Nehemiah 8:9-10 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 nor
weep." For all the people were weeping, when they heard the words of the
Law. Then he said to them, "Go your way, eat of the fat, drink of the
sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this
day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your
strength."
Last night began the Biblical feast of Sukkot (Feast of
Tabernacles) throughout the world!
Roughly 2500 years ago, there was a special Sukkot celebration in
Jerusalem. The people of Israel were exiled and dispersed all across the
Babylonian empire. Later, they were given the right to return and start
construction on the 2nd temple of Israel. Nehemiah 8 speaks of the special
celebration that happened at that time. We read how Ezra taught the people
out of the book of the law and how they responded in weeping and repentance
before the God of Israel.
Interestingly, Sukkot is a holiday in which the people were
commanded to rejoice, yet they were weeping in repentance. And then, in
verse 9, they did! Isn’t it true that joy always comes after the
mourning?
The word for strength in Hebrew is
"mah-oz". Not only does it mean strength, but it also means fortress and
rock. When we commit our lives to walking in repentance and practicing
holiness, then we will live in a constant state of joy. As the Apostle Paul
said, Rejoice always! In our joy we find our fortress, our rock – the
stability of our lives! (George, Baht Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah)
No comments:
Post a Comment