Many churches have a tradition of standing as a congregation when the Word of God is read during the Sunday worship service. This practice may be based on Nehemiah 8 when Ezra the priest read God’s Word to the assembled crowd of Israelites in Jerusalem: “And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up” (verse 5).

The people standing for the Word of God signified two things. First, it was an act of honor. The people had returned to Jerusalem after seventy years of exile in Babylon, and they honored God by honoring His Word (verse 6). Second, it signified their willingness and readiness to shape their lives and practices around God’s will for them. Their actions foreshadowed the actions of Paul’s Jewish audience in the Berean synagogue as they searched the Scriptures to verify what Paul was teaching them.

When you read the Word of God, do so with honor and a readiness to obey.

Study God’s Word for the purpose of discovering God’s will.
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