206: Gary Cousens - Inspirational Reading

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

1. 0:13

   Welcome to Good Burger selfie and talks. I’m Levi and I’m Chris and I’m Brian, thank you for joining us this week. On this podcast, we select one taco week to help us get the Bible in our daily news feed. We post a new episode of the start of each week with a short intro before. Hand to kind of set the stage for the talk. You’re about to listen to and now let’s talk more about this week’s talk.

2. 0:50

   Hello everyone. My name is Mike Livermore. I’m a disciple of Christ from the state of Michigan and I’m here with another talk from the Midwest Bible School. Our Yesterday comes from the Midwest, Bible School in the year. 2018, one of the speakers this year was Gary cousins from Ontario. And this talk was the afternoon address on the first Sunday of the school.

3. 1:13

   And the subject of this talk was a premise that I had never considered it was so humbling and years later, I frequently come back to our remembrance of this class when I found myself getting a bit apathetic and neglecting the topic of this class. Gas, which was to consider how well we read the Bible and the whole premise Gary begins with as how, you know, as Believers of Christ.

4. 1:40

   You know, we describe ourselves as Bible students, reading the Bible is Central to our faith. You know, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. And so we place reading as this Central pillar of who we are, as Believers as people of Faith as Bible students, but yet we really neglect public.

5. 2:00

   Eating and reading and groups. We just kind of thing would be just kind of do to get done to get to the next thing. Anybody can read you have children reading, we develop our public speaking skills and our music skills are praised talents but yet we don’t develop reading. We just kind of neglect it and it’s just something we do at the beginning to get it done. And this whole class challenge that that practice and made me think you’re in a very humbling way. Like this, this needs to be a resource. We should focus more.

6. 2:29

   More on reading. And so Gary, I think it’s up to class up so well very humbling and Luke chapter 4, when Jesus in the synagogue shows up and reads the Old Testament in the synagogue’s hearing and the response of the crowd after a reading. Was this that all Who Bore witness marveled at the gracious Words which proceeded out of his mouth that’s after a reading like how often again is reading Just, you do it and you forget about it.

7. 3:02

   But these people marveled at the reading by Jesus and the central part of the class really comes from Nehemiah chapter 8, and all of the various practical, takeaways from when Ezra read the law, and that chapter. And I’ll just highlight one one. Less that really struck me from this chapter, we’re right before the reading as your opens, the book in verse 5, the reading takes begins in verses 7 and 8. But in verse 6 right before Or that the people answer. Amen, amen.

8. 3:33

   While lifting up their hands, they bow their heads and they worship, right? As the book of the law was about, to be Reds, is an interesting example of where reading is a form of worship that just as they would have done the same thing for for praise music for a prayer, the lifting up of their hands. They did it for a reading and why do we neglect readings where?

9. 3:56

   It’s just the first thing we do when we get it done to get to the I asked or whatever reading could be a form of worship if we treated it as such and then in the final third of the class, Gary kind of brings all of the lessons and all of the points from DMI and other scriptural examples.

10. 4:12

    He has this whole a very helpful take away action item list and the whole final third of the class is really practical discussion on how his family’s individuals in the cleavages. We can make reading more powerful. It’s got a couple of really interesting examples, one of, when he’s at the somerville’s house, many years ago.

11. 4:30

    Gary also has an example from a work conference. He attended where there were professional teachers for how to read effectively. And he has some lessons from that and around the 40-minute Mark I think was the real highlight of the class for me. Where Gary has this whole slide of what ifs, we ask questions about could be try some out of the box ideas, can we get more creative and introduce some things are the readings to kind of break the monotony and make them more effective? And the one that I think is so spot-on, was how he says, why don’t we just have a very brief one sentence introduction? But for every reading an introductions, like that can be so powerful in this year at bible school in 2022. Gary’s son been cousins.

12. 5:17

    He did this for one of the readings from Samuel and it totally set up the whole chapter in my mind. And I really helped me get more out of the chapter. So I just love that idea. This class you might think What is this class is a class about Bible reading. If this sounds pretty dull but trust me, this class will make you rethink the whole premise of how we treat readings.

13. 5:41

    It’ll make you value them more. You’ll think of some any ideas of ways to improve its a whole class on changing how we think about readings to really value them as a resource and not just as something that you just kind of do and throw them away and move on, it was a real wake-up call of a class.

14. 6:00

    When they often go back to in my mind, when I get a little apathetic about Bible reading. So let’s turn it over. Now to gear you for this class on inspirational reading. Well good afternoon, friends and young people and Brethren and sisters. As you know this week we’re going to be considering the book of Nehemiah and so when they asked me to do an introductory address, I thought what better consideration than to look at Nehemiah.

15. 6:30

    Great. And since we’re going to be reading the word of God throughout the week, talk about how we actually do that and how we read the word and what we portray by reading the word of God. You know, we claim to be a people of the book and I think rightly so we have a tradition that goes back over 100 Years of reading the Bible within our community every day.

16. 6:58

    We read the bible, let our Sunday morning Memorial Services. Routinely we read do public reading of the Bible at most of our addresses, whether it be Bible class or lectures or whatever. But sometimes our public reading becomes more of a tradition and more of a custom. Perhaps than the experience. That scripture says, the reading the public reading of the word is meant to be the public. Reading of the word is meant to be. The focal, point is meant to be inspirational. It’s meant to capture the emotions of what the inspired word is meant to portray.

17. 7:41

    And when you think of us as a community, we don’t really spend a lot of time. Do we training and developing public readers of the word of God?

18. 7:55

    you know, anyone can read But we elect preside, errs, exhort errs and lecturers, are either elected or chosen by the ABS. We appoint a sunday-school superintendent, we do all of that, but anyone could read And what does that say?

19. 8:17

    What does that imply? We don’t as a community, provide really any guidelines. We don’t provide any practice or training for those who publicly read the word of God. And we really have very few if any expectations for those that are publicly reading the word of God and yet a proper and an appropriate reading of the word can make it live.

20. 8:49

    It can appeal to our emotions and can be inspirational and it can be an impetus for change in the lives of the listeners. If it’s done. Well, I’d like to share with you a quotation from. This is actually from the Bozeman Bible School a few years ago that we were at and brother Terry Houghton was giving an evening program and he this is a quote from his evening program. It says is it a privilege that we have this book? It is a privilege that we can read from it. We are the medium by which God’s word is communicated without us to lift the words off the page.

21. 9:28

    The Bible would be just like any other book. Sits on our bookshelf at home. We need to lift the words off the page. He said and make them live. We need to lift the words off the page and make them live. I’d like to suggest that that become our challenge for this week at bible school. This week at bible school, I’d like to suggest that we focus on how we read the word.

22. 9:58

    Challenge ourselves. When we read the word publicly to as brother, Terry says, to lift those words off the page and to make them live. And I believe that Nehemiah chapter 8 teaches us how to do that.

23. 10:13

    I’d actually like to begin turn if you will back to Deuteronomy chapter 17. Deuteronomy chapter 17 talks about the reading of a king Deuteronomy chapter 17 will all be familiar with this passage. It says there in verse 18, it says and it shall be when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom that he shall write him a copy of this law.

24. 10:38

    So when a king sits on the throne, what’s he to do? One of the first things is Write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests and the Levites. Verse 19 and it shall be with him and he shall read therein all the days of his life every single day, he’s to read from that book. And why what’s the purpose in his reading that he may learn to fear the lord, his God to keep all the words of this law and these statutes and to do them In order that his heart be not lifted up above his Brethren, that he turned, not aside from the commitment to the right hand, or to the left. And to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he his chin and his children in the midst of Israel. And so the King was to do three things. Wasn’t he He was to write him a copy of the book. He was to read that book every day and what’s the third thing? This is the thing that we often miss the third thing is that that book was to be with him.

25. 11:48

    He was to keep it by his side day by day. There was to be a copy of the word. He was to write it out. He was to keep it with him and he was to read it every day and that would be his guide for life. Not him personally in his family, not just for him personally and his family, but for the nation, What other book can have that profound effect?

26. 12:14

    Upon the character of a king. Deuteronomy chapter 31. It wasn’t just the king, That was supposed to read the book of the law. And Deuteronomy chapter 1, verse Terry’s. Chapter 31 here we have Moses. Instructing the people Deuteronomy chapter 31, and verse 10 says, and Moses commanded them saying, and here’s the Commandment of Moses. Every seven years.

27. 12:45

    What were they to do verse 11, when all Israel is come to appear before the Lord thy God in the place, which he shall choose. Thou shalt read. Thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing. And who was there gather? The people together, men, women children and strangers, everyone that’s within your Gates, that may hear. And that may learn.

28. 13:18

    And that may fear the lord, your God and observe to do all the words of this law. And so every seven years is the Gathering of the whole nation and the whole nation together. Read the word of God. They all didn’t have their own personal copies, did they? There was probably only a few copies and so every seven years they would gather together as a nation and they would read the word of God and that practice was to spend generation after generation after generation.

29. 13:52

    But it was important. Turn if you will to 2nd Kings chapter 22 and second Kings, chapter 22 is pertinent. I believe to the book of Nehemiah and Nehemiah is institution here in Nehemiah chapter, 8 of the reading of the word, 2nd Kings chapter 22 verse 1. We have the record their of Josiah right.

30. 14:19

    Josiah was eight years old when he began to Reign so it’s the record of Josiah. Verse 8, it says, and hilkiah the high priest said unto Chafin, the Scribe I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord and hilkiah gave the book to Chafin and he read it. Skip down to verse 10 and Chafin. The Scribe showed the Kings saying hilkiah, the priests have delivered me a book And Shaffer it. Read it before the king.

31. 14:51

    And it came to pass when the king had heard the words of the book of the law that he rent his clothes. The book of the law had been lost. It have been shelved. It had been put away.

32. 15:11

    And now it had been rediscovered. So now, what is Josiah supposed to do is rediscovered? This book of the law, what does he do? Turn over to Second Kings, chapter 23, here we see what Josiah decides to do. It says verse 1 and the King sent and they gathered unto him, all the Elders of Judah and of Jerusalem. And the King went up into the house of the Lord and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the people both small and great similar to what we just Right in Deuteronomy 31, isn’t it?

33. 15:45

    He gathers, all the people together both small and great prophets. Priests, gathers them all together and then what does he do to see appoint, somebody to read the book in front of all, the people know who reads the book verse 1, or sorry in verse 2 and he that is Josiah read in the ears, all the words of the book of the Covenant, which was found in the house of the Lord and so Josiah gathers them all together and Josiah stands up and reads the book.

34. 16:13

    Book of the law as the king. And not only does he read the book in verse 2? What happens in verse 3 and the King stood by a pillar and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord, and to keep his Commandments. And his testimonies and his statutes, with all their heart, and all their soul, to perform the words of this Covenant that were written in this book and all the people stood to the Covenant, Well, what did Nehemiah do?

35. 16:47

    Nehemiah had Ezra the Scribe, read the book of the law and then what it is or what did Nehemiah do to follow that up? He follows the pattern of Josiah doesn’t, it doesn’t he in chapter 9 and in chapter 10? All the people in nehemiah’s, day, stood to a covenant and they made a covenant and they sealed. The Covenant before their God Nehemiah was following the pattern of Josiah here in second Kings. Chapter 23.

36. 17:17

    Let’s look at our master in, Luke chapter 4. Here we have the Lord Jesus Christ himself. In Luke chapter 4 coming into the synagogue, verse 16 and he came to Nazareth where he had been brought up. And as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up for to read.

37. 17:44

    And so that was a custom in the first century. Wasn’t it that they went into the synagogue and they read and Christ. Endorse has that custom of reading the law. There was delivered unto him, the book of the prophet Isaiah, and when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written.

38. 18:04

    The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted to preach Deliverance, to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind to set at Liberty, them that were bruised to preach the acceptable year of the Lord, and then he closed the book. And he gives it back to the minister and sits down. The eyes of all of them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him and he began to say unto them. This day is the scripture fulfilled in your ears and all bear him.

39. 18:40

    Witness and wondered at the gracious Words, which proceeded out of his mouth, How do you think the master read this passage? Do you think he practiced it? He probably had it memorized. Do you think he read it with emotion and with emphasis? Absolutely? He read it with feeling and passion in so much that without explanation. There was no doubt who that passage was referring to and the people were able to connect the works that they had witnessed to the passage that he had read, which demonstrates his sincerity and his integrity That’s how the word is to be read. Turn if you will.

40. 19:36

    One more passage actually going to look at two more passages before we go to need my eight Acts chapter 13. Acts chapter 13. I have acts 15 verse 21 at the top of the screen there, that’s just establishes. Or reinforces the custom. That was adopted of reading, the word of God, but if you go to Acts chapter 13 here we have the example of Paul. Acts chapter 13 and verse 14 says, but when they departed from purga, they came to Antioch in pisidia and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down. And after the reading of the law and the prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them saying, amen, and brother. And if you have any word of exhortation for the people say on.

41. 20:20

    So here’s Paul similar to the master attending the synagogue and they’re doing the reading right there. Reading the law in the synagogue. So here, it’s endorsed by Paul and Paul’s invited to say a few words, Something peculiar Paul says here in his speech. notice when the master read, that he establishes a pattern that those who were able to read were also able to provide exposition Paul was one of those here as well. Right after the reading was done, he was able to provide exposition Look at verse 27.

42. 21:13

    This is what happens when those who read don’t are not able to provide Exposition verse 27 for they that dwell at Jerusalem and their rulers because they knew him not nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every Sabbath day. They have fulfilled them. In condemning him.

43. 21:41

    Sometimes we’re like that, aren’t we? They were there when the scriptures were read, they were probably very faithful attenders to the synagogue every week to read the word of the law. They heard every word. but if you ever finished a reading, And not being able to remember what you read. That’s the situation here.

44. 22:12

    Not only could they not remember, they didn’t want to remember, did they And so we’re not paying attention to the reading and the exposition they were actually fulfilling scripture. We don’t really want to be in that situation. What we want to do is in 1st Timothy chapter 4, if you turn the first Timothy chapter 4, final passage before we go to Nehemiah chapter 8, First Timothy 4:13, very simple phrase.

45. 22:47

    It says till I come give attendance to reading till I come give attendance to reading. So in the English that would simply mean, make sure that you’re there, make sure Sure, that you’re filling a seat. That’s what we would Define attendance is, but when we go to the Greek, the Greek means to hold the Mind towards to pay attention to, to be cautious about to apply yourself one too. And so, when the word of God is read till the Lord, Jesus Christ, comes, we are to elevate our minds in the reading of the word and in the giving of exhortation, and in the discussion and the presentations of Doctrine, it’s lifting up our minds to a higher level.

46. 23:31

    That’s what that word attendance means. We should never read the word of God and not be able to remember what we’ve read. We have a great example. Don’t we in Nehemiah chapter 8 of how to read with emotion. So, let’s go to Nehemiah chapter 8 and begin there in verse 1. Nehemiah chapter 8 and verse 1. It says, and all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street, that was before the water gate. Now notice what it says there, it says they’re all the people gathered themselves together.

47. 24:18

    This was not an Edict of Nehemiah. It was not an Edict of Ezra, it’s all the people Gathering themselves together, it’s them themselves. Being self-motivated self-directed To gather together and they probably went to Ezra Nehemiah and said this is what we want to do. It’s initiated by the Ecclesia. They voluntarily gathered for a reading of the word of God.

48. 24:50

    And so they were prepared to receive the reading and they were willing to be changed by it. And notice there. It says they gathered together as one man. They gathered together as one man which speaks to their their Unity of mind.

49. 25:12

    There was a common understanding and there was a common receptivity to the word amongst them. And that’s a challenge for us and ecclesial life, isn’t it? Ideally that’s what occlusal life is all about, common understanding, common receptivity to the word of God and the two of those working together to direct the Ecclesia.

50. 25:34

    Right? That’s that’s what ecclesial life is all about. Achieving a state of Oneness of mind. And that’s a challenge for us because the Ecclesia is made up of many different personalities and personality types. And we’ve got to come together as in a collision. We’ve got to work together to develop that Oneness, that Unity of mind.

51. 25:56

    So that when we read the word of God, we’re reading, it is one and that’s a tough thing. In a collision. It’s Ezra that stands up and does the reading. And notice here, when we read these two verses in Nehemiah chapter 8 that Ezra is given two titles in verse 1. It says, and they spake unto Ezra, The Scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses which the Lord had commanded Israel verse 2 and Ezra. The priest brought the law before the congregation, both of men and women.

52. 26:40

    And so Ezra here is given two titles. He’s given the title of Scribe. And he’s given a title of a priest. Why. So, The title of the Scribe speaks to the preparation that went into the reading of the word of God, and the title of priest speaks to the message that was delivered turn.

53. 27:09

    If you will to Ezra chapter 7 and Ezra chapter 7, we read there of the preparation that Ezra made as a scribe. Ezra chapter 7 we’re going to read there at verse Verse 6. This Ezra went up from Babylon and he was a ready, scribe in the law of Moses, which the god of Israel had given.

54. 27:38

    So he was a ready, scribe. And then verse 10 says, for Ezra had prepared, his heart, to seek the law of the Lord and to do it and to teach in Israel, Statute in judgments. And so Ezra was a ready, scribe he I heard his heart to do. And to teach the word of God, that’s the role of the Scribe, right? That’s the preparation.

55. 28:04

    That’s the being able to give Exposition on the reading, right? That’s the role of the Scribe. Turn to Malachi chapter 2 in verse 7 in Malachi chapter 2 and verse 7. It talks about the role of the priest. Malachi chapter 2. And verse 7 says, for the priest lips should keep knowledge and they should seek the law at his mouth for, he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. And so, that’s the delivery of the message, right? As the priest, he becomes the messenger of the Lord of hosts, but there’s two components to a proper reading. Of the word of God, isn’t there?

56. 28:45

    There’s the work of the Scribe and there’s the work of the priest. And those two components are necessary. We’ve got to be able to if we’re going to do and read the word of God properly we have to be able to give the exposition We’ve got to be a scribe. And the messenger of the word of God as we deliver it to the congregation which is in the Septuagint, the word Ecclesia.

57. 29:15

    And so in Nehemiah chapter 8 and verse 2, who is the audience Nehemiah chapter 8 and verse 2, here’s the audience. Right? He reads before the congregation, both of men and women and all that could hear with understanding on the first day of the seventh month. So the whole nation was gathered there, the whole congregation all the people men women children, they’re all there.

58. 29:41

    All the could hear with understanding. Turn if you will to Isaiah chapter 28 I think Isaiah chapter 28 is a key passage. The context is slightly different than Nehemiah chapter 8 but in Isaiah chapter 28 we get An indication of the purpose of repetitive, reading of the word of God. And that’s why everyone was there from Men, Women children and all the strangers.

59. 30:07

    Those that had understanding and different levels of understanding, all those and down to all those, that were first being introduced to the law of Moses. Why do we read the word of God? Repetitively, Isaiah chapter 28 and verse 9. Whom Shall he? Teach knowledge and Whom Shall he make to understand Doctrine them? Are weaned from the milk and drawn. From the breast for precept, must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line, upon line line, upon line here, a little and there a little.

60. 30:41

    That’s how the word of God is meant to be read so that every time we read a passage, we build upon the time that we read it before. and we come to a passage that we read many times with a certain understanding and when we read it again, we noticed something different and so we build on that knowledge that we have and that pattern starts at a very young age and goes throughout our lifetime precept upon precept, line upon line here, a little and there a little building and understanding through the reading of the word of God. and so, in Nehemiah chapter 8, and verse 3, where do they gather He read there in before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday the word Street, actually in the Hebrew means an open Square. So in front of the Watergate and there you see it on the map on the overhead in front of the Watergate. There was an open Square and into this open Square would have filed all of the people of Jerusalem. In the surrounding cities.

61. 31:53

    All, who had contributed to the building of the wall and the re-establishment of Of the population back in Jerusalem and they would have all gathered into that square and they would have all filed in, and they would have sat down in the Square to listen to the reading of Nehemiah who was ours, the reading of Ezra, who was up on a wooden pulpit.

62. 32:18

    And how long did they read? From morning until midday. If you look at your margin in the Hebrew, the word morning means the it actually means light. So from the light of the morning until midday Anywhere from three to six hours. They were gathered there in that, open Square reading and listening to the reading of the word of God. And it says there in verse 3, that all the ears of the people were attentive.

63. 32:50

    Nobody was having their Sunday afternoon nap as the law was being read by Ezra in that open Square. We’re not going to look at all the passages on the left, but what they establish was that, we’re what they establish is that when we read the word of God, we can’t read it with selective hearing. We can’t read the word of God, and only hear the things that we want to hear. and think that we’ve properly read the word, We’ve got to read the whole word of God, and we’ve got to as James 1:21 says, we’ve got to receive with meekness the engrafted word, which means we need to allow it to changes change us for the better.

64. 33:37

    Isaiah 66 and verse 22. This man will. I look him that his poor of contrite spirit and trembles at my word. That’s what being attentive means, isn’t it? and so, when he opened the word,

65. 34:00

    All the people stood up. Demonstrated their reverence. Demonstrated their humility. Demonstrated the respect, and the fear and the emotion that they felt for the reading of the word. And all those things led to their mental preparedness, and the receptivity of their frame of mind to receive the message that was being given.

66. 34:35

    It was an outward. Natural expression of their mental preparedness to read the word of God. And Ezra begins with prayer. In verse 6 of Nehemiah chapter 8, it says Ezra blessed the Lord. The word blessed is actually a Hebrew word. It means to bend the knee to kneel down. And so we actually kneels down as he’s on that wooden pulpit in front of all the people and he prostrates himself to his father in Heaven and he begins with the word of prayer.

67. 35:17

    And all the people repeat the phrase at the end, all men and all men, and they all lifted up their hands and their faces were on the ground. What incredible expression that is, isn’t it? Reading of the word of God, should always be preceded by prayer. And the reading itself should be treated as a form of worship in and of itself. We should be able to say all men and we need to position ourselves reverently so that we can receive that word. And so now that he had approach God In Prayer now that they were in the right frame of mind and they’d ask God’s blessing on the reading.

68. 36:00

    How did they read in verse 7 of Nehemiah chapter 8? It says there. And Joshua ban, I share a by a Jamin, a cub Sabbath II. Had a jamaa CIA khalida, Azariah Joseph bad, Heenan pelea, and the Levites caused, the people to understand the law, and the people stood in their place. So they read in the book of The Law of God, distinctly, excuse me, distinctly and gave the sense and cause them to understand the reading. So they read, distinctly They gave the sense and they caused the people to understand the word distinctly, actually, in the RSV says, clearly they read the word clearly, they gave the proper pronunciation. they read it at the proper Pace, they read it with the right inflection, they read it with the right enunciation, the right diction and they paused at the right places when they read the word of God, they read it clearly and distinctly They were able to give the sense the RSV says and translates that with interpretation or within sight. And so they were able to provide context. They were able to provide how that word was to be applied and they caused the people to understand and I think it’s noteworthy here that it says they cause them to understand the reading in verse 8.

69. 37:29

    But at the end of verse 7 it says the people stood in their place. The people stood in their place. Like you to turn if you will to Second Chronicles chapter 17. If you turn to Second, Chronicles chapter 17. I’d like to suggest that Nehemiah is using a pattern that was established by Jehoshaphat in second Chronicles, chapter 17 Reading there at verses 7 to 9. We have Josh at taking over the kingdom, and he’s got to educate the people in the law.

70. 38:13

    So, in second chronicles, I’m sorry, I’m in first Chronicles. Second, Chronicles, chapter 17, And verse 8. It says so verse 1. Josh fed his son reigned in his stead and strengthen himself against Israel. So we have Josh at raining in verse 1 and then we come down to verse 8, it says verse 7 also in the third year of his Reign, he sent to his Prince’s even to been hail and to Obadiah into Zakaria and to Nathaniel and to Mickey Ayah to teach in the cities of Judah. And with them, he sent Levites even shimmy enough. Is zebediah.

71. 38:51

    A Sahel Shamira moth jounin, adonijah to bide, You Toby adonijah and the Levites and with them Elijah Muhammad and jehoram the priests and they taught in Judah and had the book of The Law of the Lord with them and went about through all the cities of Judah and taught the people. Well, doesn’t Nehemiah do the same thing.

72. 39:13

    He assembles a group of Thirteen brethren in verse 7, right? And he adds to those 13 brethren A group of Levites that educated the people. And it’s when it says, the people Stood Still, I’d like to suggest that what that implies is like these people that jehoshaphat’s sent out and went from City to City. Those people in Nehemiah, chapter 8, actually worked their way through the group that we’re in that square by the Watergate work their way.

73. 39:43

    And provided Exposition in small groups to the people of Israel as they stood in their place. So that after the reading was done, there was no doubt about what the interpretation was and how it was to be applied. And I’d like to suggest that Nehemiah follows that same pattern that Jehoshaphat said out and second Chronicles, chapter 17 in microcosm there on this day when the word is red. So they caused the people to understand So then what happens? That’s day one right in Nehemiah chapter 7 notice there. It’s on at the end of chapter 7 in Nehemiah in the last verse we’re in the seventh month of the year. And in verse 2, the reading took place on the first day of that seventh month.

74. 40:42

    And then what happens the following day we have on verse in verse 13, right? And on the Second day were gathered together, the chief of the fathers of all the people, the priests the Levites on to Ezra The Scribe even to understand the words of the law. So this is where the teaching comes into play, right? On the second day, we’re gathered together. This group of those who were to go out and teach others. Look at your margin there.

75. 41:13

    If you have a King James version like an Oxford King James, look at your margin. They went that they might instruct in the words of the law, there’s a marginal reference to verse 13, for understanding. The Words of the law, they were taught that they might instruct others. So this was a teaching of the teachers, right? Teaching the teachers training the trainers, And so, they spend the second day.

76. 41:44

    Gathering together, all the leaders of the nation of Israel of the population of Jerusalem, and they train those who were to train others. They were training them in how to read the law and how to interpret the law so that they could found so that they could pass that on to others. And as they were training them, they found that.

77. 42:07

    Well, you know what? In the seventh month? We’re supposed to dwell and booze And so that, you know what they say, they say that would be a great thing for the children of Israel to do right now, right? They had just finished the reading. There was this emotional high, they had built the wall and what a way to reinforce the reading of the law by having them to dwell in booths. And so that’s what they do.

78. 42:30

    Great experiential learning They celebrated the Feast of the Tabernacles and they kept that Feast seven days. And on the eighth day, there was a solemn assembly. According unto the manor, And so, when we look at all of those passages in Nehemiah chapter 8, and all the principles that are brought out in reading of the word, how do we summarize them?

79. 42:58

    What does that look like? How do we read like Ezra? Well, here’s all the things that we have talked about and have been established in Nehemiah chapter 8. These are all the things that we need to do. If we’re going to read like Ezra, we need to capture an Express, the emotion of the word, so that those who have prepared themselves will be moved by it.

80. 43:21

    We need repeated reinforcement, right? Little upon little Building over time our understanding of the word and its ability to change us and that natural progression and understanding are reading. Should always be preceded by prayer are reading itself. Should be treated as a form of worship. We should be able to say, all men, we need to position ourselves reverently.

81. 43:43

    We need to approach the word with proper. Reverence we need mental preparation for instruction. We need to as readers capture the emotion and understanding, and we need to be able to impart it to The audience and then we need to be able to reinforce it with Exposition if we’re going to read the passage properly and as a community and as a cliche, as we need to train and train the trainers.

82. 44:08

    And then, we need to reinforce the reading in a practical way. You know, we’re really good about reinforcing the reading in a practical way, with our children, aren’t we? We do that all the time. The way we teach them at Sunday, school, and that sort of thing, but we rarely do it amongst ourselves. You know, it doesn’t have to be complicated. I remember, you know, and this was years ago, this when Amy and I were first married and we were at Ken Somerville. So I was doing the readings one night and we were reading from The Book of Esther.

83. 44:43

    And we are reading the passage about Heyman and Mordecai. And so Ken says, okay, everyone every time we read the word Heyman, everybody says boo and every time we read the word Mordecai, everybody, go, ye and so we did that. And I thought, well, that’s kind of odd. But you know, what? Once you get into it, it really brings the passage of live in a small things like that.

84. 45:07

    That reinforce the reading in a practical way. And so when you take all that together, how do we apply that in the Ecclesia? How do we make that happen at home in our closure? We’ll have a what if slide?

85. 45:28

    What if? We stop treating. Scriptural reading is only preliminary to an exposition. What if we provided training program for readers? What if we had a designated group of readers in the Ecclesia? That doesn’t mean that, you know, there’s going to be some excluded from Reading. It’s just that we have a designated group in the Ecclesia. That if you want to read from the platform, you must go through a training program.

86. 46:03

    A new brother had to be a trained reader for a year before being put on the platform. What if that was the case, If we taught our new Brethren to properly, read the word of God, how much better presenters? Would they be when they got to the platform? What if the reader provided a brief statement to introduce the reading?

87. 46:29

    A simple sentence, capturing the essence of the reading and I’ll give you an example turn to Nehemiah chapter 3. We’re going to be looking at Nehemiah chapter 3, this week obviously. But when you read when you look at Nehemiah chapter 3 and you know you’re doing the readings or whatever your look at you go man, it’s just a bunch of names, right? Well, what if I said that Nehemiah chapter 3 was a record, you know, and I’m doing the reading and I’m doing it from the platform.

88. 46:59

    And I said, you know, we’re reading from Nehemiah chapter 3, a record of the diversity of people and occupations that built the wall and that’s all I said. I’m not giving an exposition of the reading, but I’m telling you that this is a chapter about the diversity of people and occupations that helped to build the wall.

89. 47:16

    Now, when you do the reading, what are you going to do? You’re going to go through and you’re going to notice although there’s a pasta carius, there’s Merchants there’s Goldsmith’s, there’s men, there’s women, there’s children. There’s rulers. There’s Kings all helping to build the wall and all of a sudden that becomes an exhortation in itself. What if we broke tradition and became a little bit creative in our reading?

90. 47:47

    What if we used proxemics? It’s a big word. I didn’t know what it was when I first read that word, so I had to look it up but proxemics is the use of spatial relations for communication. So, give me an example. What if You know, we’re reading the passage the voice of one crying in the wilderness. What if we read that passage from the back of the hall? Instead of from the platform?

91. 48:10

    What kind of impact would that have? That’s the use of proof proxemics, what if there was two readers, what if they read four different characters in the reading? What if the reader repeated a phrase, you know, that breaks into the thinking of those in the audience, right? What if you read a verse twice because it maybe was the theme of the chapter, all of a sudden, the pattern of reading is changed and you’re forced to refocus on to the reading. Well, why did he read that twice? there’s little things that we can do to engage the listeners, when we read the word of God, what if we meet at mandatory, that our reader be chosen ahead of time, Instead of on the spur of the moment so that they could properly prepare. The challenge of publicly reading the word of God is this? The first thing is and this is you know Common Sense we think three to four times faster than we speak so the listeners will always be a few steps ahead of the words coming out of the readers mouth.

92. 49:25

    So the reader needs to understand that, right? The reader needs to understand that when I’m reading the passage those that are sitting in the audience, or three or four steps ahead of where I’m at, and I’ve got to bring them back and re-engage them into the words that I’m reading. Listening is more about paying attention to the at the thought level as opposed to the word level, when we’re listening, we don’t necessarily listen to every single word when we listen, we listen to the main idea.

93. 49:52

    And then we filter it through our thinking process and that thinking process in the filters we use are different for everybody in the room. It’s based on our demographics in our background and where we come from and our familiarity with the passage And the readers job is to use the written word to focus and capture the thoughts of the audience and keep them on the passage that is before them.

94. 50:20

    That’s the job of the reader. The public reader You know, it’s interesting about 25 years ago. I went on a one-week course on public speaking. I was sent on the course by the company that I worked for and it was an excellent course but the way they started the course over the five days was the first day they taught you how to read publicly That’s how they entry gets, you come, I guess it gets. You comfortable in front of an audience and it teaches you how to enunciate and how to control your pace. And what they taught you was that when you’re reading a passage and obviously they weren’t biblical passages. We were reading, they were passages that they had Chosen and given to us to read when you’re reading a passage, they said you need to read it at least six times. The first six time, you focus on pronunciation. You focus, you go through and you focus on on all the words that you don’t know how to pronounce properly and you learn how to pronounce them.

95. 51:24

    You read it the second time and you look for punctuation and learn how to read with punctuation. And I never knew this before, but I’ve never forgotten it. That you hesitated a comma, you pause it, a semicolon. You do a full stop at a period or a colon and you raise your voice and stop fully. A question mark, you raise your voice at the end of that sentence and stop fully at a question mark. And if you go through a passage in read it, and just try to practice that, it’s really difficult. And then you read it.

96. 51:57

    The third time to understand what the theme of that passage is, what is it trying to portray? What’s the message? What’s, the reason for writing that passage, you read it, the fourth time to try and capture the emotion and the way you express the emotion of the pack of the passage is by either speeding up or slowing down or raising or lowering your voice. Or sometimes just by pausing and having an extended period of Silence.

97. 52:29

    The fifth time you read it out loud. And the purpose is that you need to anticipate, what words are coming. Because during the reading, you need to be able to read in such a way that you can have contact with your audience, eye contact with your audience. And then the sixth time is you read it out loud to others and you seek the feedback from them before you read it publicly.

98. 52:56

    What if we did that? As public readers of the word of God, every time we were asked to read. And then when you get to the delivery, they teach you how to breathe. Take time to breathe speak slowly. Clearly loudly stand erect, open your Airway project your voice and before your delivery, ask someone to provide you feedback someone in the audience picked, who it is, give them a piece of paper and say I want your feedback. What if we did all that in preparation to read the word of God from the platform?

99. 53:39

    Till I come. Give attendance to reading. hold your minds on the word of God elevate, your thinking until I come and that requires practice. and so, I’d like to propose a challenge. That this week, we practice our public reading and listening. Of the word of God. That we try and capture the inspired intent that we try and capture the inspired emotion and the excitement of the word that we show passion that we be creative in our reading.

100. 54:27

     So that we might lift the words off the page. And make them live. Thank you for listening to the good christadelphians talks podcast. We hope this talk helped you in your walk. If you would like to hear more, please subscribe for new episodes and leave a review and apple podcast or whatever service you are using to help more people find the show when they search for If you enjoyed this particular talk, please share it with someone who you think might enjoy it as well for show notes on the talk. You just listened to visit our show page at anchor dot f, m / G, CT, or check the show notes section of your podcast player. Please share your thoughts on the talk from this week on our Facebook or Instagram Pages where we are at good christadelphians, talks on Twitter where we are at GCT underscore podcast or leave a comment on our YouTube channel where these talks are posted as well. If, you know of a great talk, we want to know about it, to send a suggestion to our e-mail at good. Christie delphian talks at gmail.com or message us on any of our social media accounts.

101. 55:42

     Thank you for listening. God bless and talk to you next week.