God's people are meant to be a people of the Book.
That does not merely mean we all have Bibles or always carry Bibles with us.
It means that our entire person – mind, heart and will – is intended to be contentedly captive to God's Word.
"… and the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law," Nehemiah 8:3 (ESV).
The Old Testament book of Nehemiah shows us the power of God's Word to shape lives of true worship; music, giving, prayer, and service all are influenced by the proper reading, teaching, and preaching of the Scriptures.
As Nehemiah led God's people in rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem, he knew that a far greater reconstruction involved the people reengaging God's Word with contrite, teachable, and responsive hearts. Only when the authority of God's Word was respected and obeyed could His people live rightly before Him.
"(The Levites) read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading," Nehemiah 8:8 (ESV).
This Sunday, Dave Kolde will preach from Nehemiah 8, "Bring Out the Book." We'll also remember the love of our Savior Jesus, the incarnate Word, as we observe the Lord's Supper together. |
