Tag: Faith

Bible Reading – The Nehemiah Reminder
In my mind, one of the most moving parts of the Bible is all about reading the scriptures.

Tucked away in the Old Testament, there in Nehemiah 8, is the story of Ezra reading the ‘book of the Law of God’ (8:8) to Israel. While God’s people had been released from captivity and returned to the Promised Land they remained dispirited about the condition of their cities and land. In particular was the poor condition of Jerusalem, whose walls remained in rubble and disrepair. In the midst of this comes Nehemiah who takes on the leadership to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and in doing so begins to bring hope to the nation.

And here in chapter 8 is where the people of the Lord hear the word of the Lord for the first time in a long time. In v2-6 we are told that,

“On the first day of the seventh month, the priest Ezra brought the law before the assembly of men, women, and all who could listen with understanding. While he was facing the square in front of the Water Gate, he read out of it from daybreak until noon before the men, the women, and those who could understand. All the people listened attentively to the book of the law. The scribe Ezra stood on a high wooden platform made for this purpose…Ezra opened the book in full view of all the people, since he was elevated above everyone. As he opened it, all the people stood up. Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and with their hands uplifted all the people said, “Amen, Amen!” Then they knelt low and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground.”

I’m not sure what stands out to you, but there are a few things I notice in reading this.

First, those who came to listen to the reading of the scriptures were ‘men, women, and all who could listen with understanding’ (v2).

Men and women coming to hear the Law of God being read is probably not something we think too much about, that seems reasonable and natural in our minds. But that comment about those who could listen with understanding is an interesting one. Are these children? I imagine it does. Those who could understand the reading would be there to listen but those who were too young to do so weren’t. Yet, not all adults have the faculties to listen with understanding either. And so it may also mean that there were adults who were unable to comprehend the scriptures missing from the gathering as well.

Second, this was a long reading of scripture (v3).

From daybreak till noon is surely a 5-6 hour reading of the Law of God. I’m not sure I’d be able to get away with that length of Bible reading in our service this week, or any week for that matter. So this was a long period of time to listen and a long period of time to speak the scriptures. Although, to be fair, if you’ve ever read the Bible from Genesis to Deuteronomy then you’ll understand the hours it takes to do that.

Third, there was attentiveness to the reading of scripture (v3).

I’ve spent many a morning trying to read the scriptures and my mind has been distracted and inattentive after about 25 seconds. I’m sure we’ve all experienced reading something and then about a page or two in we realise we’ve got no idea what we’ve read and have to go back and re-read. Or, when the reading of the Bible is happening in church we drift off to other thoughts or get captured by one aspect and chase a rabbit trail in our minds. Well, it seems that those who were in this particular hearing of the scriptures were attentive to it. Given this was a 5-6 hours reading, this is no mean feat.

Fourth, the placement of Ezra, the reader of the Law (v4).

Due to its importance and the significance of the reading of the Law Ezra is placed front and centre. While we must recognise he is the mouthpiece for the words of God he is positioned high above the gathering and in full view of everyone. I find this instructive in how we might consider the public reading of the scriptures in our churches and congregations and gatherings. Making the reader, and of course the book, central to the group in order for people to see and hear is important.

Fifth, the visibility of the Law of God (v5).

It is common practice in some churches for public readers of scripture to read words off their phones or other devices. I appreciate the ease of this technology, the adaptability in terms of versions, and the ability to write notes when sitting as a congregation member listening. However, call me a Luddite but the physical Bible being read to the congregation matters. I may well have said that the best Bible to read is the one in front of you a few weeks back, but the best Bible to read in the public assembly of a church is a physical one. It means something. It helps the listeners hear. It gives a visual representation of God speaking to us.

Sixth, the physicality of the people (v5).

Notice how the people rise for the hearing of the Law. There is a reverence to hearing God’s words read. There is active participation in the reading event through the moving of bodies in order to hear. In some churches today this is still the case, although I haven’t seen this occurring in a long long time. I wonder whether this is worth instituting again to highlight the importance and participation of the hearers?

Seventh, the reading of the scriptures leads to worship of God (v6).

Ezra’s blessing of the Law is affirmed by the assembly. Not only that but the response to the reading of the scriptures is the worship of God. And for me this highlights two things, (1) the reading of the scriptures is to bring about a response of worship in those who hear it, and (2) hearing the scriptures being read is equal to hearing God. Through the scriptures God speaks to his people and this drives them toward worship. It is not the worship of his Law for the Law’s sake. It is not what might be called bibliolatry, idolising the Bible. It is recognising that the words of scripture are God’s Word.

This is a moving portion of scripture for me as it reminds me of the power, reverence, and significance of the Bible, God’s Word. It leaves me wanting to hear it more, read it more, and see this occur more in the lives of churches and congregations. How great would the witness to God be if we held up and honoured the Bible like those here in Nehemiah 8!? How great to have people attentive, participating, and worshipping the revelation of God through his scriptures!?

Well, it seems I’ve begun the year and a return to writing regularly by focussing on Bible reading. There could be worse topics to write about, couldn’t there? In any case, if you like to catch up on some of the posts that focus on reading the Bible then feel free to browse along:
February 2, 2023
Reading The Bible In Community
Years and years ago, back when I was working as a personal trainer, I’d often train people in groups. That is, me as the trainer and then 2-5 others all working out together under my guidance. They may have been friends who wanted to workout together. They may have been mum’s who trained together after school drop-off. They may have been colleagues who would train together on the way to work. Whatever the case, it was common to have a group of people to train together rather than just a one-on-one session.

Now, economics was often part of that decision. It was cheaper for those who were being trained to split the cost across a group than for an individual session. But even greater reasoning was the aspects of motivation, accountability, and having fun together. There was something about training together that made the experience of fitness work more enjoyable. There was something about training together that provided better results because clients were spurred on by one-another to do the work.

As I continue to write about Bible reading in 2023 this got me thinking about what it means to read the Bible in community.

Reading the Bible on our own over and over and over again is not an easy thing to do. We may wish to have it be a delight rather than a duty but there can come a point, perhaps even 3 days into some new Bible reading plan whereby we get a little lost in what we’re doing. We get a little deflated because reading the Bible can be a hard exercise and discipline to do on our own. We get confused by what we’re reading and can’t understand what’s going on. We can quickly become unmotivated to do what we set out to do because we don’t have anyone around to encourage us.

Like group fitness sessions we gain motivation and encouragement from reading the Bible with others. In fact, throughout the course of Christian history the Bible has been read in community, whether it has been spoken to a group, shared with others in public, or remembered through story around the table. The Bible is a book to read communally.

Even if we think about Paul’s letters for a moment, they are all written with the view of being read to all in a public setting. Before the printing press the Bible would be read aloud in churches by the clergy. And it really is a modern phenomenon that the Bible has been able to be read privately on the comfort of our couch.

But there are key advantages to reading the Bible in community, reading the Bible with someone else or in a small group. Below I’ve outlined five of these and I’m sure you’d be able to come up with more..

First, reading the Bible in community means more people need to listen.

When we read the Bible alone and for ourselves then we really have to concentrate on what is being read. Of course, this needs to be the case with another person too, but when we read in community we have more people around to help us listen to the Word. Each person hearing the Word will listen differently and listen to the reading in different ways. The more people listening to the Bible being read can only be a good thing. As the Word is read or heard the Spirit works within, and the more ears to hear provides greater opportunity for depth in conversation.

Second, reading the Bible in community means there can be conversation.

When you read alone you can only have a conversation with yourself. Of course, the Lord is there with you and you can be in prayer about the passage with him. But in reality there are more times than not whereby we read the passage and then move onto the next task, rather than dwelling on it and thinking through what is being said. When reading with another there is opportunity to have a conversation about what is being heard. There is the chance to actually talk about issues of life and faith with another. There is a mutual encouragement and growth that comes from this kind of conversation, hearing perspective, ideas, and thoughts about a passage of scripture.

Third, reading the Bible in community means there are different perspectives given.

Linked to the conversation aspect of this is the hearing of different perspectives. More often than not these are helpful. If you’ve ever been in a small group where there are one or two who think they have the answers for everyone else then I will admit this can get awfully tiresome awfully quickly. Some perspectives are not worth sharing. But in my experience there is more benefit than not in hearing how others are reading the scriptures and listening to what is being said through them.

And as a quick sidenote, if this group is intergenerational then I think this provides even more perspective due to life experiences and maturity in the faith.

Fourth, reading the Bible in community means there is mutual encouragement for one another.

Christians love to use the word accountability and I’m deliberately avoiding that in this post. It’s such a Christianise word. I prefer to think reading the Bible together, particularly when it is with someone else or only 3-4 people as being mutually encouraging. I still remember going through university reading Romans with two other people and gaining such encouragement from the wisdom, insight, and teaching from the people I was with. Reading the Bible in a community like this can be so formative and encouraging, even years later.

Fifth, reading the Bible in community means we recognise its power and authority.

Whenever we come to the Bible as God’s revealed truth to us then we are recognising its authority and power over us. Through the Word of God the Holy Spirit reveals more of God to us. It is an exercise in humility to submit to the Lord through listening and obeying his Word. In community this becomes even more powerful as the group discerns what is being said together and reflects on its meaning and application in their own lives. Through the conversation that flows there is often encouragement in faith and encouragement in life–to keep on in the scriptures and in obedience to God.

Well, it seems I’ve begun the year and a return to writing regularly by focussing on Bible reading. There could be worse topics to write about, couldn’t there? In any case, if you like to catch up on some of the posts that focus on reading the Bible then feel free to browse along:
January 17, 2023
My Top Posts of 2022
I’ve done very little writing on this blog in 2022.

So little writing you’d almost think I’ve given this away!

But, this isn’t the case. Life circumstances have changed and publishing content through this website hasn’t been a priority these past 12 months. A change in churches and moving into a Lead Pastor role has meant I’ve continued to write, just not for my personal blog here. There is a hope that as I continue to settle into the role I will begin publishing here again. As I posted last week, I continue to read which often leads to review posts or reading recommendations here and there.

Nevertheless, this year has still seen plenty of visitors and people checking out some old posts. Below is a bit of a summary of who has popped by and what they’ve been interested in. This is something I’ve done in previous years, which you can find here: Top posts for 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015. I also have a collection of writings published elsewhere on the inter-webs, which you can read here.

As to what has been popular on joncoombs.com this past year, here are the top five posts for 2022:
All in all I have only posted 4 times this year, one of those posts being this one. However, in total I have had:
- 7662 views from 4828 visitors.
- I’ve had 7 comments and 28 likes on these last 3 posts.
A big thanks to all those who do come and have a read. It’s quite humbling and amazing anyone would come and check this place out. Look out for more via social media or go ahead an subscribe so I can regularly hit up your inbox.

Thanks, and have a good New Year.
December 28, 2022
My Top Posts of 2021
I continue to write and seek to express myself and hopefully encourage others along the way too.

This past year has seen my writing develop in different ways, and less so on this blog than I would’ve liked. I’ve been taken up with writing more sermons due to an increased teaching role at my church. And, one of the unique writing projects I completed this year was a weekly review focussed on Supercoach (fantasy AFL) during the footy season. This meant that time and dedication to writing in this space dissipated from previous years. And to be honest, another year of lockdowns had an affect on this too.

Nevertheless, I continue to commit myself to writing. I find it is the best way for me to express myself and to find clarity of thought. It’s also an enjoyable experience to have written, to finally hit publish on a post about an idea that I’ve been mulling away on for a while.

Having only posted 13 times in the past 12 months you’d think people would simply stop reading the articles and posts I have here. However, this hasn’t been the case. There are still a number of popular posts that continue to have traction with people, which is certainly pleasing as a writer! It seems that I had about the same amount view this blog as I did last year, which is to say just over 9200 hits all up.

As to what has been popular this past year, here are the top five posts for 2021:
If you’d like to explore more of what has been popular on here in previous years you can do so here: Top posts for 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015. I also have a collection of writings published elsewhere, which you can find here.
January 7, 2022
Soft Serve Ice-Cream or How I am Trying to Avoid the Harm of Wealth Hoarded

Below is a guest post by Steve, a member of my church, who writes a terrific little thoughtful piece that will make you think and have a chuckle at the same time. Enjoy.

Recently my Mum passed away after a short illness. She was a generous soul. The whole experience has triggered a number of thoughts, including her lived example and images of soft serve ice cream.

It’s a metaphor.

Soft serve ice cream is hardly a food, certainly not one that is healthy or that we need but on occasion it is okay to have as a treat. In fact I believe it is very good to do so, and one day we won’t be able to treat our loved ones because they have gone; either passed on, or just away.

In some ways my two children are smarter and, in some cases, even wiser than me (they must have had a good upbringing). I’ve had a tough time at work recently, actually over the last couple of years, and one of my children has repeatedly said to me that I should retire. True enough it would be good for my mental health. The reality is that it would mean quitting my job without an alternative source of income, which is not an ideal situation. Financially I am in an okay spot, and working keeps me in a good spot. However, my intention is not to store up riches upon riches as an end to itself but rather to prudently save. With enough extra for soft serve ice cream once in a while, of course. Neither extreme is good for me spiritually. To ask a rhetorical question – Why does God bless us with gifts, talents and finances if not to give them away?

The words of Jesus in Matthew 6:19-20 are helpful for me in this.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.”

Are there certain lessons which we only truly learn through age and personal experience? Even though it ends up being an expensive way to learn. Probably.

Of the times that I could have treated my children but didn’t for fear of spoiling them (and there were not many of those) I wish that I could go back and treat them ten times over. Perhaps this is also an impact of COVID lockdowns.

We have all lost a lot, not the least of which is time, which is difficult to replace. I get the impression from reading the gospels that Jesus was always in the moment, blessing as the occasions presented and required.

If I could have time with my Mum back what would I want to do?

Probably go out for a soft serve ice cream.

November 15, 2021