Show Notes
READ: NEHEMIAH 8:1-12; PSALMS 1:1-6; 119:34; LUKE 24:13-35
Sometimes we rush through reading the Bible. We’re too distracted, or we don’t really listen, or we don’t stick with it long enough to understand.
In Nehemiah 8, we see how the people of God responded to hearing His words. God’s law had been lost after their forebears abandoned God—pursuing wickedness, injustice, and idols instead. Eventually, God had allowed the destruction of their beloved city, Jerusalem.
But now, at last, the people of God gathered in Jerusalem once again. Their walls were rebuilt. The words of God were uttered aloud. Ezra the priest stood on a podium and read the precious text. The people stood all day long, eagerly eating up each word, as if devouring food after suffering a long period of hunger. It took all day. The crowd was so numerous that the Levite priests would pass the words back and explain to the next group, too far away to hear.
At last, the Israelites heard for themselves God’s laws, His thoughts, and His heart. And they grieved. Verse 9 says, “All the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.” That their ancestors had wandered so very far from God’s goodness was overwhelming. Their guilt weighed heavily on them. Enter Nehemiah, the brand-new governor who had just led the rebuilding of the city wall. He 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” (verse 10). And they did! They celebrated “with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them” (verse 12).
The people understood the words, and the words confirmed they belonged to God. The long period of destruction was over. It was time for a new life, one where they would walk with God. And this pointed to the new life that would come through Jesus—how He would rescue us from the destruction of sin, dying on the cross and rising again so we could belong to God. When Jesus returns, we too will celebrate with a great feast, and our joy will be complete (John 15:11; Revelation 19:6-9)! In the meantime, as we walk with Jesus, His joy gives us the strength to go on. • Kristen Merrill
• Did you know that God’s plan for our lives includes great joy? He wants to fill us with joy as we meditate on His Word and delight in His love. While it’s easy to fall into gulping down our time in the Bible, how could you take some time today to linger over the truths in Scripture, and find understanding? (If you want to dig deeper, read Psalms 16:11; 37:4; Luke 2:10; 10:39-42.)
Nehemiah said, “. . .Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10 (NIV)
More from Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens
READ: PSALM 139:1-4; ROMANS 5:6-8; 2 CORINTHIANS 5:17 We curate the caption and crop the distraction, Chasing the applause of a virtual reaction. We polish the exterior to hide the interior, Afraid that our true selves are somehow inferior. But in the quiet, when the screen goes black, We feel the heavy weight of the perfection we lack. See, Jesus didn’t come for your highlight reel, He came for the brokenness you try to conceal. No filter could cover the crimson cost of sin, So He opened His arms to let the rebels in. On the cross, He was exposed, stripped, and bruised, So the real you would never have to be refused. He was buried in the dark so you could walk in the light, Tearing the veil to make your future bright. The grave couldn’t hold Him, the stone rolled away, Giving you mercy that is new every day. You are not a brand, a post, or a trend, You are chosen, beloved, and called His friend. So drop the performance, let the pretense cease, And rest in the rhythm of His perfect peace. • Ty Scott King • Why do you think it’s sometimes easier to show people a curated version of ourselves rather than who we really are? What parts of yourself do you try to curate, edit, and hide away? • Jesus sees the unedited version of you, and He loves you so much that He died and rose again for you. How could this truth affect the way yo view your mistakes, flaws, or things you just don’t like about yourself? • Are there any areas of your life where you feel like you’re putting on a performance instead of trusting God’s grace? Consider spending some time in prayer, laying these things down at Jesus’s feet and asking Him to help you see yourself the way He sees you. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)