And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law. (KJV)
Can you imagine standing for hours, other than to get tickets for some event or to cash in on a Black Friday sale? I cannot imagine most of us paying any kind of attention to the books of the law, that is, the first five books of the Old Testament, without getting bored and skipping on to the more exciting parts.
What does it say that the Jews stood from morning until midday and did not just hear, but listened attentively to, the books of the law being read? It suggests only one thing. They believed in God. We may say that we believe in God, attend church, and do various Christian things, but pause for a moment. If we truly believed that there was a God at all and then believed that He had spoken, nothing would be more important to us. Nothing. For many of us, reading the Bible is just one other among a number of good things we try to do. It is on the list along with getting an oil change, having a six month dental check up, and paying our bills on time. Yet if this is our attitude toward the Bible, then we do not truly believe in God.
We are perhaps too enchanted with the advancements of the modern age. Blinded by smart phones, the Internet, and satellite movies, we would do well to be marveled again by God. There is no one and nothing like Him. He alone is omniscient, omnipotent, and worthy to be praised. He alone has spoken to each person on the planet individually and to all of us collectively, and what He has spoken lies between the covers of your Bible.
Lord, forgive my casual attitude toward the precious gift of Your words and at times even toward Your Word made flesh, my Savior, Jesus Christ. Restore to me the wonder and awe of You that our ancestors had. Fill me with delight in all that You have to say. In the name of Christ Jesus I pray. Amen.
Copyright © 2011 by Steven R. Perkins
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