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SURPRISED BY GRIEF, SURPRISED BY JOY!

This past week, Wednesday to be precise, Martha Stewart appeared before the media and announced that she would like to report to prison as soon as possible. She said, “The only way to reclaim my life and the quality of life for all those related to me with certainty now is to serve my sentence – surrender to the authorities so that I can quickly return as soon as possible to the life and the work that I love.” Her actions were aimed at bringing “finality” to a personal nightmare.
Initially, her announcement brought tears to my eyes for at long last I thought she was confessing to the press, and everyone else, that she was in fact guilty of lying to investigators about a 2001 stock sale. I thought she was coming clean and for a brief moment I figured that at long last Martha Stewart would find real joy.
But as the day wore on and I learned more about her announcement I saw it as simply self serving. She was doing it because it was the practical thing to do. It was simply her plan, her business plan, to revive her personal life and the life of her company. She wants 2005 to be a better year than the past few years.
This plan, her plan, revealed that she is smart enough to know that if you have a frog to swallow it is best to do it quickly. Unfortunately, what was absent from her words was an an admission of guilt and a sense of sorrow for those she hurt. So my guess is that when she is released she will be able to get back to her “good life.” But, she will never experience the joy that results from coming clean before God and others. Her so called “good life” will never be the “abundant life” as we know it.
In contrast to this depressing snapshot of Martha Stewart’s life, is the life of many in Jerusalem during the days of Nehemiah who were surprised by joy. Surprised, for they discovered it in the midst of some being surprised by grief. Their story is told in Nehemiah 8. We read:
When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns, all the people assembled as one man in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord commanded for Israel.
So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.
Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden platform built for the occasion. Beside him on his right stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah; and on his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam.
Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people stood up. Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
The Levites – Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodaih, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan and Pelaiah – instructed the people in the Law while the people were standing there. They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read.
Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, “This day is sacred to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.
Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
The Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, for this is a sacred day. Do not grieve.”
The first day of the seventh month (Tishri - our September/October) would be the Jewish New Year’s Day. It is Rosh Hashannah (Rosh hah shah NAH) which marks the birthday of the creation of the world. This year it began at sundown on Wednesday of this past week - our September 15, 2004. On the Jewish calendar this would be the beginning of the Jewish civil year 5764 – I think. In a very real sense, it is the first month of the new year.
At any rate, the wall had just been completed and Nehemiah had spent the last part of Ellul (the 12th month of the civil calendar - our August/September) gathering the nobles, the officials, and the common people for registration by families. We now find them gathering as “one man” before the Water Gate. Whether they were directed to the Water Gate or simply went on their own is uncertain.
What we do know is that “they” requested Ezra to bring out the Book. This wasn’t Nehemiah’s idea nor was it entirely Ezra’s idea. Although Ezra may have habitually read from the scrolls and he was probably getting ready to do so in light of the fact that this was a national holiday. But before he had a chance to pull the scrolls out, the people requested that he read from the Book.
We are then told, twice, that the assembly consisted of men and women who were capable of understanding the Word. Furthermore, we are told that arrangements were made so that its meaning would be spelled out to them as they listened to it. This is important to note for an emotional reaction clearly followed the reading of the Word. And some, would want to chalk this up to Ezra’s ability to whip up a crowd by using the tools of psychological manipulation. Or if not that, maybe Nehemiah, they would say, planted some in the crowd to give an emotional reaction so as to trigger a heartfelt response to the reading of the Word.
Yet, it is clear that this is not what happened on that day. First of all, it wasn’t Ezra’s idea, not Nehemiah’s, to read from the Book at that particular moment in time. Second, the teaching arrangement was a bit clumsy as Ezra undoubtedly had to stop from time to time so as to allow the Levites time to interpret and clarify the text. Third, the grieving took Ezra and Nehemiah by complete surprise. So much so, that the two of them, as well as the Levites, worked hard at trying to calm everyone down.
Why? Why did this happen? Why did the reading of the Word prompt such a dramatic and traumatic response? Well, on the human level we can say that these people were certainly of average intelligence in that they had the capability of understanding the Word.
Additionally, according to v. 3b, they “listened attentively” to it. They were ready to listen for any number of reasons, but in part they listened because they were undoubtedly attracted to the godly lives of Nehemiah and Ezra. They caught a vision of what life could be like for them in the lives of these two men so they were predisposed to listen to the Word. They listened and, like all good listeners, they must have asked some questions about it.
Someone has said, “some enjoy drinking from the fountain of knowledge others just prefer to gargle.” Well, these people weren’t gargling the Living Water on that day, they were gulping it down as if they had not had a good drink of water for years. The people were doing their part in that they were eager students.
But, that really doesn’t explain what happened on that day. True, Nehemiah and Ezra had created a climate for renewal and the people were eager to learn. Nevertheless, what happened on that day can only be accredited to the work of the Holy Spirit. The availability of Ezra, the timing of the New Year, the request to have the Word read, the desire to really hear and understand the Word, and the work it did on their hearts was a miraculous work of God. God’s 100% is always far more impressive than our 100%!
Now, why were they weeping? Did Ezra’s style of teaching have something to do with it? Of course not! They wept because God’s Word had exposed them for who they were in reality – sinners. They knew they were guilty before God and the Word had exposed their guilt. Everybody present, in one way or another, had fallen “short of the glory of God.” Their sin was tragically universal, deeply serious, and intensely personal. It haunted them like a dark shadow they couldn’t shake loose of even on the best of days. And for that, they wept for themselves and for the nation of Israel.
Nevertheless, they were urged to dry their tears. Scripture not only condemns sin, it provides a remedy. For within 10 days of the new year holiday there would be the Day of Atonement. The day that declares God’s mercy and grace. For on that day the atoning sacrifice would be offered and all of Israel’s uncleanness and rebellion would be placed on the scapegoat who would carry their sins far away.
Now look at what happens, in the remaining verses we read, picking up the story in v. 12:
Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.
On the second day of the month, the heads of all the families, along with the priests and the Levites, gathered around Ezra the scribe to give attention to the words of the Law. They found written in the Law, which the Lord had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites were to live in booths during the feast of the seventh month and that they should proclaim this word and spread it throughout their towns and in Jerusalem: “Go out into the hill country and bring back branches from olive and wild olive trees, and from myrtles, palms and shade trees, to make booths” – as it is written.
So the people went out and brought back branches and built themselves booths on their own roofs, in their courtyards, in the courts of the house of God and in the square by the Water Gate and the one by the Gate of Ephraim. The whole company that had returned from exile built booths and lived in them. From the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated it like this. And their joy was very great.
Day after day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God. They celebrated the feast for seven days, and on the eighth day, in accordance with the regulation, there was an assembly.
Here, the people who stood and listened to the Book on that day were surprised by joy. It wasn’t a joy that was found in the circumstances of their life for life was still pretty tough for them. Their joy was derived from their understanding of who God is, what he does, what he says, and what he gives. It came as a result of understanding the nature of God as revealed to them in Scripture. It came as they were reminded of his mighty deeds. It came as they claimed by faith what was offered to them - forgiveness and peace. And, it came as they reached out to others and discovered that enough was enough for them and others.
This joy they suddenly experienced was the source of renewed strength for them. As they reckoned on what they now knew and understood about their God they had the ability to keep on keeping on in what was a hostile environment.
But God knows that our blessings tend to get lost in the busyness of life. That’s why he instituted the Feast of Booths for the Israelites. It was a week long festival that compelled them to recall the 40 years of Wandering in the Wilderness when they lived in tents day-in and day-out.
This week long festival directed God’s people to three great themes. First, it was an annual reminder of God’s protection and provision as their forefathers traveled through the wilderness from Egypt to Canaan. For during the exodus the Israelites lived in booths made out of whatever branches they could find. But despite the harsh circumstances, God provided for them.
Second, once they settled in the land, the Festival would communicate the history of Israel to their children and to merchants and travelers who might be passing through the area. As others noticed them living in homemade tents for an entire week they’d have opportunity to share what God had done for them.
Third, the Festival reminded them that they were simply pilgrims passing through as they looked forward to a city whose architect and builder was God. It reminded them that faith was their real home and the promise of a better future.

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