The Word & Worship!
"And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people . . ..
And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. Then all the people
answered, “Amen, Amen!” while lifting up their hands. And they
bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to
the ground."
Nehemiah 8: 5-6
Lots of events in life give rise to celebrations;
few give rise to worship; even fewer produce
worship accompanied by tears.
One occasion of the latter occurred when Ezra read the law to
the assembled Jews in Jerusalem: “For all the people wept,
when they heard the words of the Law” (Nehemiah 8:9).
Why did they worship and weep when Ezra read the law to them?
Because they all were reminded of the grace of God. The law had
promised them blessings for obedience, captivity for
disobedience,
and restoration for repentance.
And they had seen it all play out in their lives. They were back in
Judea, forgiven and restored, just as God had promised. As Ezra
read the promises of God to them, they were motivated to
walk
humbly with God going forward.
Those Jews were not the only ones to whom God gave
“great and precious promises” (2 Peter 1:4). Let us marvel
with gratitude at God’s faithfulness revealed in His
Word.
"The Word of God is perfect: it is
precious and pure; it is truth itself."
Martin Luther
