Nehemiah 8:10 "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."
Have you ever asked yourself what is The Joy of The Lord? Have you wondered where the Joy of The Lord was for you? Is it something that you can just go and get whenever you need it; maybe pick it up at the Christian bookstore, or the Church’s resource area; surely they must have it at Wal-Mart!
I know for me there are times that I am certain I’m saved, loved by God, heaven bound, but I can find no joy! So I began to study and ask God to give me some insight into what “The Joy Of The Lord” really means, and how can the Joy of God become something tangible for his followers; so bare with me as I think out loud.
First some background on the scripture in Nehemiah…the children of Israel have just been led
back to the Land of Promise by Ezra after more than 50 years of captivity in Babylon. The scripture says in Nehemiah 8:1 “this is the first day of the seventh month”. The seventh month in the Jewish calendar is Tishri and the first day of Tishri is The Feast of Trumpets or Rosh Hashanah (The Jewish New Year). Jewish tradition holds that Rosh Hashanah celebrates the anniversary of the creation of the world. The Feast of Trumpets and Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) are the holiest days of the Jewish year. The Day of Atonement is the 10th day of Tishri or the 10th day of the seventh month! These ten days are called the Days of Awe or High Holy Days; unlike other holy days, they do not celebrate a season or historical event. This season is a time for looking inward to spiritual growth.
The Jews start the celebration of the Fall Holidays (The Feast of Trumpets and Rosh Hahanah)thirty days prior to the Feast of Trumpets. For thirty days the shofar is blown every morning in the Synagogue to remind the people that the holy days are approaching and that they should prepare themselves. Their preparation consists of confessing their sins and seeking forgiveness; this is a time of reflection, contemplation, and putting things in order and getting right their relationship with God. This would be like our typical New Years here in the American Churches…most of us make “New Years Resolutions” that resemble the Jews trying to get their relationship with God in order! Come on be honest, how many January’s are we going to start out with a fast, a pledge to read the bible through in one year with the pastor, and vow to God with a pinky swear that we will be up every morning at 5am in our prayer closet; or how about the annual pledge to have a quiet time every day for at least an hour! Okay maybe I’m the only one with quirky New Years Resolutions!
Back to our regularly scheduled program! The Feast of Trumpets (the day of our scripture in Nehemiah) is a Sabbath day so early at dawn the people gathered for the reading of the Law and begin to weep as Ezra reads from the Torah explaining and interpreting to the folks in the crowd. As they heard the word of God plainly ministered to them and interpreted by Ezra, Nehemiah, and the priests it cut through their sin; they wept and they grieved over their position before a holy God. The people see their sinfulness and inability to be right before God and when you and I get this same glimpse of our human frailty before a Holy God weeping and repentance often follow. So as the people find themselves weeping, fearful, and totally unable to do all of the things laid out in the Torah to “please God” they recognize their weakness!! Think about it…30 days prior to this, everyday, the Jews have been thinking about the things in their lives that are not pleasing to God, praying to God to search them, know them, and test them…and if he sees any wicked way in them to point it out! (Psalm 139: 23-24)
I found a more Hebraic understanding of this verse in the HCSB (Holman Christian Standard Bible) It says this “Do not grieve, because your strength [comes from] rejoicing in the Lord” Don’t you love this version! It does not deny the fact that when you’re faced with the truth of the scriptures and search deep in your soul…you come out feeling broken! It embraces the grief and adds that your grief can be overcome by joy in the fact that you are not doing this thing alone; because of grace and mercy turn to God and He Will Be Your Strength!
The prophet tells them, do not weep, and do not grieve as you hear what God has commanded you in the Torah (the way man is to live before God) your strength to overcome will be present when you rejoice in the Lord. Or maybe we can say it like this, when you are at your weakest and you find it within your soul to rejoice in a Holy, Righteous, and loving God, He will give you strength! The Lord is our strength, Jesus said when you are weak, only then are you strong! When we recognize our own weakness and lean hard into God no matter what and at all times…He gives us strength. He is our Rock, our Strong Tower, our Salvation, our Redeemer, and our Fortress!
So the Joy of The Lord IS our strength, but to make it more tangible to the believer, say it like this.
The strength of the Lord is MY joy!
Because God is strong, I can live and walk in Joy. But I must rejoice and find pleasure IN Him and then I’m strengthened. When I rejoice in Him, then I will find strength in places I never dreamed existed. Too often we throw this verse around the neck of believers and tell them to “get” the joy of the Lord, like it’s something you keep in a pocket somewhere or purchase at a store.
The Hebrew word for Rejoice is Samach, and it implies – To brighten up, cause to make blithe and gleesome, cheer up, be joyful, make merry, and cause to rejoice.
Sounds to me like "rejoicing in the Lord" puts you and me on offense! We are called to cause it (The Joy of The Lord) by rejoicing. To make it happen by cheering up!
Psalms 21:1-6
1 Lord, the king finds joy in your strength. How greatly he rejoices in your victory!
Psalms 81:1-7
Sing for joy to God our strength; Shout in triumph to the God of Jacob.
Ex 15:2-3
The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him. The LORD is a warrior; the LORD is his name.
1 Chronicles 16:11
Look to the LORD and His strength; seek his face always.
Psalm 18:1
I love you, O LORD, my strength.
Psalm 28:6-9
Praise be to the LORD, for he has heard my cry for mercy. The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. The LORD is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.
There are so many more but this rant must end. I hope you come to see the Joy of The Lord is not something you just go and get from the shelf. It’s not something that you get for free or comes automatic with your get in heaven free card. The joy of our God comes when you recognize your weakness, and in your up times, down times, pain, struggle, hurts, and fears you still rejoice in God alone…and He comes along side of you holding you up, giving you strength to endure anything, even death on a Roman cross!
Peace
Tony
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