| At the end of Moses’ life (around 1400BC)(Deut 31) he reminds the people that God will never leave them, and that He wants to be near to them. While God will be faithful, Moses warns the people that they might forget Him. He institutes the Feast of Tabernacles that includes the reading of Torah so that they might remember. Fast-forward to 586BC. The exile has happened, and many are taken into captivity where there is no Scripture for the next 142 years. Then, in 444BC, we have the story of Nehemiah. In Nehemiah 8, we see that the people are gathered in the square. Waves of people are returning from exile, and the language has changed. The people hear the Scripture for the first time (v1-8), and the Levites are translating it for understanding. Hearing Scripture is good. Understanding Scripture is transformational. The people are aware of God’s goodness and of their depravity. They begin to weep. Nehemiah tells them, “Do not weep…the joy of the Lord is your strength.” (Neh 8:9-10). God restores His Word to heal people. He restores people to their purpose of knowing Him and loving Him forever. We must understand the weight of the bad news before we can be grateful for the good news. God’s Word: - Every word matters
- Learn from history
- Jesus is the center (the fulfillment) of it all
Bible Translation moves people: - from silence to understanding
- from confusion to clarity
- from despair to hope
“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.” -Isaiah 52:7 What do we do now? - Pray for a people group – there are still 494 groups that are very hard to reach.
- Advocate
- Give
- Soak yourself in Scripture – God will continue to change you!
Questions to Consider? - What does God’s Word mean to you?
- What is your role in Bible translation?
- How will you guard your life and those around you from “forgetting God and His Word”?
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