“And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congre3gation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month. And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law. And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they made for the purpose … And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people); and when he opened it all the people stood up: And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, ‘Amen, Amen,’ with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with their faces to the ground” (Nehemiah 8:2-5). “So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading. And Nehemiah … and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, ‘This day is holy unto the LORD your God; mourn not, nor weep.’ For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law” (Nehemiah 8:8-9).
When was the last time you felt this way about the Word of God? When was the last time you felt honored to read words that came directly from the heart of God designed for your life personally? When was the last time you fell on your face after reading the Word of God? When was the last time you stood to your feet in honor of the Word of God? When was the last time you bowed your head after reading something that convicted you? When was the last time bowing your head wasn’t enough to show your humility, and you actually fell flat on your face on the ground before God?
Perhaps we are too spoiled today. We don’t understand the value of the Word of God because we have access to it on every side. We have our own personal copy of it … we have it on our computers … we have a copy that has notes especially designed for us as men / women / teenagers / singles / married … etc. We have the Bible on our phones, or tablets. We are saturated with the Word of God, and yet I’m not so sure it is saturating our hearts! We tend to be Bible Trivia experts, but lack the character to actually apply the truths to our hearts. It is not enough to own a copy of the Bible. It is not enough to know the answers to the Bible questions when asked. It is not enough to even read the Bible! There needs to be a contrite heart in us that we saw in these folks. Thank God for your Bible and obey it today!