Nehemiah 8:12 - And all the people went their way to eat and drink, to send portions and rejoice greatly, because they understood the words that were declared to them.
After Nehemiah said the familiar words we all have heard before, “Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength," we even get to read how the Levites who served with Nehemiah confirmed his words unto the people by saying, "Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved.”
And then we see the people rejoicing greatly because THEY UNDERSTOOD THE WORDS THAT WERE DECLARED UNTO THEM!
So the Hebrew word בִּין (been) points to someone who now has "intelligence, understanding, who feels fully informed and acts with insight."
The truth of the good news Nehemiah declared pointed straight to the goodness of the Lord and how His joy over His people was their true refuge and strength in which they had to dwell in, as that message and call brought the change in their hearts from grief and sorrow to joy because they UNDERSTOOD the LORD'S joy and ACTED UPON IT WITH INSIGHT!
Instead of mourning and grieving because they fell short of the Lord's holy standard after hearing the Law, they were the ones who were called to respond faithfully to the Lord's joy over them as their refuge and strength!
This reaction upon the news from Nehemiah that the joy of the Lord was their strength and shelter pointed towards the Gospel and how the joy of the Lord Jesus is to be our shelter and refuge!
You see, the Gospel shares the joy of the Lord and is indeed the good news of God unto us that leads us to repentance, bringing us to the UNDERSTANDING and FULLY INFORMING us of all that Christ has done in us through His suffering.
What's your response to the greatest news ever, the Gospel? Because, let me tell you, the Good News declares how we all get to faithfully respond with INSIGHT to what the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ accomplished in us, and and and, here's the thing, we get to find refuge and strength in His joy of what He has made us through all He did!
I love the part where we get to read in Nehemiah that the people rejoiced greatly because they understood the words that were declared to them.
I pray you understand the words the Gospel declares unto you so that your response by faith may be in Christ Jesus, whom we all get to embrace and understand and live with insight in the work He did in us and get to act with a life that rejoices greatly in Him.
Amen