And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra
the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the
people, “This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all
the people wept as they heard the words of the Law. Then he said to them, “Go
your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has
nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the
joy of the LORD is your strength.” So the Levites calmed all the people,
saying, “Be quiet, for this day is holy; do not be grieved.” And all the people
went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great
rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them. On
the second day the heads of fathers’ houses of all the people, with the priests
and the Levites, came together to Ezra the scribe in order to study the words
of the Law. And they found it written in the Law that the LORD had commanded by
Moses that the people of Israel should dwell in booths during the feast of the
seventh month, and that they should proclaim it and publish it in all their
towns and in Jerusalem, “Go out to the hills and bring branches of olive, wild
olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees to make booths, as it is written.” So
the people went out and brought them and made booths for themselves, each on
his roof, and in their courts and in the courts of the house of God, and in the
square at the Water Gate and in the square at the Gate of Ephraim. And all the
assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in
the booths, for from the days of Jeshua the son of Nun to that day the people
of Israel had not done so. And there was very great rejoicing. And day by day,
from the first day to the last day, he read from the Book of the Law of God.
They kept the feast seven days, and on the eighth day there was a solemn
assembly, according to the rule. (Nehemiah 8:9–18 ESV).
The context of the reading today is the
time when the people heard the law of God, they wept as they recognized how far
they had strayed from God's commands. Their tears showed their remorse and
conviction. Governor Nehemiah, the priest Ezra, and the Levites told the people
to stop mourning. They declared that the day was holy to the Lord and meant for
rejoicing. "The joy of the Lord is your strength". Nehemiah commanded
the people to celebrate by eating rich food, drinking sweet drinks, and sharing
with those who had nothing prepared. He assured them that the "joy of the
Lord is your strength," a powerful reminder that their endurance would
come from God's joy, not their own sorrow.
That brings us to our focal virtue today.
How do we balance the joy of forgiveness with the grief of sin? If we move on
too fast, does that show we aren’t really sorry? Are we doing some injustice to
God or to others we have sinned against? Or, if we hold on to being sorry too
long, does that mean we do not trust enough in God’s power to forgive? Guilt
can be hard to get over. The feelings can last a long time. But since all sins
are against God, even when a sin is also against others, God’s situation is
totally opposite to ours. He could demand that we wallow in our sorrow. But
that’s not who God is. God loves us and is overjoyed when we want to be in a
good relationship with him again. In fact, God has so much joy when we repent
of our sin that his joy provides the strength we need to forgive ourselves.
Nehemiah urged the people to experience
that joy. He called for a feast so that the people could enjoy fine foods and
drinks and share with others. This wasn’t about just going through motions; it
was about recognizing that God’s law calls for a relationship with us. And as
far as God is concerned, if we are ready to stop moving away from him and start
moving toward him, that brings the most joy. Perhaps you need to “build a
booth,” even if it might be just a tent in your backyard. Celebrate that your
sins are forgiven!
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