Nehemiah 12:27-43 Dedication of the Wall

(Nehemiah 12:43 ESV) And they offered great sacrifices that day and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and children also rejoiced. And the joy of Jerusalem was heard far away.

This was written for the Joy in Spite of Stoopity writing for March 25, 2026.

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Please pray with me. Jesus, may I ever want to shed my introverted self and stand on top of the heights to shout out my love and thanks to You. Amen.

The King James Version of the concordance has 93 references in 89 verses to this certain word for "joy" as reference H8057. שִׂמְחָה is pronounced simchâh (sim-khaw) an relates to a religious or festival blithesomeness (cheerful disposition) or glee, which is fitting for this scene. H8057 is also translated in other Bible verses as exceeding(ly), gladness, joy(fulness), mirth, pleasure, rejoice(ing).

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Here is the Make ‘Em Laugh video referenced in the writing. If you have never watched it before, I wish you great JOY and laughter. And if you have watched it before, enjoy this great refresher with lots of smiles.

This made me think of a lot of things! I want to dance like Lionel Richie in Dancing on the Ceiling. It feels so happy! Oh what a feeling! Upon on a Roof by The Drifters also came to mind, although this song is about the peaceful time away from people, which is counter to the meaning of this writing, more like the part I wrote, "calm celebration, and a cup of tea, on my porch."

IN TEXT

So come to the wall

    on your imagination

                    with me

       since I was not there

I can only ponder

   what it was like to actually

                   be there

Oh, the delight

    of my wandering thoughts

 

Two large choirs

   marched in opposite directions

to the right, to the right,

to the left, to the left,

on top of the wall

     of all things

celebrating with JOY

Oh, my happy little thoughts

    and where they will go

 

The sound of JOY could be

    heard further away

from atop that wall

    than standing at the base

               and sound waves

    hitting buildings instead

Oh, the cheerful thoughts

 

Shout it from a mountaintop

   comes to mind

Go tell it on a mountain

   that Jesus is born!

I imagine a person up

   on top of a scenic high spot

with arms raised high

   shouting at the top

                  of the lungs

       until the mountains

                        echo it back

Oh, the sweetness of

         my mind at play

 

Instructions for life

Life is not easy

   Don't give up

Rebuild

Give God the credit

Worship Him

Celebrate Him

Tell about it

              very loudly

where people can hear

        with JOY

Life is not easy

   Don't give up

Oh, think about it

        the cycle goes on

 

Hey, do you have time

   to linger in my

crazy thoughts with me?

Humpty Dumpty comes to mind

He was on a wall too,

    but he had a great fall

Were any of those

   choir members

          afraid of heights?

Is falling off a wall

    irreparable damage?

Not even the king's horses and men

    rushing to help

would make a difference

  Oh the JOY of my mind!

 

On the bigger scheme

Jerusalem had a great fall

when all the wall fell

   stones scattered everywhere

But God put the wall

      back together again

and the people marched

  on the wall

Oh the JOY of my

    wandering mind!

 

Does everyone love a parade?

  all the marching bands

and music, waving flags,

   or waiving hands in the air

to some the crowds may

   be too much

the noise overwhelming

the weather not perfect

Yet the parade must go on

It's hard to tell the world

 how great God is

from a calm celebration

   and a cup of tea

on my porch

Oh, the JOYful ramble

     of my mind!

 

Make 'em laugh,

    make 'em laugh,

Don't you know ev'ry one

     wants to laugh?

Sings Donald O'Connor

    in Singin' in the Rain

as he runs up a wall

      and flips backward

in contagious JOY

Is that what kind of

   happy dance

        was a 'happening

on that Jerusalem wall?

Each step is a little

      bounce of relief

a foot-tapping gratitude

   and a community laughter

Oh, the merry dance

          of my thoughts

 

People climbed the wall

    they had just built

with their instruments

Every marching step

   up on that wall

says Look what God has done!

       happiness so big

that it cannot stay quiet

   the loudest

            Praise Parade

                   up on a wall!

Oh the happy ways

    my thoughts will travel