« “The Royal Law” | Main | “Into the Deep Water” »
January 24, 2010
“Your Strength”
Luke 24: 50 - 53/Nehemiah 8: 1 - 12
Sunday, January 24, 2010
In some areas of our country you will find a lot of historical markers. If you stop and read them you will find that in that place on a certain date in history, something important happened. But you have to be careful, because there are also non-historical markers. Some folks who are tired of living in historical districts have purchased plaques for their homes that say “in this place in 1863 absolutely nothing happened”.
Now of course, strictly speaking it is not really true to say that nothing happened in a certain place. In all places and times, life goes on. A few years ago the subdivision I live in was a cornfield. But that doesn’t mean that nothing happened there. The field was ploughed and planted and corn grew and was harvested. Before the farmers came, the land was tended by the native American tribes in their own ways.
But the happenings of some times and places are more important than others, even in places where a lot of historically significant events have occurred, like Jerusalem. The coming of Ezra and then Nehemiah to Jerusalem marked the end of a period of insignificance in Jerusalem.
In 586 BC Jerusalem had been destroyed by the Babylonians and its remaining residents had either been killed or taken to Babylon as slaves. Jerusalem remained in ruins for at least 50 years. During that time it was nothing more than ancient foundations and piles of rocks.
During that time, the Persians conquered the Babylonians and then the Jews were free to return to Jerusalem and Israel. Around 520 BC a Jewish man named Zerubbabel returned to Jerusalem and he and the people who returned with him rebuilt the Temple. And then for about 50 years, nothing much happened. Not much else was rebuilt in Jerusalem. Then, Ezra and then a little later Nehemiah came to Jerusalem. Ezra was a Priest who came to restore zeal to the religion of Israel. Nehemiah was a Jewish Captive in Persia who had become the cupbearer or butler to the king of Persia.
Nehemiah was concerned that things were not improving for his fellow Jews in Jerusalem and he asked the king to appoint him as Governor in Judea so he could do something about it. His first goal was to rebuild the long ruined walls of Jerusalem and provide security so more people would build houses in Jerusalem.
Chapters 2-6 of the book of Nehemiah describe the work and intrigue of the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem.
After the walls were rebuilt, the Jews were invited to Jerusalem for a dedication service and to attend the ancient festival of the feast of tabernacles.
As a part of the festivities, the people were gathered near the Watergate in Jerusalem to hear the Books of the Law read. This would be the OT requirements of God upon his people of which the 10 commandments were a summary. But this reading involved much more than the 10 commandments, it probably contained large portions of the first five books of the Bible. As the word was read, there were interspersed periods of interpretation and instruction by many of their leaders. The reading and instructing took about 6 hours.
The initial impact of this upon the people does not seem to have been exactly what the leaders were looking for.
The people began to weep. They realized that they had not been faithful to God during their time back in Israel. They had begun to fall into the disobedient practices that they now knew had caused Jerusalem to be destroyed and their ancestors carried off as slaves. They were overwhelmed. How had this happened? They were trying to obey God by rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, but before and during that they had not been paying attention to some of the ethical and moral behaviors that God expected. And when the Books of Moses were read to them, they fell on the people with a crushing realization of their sinfulness.
But the Governor, the Priest, and the Levites said to the people: “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep…. Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord, and do not be grieved for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Regardless of what they had discovered about their sinfulness, this was a time for rejoicing. In the reading and their understanding of the Scriptures they were given a great blessing. They understood what God expected of them. They understood how they could now live in harmony with their fellow Israelites within those newly constructed walls. They had rebuilt the walls, they now knew how to properly rebuild their nation on Gods principles and precepts.
And Nehemiah recorded in verse 12: 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.
Whenever Gods Word and will are revealed to us, it is a time to rejoice in that blessing. God’s commandments and regulations bring great blessings to those who obey them and understanding what God expects of us should be accompanied with Joy.
This Joy of the Lord is the Joy we have in knowing that we belong to the almighty and victorious God.
It is the Joy that the Apostles had when Jesus left them and ascended to Heaven. They returned to the city where Jesus had been killed. The priests and some of the Pharisees would gladly have killed them also if they could. They returned to that city without their Lord, and they were rejoicing because they knew that their Lord Jesus was now reigning in heaven for their benefit. And bless their hearts, it is the testimony of the scriptures, the traditions of the early church and the records of the early church fathers that the Apostles never lost that joy. Yes they were persecuted, yes they worked hard to the point of exhaustion, yes they were hunted down and killed save one, but they never lost their Joy.
Now I want to go back to Nehemiah for a few moments. I want you to remember the context of this passage. They had just finished rebuilding the walls and setting the doors in the gates. Jerusalem was now “secure” for the first time in over 130 years. Nehemiah has also recorded that Israel had become an armed nation. In order to protect themselves while they built the wall they had taken up swords and spears and we assume learned how to use them. It is in this context of a Jerusalem with secure walls and a people able to defend themselves in it that Ezra and Nehemiah and the other leaders said the Joy of the Lord was their real strength.
And it is for you too. I know that some of you have concerns about your health and about people and issues in your family. I know that some of you are way less financially secure than you thought you would be at this stage of your life. But Your strength is not to be found in those things. It is to be found in your Joy in God, your joy over having been given the scriptures which tell you how God wants you to live. Your Joy over having been forgiven for your sins. Your joy over having been given an eternal life in God’s blessed Kingdom.
Now this does not mean that there is not a time and place in the Christian life for sorrow and confession and repentance.
In chapter 9 of Nehemiah we are told that there was a service of confession, repentance, and rededication for the people of Israel. But even in our confessions and repentance, we are blessed with the Joy of knowing that God is leading us and is pleased with us.
Your Joy in the Lord is your strength. You should recapture and build that joy by noticing God’s blessings upon you. You are a part of a loving and caring congregation. These people will care for you in your time of need. You have been given God’s Word to read and study and follow. You have been promised salvation and eternal life. You have been privileged to help others whom God loves. These and many other blessings should build up and restore you Joy. And your Joy should make you strong.
Pastor David Horner
Faith Presbyterian Church
West Lafayette, IN 47906
Posted by faithpres at January 24, 2010 07:22 PM