Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Nehemiah 8:1-6
8:1 And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the Lord had commanded Israel. So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month. And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law. And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand, and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam on his left hand. And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people, and as he opened it all the people stood. And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. (ESV)
by Linda Harris
Ezra returned from Babylon to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. Nehemiah came to reconstruct the wall. Their roles corresponded to their activities—Ezra as the spiritual leader, Nehemiah as the governmental overseer. As Ezra read God’s Word, the people paid close attention. They hadn’t heard it during their exile, and they responded with joy and worship.
Are you so accustomed to hearing the Bible read that you tune it out? When you read it, do you assume you already know what it says? To gain new insights, try reading different translations, such as The New Living Translation or The Holman Christian Standard Bible, or a paraphrase like The Message. You may see things you’ve never noticed.
Copyright Information
Daily Bible Meditations are taken from The Helping Hand,a Sabbath School student quarterly for youth and adults. Copyright © 2008, Seventh Day Baptist Board of Christian Education, Inc.
Scripture quotations marked "ESV" are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Text provided by the Crossway Bibles Web Service .
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