Good Morning Yamon Ki Yesepar and Nevim Arith Hayomim:
Nehemiah 8:10 “The joy of the lord is your strength.”
I recall seeing a photograph a few years ago of five pastors living in country which persecuted Christians. These five pastors were all in prison. They were sent to prison for no other reason than the fact that they love God and wanted to share that love. Over the top of the picture someone had written a caption: “The joy of the Lord is their strength.” Up until this time I never gave much thought of this verse. In fact the only time I thought about this verse was when we sang that little song: “The Joy of the Lord is My Strength.”
Now I never really considered how we were to obtain this joy as the song clear told us. “If you want joy you must shout for it… if you want joy you must clap for it… if you want joy you must dance for it…” and so forth. Not that shouting, dancing, or clapping really brought about this special joy, nor does it seem Biblical that this is the way to obtain this joy.
Looking at the context of this verse I find that Nehemiah is in the midst of a great celebration. The walls around Jerusalem had finally been completed. They were now protected from their enemies. They had just read the law which Ezra and his scribes had translated into the Aramaic or Chaldean language since many of the people had long forgotten the Hebrew language. There was great rejoicing and Nehemiah declares that the people should sit back and enjoy their new prosperity. It is at this point that Nehemiah declares that the “Joy of the Lord is your strength.”
It is interesting that the word for “strength” is “ozaz” which means a stronghold, or fortress. Nehemiah is saying that the joy of the Lord is your stronghold. They just got done building a fortified wall as a stronghold around the city. One would question: “Is not the wall our stronghold?” Yet Nehemiah is reminding them that it is the Lord who is their protection. More than that it is the “joy” of the Lord that is their protection.
I really think we need to take a close look at this word for “joy.” The word in the Hebrew is “chadah” which, according to the lexicon and Strong’s Concordance means joy and gladness. That is a real help. Next week Christians all over this country will celebrate a religious festival. It will be celebrated with junk food, pastors will shorten their sermons or churches may meet an hour early. Some may even have a party to honor this occasion after their services which always falls on a Sunday. That is why I figure this must be some religious holiday. It is called Super Bowl Sunday. Once every year it seems some Christians who often come to church looking like they just had been sucking on a lemon are suddenly glowing with the joy of Super Bowl. They will enthusiastically talk about it like the people in Nehemiah’s time talked about the law of God. At least one day out of the year you can see real joy.
I don’t think that is the same joy that these five pastors in prison were experiencing. I recall reading something written by Richard Wurmbrand who spent years in prison for his faith. He told how some prisoners in solitary confinement would dance around their cells, singing out of pure joy.
Nehemiah used the word “chadah.” Our forefathers have plugged in the word “joy” for “chadah” and we have fallen in lockstep with them and drank their Kool-Aid. I do not doubt that “chadah” means “joy.” What I am suggesting that there is more to this word than that.
The word is spelled “Chet, Daleth, and Hei.” It has been suggested that the “Chet” is a combination of the “Vav” and the “Daleth” and would suggest a portal opening between heaven and earth. The next letter is a “Daleth” and would suggest that we pass through this portal or opening and the final letter tells us that when we pass through this opening we will find the “Hei” which represents the presence of God.
I believe what Nehemiah is saying is that our true stronghold is not in our money market accounts, our jobs or other earthly securities. Our true stronghold is our ability to step through a portal into the presence of God. We all need to find a special place, a quiet place, a closet, a garden, a room somewhere that is our special place to meet the Lord. We declare to the Lord that this is our special place and every time we walk into that room or closet, we are suddenly enveloped with the presence of God. Those pastors found a special place in prison, those Christians that Pastor Wurmbrand spoke of found a special place in solitary confinement. If they can do it in their limited surroundings so can we. Then when we enter that special place, our trysting place, we automatically feel the presence of God and are surrounded by his joy. That is our true fortress.
Over a hundred years ago a young pastor’s wife told how she was so lonely over the fact that there husband was spending so much time performing his ministerial duties and had little time for her. One early morning her husband was called the bedside of a member of the congregation and again this young wife was alone. She got dressed and cried out to God in her loneliness. Then she went out to her garden in the back of the parsonage where she suddenly felt the presence of God.
C. Austin Miles, a song writer was present when she told this story and he wrote these words:
I come to the garden alone,
While the dew is still on the roses,
And the voice I hear,
Falling on my ears, the Son of God discloses.
And He walks with me
And He talks with me
And He tells me I am His own.
And the Joy we share
As we tarry there,
None other has ever know.
I believe this young pastor’s wife found her “charah” and it became her stronghold against loneliness. You too have a “charah” somewhere, you just need to find it and let it become your trysting place with God.
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