“They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.”
Nehemiah 8:8 (ESV)
Last time we looked at the last six Levites listed who were helping the people gaze at the Holy Scriptures with discernment and intelligence, enabling them to remain in their places. Today we glimpse some follow-up responsibilities.
The first thing that strikes me in our verse is how it is no longer Ezra who is reading the Book. Now, after naming some, it is our Levites. “So they read (qara – to call, proclaim, read, become famous, invite, shout, summon)…” The simple act of reading a Book with such power can be a summons, a call. No one need shout for it to be an invitation to make famous the Author.
And as before, this book (sepher – document, writing, scroll, writ) of the law (torah – direction, instruction, law) is of God – Elohim. Holy Writ, instruction on life’s purpose and design, direct from the Designer. A Law of Love, only known if revealed, only freeing as it is obeyed.
More specifically, our Levites read from this Holy Writ clearly – parash. Used only in this form here (and its root word only five times altogether in the Bible), it means “to scatter, make distinct, pierce, sting, to separate, to disperse, to specify, by implication: to wound.”
The whole message of this Word has the potential to sting. If we are not willing to see the truth of our state – full of beauty as made in His image, and full of sin as willing participants in rebellion toward His goodness – we will never know the sting of antiseptic that ultimately cleanses and heals. Some wounds are a mercy.
These three synonyms for our word are intriguing: to specify, make distinct, to separate. In reference to reading the Word clearly to a people listening with an intent to obey, the Levites seem to be separating what is genuinely true from misconceptions the former exiles had about God, His will, and His ways. And not only would it wound in order to heal, it would require a transformation of the mind.
Friends, in what ways do we need to gaze into Holy Writ to make distinct what is genuinely true of Yahweh? How have cultural assumptions, the American Dream, personal goals, or our idols ushered in misunderstandings of the way of Jesus? What of our background or perspective do we need to separate from genuine Biblical wisdom? Far from splitting hairs to pridefully prove ourselves right, the fruit of this type of gazing will be increasing love.
Until we specify these areas in our own hearts and communities, we are not specifying our next steps in joining Him. Some things must be left behind in order to walk the path ahead with freedom. And trust me, I know this hurts. Some of the things up for discussion once were held in high value by those we love. Others we used to sense His permission to continue in but now we know in our hearts He’s asking us to give up. Change is not comfortable and dying to ourselves is still a death to grieve.
But now for a beautiful byproduct of our obedience from the definition: “to disperse, scatter.” This specifying, stinging separation of God and not-of-God can cause True Beauty to disperse beyond our personal walks and individual communities. Love and law, grace and Truth, can scatter with the Wind. Glory.
The next section in our verse reads, “and they gave (sum/sim – to set, attach, establish, show) the sense (sekel – prudence, discretion, insight, repute, shrewdness, wisdom).”
A couple of versions of this verse use the word translate here: “translating to give the sense” (NASB) and “translated the Book of The Revelation.” (MSG)
“The Law was written in Hebrew, but in Babylonia the Jews had adopted Aramaic as the language for daily life. Because of this a translation was necessary…They read God’s Law and then translated it, explaining.” (source)
I haven’t forgotten an interesting insight into the act of translating from when we lived overseas. A national friend who was a veteran worker, translator, and learner of American culture pointed out why one of our newest translators for a conference was exceptional: she translated idea for idea rather than solely word for word. Her knowledge of American slang and point of view helped her not only translate the words we as foreigners were using, but the position from which we were coming.
In order to “give the sense” to an awaiting people, the Levites needed to attach insight into their translating. They needed to show the wisdom, the good repute of these Words, the prudence and shrewdness in obeying them for this rebuilding community’s daily life.
We need this same sense now, in our day. We need to reckon with the situation in which a majority of God’s Word was written: in slavery, wandering, subservient to godless nations, and full of persecution. We need to know the position from which the writers of this Law were coming and resist the urge to make it match our personal situations here and now: Good guys (obviously us – me and my tribe) on top and the rest of the world meeting our needs.
Instead, we view these God-breathed Words in light of what is most true of our state: we are but a breath. We are sojourners in a land that is not our True Country. No matter how much or little power, influence, wealth, or pleasures we have, we are not God. But we are held lovingly in His hand, our next heart beat dependent not on ourselves.
From such a perspective we are ready for the final section of our Levites’ job description: “…and helped them understand (bin – to discern, act wisely, interpret, perceive, to think).”
We saw this word last time, but here it is used in reference to the reading (miqra – convocation, reading, summoning). This word can mean “a holy convocation,” “summon the congregation,” and “sacred assembly.” In fact, each time we see “sacred assembly” in Leviticus 23:1-8 it is this word miqra.
This is more than the mere reading of words, and even deeper than translating from the proper perspective. This was a summons and the people knew it. The Levites’ job as they translated was not simply changing from Hebrew to Aramaic, but helping the people discern how to act wisely in what was next. They were summoning the people, and it was holy.
A sacred assembly differs highly from mob mentality. Remember, this understanding involved discernment. As we look squarely at our individual and corporate situations, do not abandon peace for fear or joy for panic. Let’s resist principalities and love people.
A glorious example of this sacred assembly is from Isaiah 4:2-6:
“In that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors in Israel. Those who are left in Zion, who remain in Jerusalem, will be called holy, all who are recorded among the living in Jerusalem. The Lord will wash away the filth of the women of Zion; he will cleanse the bloodstains from Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of fire.
Then the Lord will create over all of Mount Zion and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night; over everything the glory will be a canopy. It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain.”
The LORD’s glory will be a protective canopy for all who assemble (miqra) on Mount Zion. Sins cleansed, stains purged, the holy convocation will have one Savior to adore.
He is all our Sense.