A Good Cry
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Title: A Good Cry
------------------- Date: 1/2/2002
Keywords: "holy" "law" "mourn" "weep"
Welcome to eXXit, the web site designed to help you
stand strong in the face of sexual temptation.
Passage: Nehemiah 8:9*
Then Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the
priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all
the people, "This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or
weep." For all the people were weeping when they heard the words of
the law.
Question
What did the people of Israel do when the words
of the Law were read out loud to them? Does this seem strange to you?
Practical help
On December 31 — and into early January — it is fashionable to wish friends and family a "Happy New Year" when we meet. We want those we love to enjoy happiness and joy, and we would love to believe that joyful exuberance will be ours throughout the new year. We even believe that happiness/joy is God’s will for us!
However, happiness is NOT ruling the day in Jerusalem when we happen upon the Jews in Nehemiah 8.
They were listening to the words of the Mosaic Law. For some, it might have been the first time in their lives that they had heard the truths of Scripture.
What do you think they heard when the words of the Bible were read out loud? They probably didn’t hear a lot of affirmation for the way they had been living. They probably were listening to the number of explicit commands they had been violating for years and years.
They had been trampling God’s law concerning Sabbath-keeping, tithing, morality and business ethics and proper worship, some of it without even being aware that they were sinning. Then, when the Law was read, they became immediately aware that there was something wrong with the way they were living.
THAT is why we read that they were weeping and mourning. They were guilty before God and knew it.
Before wishing you and yours a HAPPY New Year, we at eXXit want to wish you a New Year filled with unvarnished truth from Scripture.
Scattered throughout the Bible are numerous calls to God’s people to sexual purity. If you have been guilty of clicking on to pornographic web sites lately, then the Bible’s call to you to be sexually pure probably doesn’t come as gentle affirmation, but as a sound rebuke for violating His Word. You might even "weep and mourn" when you realize that you are guilty.
That’s OK. Sometimes, we need a good cry before God can begin to rebuild our lives. In fact, a good cry may be exactly what you need on the way to experiencing the joy/happiness of the Lord.
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*"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD
BIBLE®, © Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971,
1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission."
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