Ne 8:9-18,12:43, Restore True Joy

Ne 8:9-18,12:43, Restore True Joy 

9-18, 12:43
9. 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.  10. 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." 11. The Levites calmed all the people, saying, "Be still, for this is a sacred day. Do not grieve." 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. 13. 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. 14. 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 15. 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.
16. 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.
17. 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.
18. 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.
12:43, 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.

  I gave the dog a bone, and he liked it so much. He growled (Isa. 31:4) and rejoiced as he bit, plucked, and chewed. This is contemplation. When I look deeply at the Word and think about it, it is a joy. Ps. 1:2. Blessed is the meditator. How can we restore this true joy?

1. Voluntarily have the passion of the Word (1,10)
  Verses 1,10, ".. All the people... gathered and ... told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses... They first yearned for the Word of God and wanted to hear it. They were pleased to listen to it for six hours a day(18).
18, 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.

2. Rejoice in the Lord (10) and His words (12, 18, 12:43, Ps. 1:2,119:131)
  It is our greatest strength to rejoice in Jehovah. To please Jehovah, we must know the word well. Listening with passion and anticipation, and seeing my sins through the Word, delights Jehovah and gives us a life of strength and power.

 12:43, 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.
 Ps. 1:2, But his delights is in the law of the Lord, and on his Law he meditates day and night.
 Ps. 119:131, I open my mouth and pant, longing for your commands. 

3. Listen and cry (8-9,12).
  “... because they now understand the words that had been made known to them." (12) They wept in repentance of a pathetic life that they could not rejoice in Jehovah, a sin that brought joy to the world. There is no real joy unless you cross the river of tears. If you keep hearing and realizing them, you will gradually turn to tears of pain for sin, even if you first cried because of the bad environment. A life with tears that the Lord will wipe away when he goes to heaven is a blessed life. Jesus also wept. I hope that you can restore true joy through Jesus comforting the crying people(Mt.5:4). amen.