READING THE WORD

“Then he read from it in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate from morning until midday, before the men and women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law" (Neh. 8:3 NKJV).

After the rebuilding of the walls, the people gathered in Jerusalem for a time of Scripture reading. Without having personal copies of the Scriptures like we do today, the people had to rely upon the public reading of the Scripture in order to learn the Word of God. From our verse we want to note the location for the reading, the length of time for the reading, and the listeners of the reading.

Location for the reading – “He read from it in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate.” The location for the reading was in the southeastern part of Jerusalem on a wide street which could accommodate a large crowd. It would do our country a world of good if we at times had the public reading of God’s Word on our streets. Today the streets of our cities are used for all kinds of rallies, but seldom if ever are they used for the reading or preaching of the Word of God.

Length of time for the reading – “From morning until midday.” A great deal of time was involved in reading the Scripture. We would be hard pressed to get folks to listen to the Word of God for that length of time today. Most folk find an hour church service almost too long. However, these same people are often glued to their TV for hours at a time. When folk start reading the Word of God as many hours as they watch TV, there will be a great spiritual revival in our churches.

Listeners of the reading - “The ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.” Here we note the striking feature about the listeners - they were attentive to the Word. They listened with respect and heeded the Word in their conduct. This attention to the Word is confirmed in later verses. Indeed, they were more than listeners; they also lived the Word. They were doers as well as hearers (Jam. 1:22).

(Adapted from Butler Daily Bible Reading)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“Spiritual growth depends on the water of God’s Word and the sunshine of His love!”

Anonymous

Word Study

Dragged

In Acts 17:6 we read, “But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, "These who have turned the world upside down have come here too” (NKJV).

Dragged is the Greek word surō (σύρω = soo'-ro). It means to draw, pull, draw, drag away, lead by force (against the will), it is moving someone or something along by force. Surō may involve the notion of violence. In Classical Greek, surō denotes an effort to draw or drag away someone or something and includes persons crawling and waves or rivers sweeping away objects. In the Septuagint surō carries the idea of drawing or dragging away someone or something. In the New Testament surō also means to drag, draw or swept away.

In Acts 8:3 Saul, the persecutor of the Church, was literally “dragging” men and women to prison for their faith. And here in Acts 17:6 the Jews of Thessalonica could not find Paul, so they “dragged” Jason and his Christian friends to the judge. Metaphorically, surō is used to mean to be dragged or drawn. It is also used in references to taxes to be attached to land.

Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus

Old Testament Prophecy – Messiah would bore the sins of many (Isa. 53:10-12)

New Testament Fulfillment – Mark 10:45

Bible Facts

Pleasure explained (Psalm 36:8). Evolution cannot explain pleasure - even the most complex chemicals do not experience bliss. However, the Bible states that God “gives us richly all things to enjoy” (1 Tim. 6:17). Thus, pleasure is a gift from God

Bible Quiz

What happened when Belshazzar and his guests drank wine from the gold and silver cups taken from the temple of the Jews?

**Answer to last week’s trivia: Under which great Jewish Rabbi did the apostle Paul studied? Gamaliel (Acts 22:3).

That’s in the Bible

"Have your feet on another’s neck”

“So it was, when they brought out those kings to Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said to the captains of the men of war who went with him, come near, put your feet on the necks of these kings. And they drew near and put their feet on their necks” (Josh. 10:24 NKJV).

“Have your feet on another’s neck” - The expression “have your feet on another’s neck” carries the idea of dominion over someone. It was a symbol of victory for the conquerors and of humiliation for the defeated. The lesson to be learned here is clear - the pastor or leader who encourages his people to remain steadfast to the Lord’s commands will help them gain spiritual victories as they daily battle life’s trials and temptations.

Did You Know - Christian History

Theodore H. Epp was born January 27, 1907 in Oraibi, AZ. He was an American Christian clergyman, writer, and a radio evangelist. Epp was the founding director and speaker of the Back to the Bible broadcasts from 1939 – 1985.

Epp was the son of Russian Mennonite immigrants. His parents were missionaries to the Hopi Indians. Epp received a Th.M. degree in 1932 from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, TX.

In April 1939, Epp approached the managers of two Midwest radio stations and boldly stated, “We note that you have everything in your broadcasts that people want except something from the heart.” He then asked for an opportunity to remedy that. Naturally, the managers wondered how the program would be financed. At that time Epp only had $65. He then told the managers that the same Partner who had underwritten his ministry costs for the last 12 years would handle the broadcast expenses. That partner, of course, was God.

Back to the Bible was first aired on May 1, 1939. By the time of Epp’s retirement in 1985, the program had syndicated as a daily, 30-minute program to more than 800 radio stations worldwide. Under his direction, the broadcasts were also noted for music by the Back to the Bible Choir and quartet. Several popular recordings were made by the choir in the 1940s and 1950s. There was also a weekly youth program. Back to the Bible has offices in nine different countries and broadcasts in a number of different languages.

Epp wrote nearly 70 books and magazine articles. Theodore Epp died in 1985 in Lincoln, NE and is buried at Lincoln Memorial Park there. The Back to the Bible program continued under president and Bible teacher Ron Moore, pastor of The Bible Chapel in Pittsburgh. He served as president until February 2018.

A Little Humor

“Quick, Henry,” said Mrs. Green to her husband, “call the doctor. Little Johnny just swallowed a nickel.” To which Henry responded, “I think we ought to send for the minister. He can get money out of anybody.”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“The curse for sin finds its only remedy in the cross of Christ!”