Week of 11/18-11/24: Redeemed Response - Listening Together to the Voice of God

Day One: Neh. 8:4-6 Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden platform made for this purpose. Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah stood beside him on his right; to his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hash-baddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam. Ezra opened the book in full view of all the people, since he was elevated above everyone. As he opened it, all the people stood up.” Ezra praised the Lord, the great God, and with their hands uplifted all the people said, “Amen, Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. “

WHY DO WE CALL our teacher, ‘Mr.Smith’ instead of ‘John’?

Why do we answer our parents with a ‘yes ma’am’ or ‘yes sir’ instead of ‘yup.’?

Why do we refer to the president as ‘President Washington,’ instead of ‘George’ or even ‘Mr.Washington.’?

All of these titles are signs of respect in the American culture. There are many things we do in our lives that have no real function other than demonstrating respect. Yet, our culture values these things very highly.

Just as we have great respect for certain individuals, and address them accordingly, we find in the book of Nehemiah that the people of God had a great respect for God’s Word. The word ‘reverence’ means to have a deep or great respect. So, essentially the Israelites highly revered, or had reverence for, God’s Word.

This reverence manifested in several ways. We see that a great assembly of people gathered to hear the reading of God’s Word (v.2).The Word was read aloud and all the people ‘listened attentively’ (v.3).When the Word was read, the people stood up (v.5), and immediately thereafter they bowed down and worshiped with their faces to the ground (v.6).

Why did the Israelites do these various things as God’s Word was being read? These things were done out of deep reverence. They understood that what was being read was the very Word of God, and they treated it with extreme devotion.

PAUSE AND REFLECT

▷▷Do you revere God’s Word? Why or why not?

▷▷Why is it important to have a reverence for God’s Word?

▷▷How can you develop and display your reverence for God’s Word?