THE KING’S BUSINESS
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Bibliolaters, but they were nothing of the kind, they simply had a due reverence for that book which stands absolutely alone as the infallible Word of God. v. 6 . “And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up (up of) their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with their faces to the ground." Here we see Ezra and all the people worshiping, not the book, but Jehovah Who was the author of the book. They “stood up” out of respect to the book, but, “they bowed their heads and wor shipped Jehovah with their faces to the ground.” These Israelites had learned something'that many modern Christians have forgotten, that is, the necessity and obligation of worship. In our day we pray, we return thanks, we study, we trust and we obey, but few of us worship. Prayer, thanksgiving, singing songs, giving and service, are not worship. Worship is a definite act of the soul, it is a bowing of the soul before God in adoring contempla tion; and what God is seeking above all things else is worshippers (John 4:23 R. V.). Some one has said, “in our prayers we are taken up with our needs, in our thanksgivings we are taken up with \ our blessings, in oUr worship we are taken up with Himself.” Let us learn a lesson from this anciept time and begin to be worship pers as well as prayers and givers of thanks and believers and servants. Ezra was not alone in his work that day. Thirteen per sons are mentioned by name in verse 7 who helped him in the work, and the Levites helped also. While Ezra read the Word, they “caused the people to under stand.” In this case thirteen seems to have been a lucky number; of course Ezra made the number up to 14, twice seven. v. 8 . “So (And) they read in the book in the law of God distinctly; (;) and (and they) gave the sense, and caused them to understand (so that 1 they understood) the reading.” While God’s Word is a plain book and easy to understand, nevertheless, men are needed who shall open the word
law.” The Word of God evidently was sweet to them. Some today think that a service one hour long is long enough, but these people listened “from early morning (literally, from the light, i.e., from the break of day) until midday.” Not only did. they listen, “the rest of the people were attentive unto the Book of the law.” Quite a model congregation that. v. 4. “And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit (literally, tower) of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, Anaiah, and Urijah, (Uriah), and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Mal- chiah (Malchijah), and Hashum, and Hash- badana (Hashbaddanah), Zechariah and Meshullam.” ' Notice how detailed the account is of Ezra’s posture, his position and the pulpit on which he stood, and the accounts of his assistants are given in detail and accurately. Throughout the intervening penturies, between 2300 and 2400 years, the names of these men have been preserved. The names of scarcely any men who lived in that day are known today, yet the names of these men are known. Why ? Simply because they assisted in the reading of the Word of God, on an occasion that marked the begin ning of a great revival. v. 5. “And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all of the people;) and when he opened it all the' people stood up." Here again in a very few words we have a very graphic picture of what occurred that day. Ezra stands vividly before us. We can see him, and yet how brief the account is. The peo ple showed their reverence for the book of God by standing up when Ezra opened it. We ought n°t to worship the Bible, for the Bible is not God, but we ought to regard it with a respect and attention that we give to no, other book, for it is the voice of God. If these men were living today and would act in the same way as they acted then, a large class of so-called preachers of the Gospel Would call them
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