Biblical Revivals and Awakenings
So far in our series we’ve looked at thirty-one examples of revival in the Bible:
- Seth
- Noah
- Job
- Abram
- Joseph
- Moses
- Joshua
- Judges
- Naomi
- Ruth
- Hannah
- Samuel
- David
- Solomon
- Jehu
- Elijah
- Elisha
- Jonah
- Amos
- Hosea
- Isaiah
- Hezekiah
- Micah
- Nahum
- Zephaniah
- Josiah
- Jeremiah
- Daniel
- Ezekiel
- Zechariah
- Haggai
God used two prophets to help rebuild the Temple that the Babylonians had destroyed decades earlier – Zechariah and Haggai. They prophesied in Jerusalem during the latter part of the 6th century BC. The results were good, but turned out to be a short-lived revival. Decades later God sent three other men to Jerusalem to revive His people again – a priest, a governor, and a prophet.
Ezra, Nehemiah and Malachi
Ezra, Nehemiah, and Malachi served God in Jerusalem after the Temple was rebuilt. That began what many call the “Second Temple Period.” Ezra 7 tells us that Ezra was a priest and scribe who returned from Babylon to Jerusalem “in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes.” The year is estimated to be about 458 BC. Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem from Babylon about 445 BC. That’s based on Nehemiah’s usage of the phrase “in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes” King Artaxerxes ruled between 465 BC and 425 BC. Dating Malachi’s time in Jerusalem is a bit more difficult. Some scholars believe he prophesied to the people between the two visits of Nehemiah to Jerusalem. Malachi was the last prophet to speak for God prior to the ministry of John the Baptist some 400 years later.
Ezra the Priest and Scribe
We learn in Ezra chapter 7 that Ezra the priest was a direct descendant of Aaron the chief priest, brother of Moses. We learn that Ezra was a skilled scribe in the Law of Moses, and came to Jerusalem from Babylon. Ezra received permission from King Artaxerxes to take a large number of Jews, including priests and Levites, with him for the purpose of inquiring “concerning Judah and Jerusalem, with regard to the Law of your God which is in your hand.” The king issued a decree to carry silver and gold which the king and his counselors had freely offered “to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem.” The decree also mentioned all the treasurers “who are in the region beyond the River,” that whatever Ezra required from them, “let it be done diligently.” The treasurers were also not allowed to impose tax, or custom on any of the priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, Nethinim (assistants to the priests), or servants of the Temple. The king told Ezra to set magistrates and judges to judge the people, “all such as know the laws of your God; and teach those who do not know them.” The king also gave Ezra the authority to punish anyone who did not observe the Law of God and the king. The punishment could be death, banishment, confiscation of goods, or imprisonment.
This decree demonstrates the deep respect King Artaxerxes had for Ezra. Ezra knew that the favor he had with the king was from God –
Blessed be the Lord God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to beautify the house of he Lord which is in Jerusalem, and has extended mercy to me before the king and his counselors, and before all the king’s mighty princes. So I was encouraged, as the hand of the Lord my God was upon me; and I gathered leading men of Israel to go up with me. Ezra 7:27-28
Ezra and those with him left Babylon on the “twelfth day of the first month” and arrived safely in Jerusalem in the fifth month. They stayed in Jerusalem for three days, then brought silver, gold, and other articles into the Temple on the fourth day. The people offered burnt offerings to God, then they delivered the king’s orders to the king’s satraps and governors “in the region beyond the River. So they gave support to the people and the house of God.”
Any excitement Ezra felt about what had happened changed to mourning soon after that –
When these things were done, the leaders came to me, saying, ‘The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, with respect to the abominations of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. For they have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, so that the holy seed is mixed with the peoples of those lands. Indeed, the hand of the leaders and rulers has been foremost in this trespass.’ So when I heard this thing, I tore my garment and my robe, and plucked out some of the hair of my head and beard, and sat down astonished. Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel assembled to me, because of the transgression of those who had been carried away captive, and I sat astonished until the evening sacrifice. At the evening sacrifice I arose from my fasting; and having torn my garment and my robe, I fell on my knees and spread out my hands to the Lord my God. And I said: ‘O my God, I am too ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God; for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has grown up to the heavens. Ezra 9:1-6
This was a terrible situation for Ezra and the people of Judah. Intermarriage between Jews and pagans was against the Law of Moses and the reason Israel and Judah had suffered for hundreds of years (since the time of the Judges). Keep in mind that these were the descendants of the Jews who had returned from captivity decades earlier. It didn’t take long for them to fall back into the same sins that led to the disappearance of the people of the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the captivity of the people of the Southern Kingdom of Judah.
Ezra fasted and prayed and told God that he was too ashamed and humiliated to lift up his face to Him.
And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, since You our God have punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and have given us such deliverance as this, should we again break Your commandments, and join in marriage with the people committing these abominations? Would You not be angry with us until You had consumed us, so that there would be no remnant or survivor? O Lord God of Israel, You are righteous, for we are left as a remnant, as it is this day. Here we are before You, in our guilt, though no one can stand before You because of this! Ezra 9:13-15
While Ezra was praying, confessing, weeping, and bowing down before the Temple, a large group of men, women, and children gathered around him. They wept bitterly and the men admitted their sin against God by taking pagan wives “from the peoples of the land.” Shechaniah, the son of Jehiel, offered for the idea of making a covenant with God to put away all the foreign wives and the children born to them. Ezra arose and made all the people swear an oath that they would do what Shechaniah had said. The people swore an oath to do as he said. Ezra continued to fast and mourn “because of the guilt of those from the captivity.”
A proclamation was issued “throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the descendants of the captivity” that they had to gather in Jerusalem within three days. Those who didn’t come would have all their property confiscated, and they would be separated from the assembly of those from the captivity. The king of Persia had given that authority to Ezra. Here’s what Ezra said when the people gathered in Jerusalem –
So all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered at Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth of the month; and all the people sat in the open square of the house of God, trembling because of this matter and because of heavy rain. Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, ‘You have transgressed and have taken pagan wives, adding to the guilt of Israel. Now therefore, make confession to the Lord God of your fathers, and do His will; separate yourselves from the peoples of the land, and from the pagan wives. Then all the assembly answered and said with a loud voice, “Yes! As you have said, so we must do. Ezra 10:9-12
The process of questioning each man who had taken a pagan wife took several weeks, but was finally completed. The men who had taken pagan wives included sons of priests, Levites, singers, and other members of the people. The names of the people are listed in Ezra 10:18-44.
The Book of Ezra and the Book of Nehemiah are separate books in English Bibles, but the Hebrew Bible connects them into one book entitled Ezra. Nehemiah is the second part of Ezra (sometimes called Ezra-Nehemiah). Let’s look now at how Nehemiah worked with Ezra to bring about a revival among God’s people.
Nehemiah – From Cupbearer to Governor
The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. It came to pass in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the citadel, that Hanani one of my brethren came with men from Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped, who had survived the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. And they said to me, ‘The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.’ So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven. Nehemiah 1:1-4
Nehemiah was the cupbearer for King Artaxerxes –
And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, that I took the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had never been sad in his presence before. Therefore the king said to me, ‘Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart.’ So I became dreadfully afraid, and said to the king, ‘May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire?’ Then the king said to me, ‘What do you request? So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said to the king, ‘If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.’ Then the king said to me (the queen also sitting beside him), ‘How long will your journey be? And when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time. Furthermore I said to the king, ‘If it pleases the king, let letters be given to me for the governors of the region beyond the River, that they must permit me to pass through till I come to Judah, and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he must give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel which pertains to the temple, for the city wall, and for the house that I will occupy.’ And the king granted them to me according to the good hand of my God upon me. Then I went to the governors in the region beyond the River, and gave them the king’s letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me. When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard of it, they were deeply disturbed that a man had come to seek the well-being of the children of Israel. Nehemiah 2:1-10
Sanballat and Tobiah opposed everything Nehemiah attempted to do when he arrived in Jerusalem with a few men. Nehemiah checked out the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and found that its gates were burned with fire. He also checked into the condition of the gates of the city. Things looked bad, but they were about to improve.
Keep in mind that Ezra had been living in Jerusalem for more than a decade before Nehemiah arrived. Ezra’s primary work was to oversee Temple worship and teach the people of Judah the Law of God. We know from Ezra’s prayer in Ezra 9 that he wanted the ruins of Jerusalem rebuilt, along with a wall. However, that work was still to be done. God sent Nehemiah to complete the rebuilding work.
Sanballat, Tobiah, and an Arab named Geshem heard what Nehemiah planned to do and ridiculed him –
… they laughed at us and despised us, and said, “’What is this thing that you are doing? Will you rebel against the king?’ So I answered them, and said to them, ‘The God of heaven Himself will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no heritage or right or memorial in Jerusalem. Nehemiah 2:19-20
You can read details of the rebuilding in Nehemiah chapter 3. What we find in chapter 4 is that Sanballat was furious and indignant, and “mocked the Jews.” He spoke before his people and the army of Samaria and said – “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they complete it in a day? Will they revive the stones from the heaps of rubbish—stones that are burned?”
Nehemiah prayed and asked God to protect them – “Hear, O our God, for we are despised; turn their reproach on their own heads, and give them as plunder to a land of captivity! Do not cover their iniquity, and do not let their sin be blotted out from before You; for they have provoked You to anger before the builders.”
God did protect them by giving Nehemiah great wisdom in leading the people of Judah to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. The workers were growing tired and beginning to lose heart. They had heard that Sanballat was ready to lead an army to attack the Jews and kill them. Nehemiah prayed to God, then told the people not to be afraid. “Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.” Nehemiah positioned men behind the lower parts of the wall, at the openings, and set the people according to their families, with swords, spears, and bows. When their enemies heard that Nehemiah and the Jews knew about their plan to attack and kill them, “and that God had brought their plot to nothing,” everyone got back to work rebuilding the wall.
So it was, from that time on, that half of my servants worked at construction, while the other half held the spears, the shields, the bows, and wore armor; and the leaders were behind all the house of Judah. Those who built on the wall, and those who carried burdens, loaded themselves so that with one hand they worked at construction, and with the other held a weapon. Every one of the builders had his sword girded at his side as he built. And the one who sounded the trumpet was beside me. Nehemiah 4:16-18
Nehemiah was a wise and generous governor of the Jewish people. The people complained about many things, and Nehemiah solved their problems with grace and strength. You can read details in Nehemiah chapter 5. However, Nehemiah’s enemies were not done conspiring against him. Their desire was to kill him and stop the rebuilding of the wall around Jerusalem. God protected Nehemiah and gave him wisdom in dealing with Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem, and the rest of his enemies. You can read the details in Nehemiah chapters 6 and 7. Chapter 7 also includes names of the captives who returned to Jerusalem from Babylon. The stage was set for another revival of God’s people.
The day came when all the people of Judah gathered together in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate. Ezra the priest brought the Law of Moses before the assembly of men and women and read from it from morning until midday. The people answered, “Amen, Amen!,” bowed their heads, and worshiped God with their faces to the ground. They also wept while hearing Ezra read from the Law of God –
And Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, ‘This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn nor weep.’ For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law. Then he said to them, ‘Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’ So the Levites quieted all the people, saying, ‘Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved.’ 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 8:9-12
God was reviving His people through His Word. The people heard the Law and responded appropriately. God then gave them time to physically recover and also to rejoice at what they had heard. The people learned from Ezra’s reading of the Law about dwelling in booths during the feast of the seventh month.
Then the people went out and brought them and made themselves booths, each one on the roof of his house, or in their courtyards or the courts of the house of God, and in the open square of the Water Gate and in the open square of the Gate of Ephraim. So the whole assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and sat under the booths; for since the days of Joshua the son of Nun until that day the children of Israel had not done so. And there was very great gladness. Also day by day, from the first day until the last day, he read from the Book of the Law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day there was a sacred assembly, according to the prescribed manner. Nehemiah 8:16-18
The next step of revival for the people of Judah was to confess their sins to God –
Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, in sackcloth, and with dust on their heads. Then those of Israelite lineage separated themselves from all foreigners; and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for one-fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshiped the Lord their God. Nehemiah 9:1-3
You can read all the details in Nehemiah chapters 9 and 10. The people made a covenant with God to serve Him –
Here we are, servants today! And the land that You gave to our fathers, To eat its fruit and its bounty, Here we are, servants in it! And it yields much increase to the kings You have set over us, Because of our sins; Also they have dominion over our bodies and our cattle At their pleasure; And we are in great distress. ‘And because of all this, We make a sure covenant and write it; Our leaders, our Levites, and our priests seal it. Nehemiah 9:36-38
You can read about Nehemiah’s dedication of the rebuilt wall around Jerusalem in Nehemiah 12. In chapter 13 we read this –
On that day they read from the Book of Moses in the hearing of the people, and in it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever come into the assembly of God, because they had not met the children of Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them. However, our God turned the curse into a blessing. So it was, when they had heard the Law, that they separated all the mixed multitude from Israel. Nehemiah 13:1-3
More Revival Lessons
If Nehemiah had stopped writing there, we might think that things went well for the people of Judah after that. That’s not the case. Nehemiah left Jerusalem and returned to Babylon “in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon” (Nehemiah 13:6). He spent some time with the king, then received permission to return to Jerusalem. What Nehemiah found upon his return “grieved” the governor “bitterly.” One of the Samaritan enemies of God’s people, named Tobiah, had taken advantage of Nehemiah’s being out of the country. Ezra is not mentioned in chapter 13 and had most likely passed away by that time. The thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes would have been about 433 or 432 BC. With Ezra dead and Nehemiah in Babylon, the enemy struck.
This is a lesson about revival. Even when God’s people hear God’s Word, confess their sins, make a covenant to obey God, and rejoice in revival, the enemy is always nearby ready to pounce at the earliest possible opportunity. If you, your family, or church have experienced real revival – I mean real biblical revival – don’t let your guard down. The enemy is lurking nearby ready to pounce.
What happened while Nehemiah was in Babylon was that Eliashib the priest, “having authority over the storerooms of the house of our God, was allied with Tobiah.” Think you can trust someone in your church or denomination just because they have a position of authority? Think again. Many of today’s so-called spiritual leaders are wolves in sheep’s clothing, even as Jesus and His apostles warned. (See our studies on false preachers and teachers in today’s churches and denominations.)
Eliashib prepared a large room for Tobiah, “where previously they had stored the grain offerings, the frankincense, the articles, the tithes of grain, the new wine and oil, which were commanded to be given to the Levites and singers and gatekeepers, and the offerings for the priests” (Nehemiah 13:5). Nehemiah returned from Babylon and “discovered the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, in preparing a room for him in the courts of the house of God.”
Nehemiah did what needs to be done in today’s churches and denominations, if we want to experience God’s blessings. He threw all of the household goods of Tobiah out of the room. Nehemiah commanded that the rooms be cleaned and the articles of the house of God, with the grain offering and the frankincense, be returned once the rooms were cleansed.
Nehemiah was not done “cleaning house” in Jerusalem. In the short time he had been away, the spiritual life of Judah had fallen into disrepair. What does a spiritual leader do? Get to work and repair the problems. One of the big problems we have in churches and denominations today is a lack of real spiritual leadership. Many people who call themselves pastors and bishops do not have the spiritual backbone to stand up to the attacks of the enemy within their congregations and denominations and clean house. Nehemiah is a great example of how it’s done. Keep in mind that Nehemiah was a governor with great authority from the king of Babylon. Nehemiah used his earthly authority and his Heavenly calling to make a difference.
I also realized that the portions for the Levites had not been given them; for each of the Levites and the singers who did the work had gone back to his field. So I contended with the rulers, and said, ‘Why is the house of God forsaken?’ And I gathered them together and set them in their place. Then all Judah brought the tithe of the grain and the new wine and the oil to the storehouse. And I appointed as treasurers over the storehouse Shelemiah the priest and Zadok the scribe, and of the Levites, Pedaiah; and next to them was Hanan the son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah; for they were considered faithful, and their task was to distribute to their brethren. Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and do not wipe out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God, and for its services! In those days I saw people in Judah treading winepresses on the Sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and loading donkeys with wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And I warned them about the day on which they were selling provisions. Men of Tyre dwelt there also, who brought in fish and all kinds of goods, and sold them on the Sabbath to the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem. Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said to them, ‘What evil thing is this that you do, by which you profane the Sabbath day? Did not your fathers do thus, and did not our God bring all this disaster on us and on this city? Yet you bring added wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath.’ So it was, at the gates of Jerusalem, as it began to be dark before the Sabbath, that I commanded the gates to be shut, and charged that they must not be opened till after the Sabbath. Then I posted some of my servants at the gates, so that no burdens would be brought in on the Sabbath day. Now the merchants and sellers of all kinds of wares lodged outside Jerusalem once or twice. Then I warned them, and said to them, ‘Why do you spend the night around the wall? If you do so again, I will lay hands on you!’ From that time on they came no more on the Sabbath. And I commanded the Levites that they should cleanse themselves, and that they should go and guard the gates, to sanctify the Sabbath day. Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of Your mercy! In those days I also saw Jews who had married women of Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. And half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod, and could not speak the language of Judah, but spoke according to the language of one or the other people. So I contended with them and cursed them, struck some of them and pulled out their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, ‘You shall not give your daughters as wives to their sons, nor take their daughters for your sons or yourselves. Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? Yet among many nations there was no king like him, who was beloved of his God; and God made him king over all Israel. Nevertheless pagan women caused even him to sin. Should we then hear of your doing all this great evil, transgressing against our God by marrying pagan women?’ And one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was a son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite; therefore I drove him from me. Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites. Thus I cleansed them of everything pagan. I also assigned duties to the priests and the Levites, each to his service, and to bringing the wood offering and the firstfruits at appointed times. Remember me, O my God, for good! Nehemiah 13:10-30
I am not suggesting that Christian leaders today use physical force to deal with pagan-style problems in churches or denominations. Nehemiah was a governor with special powers given to him by the king of Babylon. Christian leaders don’t have that kind of authority. However, they do have the authority given to them by Jesus Christ and His apostles in the New Testament. If they will use that authority properly, we could see a great revival in our nation.
If you’re wondering whether today’s churches and denominations have problems with paganism, the answer is yes. Pagan-type practices have taken over in many churches and denominations, which is one reason our country and others are suffering. God will not bless His people when they allow paganism to be disguised as Christian worship and service. If you don’t know what I mean by this, please visit our section on False Preachers and Teachers.
The results of true revival are always that God is glorified through the obedience, service, and worship of His people. While Christians are no longer under the law, we can still learn from the principles of revival so powerfully demonstrated for us in the Old Testament.
[Podcast version of this study coming soon.]
Next Time
We will learn about the prophecies of Malachi and their connection to the New Testament in the next part of our series.
Free eBook
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Here is the eBook for the parts thirteen through sixteen of this series. Please click here for the PDF eBook.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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