“1 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.” NIV

‘’They told Ezra…to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses…’’

‘About a week after the wall was finished, all the people assembled in Jerusalem. The physical restoration of the city’s defences had been completed; now the time had come to focus on the spiritual restoration of the people.’ Tom Hale: ‘Applied OT Commentary, p.761.

God’s Word lay at the centre of this renewal.

I have set myself to not only read Nehemiah, but pray through the book. It’s not always easy to turn what you’re reading into prayer, but I have found it a powerful thing to do, and it is also an aid to meditation. I believe it helps to get the Word of God into your heart – and that’s where you want it, as a safeguard against sin (Ps.119:11).

As I read this verse, it prompted me to pray, with some conviction, for spiritual hunger among us. Here the people were asking for God’s Word (‘’…which the LORD had commanded for Israel’’). I think the implication is that they both wanted to hear and do what God said.

How much do you want God’s Book? How keen are you to hear it, read it, study it, and live under its authority?

The psalmist wrote: ‘’Oh how I love your law!’’ (Psalm 119:97). A practical implication of such love has already been stated in verse 16: ‘’I delight in your decrees: I will not neglect your word.’’

PRAYER: Lord, please forgive us for any complacency, or lukewarmness towards your Word. May we love it as we should, and give our attention to it in order to obey it.