Scripture: Nehemiah 8:16-18
So
the people went out and brought them and made booths for themselves,
each on his roof, and in their courts and in the courts of the house of God,
and in the square at the Water Gate and in the square at the Gate of Ephraim.
The entire assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made
booths and lived in them. The sons of Israel had indeed not done so from the
days of Joshua the son of Nun to that day. And there was great rejoicing. He
read from the book of the law of God daily, from the first day to the last day.
And they celebrated the feast seven days, and on the eighth day there was a
solemn assembly according to the ordinance.
Insights: These
last few verses for this week show us the results of having a teachable spirit
as it relates to insight. In other
words, as one gains insight from the Lord, they are going to face a crises of
belief (for more information see Henry Blackaby’s Experiencing God material).
The individual is going to believe God and trust Him or disbelieve God
and rebel against Him. In these verses
today we see the children of Israel choosing to believe God and the proof of
their belief were found in their obedience.
They actually go out there and do the craziest of things and gather
branches of all kinds in order to build booths.
As the passage indicates the Israelites had not held to this practice
since the time of Joshua the son of Nun.
As you will recall, he was the one who lead Israel into the Promised
Land after Moses’ death. Now hundreds of
years later these children of Israel obey God’s commands and what was the
result? They experienced joy. In fact the text says, “there was great rejoicing (italics mine).” Beloved, the
same truths apply today. If we will seek
insight from God, He will show us what He desires. If we will obey His commands, we will
experience great joy. It is also true
that just as they were asked to do something crazy or odd, so often times God
asks us to do things that seem unconventional in nature. I think the reason God asks us to do these
odd kinds of things is to see if we really do trust Him. If the request was reasonable, then where is
the proof of faith? So, God asks us to
do the unexpected and uncomfortable in order to test our obedient faith. Beloved, pass the Lord’s tests and experience
His joy.
Questions:
- Are you walking in obedience to the Lord God?
- Are you experiencing the joy of such a walk?
Prayer: Father, let my
heart be teachable, and as I have so often prayed, give me the courage to walk
in obedience with You. As a result of
such obedience may I experience Your joy in my life. Amen.
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