Reading Alone
I ran my hand across the leather cover of my study Bible and thought, "I have no idea what I just read." If reading an expensive Bible in my seminary dorm room wasn't enough to grow closer to God, then what could I do? I also felt a little angry at God. Why had he made it so hard to understand?
Nehemiah 7:73b-8:12
When the seventh month came, once the Israelites had settled in their towns, all the people gathered as one at the open square facing the Water Gate. They called on Ezra the scribe to bring out the scroll of Moses' law, which the LORD had commanded Israel to keep. So Ezra the priest brought out the law before the gathered assembly: the men, the women, and everyone able to understand what they were hearing. This was on the first of the seventh month. Facing the square by the Water Gate, he read aloud from it, from daybreak until noon, to the men, the women, and all who could understand. They listened closely to the scroll of the law. Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform built for the occasion. At his right hand stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah; at his left, Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam. Ezra opened the scroll where everyone could see it, for he stood above them all. As he opened it, the whole crowd rose to their feet. Then Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God; and all the people, with their hands lifted high, answered, "Amen! Amen!" Then they knelt and pressed their faces to the ground in worship before the LORD. The Levites Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah helped the people understand the law while everyone kept their place. They read aloud from the scroll, from the law of God, making it plain and giving its meaning, so the people understood what was read. Then Nehemiah the governor, with Ezra the priest and scribe and the Levites who were teaching them, said to them all: "Today is holy to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep." For the people were all in tears as they listened to the words of the law. He said to them, "Go, eat rich food and drink something sweet, and send a share to anyone who has nothing ready. Today is holy to our Lord. Do not be downcast, for the joy of the LORD is your stronghold." So the Levites quieted everyone. "Be still," they said, "for this day is holy. Do not be downcast." So the people all left to eat and to drink, to send out portions of food, and to hold a great celebration, because now they understood the words made known to them.
After fifty-two days of urgently working together, the people had rebuilt Jerusalem's walls. The Biblical scholar Hannah Harrington puts the date at October 8, 445 B.C. It's now Tishri, the hinge of the agricultural year, after the grapes and olives are harvested, but before the fields need to be planted in anticipation of the winter rains. Even as they're starting to feel more secure, they're still hungry for God. Since they didn't have a Bible app on their phones, they couldn't read it alone. Instead of struggling to make sense of a scroll, a group of farmers, shepherds, stonecutters, and potters gathered together so Ezra and the Levites could explain it to them. God gave them trusted teachers so they understood it and loving families and friends so they knew how to live it. God's words gathered them together, giving them a shared identity as his people. I've often dutifully completed my Bible reading plan for the day without the slightest emotional response. But at the Festival of Trumpets, a wooden platform is constructed to elevate the scroll so everyone can see it. They start with worship, raising their hands high, then pressing their noses into the ground. Ezra and a team of teachers have selected what to read from the scroll, then work hard to make its meaning clear to anyone who can understand it. They aren't completing a task but solemnly coming before God. As the day progresses, their weeping is a sign of wholehearted repentance. So their leaders comfort them: this is a holy day. God is pleased with you, so there's no need to keep mourning. The people take their leaders' encouragement to heart and start to rejoice. It's a feast day, with the first press of olive oil, the sweetness of new wine, and plenty to share with the poor. The city fills with the scent of fresh baked bread and the laughter of friends at a feast. Nearly five centuries later, on the desert road that runs down from Jerusalem to Gaza, a court official from Ethiopia rides home in his chariot. He's just worshiped at the temple and is now reading a scroll of Isaiah aloud by himself. But the words don't make sense to him. So the Holy Spirit sends Philip to go to him. The man invites Philip into his chariot, reads out loud the passage he's puzzling over, and asks for an explanation. Philip tells him about Jesus, and the man asks to get baptized. Immediately, the Spirit carries Philip away to preach the gospel elsewhere, and the man continues down the road, rejoicing in what God has done for him.
The day moves from anticipation to worship to weeping to feasting. What does this show us about encountering God?
What does it tell us about God that he keeps sending people to explain the Scriptures?
Have you ever felt angry at God because the Scriptures were too difficult to understand?
Who helps you understand and apply the Scriptures? Reach out to this person and thank them for helping you to encounter God.