The Joy of God's Promises!
Nehemiah 8:1-12
8 1 all the people came together as one in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the teacher of the Law to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded for Israel.
2 So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. 3 He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.
4 Ezra the teacher of the Law stood on a high wooden platform built for the occasion. Beside him on his right stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah and Maaseiah; and on his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam.
5 Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. 6 Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
7 The Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan and Pelaiah—instructed the people in the Law while the people were standing there. 8 They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear[a] and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read.
9 Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, “This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.
10 Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
11 The Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, for this is a holy day. Do not grieve.”
12 Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.
This Sunday’s service can be viewed on our Facebook page @ Sunday, February 12, 2023
As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
Isaiah 55:10-11
My boss at Capp Homes laid out the blueprints on his kitchen table for the next home we were about to build. There were two of us who were new to the crew and he wanted to make sure we all understood HOW to read these and WHAT was our responsibility in getting this house built. He would often stop, look at our faces, and ask: “Do you understand what I just explained to you? Do you have any questions?” If there were no questions, he would then pick one of us, point at the blueprint, and ask: “What am I supposed to do in this area?” We quickly learned that we had better ask about something we didn’t fully comprehend.
In less than a month we were all functioning like a well oiled machine because we all UNDERSTOOD and APPLIED what we had been learning. There was JOY in working together and accomplishing what we set out to do!
God gives us His promises and wants us to TRUST that His plans and His ways are best! In Nehemiah, chapter 8, we finally find the people, “listening closely and attentively to the Book of Law” (Neh. 8:3). They finally understood why they were living in rubble, anxiety, and fear – they had not sought the Lord or understood His plan for them. The result of this change was that the joy of being reconnected with God was now their greatest strength!
Join us on Sunday as we worship our living and loving God and seek his direction for our lives!
Grateful to journey together with you,
John