RTW September 19

How Do I Respond To The Word?

…all the people assembled with a unified purpose at the square just inside the Water Gate.  They asked Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had given for Israel to obey.
Nehemiah 8:1

 

 

My Takeaways

Something Old

Early morning until noon they heard the Word read and everyone understood.

  • All the people listened closely. (Nehemiah 8:3)
  • All the people rose to their feet. (Nehemiah 8:5)
  • All the people chanted “Amen, Amen” as they lifted their hands then bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces on the ground. (Nehemiah 8:6)
  • All the people wept, and they listened to the words of the Law. (Nehemiah 8:9)

Understood: biyn (bene) discern; to separate mentally

Discern:  (Dictionary.com)

  • Recognize as distinct or different; discriminate
  • To perceive by the sight or some other sense or by the intellect; see, recognize, or apprehend

Something New

Nehemiah 7:5

I love that Nehemiah says God gave Him an idea.

Something to Do

Oh, I pray that I would love His Word with weeping, and hear it with understanding.

 

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7 Comments

  1. Loved Nehemiah 8 today. The people were unified around their desire to know and understand God’s Word. I see this being true of our RTW family. We’re from all backgrounds and places around the world but we are unified here with the common desire to know and understand God’s Word…so cool! May we all listen intently as we read and be humbled by God’s Word and rejoice in the opportunity to know and love God and His awesome story! The joy of the Lord is our strength and His Word is cause for celebration. My prayer is that others around me will see the joy of the lord in me and that they will want to know Him and His Word as a result.

    1. I love how you found the unity and connection of the RTW family and God’s people – both reading with the desire to understand and worship. Excellent comparison. Isn’t it wonderful that we are scattered around the planet, yet connected in God’s Word?! Thanks for your comments.

  2. Something Old: Was this not the best reading ever in Nehemiah 8

    “So on October 8 Ezra the priest brought the scroll of the law before the assembly, which included the men and women and all the children old enough to understand. He faced the square just inside the Water Gate from early morning until noon and read aloud to everyone who could understand. All the people paid close attention to the Book of the Law.” (V2,3)

    1. A lot of church members probably know a bit about the Gospels and Paul’s epistles, but how many know the Book of the Law of Moses. Larry Crabb, commenting on the need to know God’s story, says, “In 2006, after knowing Jesus for half a century, after years of active involvement in church, I realized I knew bits and pieces of Bible truth, lots of principles and lots of doctrine, but I didn’t know the story it told.” He further describes the dangerous consequences of not knowing the Bible and the story it tells: “Without story truth, I’ll flirt with atheism, struggle with unbelief, pray without passion (except maybe anger), remain devoted to my story, and continue in hopeless addiction to myself.” That’s exactly what happened to Israel! Ezra led the people in Israel into a true understanding of the word. For seven days Israel stands and listens to the reading of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. As they listen, they begin to weep as they understand God’s promises to His people, their history of rebellion, and God’s mercy. God’s story is that powerful! I wonder how many people today really know God’s story. I think our world suffers from a lack of Bible literacy. I am so happy and blessed to be able to open my bible and learn His story with Wendy Pope and all my other RTW friends. I think it’s safe to say that few today know God’s story. Image how our world would change if people took time to read the Bible for understanding.

      Something New: Did you noticed that Ezra’s preaching ended at noon. Even today we stick to that same schedule. No one wants to hear a preacher that goes past lunch time! 😉 I love the fact that as Ezra read the scriptures they were explained to the people, line by line, word by word. If only all preachers would take a lesson from Ezra. Just imagine how this approach would help Christians mature in their understanding of the Bible. I need to listen carefully at church and ask the Holy Spirit to help me apply the words that I hear to my life. Then I need to study further what was taught and act upon it. I need to ask myself what I can do with the knowledge I gain? How can I apply this knowledge to change my life? If I don’t do anyting with what I’ve learned, then how is my life really significant?

      Something To Do: Seek to understand God’s Word. Expose myself to expository preaching. Be a student of God’s word and dive into it deeper!

      1. Love the quote you shared and your thoughts on exposing ourselves to god’s word and verse by verse preaching! Check out http://www.fountainmedia.org for great verse by verse teaching. Almost all the books of the Bible are archived…spent 4 yrs under pastor jim and grew so much in my walk with God and understanding of his word.

        1. Thank you so much for the above link. I walk a good hour everyday. This will be great for me to listen to as I walk. I was surprised that his church is in Overland Park Kansas. That is right in my neck of the woods.

          1. You will be blessed by his teaching. They’d love to see you any Sunday morning I know!! If you ever visit tell them hi from Hannah Gorman/Godsell…they were such a blessing in my life when I lived there!!

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