We are so blessed in this country to have easy access to the Bible. I’m afraid that we don’t really understand and appreciate how great a blessing it is for each person to have the Bible and to be able to read it for himself.
The people of Nehemiah’s day demonstrated an attitude toward the Bible that I wish we would emulate in this country today. “All the people gathered as one man at the square which was in front of the Water Gate, and they asked Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses which the LORD had given to Israel” (Nehemiah 8:1 NASU).
First, we see that “all the people gathered.” What a challenge! Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could get “all the people” to listen to God’s Word?
Second, they asked that God’s Word be brought to them. Remember, they lived in a time when there were very few copies of the “Bible.” They didn’t have the privilege of reading it for themselves. They had to have someone read it to them.
Third, “the assembly of men, women and all who could listen with understanding” (Nehemiah 8:2) assembled to hear it read. This tells us that God’s Word can be understood. It implies that it is necessary to be of such an age that one can understand, but that those who can understand ought to listen to God’s Word. Later in the text it says, “they understood the words which had been made known to them” (Nehemiah 8:12). They didn’t have the idea that “the Bible is so hard it can’t be understood.”
We are reminded that the truth of the New Testament can also be understood, because in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians he said, “when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ” (Ephesians 3:4).
Look also at the time those people spent listening to God’s Word. “He read from it…from early morning until midday” (Nehemiah 8:3). Have you ever been at a place where the Bible was read aloud for several hours? Most of us have not. The important fact is not just that it was read, but “all the people were attentive to the book of the law” (Nehemiah 8:3). Doesn’t it say something about us when we are willing to go sit on hard bleachers for hours watching a ball game or attending a musical concert, but we can’t sit for hours listening to God’s Word?
Rather than judging as to whether or not our people would sit for hours to hear God’s Word, maybe we ought to give them that opportunity. Maybe congregations of God’s people need to plan times when God’s Word will be read aloud for people to listen. There is something special about hearing it read. When it is read aloud, we can hear truths that maybe we had not noticed when we read it silently.
I’m pleased that the Columbine congregation in Littleton, Colorado, with whom I work, has made it a practice to read a chapter from the Bible each Sunday morning. We began in Matthew and on the last Sunday in May 2005, we completed the reading of the New Testament. The first Sunday in June of this year we began reading through the book of Psalms. I’d encourage more congregations to begin this practice. Remember, Paul exhorted Timothy, “Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture” (I Timothy 4:13).
Do you remember the practice that when a woman entered the room where men were present, the men stood up? Why did they do that? Wasn’t it to show respect? Look what happened when Ezra read the Word of God. “Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people…and when he opened it, all the people stood up” (Nehemiah 8:5). The only time that I remember an audience being asked to stand at the reading of the Word of God was when my wife and I were on our honeymoon and that Sunday (August 22, 1965) we worshiped with the Central church in Amarillo, Texas. When Joe Barnett began his sermon he said, “Please stand for the reading of God’s Word” and he read Luke 17:11-21. From time to time, we ought to ask people to stand for the reading of God’s Word. It may remind us that it is God’s Word and, at the same time help us show the proper attitude of reverence toward Him and His Word.
There is another lesson in the text we’re studying. In verse seven the list of the names of several Levites is given and the verse says that they “explained the law to the people while the people remained in their place.” The reading of God’s Word is good, but it is even better if there is an explanation of what is read. Later the text goes on to say, “They read from the book, from the law of God, translating to give the sense so that they understood the reading” (Nehemiah 8:8).
That was a great day in the history of Israel. They were blessed because their understanding was expanded.
