The joy of the Lord is my...wall

Steven James, my favorite poet, wrote a book called Sailing Between the Stars: Musings on the Mysteries of Faith and I read something last night that ROCKED my world.  I couldn't sleep afterward, I just kept thinking about it, so I'm going to type it out here and that's it.  I don't/can't add anything, I just want you to know it and have your thoughts on it.  Everything below (minus my underlining of the things that most got to me) is Steven James:


There's a story in the Old Testament about a guy named Nehemiah who travels to Jerusalem to oversee the rebuilding of the walls surrounding the city, which have been demolished for years.  After a series of misadventures and setbacks, sabotage attempts and death threats, the walls are finally completed.  (It's a great story, actually.  Worth checking out if you've never read it.  It's found in Nehemiah 2-6).

Then the people of the city gather together to hear Ezra the priest read from the Book of the Law.  As they listen to him explain the commands and promises of God, the Israelites begin to weep.  At that point, Nehemiah stands up and says, "Don't weep on such a day as this!  For today is a sacred day before the Lord your God...Go and celebrate with a feast of choice foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared.  This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don't be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength."  (Nehemiah 8:9-10)

I like how, in Nehemiah's eyes, a sacred day meant one of selfless celebration, with "choice food and sweet drinks."  To Nehemiah, sad, heavy hearts clashed with sacredness.  According to him, it's sacred to party.  That's such a healthy, refreshing view of holiness.  And then he closes by telling the people that the joy of the Lord is their strength.

I used to read that and wonder why it didn't say, "The strength of the Lord is your joy."  I thought that would have made more sense.  I mean, the people were weeping and needed to find joy again and in their relationship with God.  I would've thought Nehemiah would emphasize how powerful God is and that his power can give them joy once again.  That would seem sensible.  

But nope.  Instead Nehemiah said, "The joy of the Lord is your strength."

I asked a pastor about this verse one time, and he looked it up in the Hebrew.  "The word that's translated 'strength' here is the same word that's translated throughout the rest of the book as 'wall' he told me.  It literally means, ' the joy of the Lord is your wall.'"

"So it's a play on words?" I said.
"Sort of.  The point is, it's a wall."
"It's a pun!" I said.  As a writer, I'm way too easily impressed by literary devices.
"No, it's a wall."
"Right, and a pun!"

He sighed and walked away.  I tend to have that effect on people.  I did thank him, however, even though I wasn't exactly sure I understood the subtle significance of his translation.  I had to think about it for a while.  


Don't be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your wall.  


The people were celebrating the completion of their city walls, walls built to hold out their enemies and provide them with protection and security.  So all around them stood these walls they could see, that they'd helped to build.  And here comes Nehemiah pointing out a different wall, one they couldn't see, especially through their tears.  This was a wall built out of sacred joy rather than sweat and rocks and mortar and time.  

I think I finally get it:  a wall built out of God's joy can hold back the greatest enemies of all.