The Joy of the Lord Is My Strength!
“The Joy of the Lord is our strength!” What a familiar scripture passage to many of us. This is one that finds its way onto t-shirts, bookmarks and cards. This is one of the scripture passages that makes us feel good. If you are like me, you might have heard this scripture in isolation, as we do many scripture passages. I think we can garner a lot from this passage when we look at the text surrounding it and the circumstance it was written in. Let’s begin by reading this excerpt from Nehemiah chapter 8:
"1And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the Lordhad commanded Israel. 2 So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard….
7the Levites, helped the people to understand the Law, while the people remained in their places. 8 They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading. 9 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 Lordyour God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law. 10 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.”
Nehemiah 8: 1-10
In the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, we see the people of Judah returning to the city of Jerusalem after being exiled in Babylon. With special permission from the King, when Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem, he set out to rebuild the wall surrounding the city to recapture their security (Nehemiah 1 - 6). In our passage today, the wall had been successfully rebuilt. Now, the people would turn their attention to rebuilding the covenant relationship they had with God.
Biblical scholars believe that this was most likely the first time that the Word of God, the Law, had been read to an assembly of people since they returned from exile. In their captivity, they did not have the freedom to gather together and read the Law. This was a special day! Everyone gathered, men and women alike, to hear Ezra read the law. We see that the goal wasn’t merely for people to hear the law but the goal was for people to UNDERSTAND the Word of God (Neh. 8:8).
As the Word of God was read aloud, I imagine a hush falling over the crowd. This scene would have been very different than the large church gatherings we have today. There were no microphones or megaphones, no handheld copies of the Law or screens bearing the words for everyone to look on or read for themselves. The people would have strained to hear Ezra read. The passage tells us that the people began to weep, and they fell on their faces in worship. The people were convicted by the Word of God, moved to tears, and moved to a posture of surrender.
The people were so overwhelmed by their sin and their failures through the power of the Word of God. Hebrews 4:12 tells us:
“For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
Yes, it is important to let God’s Word convict us, change us and mold us so that we can become more like him. If we read God’s Word and don’t allow it to convict us, we are missing the point. But after a period of time, Nehemiah and Ezra tell the people, “Stop your crying! Do not grieve, for the Joy of the Lord is your strength!” When we allow the Word of God to reveal what is in us that doesn’t look like Jesus, we must allow that same Word to move us not to a place of despair but to a place of Joy. We will stay in a place of despair if we believe we are on our own to get rid of the things in our life that aren’t from God. We will stay defeated if we rely in our own strength because we will try and fail over and over again. But when we allow the Word of God not only to convict us, but also to encourage us and remind us that we have help, we can have Joy!
According to this passage, the Joy of the Lord that provides us strength is a direct result of reading and understanding God’s Word.
Through God’s word, we are reminded that:
“The Spirit helps us in our weakness” [Romans 8: 26]
“I (Jesus) will be with you always” [Mt. 28:20]
If we trust and acknowledge Him, He will make our paths straight [Proverbs 3:5-6]
NOTHING can separate us from the love of God [Romans 8:39]
In your presence is the fullness of Joy [Psalm 16:11]
These promises are just scratching the surface of the promises God has given us in His Word. Like the people of Judah, the goal isn’t simply for us to hear the Word, but to understand it (Neh. 8:8). In our passage today, we see where the priests walked through the crowds to talk with people and to help them understand the words Ezra was reading. Yes, your pastor or Bible Study Teacher is a great resource if you have questions about scripture, but we as New Testament believers have our own personal teacher that walks through the crowd, straight to us, to help us understand. The Holy Spirit moves and breathes among us to help us gain understanding of God’s word.
With the Holy Spirit as our helper (John 14:26), we can be confident that whatever the cause of our sadness or distress, we can seek the Word of God and find that the Joy of the Lord is our strength!
