The Joy of the Lord is Your Strength

Was there grace in the Old Testament?

Indeed, the very pages of the Old Testament ring out with the gracious and merciful actions of a loving God. It is on the basis of God's grace, not God's law, that Nehemiah can tell the people of Jerusalem that 'The Joy of the Lord is your strength', and bid them dry their eyes.

What does that phrase mean?

We could hear it as telling us: 'We get joy from the Lord and are made strong;' but it can equally be read, 'God's Joy gives me strength.' If that is the case, the question we ask is - what gives God joy? What is God 'pleased to do'?