May 25
Nehemiah 8-9
The Book of
the Law was the bible for the Israelites. It contained the first five books of
our bible. Those five books tell of creation, the root of sin, God’s promise to
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to make their descendants into a mighty nation, their
slavery and deliverance from Egypt, their rebellion in the desert, up to the
preparation for entering the Promised Land. When we know our history, we build
a foundation for our faith. When the Book of the Law was read the people stood
to give honor, then bowed their faces to the ground in worship. The words from
the Book of the Law convicted them of their rebellion and the rebellion of
their forefathers.
As the Book
of the Law was read, certain men were assigned to explain the readings. This
was similar to preaching today. Though the people were convicted of their
sinfulness, the leaders told them not to mourn on that day. The day of the
reading was to be a day of celebration. The Book of the Law can bring a
multitude of emotions. We may grieve for our sinfulness and the sinfulness of
those who have gone before, we may be in awe of the love of God and His
deliverance, we may find great joy in God’s goodness, we may mourn for the lost
days of our lives, we may celebrate that God is a God of second chances. The emotions
run the gamut. But on this day the people were instructed to celebrate and to
provide food and drink for those who had none.
We have the great opportunity to have the Word of God easily
accessible. The Word of God is a powerful tool to equip us for life in this
world and to empower us for opposition. But the Word of God sitting on the
pages does not magically jump off and strengthen us. We need to read the Word
or listen to the Word being read in order for God to speak to us through His
Word. We have the complete Old and New Testament to give us everything we need
to receive our salvation and to know the plans God has for us. As we read the
emotions will fill our hearts. The Holy Spirit will encourage us, convict us,
heal us, restore us, bless us, lift us up from the miry pit and will place us
on the Rock. "For the word of God is
living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to
dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and
attitudes of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12, NIV)
No comments:
Post a Comment