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“¹⁰ Nehemiah said, ‘Go and 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

Tom Hale explains: ‘God-given joy is not merely happiness or a ‘’good feeling’’; it is rooted in our salvation. It is because our sins have been forgiven and we have been restored to fellowship with God that we can experience the joy of the LORD. That joy is a sign of God’s Holy Spirit within us (Galatians 5:22); and if God’s Spirit is in us, we will have God-given strength as well.’ ‘Applied Old Testament Commentary’, p.762.

I have often said that the fruit of the Spirit is nothing less than the character of Jesus, reproduced in the Christian by the Holy Spirit. So this is Jesus’ own joy imparted to us. The joy He Himself possessed (and possesses) He gives away to His own. As he said to His disciples:

‘’I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete’’ (John 15:11)

Prayer: Lord, please give us your help that we do not live below the level of our privileges in Christ

“⁸ They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear^[a] and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read.⁹ Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, ‘This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.’ For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.¹⁰ Nehemiah said, ‘Go and 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

Hearing, reading, studying God’s Word does not always result in joy. Sometimes it causes you to mourn; it leads to conviction of sin. It seems that’s what happened here. But ‘’Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret…’’ (2 Corinthians 7:10a). So such ‘’sorrow’’ should not linger, but may be quickly replaced by joy. That is the spirit of the message here. ‘’Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted’’ (Matthew 5:4)

Notice how Ezra, Nehemiah and the Levites worked as a team to get God’s Word to the people. This was not a personality-driven ministry. No-one was above another. The pulled together in the cause of God. Certainly in the case of Ezra and Nehemiah, they were two big characters, but there’s not a whiff of friction or competition between them.For effective team ministry to take place a stake must be driven through the heart of egoism.

PRAYER: Lord, may we never lose sight of the fact that we all need each other, and we are stronger together.

“⁷ The Levites – Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan and Pelaiah – instructed the people in the Law while the people were standing there. ⁸ They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read.” NIV

It struck me this morning, as I was reading chapter 8, that Ezra has suddenly appeared on the scene, and I haven’t specifically noted it. Just to say that the ministries of Nehemiah and Ezra overlap, and their books should be read together to get a bigger picture of the time, and the circumstances they were facing. Warren Wiersbe explains: ‘When Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem in 444 B.C., Ezra was already there, instructing the people in God’s law. When the work of rebuilding was completed, Ezra held a great ‘’Bible conference’’ during the Feast of Tabernacles.’ ‘With the Word’, p.268.

With regard to today’s reading, I have also found this quote helpful:‘Passages like this give scriptural confirmation of the need for preachers and teachers of God’s word, and for books to help explain it…Some Christians have the idea that they don’t need to read books about the Bible, such as commentaries. They say that only the Holy Spirit is needed to help one understand the Bible. Ezra certainly would not have agreed. After all, the Holy Spirit also helps writers write commentaries. It is pride that keeps people from wanting to learn from others.’ Tom Hale: ‘The Applied Old Testament Commentary’, p.761.

PRAYER: Lord, please give understanding to  your preachers, and through your preachers.

“⁵ Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. ⁶ Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, ‘Amen! Amen!’ Then they bowed down and worshipped the Lordwith their faces to the ground.“NIV

Sometimes, just the sight of my Bible on the desk next to me, or the feel of it in my hands, ignites a sense of joy which goes right through me and causes me to say inwardly, ‘I love this Book.’ I don’t report this to generate admiration in others, but simply to give testimony to the joy the Scriptures can bring to one heart. Of course, it is more than the sight, or the feel, of the Bible that should stoke the flames of gratitude and gladness; it is rather its contents that are the fuel for the flames. But that is why I regularly feel excited when I see my Bible – because it’s overall message is so overwhelmingly thrilling.

In today’s reading the response to God’s Word is joyful reverence. As you read your Bible, with an open heart, asking God to speak to you, at times you will want to lift up your hands in praise. At other times you may want to fall on your knees, and even on your face. Christian worship combines awe and intimacy.

Notice the people took their cue from Ezra. He led in praise, and they all ‘’responded’’. Leaders may well need to ‘eat last’ (as in a recent book title). But they must also go first – and others will follow.

PRAYER: Lord God, teach me to love your wonderful Book more and more. Indeed, teach me to love you, its Author, more and more. In its pages let me meet with you.