Shema: Listening through the ages
Considerations for the Public Reading of Scripture
An introductory story
You’ve seen the scene. A father wants his child to be careful about a dangerous situation ahead. He will stoop down, look eye-to-eye, speak quietly about the scene and things to come, and clarify his intention to the child. He might start with, “Listen carefully…” and continue with his warnings. As a result, the child is and will be safe. Listening is intentional; hearing only happens. The father’s posture and quiet add to the importance of the action to follow. The warning works. Listening matters.
Creation is marked by The Word
The Bible begins with a word about the heavens and earth situations followed by words of God spoken. And heaven and earth are never the same again. What God says is done, and what we call Creation is accomplished.
For further explanation in the Gospel, we read, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” (John 1.1) Yeshua, as the Word later incarnate (John 1.14) is there as Creator and as the Eternal Promise of God. He gave us His Word. His promise is in His Word.
A Jewish perspective
Most who are familiar with the Jewish religion know that the watchword of Judaism is named “The Shema.” (Deuteronomy 6.4) It is a full paragraph, and begins with the words, “Shema Yisrael Adonai eloheinu, Adonai echad.” Being translated, “Hear, oh Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.”
This sentence from God through Moses to the people of God are instructive. God wants us to focus, like the child hearing from his father, to listen intently and to be safe as a direct result. To what will we listen? To God’s Words.
Continuing in the Shema, “and these words which I command you today shall be on your heart, and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and you shall speak of them, when you are sitting or lying down, when you are rising up or lying down…” Obviously sharing God’s words is key to discipleship and to the family and to a civil society in God’s economy.
What is Public Reading of Scripture
The phrase “public reading of Scripture” is found in Paul’s letter to his disciple Timothy. “Until I come devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching.” (1 Timothy 4.13). We in the Body of Christ are pretty good at listening to preaching and teaching. We hear it in church or watch YouTube videos of sermons and Bible information. We watch Christian Television. But the “public reading of Scripture”… do we do that?
The phrase indicates three things. 1) The words we hear need to be Bible, to be Scripture, whether from the first or second part of the Bible. “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3.16-17) 2) The reading is to be in public. People need to hear it and be given a chance to interact with it. And being public the setting also allows for mutual accountability and support. 3) It’s the reading of Scripture, not the preaching or teaching of it.
Certainly in some churches a portion of Bible is read, usually just before a sermon, and some folks are pretty good at Bible reading at home on their own, but that’s not what the apostle Paul meant.
First Public Reading of Scripture
Moses and the people had gained a military victory early on in their wilderness wandering, and in Exodus 17, we read that Moses was instructed to write down what happened and to communicate it to Joshua.
The first public reading of Scripture is in the Torah, also in Exodus when God instructs Moses who “Then took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people; and they said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!” (Ex. 24.7)
The reading went beyond individual hearing as in the encounters with Adam or Noah, with Abraham and the Patriarchs, this is now public.
The 613 commandments were not intended for Moses alone; they were carefully recorded to be proclaimed repeatedly to the entire community. The expectation was clear: God’s words were to be heard, obeyed, and lived out, forming the foundation of Israel’s covenant life with Him. To make that happen, the people had to hear the Scriptures. These were given orally. It was a public reading of Scripture which was the method of transmission of the Torah. Remember, the ordinary Jewish people didn’t know how to read.
Every seven years with hope for results
Not only was this done at the time of the Giving of the Torah, but Deuteronomy reminds us that this should be ongoing.
“Moses wrote this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and to all the elders of Israel. Then Moses commanded them, saying, “At the end of every seven years, at the time of the year of remission of debts, at the Feast of Booths, when all Israel comes to appear before the LORD your God at the place which He will choose, you shall read this law in front of all Israel in their hearing. Assemble the people, the men and the women and children and the alien who is in your town, so that they may hear and learn and fear the LORD your God, and be careful to observe all the words of this law. Their children, who have not known, will hear and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as you live on the land which you are about to cross the Jordan to possess.” (Dt 31.9-13)
What results did Moses want? For the people to hear so that they would learn, and fear God and observe carefully what God said. And for their grandchildren to understand and fear God as well.
Not only Torah
Joshua declared the Torah to the Jewish people after the conquest of Ai, and again it was heard by all the people, even the foreigners who were with Israel. In Joshua 8, we read. “He wrote there on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written, in the presence of the sons of Israel. All Israel with their elders and officers and their judges were standing on both sides of the ark before the Levitical priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, the stranger as well as the native. Half of them stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, just as Moses the servant of the LORD had given command at first to bless the people of Israel. Then afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written in the book of the law. There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel with the women and the little ones and the strangers who were living among them.” (Josh. 8.32-35)
Jeremiah prophesied for decades and had a scribe named Baruch to whom he gave the oracles of God. Not only once, but twice, due to the loss of the first scroll. As regards the words from heaven, Jeremiah made sure that this also was read to the people, so that results would take place.
“So you go and read from the scroll which you have written at my dictation the words of the LORD to the people in the LORD’S house on a fast day. And also you shall read them to all the people of Judah who come from their cities. Perhaps their supplication will come before the LORD, and everyone will turn from his evil way, … Baruch the son of Neriah did … reading from the book the words of the LORD in the LORD’S house.” (Jer. 36.6-8)
After the Temple was rebuilt
The return of some Israelites to Canaan marked a significant renewal of their commitment to hearing and obeying God’s word, leading to a profound spiritual revival. Under Ezra’s leadership, a major public reading of Scripture took place in the public square of the city, as recorded in Nehemiah 8, inspiring widespread grief at what Israel had lost but also joy and renewed devotion among the assembled people. This event signalled a pivotal moment for those who returned from exile and reflected the renewed commitments of both Jews who returned to Canaan and those spread around the world. In exile, Jews adapted traditional temple practices to the synagogue context, integrating Scripture reading and teaching into communal life. These adaptations profoundly shaped their spiritual identity, enabling a transition to localized worship practices beyond Jerusalem
In modern days
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, in his book Covenant and Conversation, writes: “Every seven years, the king was commanded to ‘read aloud [tikra] this Torah before them in their hearing,’ in the ceremony of Hakhel that called together man, woman, and child. In the historic gathering of those who had returned from Babylon, Ezra ‘read [the Torah] aloud from daybreak till noon, in the presence of the men, women, and others who could understand, and all the people listened attentively [literally, the ears of all the people were directed] to the book of the Torah.’(Nehemiah 8:3) Keriat haTorah means not [only] reading but proclaiming the Torah, reading it aloud. The one who reads it has the written Word in front of him, but for the rest of the gathering, it is an experience not of the eye but of the ear. The divine Word is something heard rather than seen...To this day, the primary experience of keriat haTorah involves listening to the reader declaim the words from the Torah scroll rather than following them in a printed book. We miss some of the most subtle effects of Torah if we think of it as the text seen, rather than the Word heard.”[1]
Closed Captioning and subtitles have made so many things easier for people, not only as they have more trouble hearing. The NY Metropolitan Opera House now shows lines of the singers and most movies and television shows that we watch at home have subtitles which makes the actors’ whispers ‘hearable.’ Reading and listening often go together and help significantly.
Synagogue
We see Yeshua in synagogue in the Galilee reading the Scripture, albeit from the prophet Isaiah. (Luke 4.16-17) The apostles wrestled with the associated problems of Gentiles coming to faith in Yeshua, and what to do with them and their lack of law or covenantal understanding. We read they released some of their own fears by reminding themselves, “For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”(Acts 15.21)
This is still true in our days. I regularly attend synagogue as I have since my youth and each week on Saturdays, and on a couple other days of the week, the Torah is removed from the ark (cabinet), unwrapped from its cover, and read publicly. Each of us in the gathering hears the Word publicly read. Usually it’s several chapters of Bible.
Perhaps that is what informed Paul in his writing to Timothy. “Until I come devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture…” (1 Tim. 4.13)
Even John the Revelator included this enterprise in these opening words of assurance, “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.” (Rev. 1.3)
Significant in Worship
On a personal note in 1982, God led me and my family away from the church formulas and style we had known since 1971, and we found Anglican worship. First in the Episcopal Church in New York City’s Upper West Side, then in 1998, in Australia’s standard-bearer, in the Diocese of Sydney. I remember my first rector, Carol Anderson telling me that no matter what else is happening at church, due to the fixed nature of the service, the Word of God will be central. The opening call to worship is a Bible text; the lectionary is standardized and includes readings from both the Older and Newer Testament. Then a psalm and a Gospel reading are also included. That’s a lot of Bible!
Often the readings are from pulpit to the ears of the congregants, but sometimes, especially the Psalms are read antiphonally, from side to side. The Gospel is usually read after the people stand. Giving attention to the Word is key to an Episcopal service. Carol told me that even if the preacher is very weak, the people will still have significant time in the Word alone, and if they are listening, the liturgy contains much by way of the Bible also.
Final takeaways
We use the word hear for the natural function of sounds that come to us, without any personal response. In contrast listen is used to describe an action we employ, paying attention to those same sounds. When Paul wrote Timothy to devote himself to the public reading of Scripture, he used a word that meant more than ‘hear’ but rather devotion. The Greek verb proséchō carries a meaning far stronger than casual encouragement. It means “to apply oneself to,” “to be devoted to,” or “to give careful attention to.”
Though I’ve been a believer since 1971, it wasn’t until April 2024 when I first encountered this idea of public reading of Scripture and have given myself to it ever since. As in all parts of spiritual disciplines, we often fail when we isolate and demand of ourselves a solo response to the discipline. It’s now not me alone in a discipleship program of Bible reading. It’s beyond my own use of the book. Rather, I listen to the Bible read, sometimes in dramatized audio versions online, and sometimes, with others as we gather at tables, in regular sessions, with the accountability and support that brings, as we hear and listen to the Word.
 |
| Either online on MSTeams or in person, we meet to listen together |
For more information, please email or write me here
To join PRS from wherever you are, on MSTeams, you must register once only at https://bit.ly/PRSJoin
If you are in Sydney, join us at LCM Church St Andrews on Rosenthal Avenue in Lane Cove at 8 AM on Thursday mornings.
[1] Sacks, Jonathan. Genesis: The Book of Beginnings (Covenant & Conversation (pp. 203-204). (Function). Kindle Edition.
No comments:
Post a Comment