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THE TIME OF JOY (NEHEMIAH 13:1-14) LENT DAY 31

REFLECTION
The theme for our reflection is “Time of joy” A time of joy is a period of great happiness, peace, contentment, and success in one’s life or in the life of a group of people. We shall reflect on the fact that during the time of joy:

1. We must remain faithful, wise and discerning when taking decisions.
2. We must be careful not to forget God and become careless in our obligations to Him.

Firstly, in the time of joy, we must remain faithful, wise, and discerning when making decisions. After Nehemiah had led the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem and spiritual revival of the people of Israel, the people now experienced a time of joy. Surprisingly, Tobiah, one of the avowed enemies of Israel during reconstruction of the wall, was entertained by Eliashib, who was the priest placed in charge of the store rooms of the house of God. He entertained Tobiah who was not only an enemy of Israel but also an Ammonite who was part of the pagan elements the Israelites were expected to separate from according to Nehemiah 13:1-3, “On that day the Book of Moses was read aloud in the hearing of the people and there it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever be admitted into the assembly of God, 2 because they had not met the Israelites with food and water but had hired Balaam to call a curse down on them. (Our God, however, turned the curse into a blessing.) 3 When the people heard this law, they excluded from Israel all who were of foreign descent.” It is interesting and shocking to see a religious leader who ought to have known the law better violating the law. Sometimes, when we are made leaders, we easily forget that we are accountable to God and the people who place us in that leadership position. Nehemiah took action against Eliashib and Tobia. “Before this, Eliashib, the priest, had been put in charge of the storerooms of the house of our God. He was closely associated with Tobiah, 5 and he had provided him with a large room formerly used to store the grain offerings and incense and temple articles, and also the tithes of grain, new wine and olive oil prescribed for the Levites, musicians and gatekeepers, as well as the contributions for the priests. 6 But while all this was going on, I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I had returned to the king. Some time later, I asked his permission 7 and came back to Jerusalem. Here, I learned about the evil thing Eliashib had done in providing Tobiah a room in the courts of the house of God. 8 I was greatly displeased and threw all Tobiah’s household goods out of the room. 9 I gave orders to purify the rooms, and then I put back into them the equipment of the house of God, with the grain offerings and the incense.” (Nehemiah 13:4-9). In other words, during the time of joy, we sometimes see the pretentious nature of our enemies. They act like they care and love us. We see the internal and external enemies of Israel exposed during the time of joy. Eliashib was the internal enemy, and Tobiah was the external enemy. Our enemies and those who doubted our success and achievements and even worked against our success in the past may desire to share in our time of joy and success. Unfortunately for Eliashib and Tobiah they we denied that opportunity. It is important to be faithful and loyal to people so that when their suffering turns to joy, we can have the privilege to share in their time of joy. Again, unlike Eliashib, in the time of joy, we must remain faithful, wise, and discerning when taking decisions lest we are disgraced.

Secondly, during the time of joy, we must be careful not to forget God and become careless in the performance of our obligations to Him. Nehemiah observed, “I also learned that the portions assigned to the Levites had not been given to them, and that all the Levites and musicians responsible for the service had gone back to their own fields. 11 So I rebuked the officials and asked them, “Why is the house of God neglected?” Then I called them together and stationed them at their posts. 12 All Judah brought the tithes of grain, new wine and olive oil into the storerooms. 13 I put Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and a Levite named Pedaiah in charge of the storerooms and made Hanan son of Zakkur, the son of Mattaniah, their assistant, because they were considered trustworthy. They were made responsible for distributing the supplies to their fellow” Levites. (Nehemiah 13:10-13) In other words, the officials and the people of Israel had soon forgotten their obligations to the house of God during the time of joy. Dear friend, some of us are inconsistent in our worship lives or service to God. We sometimes behave like the Israelites. We pray, fast and call on God for help and redemption during the time of hardship, unemployment, barrenness, relationship and marital issues, work and business related challenges but immediately our problems and challenges are solved we easily become careless and forget God and our obligations to Him. As believers, it is our obligation to support the mission of God in appreciation for His grace, faithfulness, and sustenance in our lives. It is for this reason, the Psalmist, in showing consistency and appreciation to God said “Praise the LORD, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name. 2 Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— 3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, 5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s“ (Psalms 103:1-5)Beloved in the Lord, do you remain focused and continue to perform you obligations in the house of God, especially, when the Lord graciously grants you joy and success in your endeavours? God is pleased with us when we do the needful.

In summary, we have reflected on the theme “The time of joy” We have discovered that during the time of joy we must remain faithful, wise and discerning when taking decisions and again, during the time of joy we must be careful not to forget God and become careless in the performance of our obligations to Him. Shalom.

PRAYER
Almighty God, we thank you for the gift of success and joy in our our lives. May the Holy Spirit grant us wisdom and discernment and grant us a sense of direction and purpose during the time of joy so that we will not become careless and forgetful of Your grace, love, and benefits. Amen.