Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. – Nehemiah 8:5

Today’s Scripture Reading (August 29, 2017): Nehemiah 8

Do you stand when someone new enters the room? Good manners still demand that we rise every time someone new enters a room for the first time in the day (obviously in significant social situations this is impossible) and for a woman, etiquette requires standing by men every time she enters or leaves the room. So, if you are in a meeting with a lady who is in and out of the room for whatever reason, men should rise every time that she enters or exits the room. The basis for the etiquette rule is that rising shows that you noticed the person and that you are ready and willing to engage with the person. It gives a clear confirmation that we are interested and value the individual who has come into our vicinity. For the misogynists in our midst, maybe the fact that we rise every time a woman enters or leaves a room serves as a reminder to us of the importance of the women in our midst. Although I am sure that someone will label these rules, even though etiquette still demands this kind of behavior, as outdated and sexist, we need to remember that the practice stresses the twin purposes of showing both respect and interest.

Nehemiah notes that as Ezra opened the Bible, the people spontaneously stood up. What might be interesting to note is that the standard of behavior in Hebrew society for a teaching situation was that the people stood while the teacher sat down. (I am not sure if any teachers would like to try that the next time that they engaged a class.) But here, it is expressly mentioned that the crowd is standing showing both respect and interest because the words of Torah or Mosaic Law was about to be read. In standing, the people were visibly telling Ezra, the leaders of the nation, and each other, that they cared and were interested in the words that were about to be read.

Historically, the church continued this tradition by having people stand for any reading of the Bible. It is interesting that currently we often would rather sit through a church service than to stand at any time, but if there is a spontaneous standing, it is more likely that we would stand for the songs and sit during the reading of the Bible. I am not sure if that might indicate a lack of interest in the Bible, or maybe a lack of respect for the church in general. Our gatherings have become ritual and events that we feel guilted into attending rather than receiving our intense attention and care.

And maybe that is the reason that the church is slowly declining into oblivion. Even we don’t care enough to stand for the words of God, so why should anyone else.  

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Nehemiah 9