5 Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. 6 Ezra praised the LORD, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground. 7 The Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan and Pelaiah—instructed the people in the Law while the people were standing there. 8 They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read.
There is so much to consider in Nehemiah 8. In many ways it teaches us how to worship together corporately…or at least what some of the key elements are of a “worship service.”
Ezra opened the Book. Worship is fed by the Word of God. It is great if you can have a worship service that is energetic, emotionally moving, informative, and creative, but if it is not grounded and tied to God’s truth then it is a waste of time and energy. Jesus emphasized this in John 4 when He said that we must worship God in spirit and truth (4:24). It is truth that sets us free (John 8:32) and sets us apart as God’s people (John 17:17).
Ezra praised the Lord…all the people lifted their hands…bowed down and worshiped the Lord. Ezra did not just speak about God. He knew God. He loved God. And he praised Him. He spoke God’s Word from his heart. The people were also engaged, seeking the Lord through His Word. They responded with both joyful adoration and humble submission. A truly powerful worship service must be led by Spirit-filled people and received by Spirit-filled people.
They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was being taught. The goal is to communicate God’s Word effectively and clearly. If people do not understand, then what is the point? We come together to hear God. If the message is unclear, then the response is confused or contrived. As Paul says in 1 Cor. 14:9, “Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will be just speaking into the air.”
Verses 9-10 are also interesting. After the people hear God’s Word, they start weeping. The implication is that they are convicted by the words and realize that they, as a people, have not been obeying it. Then the leaders intervene and say, “Don’t weep. This is a special day. Today let’s celebrate. Let the joy of the Lord be your strength!” Pretty cool. The weeping is good. It lets us know that we are taking God’s Word seriously. But God doesn’t want us to stay here. God wants to turn our sadness into joy. God’s Word breaks us to remake us. His goal is never to crush us with sorrow or guilt. His goal is to get us to confront sin so that we can experience His joy. Sin is what crushes us not God. Satan is the one who accuses us over and over not God. God’s Word is to be like medicine on a wound. It stings for awhile but heals in the end.
But the medicine must be applied to have any effect. That’s why we need a church committed to teaching and communicating God’s Word effectively and creatively. And we need a church committed to receiving and responding to God’s Word humbly and joyfully. Lord, give us both at Sayre Woods!