Nehemiah 8

So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading.

(Neh 8:8)

I love this verse. In the context we have Ezra the priest sharing God’s word with all of the people who have returned to rebuild Jerusalem. In it, we see a perfect example of what the teaching of God’s Word should be all about.

1. They read DISTINCTLY from the book – The word distinctly means that the reading of the word was in a CLEAR and PURPOSEFUL manner. These were not vague references toward the scripture, but the word was the FOUNDATION of the time they spent together that day. It was presented clearly, in a way that all men could understand.
2. In the LAW of GOD – This was not just a good book, a history book, or even a how-to book. To them, it was the WORD OF GOD. This means that they took it seriously… I think this is lacking in a lot of Christians lives today, we say we believe the Bible is God’s Word, but we don’t really it treat it as such.
3. They gave the SENSE – Not just mere intelligence, but they pulled out the God-given meaning behind what was being said… they had insight into the scriptures and unfolded it to the people. In other words, they didn’t just HEAR God’s word; Ezra helped them to truly UNDERSTAND it.
4. They helped them to understand the reading – This may seem redundant, but it really isn’t. The idea is that they helped the people to see how these things that were being shared applied to their lives.

When Hector and I teach you, this is the pattern we try and follow. To honor God’s word, to make it come through loud and clear, to help you truly understand it, and then to apply it your life. In the same way, this is how you should come to the word of God each day. The Holy Spirit is your teacher, ask him to help make the text clear to you, to help you understand the principles, and then enable you to apply it to your life.