If we are to see a spiritual recovery in our land today, it will be helpful to review the steps to revival as revealed in these activities.
1. Ezra began by prayer (v. 6). This is the first appearance of Ezra in Nehemiah (cf. verse 1), and his prayer preceding his reading of the law, which is not even recorded, might be considered merely a formal invocation. This would be wrong, however. Ezra’s appearance is significant, and his prayer was more than merely formal, as the response of the people shows. Ezra’s prayer seems to have accomplished two things. First, it established the sense among the people that what was to follow, that is, the reading of the law, was no mere civil matter but, rather, had to do with God. A number of commentators have pointed out the importance of the way the Book of the Law is introduced: “The Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded for Israel” (v. 1). That makes two significant points. First, the law was already a recognized entity among the people. That is, it was not something that was still in the process of evolving or being developed, which is what the higher critics of the Old Testament have argued. Second, it was already invested with complete divine authority. That is, it was no merely human book. It was from God, and it was to be revered as such.
Second, Ezra’s prayer awakened the people’s anticipation of what God might do among them. Prayer should always do this, for prayer is approaching God and asking and receiving things from him. (It is also more. It is praise, confession and thanksgiving. Those elements are present even in this story.) Certainly the people were not wrong to be in an expectant frame of mind on this occasion.
2. Ezra read the Word of God (v. 3). Much was done to raise the Bible in the people’s thinking. Prayer was part of it. But so were the elevated platform from which Ezra read and the way in which Ezra was flanked by the thirteen Levites whose names are recorded in verse 4. Most of all perhaps is the fact that Ezra read from the law for six hours.
I wonder if we have a similar respect for God’s Word, and if we think of it as highly. I notice that the people stood when Ezra opened the scroll. It is acknowledgment of what the Bible is, namely, the very Word of God. It is a proper heart respect, which prepares the worshiper for hearing it expounded.