From the book

Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, helped the people to understand the Law; and the people stood in their place. So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading. – Nehemiah 8.7-8

Not only did the people hear the word of God read. Nehemiah appointed a team of thirteen men plus the Levites to teach them them word of God. The importance of good Bible teachers is nothing new. God has always provided teachers to teach His word.

I think this is a great lesson on what Bible teachers are supposed to do. We are supposed to:

Read the word clearly
Give an explanation of what we read
Help the people understand the word

I think that is what it really means to ‘preach the word.’

If we look at this we see there is only one focus – ‘what saith the Lord?’

Our pulpits have become in too many cases the place where preachers take there own personal agenda and then find a few verses to prop up what they want to say. That's not what our pulpits are for – we read the word and talk about the word.

It is easy to let politics creep into our pulpits. But that is not our job. We are to read the word, explain it, and help people understand it.

The church needs true Bible teachers. We need to be in our pulpits clearly preaching and teaching and explaining God’s word – and nothing else.