Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10
1 All the people [of Israel] gathered together into the square before the Water Gate. They told the scribe Ezra to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had given to Israel. 2 Accordingly, the priest Ezra brought the law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could hear with understanding. This was on the first day of the seventh month. 3 He read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law.
5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. 6 Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands. Then they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
8 So they read from the book, from the law of God, with interpretation. They gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading. 9 And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law. 10 Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
“… and the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law. …”
“Can I have your attention, please?”
Many times, I have issued this plea. Typically, it was at a congregational meeting or fellowship event where people were milling about, talking, finding places to sit, and kvetching about what was on the agenda. Often, it took more than one announcement, each louder than the first, to get their attention. Finally, after everyone settled down, folks were ready to hear what I had to say.
Getting someone’s attention, especially in our day and age when everyone is either busy conversing or face-planted in their electronic device, is difficult. There are so many distractions, so many other venues which draw people away, that just getting one person to listen is nearly impossible.
Martin Luther King, Jr., who we commemorate today, seldom had that problem. Not only his voice but his message drew people’s attention, both positively and negatively. He spoke the truth to power yet always with compassion and respect for the hearer. His words resounded in the ears of the listeners; and admire him or not, folks were attentive.
Ezra read the law of Moses to the people, and their ears were attentive. Perhaps that’s because what was spoken was not some mundane announcement, but the Word of God. Perhaps, too, we might learn from Ezra’s example, and rather than trying to getting others’ attention with ordinary words, we too might find a more receptive audience if we were more intentional in speaking God’s Word rather than our own.
Prayer: Speak to us, Lord, that we may speak Your Word to others. Use my voice to speak words of hope, peace, justice, and reconciliation to those in my neighborhood and world. Amen.