Reviewed, edited and approved by Jeff Robb. Scripture is quoted from the King James Version.
Key passage: Nehemiah 8:8-10 (KJV)
8 So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading. 9 And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the LORD your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law. 10 Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.
Reflection
The walls of Jerusalem had just been rebuilt. After years in exile and weeks of hard work, the people gathered in the street before the water gate. They asked Ezra the scribe to bring out the book of the law. He stood on a wooden pulpit and read from morning until midday, and the people listened.
So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.
That's a good description of what God's word needs. Read clearly. Explained. Understood. It's not enough to have the Bible on a shelf. We need to hear it and take it in.
And when the people understood it, something happened. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law. They saw how far they and their fathers had fallen from what God asked. It broke their hearts.
That's a right response to God's word. But Nehemiah and Ezra didn't leave them there. This day is holy unto the LORD your God; mourn not, nor weep.
Then Nehemiah told them to go and celebrate. Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared. Have a feast, and make sure the poor have something too.
And then the line that has strengthened God's people ever since. neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.
Sorrow for sin is real, and it matters. But it isn't meant to be the end. God brings us to repentance so that He can bring us to joy. And this joy isn't something we work up. It's the joy of the LORD. It comes from Him, from knowing He has forgiven us and that we belong to Him.
That joy is strength. It's what keeps us going when the work is hard and the opposition is real, as it was for Nehemiah's builders. A discouraged heart gives up easily. A heart that rejoices in the LORD can keep going.
If God's word has shown you something to put right, put it right. Then don't stay in the mourning. Lift your head. The joy of the LORD is your strength.
Cross-references
Prayer
LORD, thank You for Your word that shows me where I've gone wrong and shows me Your mercy too. When I'm sorry for my sin, lead me on into Your joy. Let the joy of the LORD be my strength today, and help me share what I have with others. Amen.
For today: Read a chapter of scripture slowly today until you understand it, and then thank God for one thing it shows you.