OUR VIEW OF THE SCRIPTURES

Neh. 8:5  Ezra stood on the platform in full view of all the people.  When they saw him open the book, they all rose to their feet.

       I have always been blessed by this verse of Scripture.  The people who gathered around Ezra had a high regard for the Scriptures.  They understood that this book was no ordinary book; it was God’s instruction manual for life.  They understood that the Scriptures were God-given and God-spoken.  What they were about to hear was from God.

      The people did not need to be prompted to stand.  They stood on their own as soon as they saw Ezra open the book.  I have been in many worship services over the years when the person reading the Word asked the people to stand.  For me, it showed a true respect for the Word and its author.  There is a reason why we call our Bibles holy.  It is no ordinary book; it is God speaking to us.

       It should concern us how we treat God’s Word.  Do we show respect for it?  Do we treat it like it is the valuable resource it is to us?  Many of us scarcely open it up outside of church services, let alone meditate on its truths and endeavor to live by them.  Most of us have never read through our Bible from beginning to end.  Most of us do not have a workable knowledge of it.  Many of us think very little about it on our own.  In fact, for many, when the Word is read and proclaimed, it is shut out.

      How we view the Scriptures is directly related to how we view God.  If God is important to us and we value who He is, then we will have a high regard for His Word.  We will not question its authenticity over us.  We will seek to know what God says to us.  We will want to be into our Bibles so that we can know God better.  We will seek to learn what is on His heart and mind.  We will have such a high regard for what God has to say that we too will willingly want to stand whenever it is opened and read to us.  The wellness of our souls is directly related to the amount of time we spend alone with God in His Word.