Nehemiah 8:13-18 (NIV)
13 On the second day of the month, the heads of all the
families, along with the priests and the Levites, gathered around Ezra the
teacher to give attention to the words of the Law.
14 They found
written in the Law, which the Lord had commanded through Moses, that
the Israelites were to live in temporary shelters during the festival of
the seventh month
15 and that they should proclaim this word and spread it
throughout their towns and in Jerusalem: “Go out into the hill country and
bring back branches from olive and wild olive trees, and from myrtles, palms
and shade trees, to make temporary shelters”—as it is written.
16 So the people went out and brought back branches and
built themselves temporary shelters on their own roofs, in their courtyards, in
the courts of the house of God and in the square by the Water Gate and the
one by the Gate of Ephraim.
17 The whole company that had returned
from exile built temporary shelters and lived in them. From the days of
Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated it
like this. And their joy was very great.
18 Day after day, from the first day to the last, Ezra
read from the Book of the Law of God. They celebrated the festival
for seven days, and on the eighth day, in accordance with the regulation, there
was an assembly.
In obedience to God’s Word, the people celebrated the Day of
Atonement, always celebrated on the tenth day of the month, and the Feast of Tabernacles
from the fifteenth to the twenty-first. The people celebrated with great joy:
The whole company that had returned from exile built booths and lived in them.
From the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not
celebrated it like this. And their joy was very great. (v.17) During the seven
days of the feast, the Jews lived in booths made of branches. It was a time of
remembering the wandering in the wilderness, the goodness of the Lord, and His
promised future kingdom. The people rejoiced in God’s Word, and there was a new
willingness to obey His Word. At the Water Gate, revival had begun and the
people enjoyed fellowship, feasting, and hearing the Word of God. True revival
begins when God’s Word is proclaimed and His people respond. During the course
of the history of the church, there have been spiritual revivals. People turn
back to God, acknowledge Him as Lord, and are revived by His Holy Spirit: If
anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.
Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams
of living water will flow from within him. (John 7:37) It was at another Feast
of Tabernacles that Jesus said those words, centuries after Ezra had read God’s
Word, and the people responded. Jesus Christ is the Water Gate for all who
choose to believe in Him today.
Where have you been disobedient to God’s Word? Do you sense
that the Lord is asking you to forgive someone and you have stubbornly been
refusing? Is He asking you to trust Him in an area of your life? Like the
Israelites, when you obey, you will be filled with joy and celebration.
Thought for today:
Does my words/actions convey a life-force?
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