JAN 26

Nehemiah 8:1-18
Memorise Nehemiah 8:8
“So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense…“

On this important occasion when the people of God met to worship and thank Him for the completion of the wall of Jerusalem, the reading of God’s Word held centre stage. In the reading of His Word, God is honoured and His church edified. We note that the people were willing to listen for six hours. It was “from the morning until midday” (Nehemiah 8:3).

The Word of God was read “distinctly”. This simply describes a clear public reading of the Word to the people in the original language of Hebrew. For those who still understood the language but were not able to read it, such a public reading would be the only way they had access to the Word of God. However, most of them would probably not be familiar with Hebrew, and only understood Aramaic, which was the common tongue of the people at that time. Even if they could understand the words, they might have found it difficult to understand the full significance of what was being read. Therefore it was important that the preachers “gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading” which means to expound God’s Word. Reading is only the first part. It has to be followed by explanations of the meaning of the passage. It does not edify if God’s people do not understand the meaning or significance of what they read. Therefore, the preacher must explain the context, define words and give illustrations to shed more light on the particular passage of Scripture and also to apply it to the lives of the hearers.

It is therefore required of preachers that they explain the Word and give the sense of it. In every message, their objective should be that the listeners will come to a better understanding of God’s Word, and increase in their desire to obey Him. The end result of such faithful exposition leads to great joy, which is the strength of God’s people as Nehemiah 8:10 tells us.

Dear teen, as the labour of every preacher is to open the Book of Life to his listeners, what duty do we have as hearers? Every preacher seeks to edify the people of God. But you cannot be edified unless you are willing to be taught. So you need to give your full attention to the preaching and pray for understanding as the Word of God is being preached. It is a great joy to understand the Bible and know that your great and mighty God is speaking to you personally to instruct you in your faith.

Thought: We need both faithful preachers and faithful learners.
Prayer: Our Father in heaven, we pray for our pastors and teachers, that Thou wouldst grant them the wisdom to study Thy Word and preach it faithfully.