"...
And there was very great gladness." Nehemiah 8:17
What explained this very great gladness?
Do you want to experience such gladness?
a. They asked for the reading and hearing of
the word of God:
- "they spake unto Ezra the scribe to
bring the book of the law of Moses..." v1.
- "Also day by day, from the first day
unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God." v18.
b. They reverenced the word of God:
- "And Ezra opened the book in the sight
of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it,
all the people stood up:" v5.
- "And all the people answered, Amen,
Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped
the LORD with their faces to the ground." v6.
c. They listened to the word of God
attentively:
- "And he read... before the men and the
women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were
attentive unto the book of the law." v3.
- They did not rise up to play, and responded
as fools Ex 32:6, Ec 5:1.
d. They were caused to understand the word of
God:
- "... the Levites caused the people to
understand the law: and the people stood in their place. So they read in the
book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to
understand the reading." v8.
- They were neither fed nor drowned with
sound-bytes.
e. They rendered prompt obedience to the law
of God:
- "And they found written in the law
which the LORD had commanded by Moses... and that they should publish and
proclaim in all their cities, and in Jerusalem... So the people went forth, and
brought them, and made themselves booths..."
And the effect of all these: And there was very great gladness.
----------
William Chan
Act 14:17; Heb 1:9 - gladness can be found
here too.
Sing
Yes, the SOUND of gladness are found in both
texts.
Gladness from God's works of providence (Acts
14:17) is distinctly different from gladness from God's works of redemption.
And both of them are distinct from the
gladness of Jesus being honoured above all others. (Heb 1:9)
The SENSE of Scripture needs to be made to
be understood!
Sound-bytism has misled enough people.
Heal yourself of that disease!
