Helpful principles in reading Scripture (Neh 8:1-8)

Once I visited a church, where instead of the Bible reading, a re-imagined story of the prodigal son (in this case a prodigal daughter in a modern context) was recounted. The preacher then talked about parenting and the importance of boundaries. Given that the biblical parable is told in the context of God seeking sinners who are lost (Luke 15:1-2), the sermon was a classic example of taking lessons from a passage that the Bible never intended. The saddest part was that no one complained about the lack of Bible reading or thought the interpretation misguided. Many Christians today have lost or never gained the foundational understanding needed for what their faith is about. In the ancient world, the issue was compounded by the scarcity of books and low literacy levels, so that the exiles in Nehemiah’s time were reliant, even more than we are today, on public reading. What then might we learn from their efforts to engage with God’s Word as it was available to them?[1]

Thirsting for God and commitment to listen

First of all, there is a thirst to hear from God because a week after the wall is completed (8 October in our calendar), the people ask Ezra to read the book of the law to them (Neh 8:1-2; probably some parts of the Pentateuch, the first five books of our Bible).  Everyone is gathered at the Water Gate (probably near the Gihon spring, on the eastern side of the wall): men, women and even children old enough to understand. The day (the first of the seventh month) was a feast day and one of rest, when a trumpet was blown (Lev 23:23-25) and the people here use it to seek God. Their commitment is praiseworthy, as they listen from early morning (Hebrew reads ‘from daylight’) to midday, about six hours. Temperatures in Jerusalem are on average in the mid-twenties (Celcius) in October, though the early part of the mornings are cooler. Even so, it is a long time to stay focused and listen.

Sitting under Scripture

Secondly, the people’s reverence towards God’s Word is evident (standing up for the reading, affirmation of Ezra’s benediction with the double ‘Amen’ and worship; Neh 8:5-6). In most churches the Bible is no longer brought in with a great procession at the start of the service, yet what really matters is that we recognise God’s Word as front and centre in our lives. This also means an attitude of submission to what it says. In the West today, authority is frequently questioned, so that many come to the Bible standing over it and critiquing its commands or ethics from the vantage point of modern cultural values. Sometimes, it is also suspected that its writers were serving the interest of their power group. However, if we believe that the Bible is God’s Word, then we sit under it and let it search our hearts. There may be times when we do not understand it and application is difficult (e.g. the intermarriage crisis in Ezra 9-10), but the answer is not to dismiss Scripture as if we stood above it.

The overarching story, communal reading and understanding

Finally, details of the session in our reading are worth considering. The length of time spent on this activity suggests that large chunks were read, giving the flow of the overarching story. Today, long commutes present an opportunity to listen to an audio Bible for an extended period.[2] Alternatively, one-year Bible reading plans focus on flow rather than detail (this article gives pointers when choosing one). Importantly, the reading is not endless words washing over the people until they sit glassy-eyed but is interspersed with time when the Levites explain the sense, possibly by circulating among the people (Neh 8:7-8).[3] All this is done in community, which helps those who are without the skills or background to interpret passages. Then as now, the ultimate goal in meeting as a group and discussing Scripture is to learn what it means and understand how it applies to our lives.

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[1] The Old Testament, as we now know it, was not available to Jews in Nehemiah’s time. Some books have not been completed yet (e.g. Nehemiah) and the process known as canonisation (when the people of God recognised the authority of these books as inspired by God and therefore Scripture) was at the early stages. It would also have been cumbersome to carry an OT, even if it existed in its entirety because ‘books’ were written on scrolls (sometimes more than one if the book was long), so the ease of a pocket Bible edition or having it on our phones was unknown at this time.

[2] E.g. Biblegateway has audio Bibles in various translations.

[3] H.G.M. Williamson speculates that the Levites must have moved about because the passage mentions that the people remained in their place (v.7). Ezra, Nehemiah, WBC 16 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1985), 290.

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