Good
Monday Morning (8-02-10),
After the wall had been rebuilt around
the ruined city of
Most of those assembled had been in
captivity all their lives. Although they had been allowed to return to their
homeland, they were still considered slaves to the king of
Very few of them had ever heard the word of God. As a result they did not know anything about Him — or any truth about themselves.
So many of us in the
church have returned to our homeland, to the
The fact is that we know very little about the God who has rescued us. Truth has not impacted our lives…the truth that we have been redeemed from the kingdom of darkness and given a new home in Jesus’ kingdom.
We know nothing, or very little, about God’s word or about Him. So, although in effect we are free, we remain trapped in the bondage of our ignorance.
Nehemiah understood that knowing God was the only hope for a defeated, discouraged people. They could not begin to fully inhabit their homeland, to dwell there securely, to receive the blessings God intended for them, until they knew what it meant to be God’s people; until they knew Him.
We are no different. We cannot begin to walk in the freedom prepared for us, in the victory already won for us…we cannot begin to comprehend the great goodness of God toward us...until we hear His word and through that word begin to know Him.
All the people assembled in a broad place. Ezra the priest, standing on a high platform where all the people could see and hear, read from the Book of the Lord. On the platform with him were groups of Levites who explained the texts through teaching and preaching.
God wants us not just to hear, but to understand! He wants us to know His heart, not just His law.
An interesting thing happened as the people began to hear and understand the Word of the Lord for the very first time. They wept. God’s word is described as a living sword. It penetrates to the core of our being. It bares our souls. It cuts away comforting deceptions and reveals unpleasant truth.
Seeing ourselves from God’s perspective always convicts. Our natural response is grief.
But joy is God’s primary provision for His people. Condemnation never accomplishes His purposes in us. We can see this in Nehemiah. The commotion became so great that the priests stopped teaching and encouraged the people. They said, “This day is holy to the Lord, don’t mourn or weep. Go and eat and drink and be joyful. This day is holy to the Lord.”
Our God provides for all our needs. As we partake of those provisions He encourages us, “Rejoice! Rejoice!”
It is natural to grieve when we first recognize how great God is and how far short we are from His standard of excellence. But His mercy endures forever, and His redemption has closed the gap between us and Him. He wants us to experience His great provision: for our physical needs on earth and our spiritual needs in eternity.
The Israelites heard God’s Word. But it wasn’t until they agreed to receive His bounty that they began to understand the truth within the word. Partaking of His provisions, experiencing Him, turned their mourning into gladness.
It is the same for us in the church today. The word must come first…because without knowing the word we cannot clearly see our great need. But reading the word is not enough, because it is in God’s presence, receiving His goodness, that the word comes alive and we can begin to understand it.
That is when our weeping ends and our rejoicing begins.
“Then
Ezra told them, Go your way; eat the fat, drink the sweet drink, and send
portions to him for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord.
And be not grieved and depressed, for the joy of the Lord is your strength and
stronghold…And all the people went their way to eat, drink, send portions, and
make great rejoicing, for they had understood the words that were declared to
them.” (Nehemiah 8:10 & 12, amplified)
Laurie
Gross