MONDAY June 19, 2017
Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, helped the people to understand the Law; and the people stood in their place. So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading. - Nehemiah 8:7-8
The Levities interpreted the Word of God to the people. They were helped to fully understand what was being read––the Scriptures made sense. Notice, in these verses, the references to the word “understand.” It was given twice for emphasis. It was not only necessary to have Ezra read from the Scriptures to God’s people, but it was just as important for the Levities to help the people understand what was being read to them.
It is the pastor’s responsibility to teach the Word of God, simply, to the people, so they can understand the Scriptures. Christians have been given the Spirit of God to help them understand God’s Word: But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things… (John 14:6). The Holy Spirit helps us understand the things of God. First Corinthians 2:12 explains to us:
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
You must be born again to understand the Scriptures (John 3). However a person, who does not have the Holy Spirit within them, cannot understand spiritual things:
But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned (1 Corinthians 2:14).
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