And they found written in the Law, which the LORD had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites were to dwell in booths during the feast of the seventh month. And they found written in the LawThis phrase indicates a rediscovery of divine instruction. The Hebrew word for "Law" is "Torah," which encompasses teachings and instructions given by God. The rediscovery signifies a return to foundational truths and a revival of spiritual awareness among the Israelites. It underscores the importance of Scripture as a guiding force in the life of the community, reminding believers of the necessity to continually engage with God's Word to align with His will. which the LORD had commanded
The use of "LORD" here is a translation of the Hebrew "YHWH," the covenant name of God, emphasizing His authority and the personal relationship He has with His people. The commandment is not a mere suggestion but a divine mandate, highlighting the sovereignty of God and the importance of obedience to His decrees. This reflects the conservative Christian view that Scripture is authoritative and divinely inspired, requiring adherence and reverence. through Moses
Moses is a central figure in the Old Testament, serving as the mediator of God's Law. His role as a prophet and leader is crucial, as he is the one through whom God communicated His statutes to Israel. This phrase underscores the continuity of God's revelation and the historical foundation of the Law, which is integral to the identity and faith of the Israelites. It also points to the importance of faithful leaders in conveying God's truth to His people. that the Israelites were to dwell in booths
The "booths" refer to temporary shelters, known as "sukkot" in Hebrew, used during the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). This practice commemorates the Israelites' journey through the wilderness and God's provision during that time. The act of dwelling in booths is a tangible reminder of dependence on God and His faithfulness. It serves as a call to humility and gratitude, encouraging believers to remember God's past deliverance and trust in His ongoing provision. during the feast of the seventh month
The "seventh month" is Tishrei in the Hebrew calendar, a time of significant religious observance, including the Feast of Tabernacles. This feast is a time of joy and celebration, reflecting on God's goodness and the harvest. It is a period of spiritual renewal and community gathering, emphasizing the importance of worship and fellowship. For conservative Christians, it serves as a reminder of the eschatological hope and the ultimate gathering of God's people in His eternal kingdom. Persons / Places / Events 1. NehemiahA Jewish leader who played a crucial role in the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls and the spiritual renewal of the people. 2. EzraA scribe and priest who read the Law to the people, leading to a revival of adherence to God's commands. 3. The IsraelitesThe people of God who were rediscovering their covenantal obligations and identity through the Law. 4. The Law of MosesThe Torah, which includes instructions given by God to Moses for the Israelites, including the observance of festivals. 5. Feast of Booths (Sukkot)A Jewish festival commemorating the Israelites' wilderness journey and God's provision, celebrated by dwelling in temporary shelters. Teaching Points Rediscovering God's WordThe Israelites' discovery of the command to celebrate the Feast of Booths highlights the importance of regularly engaging with Scripture to uncover truths that may have been forgotten or neglected. Obedience to God's CommandsThe response of the Israelites to immediately implement the Feast of Booths demonstrates the importance of prompt and faithful obedience to God's instructions. Community and WorshipThe communal aspect of the Feast of Booths underscores the value of gathering together as a community to worship and remember God's faithfulness. Remembrance and ThanksgivingThe festival serves as a reminder of God's provision and protection, encouraging believers to cultivate a heart of gratitude for God's past and present faithfulness. Living as PilgrimsDwelling in temporary shelters during the Feast of Booths symbolizes the transient nature of earthly life and calls believers to focus on their eternal home with God. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the rediscovery of the Feast of Booths in Nehemiah 8:14 challenge us to engage more deeply with Scripture in our own lives? 2. In what ways can we practice immediate obedience to God's commands, as demonstrated by the Israelites' response to the Law? 3. How can we foster a sense of community and shared worship in our local church or small group settings? 4. What are some practical ways we can incorporate remembrance and thanksgiving into our daily lives, drawing inspiration from the Feast of Booths? 5. How does the concept of living as pilgrims, as symbolized by dwelling in booths, influence our perspective on material possessions and our eternal hope? Connections to Other Scriptures Leviticus 23:33-43Provides detailed instructions for the Feast of Booths, emphasizing its significance as a time of remembrance and thanksgiving. Deuteronomy 31:10-13Highlights the importance of reading the Law during the Feast of Booths, reinforcing the need for communal learning and obedience. John 7:2, 37-39 Jesus attends the Feast of Booths, where He speaks of living water, connecting the festival's themes of provision and God's presence to His own ministry. People Akkub, Anaiah, Azariah, Bani, Ezra, Hanan, Hashbadana, Hashum, Hilkiah, Hodiah, Hodijah, Israelites, Jamin, Jeshua, Joshua, Jozabad, Kelita, Levites, Maaseiah, Malchiah, Malchijah, Mattithiah, Meshullam, Mishael, Nehemiah, Nun, Pedaiah, Pelaiah, Shabbethai, Shema, Sherebiah, Uriah, UrijahPlaces Gate of Ephraim, Jerusalem, Water GateTopics Booths, Commanded, During, Dwell, Feast, Israelites, Law, Living-places, Month, Orders, Recorded, Seventh, Sons, Tents, WrittenDictionary of Bible Themes Nehemiah 8:14 5312 feasting Nehemiah 8:1-18 1640 Book of the Law
7464 teachers of the law Nehemiah 8:14-15 5463 proclamations Nehemiah 8:14-16 4416 branch Library January 29. "Send Portions unto them for whom Nothing is Prepared" (Neh. viii. 10).
"Send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared" (Neh. viii. 10). That was a fine picture in the days of Nehemiah, when they were celebrating their glorious Feast of Tabernacles. "Neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength. Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions to them for whom nothing is prepared." How many there are on every side for whom nothing is prepared! Let us find out some sad and needy heart for whom there is no one else to think or care. …
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth The Joy of the Lord
'The joy of the Lord is your strength.'--Neh. viii. 10. Judaism, in its formal and ceremonial aspect, was a religion of gladness. The feast was the great act of worship. It is not to be wondered at, that Christianity, the perfecting of that ancient system, has been less markedly felt to be a religion of joy; for it brings with it far deeper and more solemn views about man in his nature, condition, responsibilities, destinies, than ever prevailed before, under any system of worship. And yet all deep …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Reading the Law with Tears and Joy
'And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel. 2. And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month. 3. And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate, from the morning until midday, before …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture The Joy of the Lord, the Strength of his People
LAST Sabbath day in the morning I spoke of the birth of our Saviour as being full of joy to the people of God, and, indeed, to all nations. We then looked at the joy from a distance; we will now in contemplation draw nearer to it, and perhaps as we consider it, and remark the multiplied reasons for its existence, some of those reasons may operate upon our own hearts, and we may go out of this house of prayer ourselves partakers of the exceeding great joy. We shall count it to have been a successful …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 17: 1871 The Original Text and Its History.
1. The original language of the Old Testament is Hebrew, with the exception of certain portions of Ezra and Daniel and a single verse of Jeremiah, (Ezra 4:8-6:18; 7:12-26; Dan. 2:4, from the middle of the verse to end of chap. 7; Jer. 10:11,) which are written in the cognate Chaldee language. The Hebrew belongs to a stock of related languages commonly called Shemitic, because spoken mainly by the descendants of Shem. Its main divisions are: (1,) the Arabic, having its original seat in the …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible Twenty-First Day. Holiness and Happiness.
The kingdom of God is joy in the Holy Ghost.'--Rom. xiv. 17. 'The disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Ghost.'--Acts xiii. 52. 'Then Nehemiah said, This day is holy unto the Lord: neither be ye sorry, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. So the Levites stilled the people, saying, Hold your peace; for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved. And all the people went their way to make great mirth, because they had understood the words.'--Neh. viii. 10-12. The deep significance of …
Andrew Murray—Holy in Christ John's First Testimony to Jesus.
(Bethany Beyond Jordan, February, a.d. 27.) ^D John I. 19-34. ^d 19 And this is the witness of John [John had been sent to testify, "and" this is the matter of his testimony], when the Jews [The term "Jews" is used seventy times by John to describe the ruling classes of Judæa] sent unto him [In thus sending an embassy they honored John more than they ever honored Christ. They looked upon John as a priest and Judæan, but upon Jesus as a carpenter and Galilæan. It is probable that …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel Healing a Demoniac in a Synagogue.
(at Capernaum.) ^B Mark I. 21-28; ^C Luke . IV. 31-37. ^b 21 And they [Jesus and the four fishermen whom he called] go into { ^c he came down to} Capernaum, a city of Galilee. [Luke has just spoken of Nazareth, and he uses the expression "down to Capernaum" because the latter was on the lake shore while Nazareth was up in the mountains.] And ^b straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue and taught. { ^c was teaching them} ^b 22 And they were astonished at his teaching: for he taught …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel The Scattering of the People
[Illustration: (drop cap A) The Fish-god of Assyria and Babylonia] At last the full punishment for their many sins fell upon God's chosen people. The words of warning written in the fifth book of Moses had told them plainly that if they turned aside and worshipped the wicked idol-gods of Canaan, the Lord would take their country from them and drive them out into strange lands. Yet again and again they had yielded to temptation. And now the day of reckoning had come. Nebuchadnezzar, the great king …
Mildred Duff—The Bible in its Making The Last Days of the Old Eastern World
The Median wars--The last native dynasties of Egypt--The Eastern world on the eve of the Macedonian conquest. [Drawn by Boudier, from one of the sarcophagi of Sidon, now in the Museum of St. Irene. The vignette, which is by Faucher-Gudin, represents the sitting cyno-cephalus of Nectanebo I., now in the Egyptian Museum at the Vatican.] Darius appears to have formed this project of conquest immediately after his first victories, when his initial attempts to institute satrapies had taught him not …
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 9 Its Effects.
Among the effects and benefits which in this life accompany and flow from being filled with the Holy Ghost, may be mentioned the following:-- 1. Courage. "Oh, I could not do so and so--I have not the courage," is a reply frequently made by Christian people when asked to undertake some piece of service or other for the Master. The first point to be settled is, "Is that the Master's will for me?" If so, lack of courage is a confession to the lack of the "Fullness of the Holy Ghost." The Spirit-filled …
John MacNeil—The Spirit-Filled Life The Old Testament Canon from Its Beginning to Its Close.
The first important part of the Old Testament put together as a whole was the Pentateuch, or rather, the five books of Moses and Joshua. This was preceded by smaller documents, which one or more redactors embodied in it. The earliest things committed to writing were probably the ten words proceeding from Moses himself, afterwards enlarged into the ten commandments which exist at present in two recensions (Exod. xx., Deut. v.) It is true that we have the oldest form of the decalogue from the Jehovist …
Samuel Davidson—The Canon of the Bible Of the Public Fast.
A public fast is when, by the authority of the magistrate (Jonah iii. 7; 2 Chron. xx. 3; Ezra viii. 21), either the whole church within his dominion, or some special congregation, whom it concerneth, assemble themselves together, to perform the fore-mentioned duties of humiliation; either for the removing of some public calamity threatened or already inflicted upon them, as the sword, invasion, famine, pestilence, or other fearful sickness (1 Sam. vii. 5, 6; Joel ii. 15; 2 Chron. xx.; Jonah iii. …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety Joy
'The fruit of the Spirit is joy.' Gal 5:52. The third fruit of justification, adoption, and sanctification, is joy in the Holy Ghost. Joy is setting the soul upon the top of a pinnacle - it is the cream of the sincere milk of the word. Spiritual joy is a sweet and delightful passion, arising from the apprehension and feeling of some good, whereby the soul is supported under present troubles, and fenced against future fear. I. It is a delightful passion. It is contrary to sorrow, which is a perturbation …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity Assurance
Q-xxxvi: WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS WHICH FLOW FROM SANCTIFICATION? A: Assurance of God's love, peace of conscience, joy in the Holy Ghost, increase of grace, and perseverance therein to the end. The first benefit flowing from sanctification is assurance of God's love. 'Give diligence to make your calling and election sure.' 2 Pet 1:10. Sanctification is the seed, assurance is the flower which grows out of it: assurance is a consequent of sanctification. The saints of old had it. We know that we know …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity Man's Chief End
Q-I: WHAT IS THE CHIEF END OF MAN? A: Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever. Here are two ends of life specified. 1: The glorifying of God. 2: The enjoying of God. I. The glorifying of God, I Pet 4:4: That God in all things may be glorified.' The glory of God is a silver thread which must run through all our actions. I Cor 10:01. Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.' Everything works to some end in things natural and artificial; …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity Ezra-Nehemiah
Some of the most complicated problems in Hebrew history as well as in the literary criticism of the Old Testament gather about the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. Apart from these books, all that we know of the origin and early history of Judaism is inferential. They are our only historical sources for that period; and if in them we have, as we seem to have, authentic memoirs, fragmentary though they be, written by the two men who, more than any other, gave permanent shape and direction to Judaism, then …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Nehemiah 8:14 NIVNehemiah 8:14 NLTNehemiah 8:14 ESVNehemiah 8:14 NASBNehemiah 8:14 KJV
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