When you come to a service like this or attend a Bible study class, do you just hear what is said or do you listen? Is there a difference?
For most of us listening is our most frequently used communication skill. Listening is a very important part of communication. One study points out that upwards of 70-80% of our time can be consumed with some type of communication. 45% of that time involves listening.
That means that on any given day, we absorb a bunch of words. We listen to opinions from our friends and family. You might watch your favorite television show or listen to a radio talk show host. You might subscribe to a particular podcast. Or listen to audio books. Regardless of the platform, it is likely that you, like most of us, listen to a volume of information from multiple sources.
But what are we really hearing in the middle of all of our listening? God wants us to do more than just hear a collection of words. We are also to hear and internalize His Word. Just like we would record a favorite television show or subscribe to a particular podcast, God wants us to regularly and purposefully hear His Word that is faithfully taught.
Today we are going back to the OT days of Nehemiah to see how the people of that day listened or just heard God's Word. God has brought us here today, not just to hear a sermon, but to listen as God speaks to our heart. Prayer.
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God chose the nation of Israel to be His "set apart" people before all other nations. But the Israelites had an up and down relationship with God through the years. They enjoyed the blessings of obedience and they suffered punishment from their disobedience. When the people of Israel would disobey God, they suffered from invading armies that would come in and take over. That is how the people of Israel ended up in Babylonian captivity. They would hear God's Word, but they would not listen.
So how does God want us to accomplish this listening? First, you might notice that God's people took in His Word with other people. A little background first. The Israelites had been in captivity for 70 years and now they had returned to Jerusalem, and they rebuilt the temple and the city walls around it. When they completed building all of this:
Nehemiah 8:1 – “all the people gathered together at the square in front of the Water Gate. They asked the scribe Ezra to bring the book of the law of Moses that the Lord had given Israel.”
The Israelites were desperate to hear God's Word again. And they were very intentional in putting themselves in a position to listen to it.
We take in volumes of information on a daily basis. Some of that information comes to us by chance and others come to us intentionally. When it comes to God's Word, we need to intentionally read and be taught. The Israelites give us an excellent example in how to put ourselves in a position to hear God's Word. They were intentionally together.
In our American culture, we are more individualistic. Even in the Christian community, it can be over-emphasized the personal aspect of our relationship with
God. That doesn't mean that we Christians don't enjoy or should not cultivate a personal relationship with God. Yes, God saves us individually. And He calls us personally to grow in our faith. But our faith also has a collective aspect to it. We Westerners sometimes miss this. But if we look closely at Nehemiah's words, we see that all of the people gathered together and that they asked the scribe Ezra to bring the law of Moses. Then he goes on to say:
Nehemiah 8:2-3 – “On the first day of the seventh month, the priest Ezra brought the law before the assembly of men, women, and all who could listen with understanding. 3 While he was facing the square in front of the Water Gate, he read out of it from daybreak until noon before the men, the women, and those who could understand. All the people listened attentively to the book of the law.”
And you thought our services sometimes run long. Let me clarify that you and I clearly have a personal responsibility to read God's Word in private devotion. At the same time, the Scriptures point us to a responsibility to meet with other believers to hear God's Word read and taught. As we gather to worship, we should pause for a moment and take in the whole room and the people in it. Then we should thank God for the people we worship with regularly.
So not only are we to take in God's Word with other people, we should plan to hear God's Word on a regular basis. Not just when we feel like it.
Intentionally gathering together to hear God's Word isn't the only lesson we learn from the Israelites. They were intentional in time and place. They gathered together at the square in front of the water gate on the first day of the seventh month from day break until noon. This was not just a random date selected. The 7th month held 3 important days in festivals for them: The Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles.
So the Israelites were listening to God's Word and their renewed passion for His Word reflected this specific time chosen from the Hebrew Scriptures. This was one of the commands that Moses presented to the people in:
Deuteronomy 31:10-11 – “Moses commanded them, “At the end of every seven years, at the appointed time in the year of debt cancellation, during the Festival of Shelters, 11 when all Israel assembles in the presence of the Lord your God at the place he chooses, you are to read this law aloud before all Israel.”
You might wonder why we gather every Sunday. We need to be intentional about gathering together, to hear God’s Word read and be taught. The writer of Hebrews told us not to neglect gathering together. But there is more to it than intentionally gathering on Sundays. The key principle is for us to meet in order to hear God's Word on a regular and systematic basis.
Nehemiah 8:7-8 – “Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah, who were Levites, explained the law to the people as they stood in their places. 8 They read out of the book of the law of God, translating and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was read.”
While the basic truth of God's Word is clear enough that a child can understand it, God has always provided leaders and teachers to help His people understand the whole plan of God. A group of those leaders were Levites in the Old Testament days. So, the word of God was read and explained and its meaning was translated so that the people could understand what they heard. Verse 8 reminds us all that the people listened attentively.
So the Israelites gathered to hear the Levites read from the Bible and translate it so that the people would understand what was being read. Does that sound familiar? This is exactly what we do on a weekly basis here. That is exactly what we're doing right now.
But the congregation also had a responsibility. Did you notice what it was? As they assembled to hear God's word taught, the people listened attentively. Whenever we hear Scripture read and taught, we should do so with our hearts tuned in to truly understand God's Word. So, we come together and combine the responsibilities of both the pastor and the congregation and in that we learn the basic components for a spiritually fruitful assembly of God's people. It is the church leaders’ responsibility to present the Scripture so God's people can understand them. But it is the congregation's responsibility to come with an attentive spirit ready to understand what the leaders teach.
I have to ask, “Why do you come to church? Is it just because it's a weekly ritual for you? Is it because you can't wait to see your friends? Why do you come to church? Do you come expecting to hear and learn something from God's Word?
Do you come with an attentive spirit?”
Psalm 119:18 – “Open my eyes so that I may contemplate wondrous things from
your instruction.”
This should be our innermost prayer as we enter into worship or study. REPEAT.
We aren't necessarily the most efficient listeners. Studies have shown that immediately after listening to a 10 minute oral presentation, the average listener has heard, understood, and retained 50% of what was said. Within 48 hours, that drops off another 50% to a final level of 25% efficiency. That means that we only remember about one fourth of what we hear. There are a few steps that we can take to retain more of God's Word.
- Pray. Ask God to help you see what the text is teaching.
- Open your own Bible. I think that sometimes putting the Scripture on this screen is a hindrance to you using your own Bible. When you open your own Bible, you will learn where to find the text and you'll find it's a great advantage as you interact with the text right in front of you.
- Take good notes. It is a good practice to write things down that God reveals to you as you read and study.
- Immediately talk about it. Whether it's over lunch or over coffee, meet with others for a conversation around the question.: What truth stood out to you most from the sermon? Years ago we had a family that did just that every Sunday.
- Take it with you. Review your notes and add to them during the week as you continue thinking through what God taught you.
I know this sounds like a lot, but it is an excellent way of retaining the lessons that God teaches us from His Word. So, we gather together. We hear God's word read and explained. And then the next step is to do what the Israelite people did after their worship service.
Nehemiah 8:9-12 – “Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to all of them, “This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the law.
********10 Then he said to them, “Go and eat what is rich, drink what is sweet, and send portions to those who have nothing prepared, since today is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, because the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
********11 And the Levites quieted all the people, saying, “Be still, since today is holy. Don’t grieve.” 12 Then all the people began to eat and drink, send portions, and have a great celebration, because they had understood the words that were explained to them.”
We have to remember that the people in Nehemiah's day had rebelled against God in the past. They failed to take God at His Word and had been unfaithful to His commands. But notice the people's response as Ezra and the Levites instructed them.
What was happening is that as the people heard and understood the Scriptures, God's truth confronted the people’s sin. It reminded them of their waywardness and His holiness. And for that reason, the Israelites were sad and grieving over their sin. And yes, that was an appropriate response.
But the leaders immediately pointed the listeners in a different direction. They told them not to mourn or weep or grieve. Why? Because that day was a Holy day of celebration. God was renewing His relationship with His people. Now they could celebrate what God had done for them in the past and what He was now doing in the present. The Israelites could rejoice because God's presence remained with them.
Now you might be thinking the book of Nehemiah and this occurrence took place over 2,400 years ago. What does it have to do with us today? There are definitely lessons that we can learn from this.
Putting yourself in a position to hear God's Word is not an end in and of itself. Simply coming to the church worship service is not the goal. We're called to do more than merely listen. When we truly hear God's Word, it produces a spiritual effect. As we listen and understand God's Word, the Holy Spirit leads us toward a double response: Repentance and celebration.
We should recognize immediately where we don't measure up or how we fail to obey. How many times have you sat in a worship service and heard God's Word confront a very specific sin in your life? As you sat there listening, maybe your heart sank a little or you got a few butterflies in your stomach. You might have even shed a tear. That is God's Word doing its convicting work in your life.
Yes, we should feel sorrowful over our sin. But it's not God's intention to leave us in that state. The gospel is good news and conviction is only half the story. The people in Nehemiah's day were commanded to “go and eat what is rich, drink what is sweet, and send portions to those who have nothing prepared since today is Holy to our Lord.” Today, in our culture, we might be told go to the grocery store and fill your cart with cookies, cakes and chips and get enough to share with your neighbors because this is a celebration.
So we learn from God's Word today that, as we experience His Word and we're convicted of our sin, we should repent and grieve over it where it is appropriate. But we should also thank God for the opportunity to be here and for His grace and forgiveness. And then rejoice and celebrate over what He has done in our life. What have we learned today?
I read this passage and have learned to take in God's Word with other people. I learned that I should plan to hear God's Word on a regular basis—reading my Bible each day, reading a devotional each day, or studying a certain verse or passage. I challenge you to read at least one verse of Scripture each day starting today. Then tell me what happened. I also learn that I should dig a little deeper to try to fully understand what God is telling me through His Word. I have learned that I should put forth some effort and engage God's Word in my life. And then I have learned that I should respond to what I have read and heard.
As we close today, let's celebrate the fact that God has given us this opportunity to join together to more fully understand His Word and how to apply it in our lives. Let's celebrate the mighty God that we serve.
