Living by the Book

A recent study of teenagers who attended church during their childhood found that for most of them their church experience was a positive part of their lives.  Nearly 9 out of 10 churched teenagers said their church experience exposed them to Bible stories (95 percent), taught them about the lives of great people in the Bible (92 percent), and gave them fun experiences related to religion (89 percent). But only half (53 percent) said their church experience helped them understand the Bible enough to help them make decisions based on biblical principles. Citation: "Real Religion," Christian Parenting Today (Winter 2003)

Nehemiah and his team of builders have finished the wall.  You would think the first thing they would do would be to celebrate.  After all, others have tried to build this wall for the previous 100 years and have failed.  They did it in less than two months!  They deserve to celebrate.  And they will celebrate ... in chapter 12 ... but there are a few things they have to do first.

The first thing Nehemiah does once the wall is completed is to reorganize the city of Jerusalem for increased defense.  He knows that their success will be short lived if they do not stay vigilent.  He does not want to lose the ground they have gained and nothing will kill you faster than thinking you have finished before you have finished.  Many an army has been defeated while they were counting their chickens.  So, Nehemiah keeps working.  There will be plenty of time for celebrating later.

The second thing Nehemiah does is to restablish the Law.  He has Ezra read the book of the Law. Most scholars agree that this was the Torah (the first five books of our Bible).  Nehemiah wants to get the Good Book down into the DNA of the community.  He realizes that it is more than just a Good Book to read, but rather a Living Word with which to build a community.  Building the wall would be meaningless if those living inside the wall were lost without God.  The wall protects lives. The Bible animates lives.

Reading the Bible and remembering its stories is a good thing ... but it's not enough.  The deep life principles of the Bible need to get down deep into the cellular makeup of your soul.  The Word will become your breath.  The stories will become your life-path.  The Word will whisper to you when you sleep and will animate you when you wake.  The Word will speak to your past and will color your future.  It's all or nothing with the Word.
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