Day 30
… “This
day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people
wept as they heard the words of the Law.
Nehemiah
8:9
The
process of repentance can be a heart wrenching one. Very often, either through
someone’s teaching or the reading of the Bible, we become aware of our sin. As
we become aware of our sins, the Holy Spirit will convict us of our need repent
and more fully follow our Lord. This conviction will often break our hearts,
cause us to mourn and feel grief, but we must not stop there. Ultimately,
repentance is supposed to bring us to a place of joy.
As
Ezra read the Law, the people are heartbroken at the reality of their own sin.
Their response is a natural one, they begin to mourn and weep. They realized
that they had walked away from God, they had failed to live by His standard,
and much of what they were enduring was of their own doing. As a result, they
are broken. However, Nehemiah, Ezra, and the Levites, tell the people not to
weep, but to rejoice.
This
rejoicing was only possible because the people had once again submitted
themselves to the word of God. They had given the Law the proper priority in
their lives and now were able to live according to God’s plan. The prospect of
living according to God’s direction and standards meant that they would once again
experience the blessing of God. No longer would they be dealing with the ongoing
consequences of their sin.
What
was true for the people in Nehemiah’s time is true for us as well. If we have
lived life according to our own plan and our own will, we are likely experiencing
the consequences of our sin. However, if we return to God, two things will
happen. First, we will sense the conviction and brokenness for our sin, but we
must not stop there. The second part is, we must press through the process of
repentance in order to experience the joy of our Lord.
No comments:
Post a Comment