Nehemiah’s completion of rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem (Nehemiah 6:15) was followed by Ezra reading from the book of the Law. It says in Nehemiah 8:1-2, “All the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the LORD had commanded Israel. So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard on the first day of the seventh month.” “People can perceive by means of their senses: eyes (Pr 7:7); ears (Pr 29:19; touch (Ps 58:9[10]); taste (Job 6:30). But actual discerning is not assured. Those who hear do not always understand (Da 12:8). In the final analysis, only God gives and conceals understanding (Is 29:14). Understanding what was being read was important because without understanding the people wouldn’t be able to appreciate the significance of what had been accomplishment.
The people’s eagerness to learn prompted some of the Levites to step in and provide additional insight to assist the Jews in their understanding of the text. It says in Nehemiah 8:8 that the Levites gave the sense of the Scriptures, “so that the people understood the reading.” The Hebrew word that is translated sense, sekel (sehˊ-kel) means “intelligence, good sense. This intelligence is more than just mere book knowledge or learning about a particular subject. It has a greater significance and means insight or understanding. This insight is a gift from God (1 Ch 22:12); and God holds the freedom to give it or to take it away whenever he chooses (Job 17:4).
The reading of the Book of the Law and the Jews understanding of it led to several responses from the people. At first, the people were dejected and sad as a result of understanding what Ezra was reading to them; but Ezra, Nehemiah, and the Levites told the people not to mourn or weep. Nehemiah told them:
Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to the Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength. (Nehemiah 8:10)
Nehemiah used two different words to refer to the LORD. When Nehemiah said, “this day is holy to the Lord,” he used the word ‘adown and when he said “the joy of the LORD is your strength,” Nehemiah used the word yehovah or Jehovah, the Jewish national name of God (H3068). When ‘adown occurs with Jehovah is signifies “His sovereignty” (H113).
Nehemiah wanted the people to rejoice and be glad because the God who is sovereign over everything had brought them back to their homeland and had helped them to rebuild the walls of protection that had been destroyed by their enemies. The Jews knew they didn’t deserve God’s blessing because they had rejected God and turned away from his Law before they were taken into captivity (Nehemiah 9:29-31), but their hearts were strengthened by their contemplation and understanding of God’s essential glory and his constant grace toward them (Prayer as Confession, The Spiritual Growth Bible, p. 463).
Joy is an important part of being in a relationship with God. “Celebration brings joy into life, and joy makes us strong. Scripture tells us that the joy of the Lord is our Strength (Neh 8:10). We cannot continue long in anything without it…Joy is part of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22). Joy is the motor, the thing that keeps everything else going. Without joyous celebration to infuse the other disciplines, we will sooner or later abandon them. Joy produces energy. Joy makes us strong” (Celebration Brings Joy, The Spiritual Growth Bible, p. 462). After the Jews celebrated the feast of booths and confessed their sins to God, they rededicated themselves to obeying the Law of God (Nehemiah 8:13-10:29). The people were able to do this because of the strength they received as result of them celebrating their understanding of God’s Word (Nehemiah 8:12).
