Read Nehemiah 8:1-12

“And all the people went their way to eat and drink, to send portions and rejoice greatly, because they understood the words that were declared to them.” (Nehemiah 8:12)

The scene that we have in the 8th chapter of Nehemiah is nothing short of a revival birthed out of understanding the Word of God. Ezra the priest, an expert in expositing the Scriptures (see Ezra 7:11), was preaching the Word of God to all the people of Israel from an ancient pulpit (see Nehemiah 8:4). As he preached, he also appointed trained Levites to disperse into the crowds, and “help the people understand." (Nehemiah 8:7)

Notice the response of the people afterwards in verse 12 — “All the people... rejoiced greatly, because they understood the words declared to them.”

What an extraordinary thing! The people rejoiced because they had understood the Word of God!

I call this a Revival Through Understanding.

Today’s Christian culture is heavily focused on nominal revivals, and no doubt, the devil loves it when the church fools herself. These nominal revivals are usually built around an event or an evangelical outreach, and the key indicator used to dub it as a revival is based, not on what happens afterwards, but what happens immediately. It’s all based on an immediate emotional response and the “quantity” of people who “make a decision.”

But nowhere in Scripture do we have this example. What happens immediately is not the key indicator for revival, but instead, what happens afterward.

If we go back to the very first revival in the church, in Acts chapter 2, after Peter preaches the Gospel to the crowds, we see this beautiful and wonderful response: 3,000 souls were saved! (Acts 2:41)

But that response wasn’t the key indicator of the first church revival. It’s what came afterwards in the following verse:

“And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in prayers." (Acts 2:42)

Do you see it?

The revival isn't in Acts 2:41. It's in Acts 2:42 when the people continued steadfastly in their understanding of the Word.

It was a Revival Through Understanding!

There is, perhaps, no greater need in the church and in the world than for God’s people to understand God’s Word. True revival happens when pastors “help the people understand" as the Levites did for Israel. True revival happens when God’s people “rejoice greatly that they understand what was declared to them.” **This is the kind of revival we desperately need.**

Jesus once said:

“…he who hears the word and understands it… bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” (Matthew 13:23)

By understanding the Word of God, the church becomes equipped for the work of the ministry. (See Ephesians 4:11-12; 2 Timothy 2:15 and 3:16)

By understanding the Word of God, the unredeemed come to understand their lost estate and need for Christ. (See Ezekiel 12:3 and Colossians 1:5-6)

By understanding the Word of God, our families, our children, and our marriages bear fruit a hundred-fold over. (See Colossians 2:2 and 3:16)

By understanding the Word of God, the Holy Spirit is able to penetrate every problem we face and empower us for what’s ahead today. (See 2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Have you ever realized how crucial understanding God’s Word is to everything in the spiritual life?

But we cannot ignore that there is, on the other side of this, a severe warning for not understanding. For when the Word of God is not clearly exposited and not clearly understood, the only thing we can expect is an open door for Satan to mess us up.

Jesus says as much:

“When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.” (Matthew 13:19)

God forbid! Yet, this happens more often than not.

So let us pray David’s prayer in Psalm 119 today:

“I am Your servant; Give me understanding, That I may know Your testimonies. It is time for You to act, O LORD, For they have regarded Your law as void. Therefore I love Your commandments More than gold, yes, than fine gold!” (Psalm 119:125–127)

Lord, as we come to understand Your Word each day, bring revival in our hearts, in our church and in our city. Amen!