Be Still And Know

Nehemiah 8:6 Then Ezra praised the Lord, the great God, and all the people chanted, “Amen! Amen!” as they lifted their hands. Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. The rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem in just 52 days was an amazing achievement. But Nehemiah was quite clear that there was something that was even more important - ensuring that God was at the centre of the city’s life. In this chapter, Ezra the priest addresses all the people, bringing out the book of the Law of Moses. This may refer to the whole of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible) or perhaps just the book of Deuteronomy. What we know for certain is that Ezra read for three hours. This was quite a marathon, but it is recorded that the “people listened closely to the Book of the Law” (v3) We read that Ezra stood above the people and, as he opened the book, the people all stood up and praised God. What an amazing moment that must have been as the people lifted up their hands in worship