As the people mourned their sinful history, the spiritual leaders responded with an intriguing directive..............

Neh 8:9 And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites 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.
Neh 8:10 Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions 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.


Much as the Apostle Paul set aside his wretched past and pressed forward to the hope of his calling (Ph 3: 12-14) so the leaders urged the people not to dwell on their failures. Rather the day had come to rejoice in God's salvation and His deliverance from their captivity. The focus was not on the past but on how they chose to follow the Lord in the present. Genuine worship, experiencing the joy of God's presence, would strengthen the people for the eventual working out of their repentance.................

The Jewish calendar was important for God's people. The next event for them to observe was the Day of Atonement on the tenth day of the seventh month( Lev 23:27) The Feast of Tabernacles lasted a week (Lev 23:34-43) The leaders saw that the people were too discouraged and weak to deal thoroughly with their sin as the Day of Atonement required. So they bypassed the Day of Atonement and celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles. For eight days they celebrated the mighty deeds of God's provision for the people during their wanderings in the wilderness. " And there was very great gladness." (Neh 8:17) As the leaders declared earlier, the joy of the Lord strengthened the people (Neh 8:10) Now the people were ready to deal with their sins through repentance. (Fresh Encounters, Henry and Richard Blackaby, pg 79)

Are we there today? Are the people to weak to deal with their sins thouroughly? Do we need eight days or eighty days or whatever , of total focus on the Lord and how great He is and who He is and what He has done and how majestic He is and how glorious in Holiness He is? Do we need desperately to look up and see the King, so that we can truly see what state we are in and let the sin that keeps us in bondage melt like wax in the presence of the Lord?..............brother Frank

Brother Frank,

This well could be. We've lost our lofty view of God. Most who claim to be Christians, and many who actually are, have a very narrow view of God. I know I did. Actually, I still do, but praise God He's working miracles to open my eyes and show who He is.

If we were to take 8 or 80 days as you say, and totally "focus on God, and how great He is and who He is and what He has done and how majestic He is and how glorious in Holiness He is" we might regain our high regard for God. We might regain a little holy fear. And we would probably experience a deep personal revival.

But are we willing to seek Him, simply to find Him, and not some blessing of His hand?

We need to be.

Jason

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Jason Smith

Frank,

It is an interesting question you ask.

I've often wondered if we are too worn out from the frantic pace most of us keep up year after year. Opportiunities for quietness are eagerly filled with activities so that our minds are never clear or rested enough. Even our church life can become little more then rushing throughout the week to a string of jam packed meetings. (One friend of mine recently admitted he was hiring babysitters during the week so that he and his wife could fulfill all of their church duties...)

I find that unless we war against constant business, it will take our best intentions and wear us out.

"...you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed." Luke 10:41

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Mike Compton

Hi Guys.

Interesting replies and I agree with both comments. I guess, in the context of revival, whether personal or corporate, there is obviously one common denominator, the presence of God. Now it seems to me that the very notion that the day of atonement could be by-passed and that the people would spend eight days gloryfing God would not sit well with many in todays "revival movement.'

I think if we look at some revivals, like the Welsh revival with Evan Roberts or the Lewis revival with Duncan Cambell, we see a clue. Now when the Spirit of God came down on a pub or simply in the street and swept people into the kingdom, obviously repentance did not come first, the presence of God did. They became aware, consiously, of the presence of God. So we see that its not by might nor by power, even the power of words, but it is by His Spirit that these things were achieved.

So why do we not see revival today? Even with experts who will preach for hours, excellent sermons, telling the people of their need for repentance, still no revival. Could it be that sermons preached without the presence of God have no power? Could any man just simply stand up and recite "Sinners in the hands of an angry God," and see revival break out? If not, why not? Do we believe that we can achieve anything outside of the presence of God? Could it be that we do not attach the proper importance to this? Consider this, most gatherings and conferences give 15 minutes or so to "praise and worship." Maybe 30 minutes, if you are fortunate, to corporate prayer and testimony(often times no testimony at all) and two or three hours to preaching. Could we have our priorities wrong? Should it not be the other way around?

Praise God for leaders like Nehamiah and Ezra who could see that the vast majority of people were so worldly after having spent so much time in Babylon, that they had to bring the majestic God of all glory before the people and before their thoughts in order to lead to repentance, which of course is vital in every true work and move of God.

It seems to me that we are living in such days.
Neh 8:10 Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions 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.

It is incumbant upon the leaders, those who know, to "send portions unto them whom nothing is prepared." To present a Holy God to the people, High and lifted up, and restore joy and strenght that the people may see their true state in the light of a Holy God and cry out to Him and repent and let a deep work take place that ruins them and changes them forever. To continue to tell the people how wicked they are, to encourage them to continue to weep and howl, will not bring revival, it will keep the people, the genuine people of God, weak.........brother Frank

Neh 8:9 And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites 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.

Since it is GOD'S will for man to repent
and come to the knowledge of the truth;
HE will provide the courage and strength
necessary for us to change our hearts
and ways!!

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Martin G. Smith