Long sermons and renewal

We started off this week by mentioning a church service in the eighth chapter of Nehemiah -- one that lasted six hours! The focus of this marathon session was the reading and teaching of the Word of God . . . and it led to a wonderful renewal of the people's faith.
We mentioned Monday that there are times of "falling away," and then times of renewal, and that the times of revival always include a focus on the Word.  The story of Josiah was an interesting one, no? (Unfortunately, the cycle went the other way after Josiah -- but that's a whole 'nother story!)

If you are like me, you remember in school (vaguely, perhaps!) studying the Reformation. Maybe you've discussed it in church groups, too. The Catholic Church had neglected the Word, and priests had become the only people with access to it. Most of them were unsure about its contents. Wycliffe and Tyndale struggled to get the Bible translated into common English. Luther translated the Bible into German. Calvin began to preach sermons which explained the Word to the people of Geneva. It was a time of renewal and revival as people began to read and study the Word of God.

We are going to see the start of spiritual renewal here in Nehemiah 8, too.

All the people came together as one in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the teacher of the Law to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded for Israel. (Nehemiah 8:1)

At the time, this "book" would have been a scroll, and the men mentioned may have helped with supporting it and unrolling it as Ezra read it; the next verses show the attention, the reverence, and the endurance of the people!

So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. 3 He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.4 Ezra the teacher of the Law stood on a high wooden platform built for the occasion. Beside him on his right stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah and Maaseiah; and on his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam.5 Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. (V. 2-5)

The people recognized the fact that God had given this material to Moses, and they knew it was His authoritative Word for them. Copies of the Law of Moses were probably rare after the destruction and bondage that the people had experienced. Many of the Jews may never have heard it read before. It was important to read it. Even in the New Testament, Paul instructs Timothy:

Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. (I Timothy 4:13)

We all know that until the invention of the printing press in the 1400's, the Bible had to be copied by hand. Often there would be only one copy in a church, or even one copy in a city. In addition, people were often illiterate, so the Bible had to be read publicly for the people to know what it says.
God chose to put His message in written form - that means for people to know God and His message, we must read and study the Word.
We live in a culture where almost all of us know how to read. Those who can't read can learn how, with tutors and instruction available. We also have multiple translations of the Bible. Ever looked at the list of possibilities? It looks a bit like alphabet soup, when we see KJV, NASB, NIV, and many, many more! And yet, many Christians spend more time playing video games or watching television shows than they do reading the words that God has given us!

I know that we have talked about this before -- I'd like to challenge all of us to read and reread the Bible all of the days we are here on earth. If we want spiritual renewal; if we want to learn how to serve God, it will come from reading God's Word. Just as an example, in Psalm 119, there are nine mentions of God's Word bringing revival! (Check it out.....Psalm 119: 25,50,93,107,149,154,156.)
For spiritual renewal, God's people must read His Word.