The Joy of the Lord is Your Strength

Nehemiah 8:10                         The Joy of the Lord Is Your Strength

“Nehemiah said, ‘Go enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared.  This day is holy to our Lord.  Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’”  (NIV)

The Israelites had been held captive in Babylon, and now many had returned to Israel, but the walls of Jerusalem were in a shambles.  They provided no protection for the inhabitants.  The King of Persia sent Nehemiah back to Jerusalem to become the governor and to rebuild the walls.  There was much opposition in the area around Jerusalem to the rebuilding of the walls, but the people of Israel persevered, and the walls and gates were finally rebuilt.

The people, all the people of Jerusalem, gathered and asked the priest, Ezra, to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses and read it to them.  When He opened the book, all the people stood up.  Ezra read aloud from daybreak until noon while they stood.  When Ezra was finished, others took over and instructed the people.  The people were weeping as the Word of the Lord was being read, so hungry were they for God’s Word.

The governor, Nehemiah, and Ezra told the people not to weep, for it was a holy day to the Lord.  Instead of weeping they told them to enjoy themselves, and they also told them to make sure that everyone had food and sweet drink to enjoy.  They had an enormous “block party” because they had heard the Word of God read to them.  They rejoiced greatly.  I doubt that there are many churches who would stand and listen to someone reading from the Bible from daybreak to noon.  What respect they had for the Word of God.  We could learn from them.

They were told that “The joy of the Lord is your strength.”  I’ve always thought that there were two ways to understand that Scripture.  First, I believe that the meaning is that we get strength from having the joy of the Lord.  But second, I also believe that it could be understood to mean that we get joy from having the strength of the Lord.  I don’t believe it makes much difference which way we read it.  The important thing is that we have both joy and strength from our God through the reading of His Word.  Lord, help me to realize the joy and strength I get from the reading of your Word.