Nehemiah 8:1

Nehemiah 8:1 says, And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel.  All the people gathered in with solemn or sincere attitude to hear the word of God read to them.  We still need to do this, and when we do, we need to be sincere in being there to hear the word of God spoken to us.  I believe if we are gathered with our fellow believers just to be entertained or to socialize, then we are not truly worshipping God. 

Verse two adds, And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month.  Matthew Henry points out that this was the day of the feast of trumpets and was also the day that the altar was set up to offer their burnt offerings after their return from captivity.  Every Sunday should be a glorious day for Christians as we gather to worship God and celebrate the fact that He has brought us to a right relationship with God. 

Verse three continues, 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.  Ezra read for a long time and the people who listened to him began to understand what god's word says. We don't need to be in a hurry when proclaiming God's word or hearing it proclaimed if we expect to understand it.

Verse four states, And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchiah, and Hashum, and Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam.  Ezra was called by God to be a prophet, and we need preachers and teachers who are called by God today.  Ezra stood on a wooden pulpit that had been made for him and had several other men there with him.  Today, when preaching God’s word, the preacher is usually on the pulpit by himself physically, but hopefully he is not alone spiritually.  We need to be with him in our prayers and especially in our spiritual support of him. 

Verse five adds, 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:  When Ezra opened the book of the Law to read it, he did so in the sight of the people, and the people all stood up.  We don’t stand when the scripture is read as much as we used to, but we need to show this same respect for God’s word today.  Also, preachers and teachers need to ensure that people know that what they are teaching comes from God’s word, the Bible. 

Verse six continues, 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.  Ezra then blessed, or I believe praised God.  When we gather to worship God today, we need to make sure that He gets the praise.  It says that Ezra did this because God was a great God, and He still is.  For this reason, we should humble ourselves before God.  The people all said amen, amen, while lifting up their hands and bowing their heads.  Some people are more vocal and demonstrative in worship service than others, but we do have the Biblical example for saying amen and raising up our hands with our heads bowed.  If we do, it must be done to bring honor and glory to God and not because someone else is doing it or to bring attention to ourselves. 

Verse seven says, Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place.  Those who were there with Ezra helped the people understand the law, and the people stood in their place to learn what the word of God said.  It is not enough to just hear God’s word read or to read God’s word.  We must also learn what it means to us in our life.  I may be able to quote a lot of scripture, but if it has no real meaning to me or effect on my life, then it does me no good. 

\Verse eight adds, So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.  Like these men then, when we read the Bible, we need to be made to understand what it means, and if we are teaching it, we certainly need to understand what it says.