The Word Of God And The Worship Of Men

Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the sons of Israel assembled with fasting, in sackcloth and with dirt upon them. The descendants of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners, and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. While they stood in their place, they read from the book of the law of the Lord their God for a fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshiped the Lord their God… Now because of all this we are making an agreement in writing; And on the sealed document are the names of our leaders, our Levites and our priests. (Nehemiah 9:1-4,38)

Nehemiah and his people got real with the reality of God. They come into His presence…and the cost of admission is high. They have been humbled from their high place by other nations and they have come to the place when they realize that without the presence of God in their lives, they are living lives far below God’s good design as His people. They have come face to face with their sin. Their family lives and social lives have been radically altered as they have turned away from their idolatrous influences and ungodly relationships to encounter a right relationship with the Lord. This is a lesson for God’s people for all times. Are we seriously seeking the presence of the Lord while clinging to things that offend His holiness? Are we willing to pay the cost of change? Abandonment of things that do not please God? The only way to get right with God is to confess the wrong, agree with His assessment and change according to His standard, adhering to His word and dependent upon His help. God will not be satisfied with a pretense of holiness. He wants to be worshipped by people who really know His nature. He has revealed Himself to His people. And His people soon forget Him. So as these exiles are seeking to restore the place of worship, the place of worship is restored first within them. They confess their sin, the sin of their generations, the iniquities of their fathers. Sin does not go away. It will continue its destructive advance throughout the generations until a nation of people is hardly recognizable. Then one generation stands up…and bows low. They get serious with the seriousness of faith. They make a commitment here and write it down. This is what God has done in His word. He has revealed Himself to a group of people in one certain time…and wrote it down for all time. The people of Nehemiah’s day discovered the way back to God’s heart.  It is found in His Word.  It is written.  Serious worship is the way.  The Word and Worship shows us the Way.  Are you worshipping Him when you read His word?