israel and so how precious it is beloved brothers and sisters it convicted them turn with me to 2nd Corinthians chapter 7 and verse 10 the Apostle Paul Shaul Paul said to the Corinthians godly sorrow worketh repentance even unto salvation not to be repented of in other words Paul is saying listen a godly sorrow working about true restoration and repentance to the Lord and that is exactly what God was doing with our people of old Israel he was reading he was speaking to them through the word of God in the power of the Spirit of God restoring the people of Israel back to himself you see a time you and I will experience this in our own life when we go astray and go away the only way of true restoration is back to the word of God one more verse I want to read in Psalm 19.

I want to make a connection here because this is important Psalm 19 and verses 7 to 10 look at the power that the word of God has over the lives of those who really read it listen this is the word of the Lord this is the word of God this is the Torah, the Nevi'im, the Ketuvim the Bible, the Brit HaChadasha it says in verses 7 to 10 in Psalm 19 it says the law of the Lord is perfect it is converting the soul the testimony of the Lord are sure making wise the simple the statutes of the Lord are right rejoicing the heart the commandments of the Lord is pure enlightening the eyes the fear of the Lord is clean and endures forever the judgments of the Lord are true and they are righteous all together more to be desired are they than gold yea than much fine gold they are sweeter than honey even the honeycomb you see the word of the Lord is converting and restoring the soul and that's why beloved brothers and sisters.

We believe that it's not by any ingenuities not by any human tricks and plans and anything that we do that we can work in lives of individuals no, it is only on the basis of the word of God and it is in the power of Ruach HaKodesh the Holy Spirit of God that God is able to work in any one of our lives and we can trust him for that and here the people of Israel is weeping there and crying so that Nehemiah and Ezra and the Levites had to tell them by the way you notice they said Nehemiah is the Tirshata the word Tirshata is the Persian name for the governor Nehemiah was considered to be the governor at that time so he and Ezra and the rest of them they said to Israel, Israel don't mourn it's okay you have been turning back to the Lord you repented and you are now coming back to the Lord he says weep not he says because today is a holy day unto the Lord more not nor weep for all the people wept.

When they have heard the word of the Lord he says to them now that you have turned back and you have recognized the word of the Lord he says right now recognize this is a holy day this is a special day of restoration and so in verse 10 Nehemiah encouraged Israel to have the joy of the Lord this is precious he said unto them go your way eat the fat drink the sweet send portion unto them for whom nothing is prepared for this day is holy unto the Lord neither be ye sorry and here is this expression that we often use in our teaching and encouraging each other it says for the joy of the Lord is your strength of the Lord in Hebrew the word joy means chemdat chemdat Adonai the strength that we have as believers in God as believers in the Messiah is when we truly have the joy of the Lord in our hearts you know a person can be a believer in Yeshua but joyless why joyless?

Because one is not in fellowship with the Lord and when we are not in fellowship with the Lord we don't enjoy the things of the Lord we are one foot in the Lord another foot with the world no wonder we have no power no joy no strength to continue on in our walk with the Lord well the Lord wants us to have this joy that is found in Him Paul said in Philippians chapter 4 rejoice in the Lord always again I say rejoice we have to find joy in our Lord Yeshua the Messiah so Nechemia said to Israel the joy of the Lord Chedvat Adonai is your strength that's how you're going to be strong if you have the joy that is found in the Lord and the reason we are joyless is because we think that you know God has just saved us so we can barely carry on another day you know but God saved us so we will have joy in our hearts and in our lives and that the Lord can use us to lead others to Yeshua the Messiah.

So they also will have hope and joy in their own hearts and their own lives we are not called to be people that are just sitting all the time with a low face and mourning we are called to be a joyful people of course a time we need to weep when we go astray when we sin against the Lord when we harm the people of God when we are not walking with God no wonder we need to weep a time but the ultimate desire of the Lord that we will have joy in our hearts to live here and to be a testimony for him here in this world so notice that in verse 11 the ministry of the levites they were the one that caused the people to come and they encouraged them verse 11 the levites they steal all the people saying hold your peace hold your shalom for the day is this day is holy neither be ye grieved now yet you have repented have you turned back to the Lord, now you don't need to grieve.

It's a time to be thankful and to celebrate. Verse 12, look at the doing of the nation of Israel. What did they do? Verse 12, all the people went their way. They ate, they drank, they sent portion unto them, and they made great mirth. They celebrated because they understood. They understood the words that were declared unto them. So they went ahead and they now were rejoicing. They were actually celebrating because they understood what the Lord have done for them. And so brothers and sisters, in the last verses, let me just conclude with those final verses here from verse 13 to verse 18 with a couple of points. I just want us to understand it does say in verse 13 that Israel re-celebrating the Feast of Tabernacle once again.

You notice that it says in verse 13 on a second day where they gather together all the chief of the fathers and the people and the priests and all the Levites and Ezra the scribe even to understand the words of the law and what do they find out in verse 14 they found out written in the law which the Lord had commended by Moses that the children of Israel should dwell in booth in Sukkot in the feast of the seventh month you see the seventh month is the month of Tishrei and the month of Tishrei the seventh month is a month in which the people of Israel celebrate those three feasts Rosh Hashanah the feast of trumpet Yom Kippur the day of atonement and Sukkot the feast of tabernacles now they discover as they read the Scripture that God gave clear instruction to the nation of Israel to celebrate this feast and to dwell in Sukkot.

And you know, a sukkah, a booth, is a flimsy structure in which the children of Israel were to sit there and it will remind them of the faithfulness of God to our people when he took our forefathers out of Egypt. But it's also to remind us of the future day in which God is going to restore the people of Israel and establish the Messianic kingdom. So they did not sit in booth in Sukkot for quite a while. And so they found out that the laws commanded by Moses says the children of Israel should dwell in Sukkot, in tabernacle, in the feast on that seven months.

And so in verse 15, they proclaimed this publicly, they made this celebration of the Feast of Sukkot. It says here, and that they should publish and proclaim in all the cities in Jerusalem, saying, go forth unto the mount, fetch olive branches, pine branches, myrtle branches, palm branches, and branches of thick trees, and make Sukkot, make booth. So the people went forth. And they brought them and they made themselves Sukkot, booth. Everyone upon the roof of his house and in their courts and in the courts of the house of God and in the street of the water gate and in the street of the gate of Ephraim.

By the way, you notice another gate is mentioned here that was not mentioned in Nehemiah chapter 3 in the ten gates around the city. Apparently, there is a spiritual reason why Nehemiah didn't mention that gate in the early chapters. Perhaps it was built later on. We do not know. But there is an additional gate called the gate of Ephraim. And then we find out in the last verses all the congregation of them that were come again of the captivity made booths and they sat in the booth in the Sukkot. And notice this clause here. In verse 17 for since the day of Joshua Yehoshua the son of Nun Ben Nun unto that day had not the children of Israel done so in other words what we learn here most likely is that even when after Israel came out of Egypt and entered with a new generation into the land of Israel in the days of Joshua they celebrated somewhat the feast of Sukkot then but there was a break of a long time in which they didn't celebrate the feast of Sukkot some Bible teachers believe that that was the case others emphasize the word so here in verse 17 for since the day of Joshua the son of Nun unto that day they had children of Israel did not done so and they emphasize the word so meaning that they haven't done it in this manner in such a maybe spiritual condition that was healthy in the time of Nehemiah which was not in the time of Joshua because Israel were not conquering the land so there's two ways to look at that but whichever way we look at it they finally now.

Came and they began to celebrate the feast of Sukkot which speaks to us about the future kingdom where the Messiah will reign and Israel dwell everyone in the land and Yeshua the Messiah will be the one who will reign as king of Kings and Lord of lords and here they have done so with gladness with a great gladness beloved brothers and sisters and the last verse tell us in verse 18 and day by day from the first day until the last day he read in the book of the law of God and they kept the feast for seven days and on the eighth day it was a solemn assembly according unto the menis so they faithfully have celebrated the feast of Sukkot for seven days they sat in Sukkot in booth in Tabernacle and they remember they rehearsed the faithfulness of God and the future that is ahead of them and they have done so every day they read in the book read the word of God and sat in booth until the end of the feast of Tabernacles and here we can.

See brothers and sisters that the lesson that we learn is the importance of the word of God and may the Lord help us to learn from the word of God to explain clearly the word of God to understand the word of God and ultimately to live in the way that God will be pleased with us in our life