Thursday 21st February

Nehemiah 8:10

A few days ago I was awoken by the warmth of the sun’s rays shining through our bedroom window. I sometimes get fed up of the cold bitterly breeze that the winter brings so having the sun wake me up was an amazing feeling. That day there were clear signs that spring is coming. The trees buds were showing signs of spouting. The bitterly breeze was cancelled out by the warmth of the sun’s rays, shining and warming our faces. It was a blessed morning. Spring often reminds me of new beginnings, new life and fresh starts. The cold winter period in our lives has passed and now, new life is breathed into us again. Is that happening in you today?

In today’s passage we learn of this new beginning in a persecuted people who were captive in the hands of the Babylonians. Nehemiah was commissioned by God to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and consequentially breathe new life into a downcast and despondent people group, Israel. Upon completion, those who were held captive started to return to Jerusalem.

However, Nehemiah was not content to just have a set of bricks to redefine the new beginning of their lives. The community transformation needed to take place in their hearts and minds. So Ezra the priest and scribe, upon public request, started to read the Book of the Law of Moses (The Torah). Interestingly, after hearing God’s words, their response was to worship God. They lifted up their hands to the Heavens and fell prostrate of the floor in submission to God Almighty. God was building not only a foundation around them of bricks and mortar but of His eternal words in their hearts. However hearing is not enough if you don’t understand what you’re listening to. So Ezra, with the help of the Levites and Nehemiah, helped the people to understand what God was saying through His word. What is your response to hearing and reading the Word of God?

The Israelites response here was to mourn and weep. Their hearts were convicted by God’s words. They knew the reason they had been taken into captivity in the first place was because of their rebellion against God’s Laws. However, the passage doesn’t finish there. The Israelites are encouraged to stop mourning and weeping. Although God’s words were working in their hearts to convict, heal and restore them, it was also a day of Joy. When we know what we have done wrong (the Laws job), repent (Christ’s Job to pay our price) and change our ways (Our job with the help of the Holy Spirit), our immediate response is not to stay in a place of weeping and mourning but rather to rejoice in the freedom and liberty that brings. So too Ezra encourages the people to know that the joy of the Lord is their strength. The joy of knowing God’s forgiveness, the joy of knowing God’s blessings in obedience and the joy in knowing that God was still merciful to His people.  

The new beginning in this community transformation was in the Joy of the Lord. That was their strength. Knowing that they were being restored as a community, transformed as a community and living under the authority of God’s word as a community. We too must find our strength in the joy of God’s word and the liberty that brings through Christ’s victory on the cross.

“The JOY of the LORD is your STRENGTH.” (verse 10)