Day 29
And they
read from it [the Book of the Law of Moses] …And the ears of all the people
were attentive to the Book of the Law. They read from the book, from the Law of
God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the
reading.
Nehemiah
8:3,8
In
order to properly apply the word of God, we must understand the word of God.
This understanding comes easily at times, but there are times that it will take
some work. However, the follower of Christ never wastes his or her time doing
the hard work of understanding scripture fully. There are times that this will
take great discipline, effort, and persistence; but it will be worth it.
Nehemiah
has asked Ezra to bring out the Law of Moses and read it to the people.
Nehemiah understood that just meeting practical needs (rebuilding the wall) did
not meet the people’s deepest need. He was aware that only God could truly fulfill
what the people of Jerusalem needed most.
As
the word of God is read, there are two things to note. First, the people listened
attentively. They were listening to truly hear. They were not distracted,
bored, or giving their attention to something of lesser value. They wanted to
hear what Ezra had to say, and ultimately what God had to say.
Second,
there were people teaching as the word was read. They made it their goal to
bring clarity and understanding to God’s word. Anytime you have people who want
to hear and teachers that strive for understanding, you have the formula for
exciting things to happen.
As
you read the word of God, strive for understanding. If God has entrusted you
with a platform to teach, strive for clarity. God’s word will work, but it will
only work where it is understood. However, any efforts exerted toward
understanding are well worth it.
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