Give Us the Word!

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.” (Nehemiah 8:1-6)

The passage above describes the response of the Israelite exiles who had returned from Babylon and rebuilt their homes. Shortly after the building projects had finished, “all the people gathered as one man” (v. 1). We read in Nehemiah 7:66-67 that the assembly was some 50,000 people! Despite the mass of people, those thousands were unified and gathered together as one man. Beyond that, notice that when they gathered in unity they told Ezra to bring the Book. Nobody had to admonish them to not forsake the assembling of themselves together. The Spirit of God awakened the congregation and they effectively said, “Give us the Word!” It is my own delight that our church has the same desire and priority. There are a lot of things we could talk about when we get together, such as politics, the latest fad, or Covid, to name a few. And yet, we come together each week expressly to hear the Word of God.

Verse three tells us that Ezra publicly read the Word. This was a personal delight and goal for Ezra. In fact, Ezra 7:10 says that Ezra “had set his heart to study the law [Word] of the Lord and to practice it, and to teach his statutes and ordinances to Israel” (Ezra 7:10). The apostle Paul similarly encouraged his young protégé Timothy, telling him, “Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of scripture” (1 Timothy 4:13). Beyond the congregation’s desire to hear the Word, a top priority of shepherds and church leaders must be a dedication to publicly reading the Word of God.

In Nehemiah 8:4, when Ezra brought the Word to them, he “stood on a wooden platform that they made for the purpose.” In a somewhat similar fashion, God has given us stewardship of our church property. It is my prayer that we steward this gift well. May all that we have been given, from the parking lot to the chimes in the bell tower, be dedicated for the glory of God as we proclaim his Word. May we be a people that never stops saying “Give us the Word!”

In verse 5, we are told that as Ezra opened the book, all the people stood. In many cultures, people rise to their feet to show respect and honor. We stand when a bride comes down the aisle, a Judge enters a courtroom, or the President comes to the podium. In verse 6, the people lift their hands and bow their heads in response to the Word. All this points to a respect for and worship of the God of the Word.

Listening and responding to the Word of God is just as much an act of worship as musical praise. So when we stand in our worship service for the call to worship and the reading of Gods’ Word, this is not merely a Sunday morning ritual. Instead, we stand to stop what we are doing and give pause as we contemplate the awesome living God who has given us his Word.

Another observation comes from the next verse. “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” (v. 6). In Hebrew, the word “amen” means truth, or certainty. It is an expression of agreement, affirmation and verbal consent like “it is so” or “so be it.” The people said, “Give us the Word!” and when Ezra gave it to them, they said, “Amen!”

I leave you with a few selected verses from the Word for your meditation:

“Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law (Word)” - Psalm 119:18

“Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” - Psalm 119:105

“Great peace have those who love your law (Word); nothing can make them stumble.” - Psalm 119:16

“Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart.” - Jeremiah 15:16

 “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth.” - Psalm 119:103

 How sweet indeed! No wonder we will never stop saying, “Give us the Word!”