Reading God's Word

Would you stand for the reading of God’s word? Some today profess to believe in Him, yet they will not sit an hour to hear His word.

There was a time when the children of Israel would stand for hours. They returned to their homeland, rebuilt Jerusalem, then came together to hear God’s word. They had worked hard to reach this holy day.

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. (Nehemiah 8:2)

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: (Nehemiah 8:5)

So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading. (Nehemiah 8:8)

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. (Nehemiah 8:10)

They came with a great desire to learn. The listened – standing for hours – as the word of God was read – and they were made to understand what was read to them.

Our church does something similar – taking a bit less time – each Sunday. We don’t stand in the street as this congregation did. We have a comfortable sanctuary. As Ezra did, our pastor stands at a pulpit and reads from God’s word, giving the sense of the words, and causing us to understand the reading.

Unchanged for thousands of years. And our response is as theirs:

And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with their faces to the ground. (Nehemiah 8:6)