(REFLECTIONS ON Nehemiah 12:27-47 )

27 At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, the Levites were sought out from where they lived and were brought to Jerusalem to celebrate joyfully the dedication with songs of thanksgiving and with the music of cymbals, harps and lyres. 

43 And on that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy. The women and children also rejoiced. The sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away.

The people gathered together to dedicate the wall of Jerusalem to the Lord and to celebrate joyfully. Why was there celebration? Because there was joy. What was the source of their joy? It was God. 

There was a lot of hard work that went into rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem, not just hard work but also real physical danger throughout the process. More work needed to be done because now the people of God needed to be restored and established within the wall of Jerusalem, to bring revival and life to the city once again.

Rejoicing wasn’t because the work was easy,
and joy wasn’t because the work was done,
but it was because God was with them and gave them this great joy.

Yes, there is great joy in doing the work of our Lord. May we not be mistaken and think that hard work, the struggles associated with growing and learning to live a life of faith will lead to disappointment. But rather when we are willing to lay down our life for Christ, we will find something amazing happen in our lives.

The amazing thing is that the joy of the Lord will fill our hearts, despite the difficult path that lies ahead. The amazing thing is that the peace of Christ, the grace of our Lord, and the blessings for His people will flow abundantly upon us when we are willing to say “Yes” to the Lord. 

I can’t guarantee a smooth path, just as the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem wasn’t a smooth process, but in the end the people could celebrate joyfully, because God had given them great joy. 

What is the secret to great joy? It is in serving the Lord, the source of our joy, and not in seeking the joy of the world that will lead only to temporary happiness. The joy of the Lord is eternal, and the secret is that it flows into us, in the challenges we face when we so “No” to the world, and not when we try to take a grab of it by making ourselves one with the world.

May we celebrate joyfully and may the sound of rejoicing be like a chorus coming from within our church out into the world. May our neighbors, the city, and the world hear our sound of rejoicing. We celebrate joyfully, not because our work is done, but because God has given us great joy.

Pastor Michael Lu
Enduring Word Bible Commentary: Nehemiah 12