The Joy of the Lord is Our Strength
Neh 8:10
Text
Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Neh 8:10).
Context
Israel had been in captivity for 70 years when Ezra was sent by Cyrus, king of Persia, to Jerusalem to build the temple of God (Ezr 1:1ff). After many years, Nehemiah, the cupbearer to the king (Artaxerxes), was grieved that the walls of Jerusalem were still in a shambles. So, he fasted and prayed, asking God to remember his promises, forgive his people a let them go back to Israel (Neh. 1:1-10). Then, because he was distraught when acting as cup bearer to the king, Artaxerxes asked him about his countenance. When Nehemiah responded that he was sad because the walls of his city needed replacing, the king responded by not only sending him to do the job but sent him with letters so that everyone who might have restricted the job would be quieted (2:1-10).
This all sounds good and seems like things should go smoothly from here on out. But there were folks in the land (Samaritans, Ammonites, Arabs and Philistines) who didn’t like the Israelites and didn’t want the city built up. Sandballat Tobiah, and Gehshem the Arab were the leaders of the opposition and they did everything they could to cause trouble for the Jews.
This included threatening to tear down the walls after they were built. So the Jews, strapped on their swords and prepared for battle even while they worked (4:1-3 and 4:13-18).
Finally, the walls were finished and when the people got together to celebrate, and they decided they needed to read the law and begin doing it. Nehemiah had been bringing the people back to God throughout the building process, but they still hadn’t really settled in to serve the Lord in an intelligent way. As Ezra the priest read the law the people fell on their faces, agreeing with everything written in it (8:6). Then Ezra began explaining the text and the people realized that they were in serious trouble because they had not kept the Law of God for many years, and they began to be sorrowful, and maybe a little bit fearful (8:9; 11). And now we come to our text: “Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Sorrow?
“We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses” (1:7).
“Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations; but if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens” (1:8–9).
In chapter 5, Nehemiah finds out that the Israelites are taking advantage of one another and are causing their fellow Jews to become enslaved to one another and to foreigners and he needs to make them do what is right (5:1-14). When confronted with this, the people did as Nehemiah commanded, but it appears that the guilt and shame of the sin remained.
Think also of the recent reading of the Law, which included the 10 commandments: Love the Lord your God with all your mind soul and strength. Love your neighbor as yourself. The Israelites had been sent into bondage because of their sin and now they are being reminded of it again.
And so, they were sorrowful, guilty, and shameful.
Do Not Sorrow?
What I didn’t mention a minute ago was that Nehemiah remembered not only the prophecy about how God treats sinners, but he also remembered God’s promises to those who repent from their sin and walk with God:
“but if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name.’ Now these are Your servants and Your people, whom You have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand. O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” (1:9–11).
God’s people know that God is as hard as nails on and sin, but forget that he loves his people and is filled with Mercy and Kindness to those who love him.
God forgives, Heb 10:17-18 quoting Isaiah 43:25 tells us that when God forgives us, he vows/promises that he will not remember our sin anymore. It is gone.
The temple was built and there were priests present. Also, Nehemiah had prayed that God would forgive the people, though they had sinned (1:6) and that God would listen to them (1:11). Then throughout the building of the walls, the people did the work and they prayed and God answered at the same time. God was clearly listening to Nehemiah and the people.
God was on their side. They didn’t need to sorrow.
In our day…Jesus reveals that God loves us and wants to show mercy to us.
Joy of the Lord
But wait, there’s more. What is this Joy of the Lord thing?
We know God loves us because he sent Jesus to die for us. But have you ever thought about the fact that he also rejoices over us?
Zeph 3:14–17
Sing, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!
The Lord has taken away your judgments, He has cast out your enemy.
The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; You shall see disaster no more.
In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: “Do not fear; Zion, let not your hands be weak.
The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”
The Joy of the Lord. God’s joy. What does it produce?
Rom 8:31–39
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written:
“For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The Joy of the Lord. God’s joy. How do we get it?
Galatians 5:22—But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
The Joy of the Lord. God’s joy. How do we get it?
Eph 5:1—Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.
We live it because we have it.
Ps 97:12—Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name. Read the whole psalm
Phil 4:4—Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
Hab 3:17-19—Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls— Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills. To the Chief Musician. With my stringed instruments.
Joy as a goal of our lives
- Remember and believe
that God is a joyful and rejoicing God.
- Our sin doesn’t change that
- He sees us through the lens of his glorious son.
- We are his children
- He disciplines us, he doesn’t punish us
- Consequently, we should run to him all the time and especially when we sin.
- As we strive to imitate
him, we need
to be joyful people
- Other people’s sin doesn’t change that
- We need to see them through the lens of Jesus
- They are our brothers and sisters (eternal people).
- We discipline those in our care (with joy as the goal), we don’t punish them
- When events happen that tempt us to treat others sinfully, we need to run to our Father.
- When difficult things confront us, trials
Jas 1:2–4—My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
Rom 5:3—And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;
How do you rejoice or glory in hard providences?
Joy is the physical/emotional response you have when you remember that God, the glorious, loving, merciful and rejoicing God has you right where he wants you, in exactly the situation that is best for you and most glorious for him…and it is good.
The Joy of the Lord is our strength just like it was for those Jewish folks all those years ago.
Let’s pray:
Lord God of heaven and earth, O great and awesome God, hear our prayer, change our lives, draw us nearer to yourself so that we might reflect and represent you as the truly joyful God you are. Make us into joy filled people, always striving to reflect your glorious and joyful presence everywhere we go, especially in our homes and spreading out into every area of the lives you’ve given us. Thank you for Jesus. Thank you for our elders and church leaders. Thank you for our families, for our jobs, for our joys. Thank you too for the hard things that come into our lives. Please remind us to rejoice all the time, not only when things are going well. In Jesus’ great name we pray. Amen.