Day 129, or May the 9th.
Don't be sad, rejoice and be glad.
Our thoughts today are rooted in Nehemiah chapter 8 verse 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.
And now the big picture surrounding this verse.
Following the completion of the wall around Jerusalem, we learn that the book of the law
was once again read to the people.
The Holy Spirit applied what the people were hearing to their hearts, and there was a wave
of repentance from all who heard.
The Bible tells us that there was a broad cross-section of society listening to Ezra,
yet as He would have addressed them in the language of the priests, i.e. Hebrew, very
few of the people would have understood it.
The translation task fell to the Levites who instructed the people in the law, while everyone
remained in their places.
They read from the book of the law of God, and clearly explained the meaning of what
was being read, helping the people understand each passage.
The cacophony must have been something to behold, and noisier than any of us have ever
experienced in our local churches.
And now today's action step.
There is something that is very comforting to be told that you have done wrong, but there
is an effective remedy that is freely available, a mix of bad and good news.
This was the experience that the Jews had when they were addressed shortly after the
temple was rebuilt.
They were convicted by the truth, and then told, Go and celebrate, don't be dejected
and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
We are not to be downhearted when we are convicted of sin.
The devil wants us to feel down, but why should we, when a burden is about to be lifted from
our shoulders?
Instead, we should repent and rejoice.
It's another positive step in our Christian walk.