Thursday, April 20, 2023

Nehemiah 8:17-18

Nehemiah 8:17-18

  How many of you could go for a 7 day party?  That's what the Israelites celebrated, and the entire thing was undergirded by the reading from the Book of the Law.  Many of us today view the Old Testament law as confining, but here, the people saw it as the basis for a celebration -- it grounded everything they did in Christ, and it gave them the opportunity to celebrate as well as to have remorse.  
  Day by day, when we read the Word, we grow in knowledge of God and of God's will for us, and that should lead us away from fear into joy.  One of the marks of faith is growing in joy -- it's not always happiness, because that is often driven by circumstances, but joy can be deeper, because we can be grounded in God even in desperate and challenging times.  

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