I read Nehemiah 8 the other day, and it brought tears to my eyes. Sometimes when I read Scripture my mind is not fully engaged, but this time I was in awe of how God’s Word changes us.
The people of Israel had been in captivity and they’d lost touch with God’s Word. So Ezra did a public reading of the books of Moses and the people stood listening attentively for hours!
The people were so moved that they began weeping.
We don’t know all the reasons for their weeping, but I imagine some had heard about God’s Word from their parents when in captivity, and they were weeping with joy to connect to the faith of their fathers. I suppose others were convicted of their sins and weeping in repentance. And some may have been weeping because they realized how empty their lives had been before understanding the true and living God.
In some ways, that describes how I felt about God’s Word when I became a believer. I was finally understanding the Jesus my mother loved. I was aware of my sins in a new way and grateful to repent and be forgiven. And I was in awe of how the words of the true and living God could change my heart and soul.
Now perhaps you can understand why reading Nehemiah 8 brought tears to my eyes. It wasn’t simply the story of the Israelites. It was my story too.
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If you own Wisdom for Life, you can also read Day 3 for some additional insights about God's Word, specifically the book of Psalms.
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