Understanding, Not Just Hearing
Nehemiah 8:7-8; James 1:22-25
All of us come on a Sunday morning with expectations. We wonder: How good will the worship be this morning? Will the coffee taste good this week? Will I see anyone I know? Will the message speak to me? Even the pastor comes with his own set of expectations: Will this message reach them? Will it be understood? Will it change their hearts? Will it move them to action?
In our text today, both those who read from the Book—the Law of God—and those who came to hear it had high expectations as they arrived on the scene. And just as happened in this text, something very special can happen on weekends at CVC Broadview Heights and CVC Brunswick when “the bringers of the Word” are diligent in their preparation and “the receivers of the Word” come ready to hear and allow God to change them through His truth.
Our pastors (“the bringers of the Word”) work very hard to make certain that what they prepare for the congregations in Broadview Heights and Brunswick is scripturally accurate, bathed in prayer, and deeply insightful—all while being easily understood and not easily misunderstood. They wrestle with the text throughout the week and approach each weekend with a somber humility, hoping that what God has birthed in them will make its way into the hearts of those sitting in the chairs. It’s a difficult task, because handling God’s Word requires extreme care, but it is also a task in which they must depend completely upon the Holy Spirit for any lasting effectiveness. The pastor can prepare and proclaim, but only God can open hearts, bring conviction, and produce genuine spiritual change.
As this passage shows us, you and I—the members and attenders of Broadview Heights and Brunswick (“the receivers of the Word”)—need to approach each weekend’s message with a similar soberness. We come ready to hear from God, wanting to hear from God, and expecting to hear from God. When He speaks through His Word, we should be ready not only to listen, but to allow the Holy Spirit to show us where we need to change and then move us toward obedience.
“The receivers of the Word” in today’s text came ready, wanting, and expecting to hear. And when they did, God worked through the faithfulness of “the bringers of the Word” and the power of His Holy Spirit to bring about great conviction and change. The “bringers” gave the sense—meaning they made the Law of God clear and understandable in the hearing of the people—while the “receivers” understood the reading (v. 8). In other words, they really “got it.” But they didn’t just get it; they wept (v. 9) when they heard it, as you’ll see in tomorrow’s devotional. As they understood God’s Law, they recognized how far they had fallen short of it.
The Holy Spirit brings this kind of conviction into our lives as He uses God’s Word to expose our hearts and show us where we are not living in obedience to God. Remember, conviction is not the same as condemnation. Condemnation drives us away from God in shame and hopelessness, while the conviction of the Holy Spirit exposes sin so that we can turn toward God in repentance and experience His grace. Conviction can be painful, but it is ultimately a gracious work of God that leads us toward repentance, restoration, and greater obedience. Ultimately, the “receivers” went away rejoicing because they truly understood the words that were declared to them (v. 12).
Hebrews 4:12 takes this idea one step further by reminding us that the Word of God is “living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword.” God’s Word does more than give us information; it searches us. It penetrates beneath the surface and discerns “the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” James 1:22-25 then takes this idea one step further into the real world by reminding us that just hearing God’s Word is never enough. We must allow the Holy Spirit to bring conviction so that real change can occur, and when the Spirit brings conviction, our response should be obedience.
If we simply hear and walk away without allowing the Word to change the way we live, James says it’s like looking into a mirror and instantly forgetting what we look like (v. 24). To compare it to a real-world example, it’s like sitting through a mandatory safety briefing at a construction site and then walking out onto the job site and forgetting every single instruction. It will eventually lead to disaster.
So, what is the takeaway for us today? This text in Nehemiah shows us that we must approach God’s Word with soberness and expectation, recognizing that God desires to use His truth to shape us for where He wants to take us. We should come ready to hear, ready to understand, ready to be examined, and ready to respond. And we should rejoice as we watch God prepare us for where He wants to take each of our churches in the immediate future—with this in mind: the Holy Spirit takes the living Word of God, opens our understanding, exposes our hearts, brings conviction, and then moves us from merely hearing God’s truth to actually living it.
Question to Consider
What am I going to do with what God has shown me in His Word, and will I be obedient in it?
Prayer Prompt
Prayer for illumination to what You are calling me to, and for the strength to move toward obedience in that, no matter the cost, by the power of Your Holy Spirit.
