The city was large but the people were few, still they came from every generation reading the word and responding with understanding and praise in the public square. It takes a village to raise a child in the Lord, and to be a people of God we need to be around the people of God, praying for one another and reading the word. The word of God, rightly understood, is always good news. That’s why in Nehemiah 8, the people opened the word not at the temple but at the water gate, as if to say the word is for everyone in every sphere. The word is meant to shape our street, our market places, our work, and everywhere we go. May we be people of the word.