And all the people were gathered together as one man in the square that is before the gate of the Waters, and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which Jehovah had given to Israel. And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation, both men and women and all who could understand, on the first day of the seventh month. And he read in the book in front of the square that is in front of the gate of the Waters, from dawn to noon, in the presence of men and women and all who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law. And the scribe Ezra was on a wooden pulpit that they had made for it, and next to him were Mattathias, Shema, Anias, Uriah, Hilkiah and Maasiah at his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaías, Misael, Malquías, Hasum, Hasbadana, Zacarías and Mesulam. So Ezra opened the book to the eyes of all the people, because he was higher than all the people; and when he opened it, the whole town was attentive. Ezra then blessed Jehovah, the great God. And all the people answered: Amen! Amen! raising their hands; and they humbled themselves and worshiped Jehovah bowed to the ground. And the Levites Jesúa, Bani, Serebías, Jamín, Acub, Sabetai, Hodías, Maasías, Kelita, Azarías, Jozabed, Hanán and Pelaía, made the people understand the law; and the people were attentive instead. And they read in the book of the law of God clearly, and they put the sense, so that they understood the reading. And Nehemiah the governor, and the priest Ezra, the scribe, and the Levites who made the people understand, said to all the people: Holy day is to Jehovah our God; do not be sad, nor weep; because all the people wept hearing the words of the law.
Then he said to them, "Go eat some fat and drink sweet wine, and send portions to those who have nothing prepared; because holy day is to our Lord; do not be sad, for the joy of Jehovah is your strength. The Levites, therefore, silenced all the people, saying: Be silent, for it is a holy day, and do not be sad. And all the people went to eat and drink, and to give away portions, and to enjoy great joy, because they had understood the words that they had been taught. The next day the heads of the families of all the people, priests and Levites, gathered to Ezra the scribe, to understand the words of the law. And they found written in the law that Jehovah had commanded by the hand of Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in tabernacles at the solemn feast of the seventh month; and that they make known, and pass proclamation through all their cities and through Jerusalem, saying: Go out to the mountain, and bring olive branches, wild olive trees, bayberry, palm trees and every leafy tree, to make tabernacles, as it is written . So the people went out, and they brought branches and made tabernacles, each on his terrace, in his courtyards, in the courtyards of the house of God, in the square of the Puerta de las Aguas, and in the plaza of the Puerta of Ephraim. And all the congregation that returned from captivity made tabernacles, and lived in tabernacles; for from the days of Joshua the son of Nun until that day, the children of Israel had not done so. And there was great joy. And Ezra read in the book of the law of God every day, from the first day to the last; and they made the solemn feast for seven days, and the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according to the rite.
Nehemiah 8: 1-18
How is it that two people can sit on the same church bench, listen to the same sermon on the same portion of Holy Scripture, and leave with two different answers? One is joyous, and the other is untouched. I think the reason is that some people don't know how to listen to the Word of God.
Nehemiah 8 is a wonderful scene of God's people gathering to hear his Word. Remember that they did not have personal copies of the Holy Scriptures to read. For generations, the facts from Genesis to Deuteronomy were passed down orally from father to son. Furthermore, the village had been in captivity for many years. This was the first time that most of them heard the Word read. Imagine your emotion as you listen carefully to what the Lord was saying to you.
The Israelites were hungry for the Word of God. And you? Do you listen with interest and with an expectant mind and heart? The length of a person's attention span is directly related to the intensity of their hunger for something. If you are eager to know more about God, then your mind will be fixed on what He is saying to you through your pastor or your personal reading. The truth is that nothing in the world is as important as what the Lord says.
There are many things that cry out for our attention, but few really deserve it. The Lord is worthy of nothing less than our full attention. He wants to say something to each person. So anyone who hears the Word of God with an open heart and mind will receive from Him.
