GETTING BACK TO THE BASICS

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

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. 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 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.

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. 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.

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.

Nehemiah 8:13-18

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

The Israelites getting reestablished in Jerusalem was more than just a physical, tangible return. Yes, the temple needed rebuilt as well as the walls, gates and homes within the city but there was a need for something even greater…a need for spiritual rebirth as well and this often begins with a return to the basics. We see this evident in the lives of the Jerusalem Israelites as Nehemiah Chapter 8 comes to a close.

You’ll recall that Chapter 8 opens with the people asking for Ezra, identified as not only a teacher of the Law of Moses but a priest in the scriptures, to read to them from the Book of the Law of Moses (Nehemiah 8:1). This book contained what we know as the Pentateuch or the first five books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy). The people displayed great reverence when receiving the word, bowing before God in worship with their faces to the ground (v6). They also expressed a great deal of emotion, weeping as they listened to the word of the Law (v9).

In the midst of the sorrow, Nehemiah urged the Israelites to “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (v10). And the people did just that as they went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy…all because they understood the words that had been made known to them through the readings and teachings of Ezra and the Levites (v12).

As we read through the rest of the chapter, we find the Israelites getting back to basics and observing special festivals as directed by God’s word. In the case of the Jerusalem Israelites, they observed what was referred to as the Feast (or Festival) of Tabernacles (sometimes also called The Feast or Festival of Booths. The following scripture from Leviticus, highlights what was required under the Book of Law:

The Lord said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites: ‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month the Lord’s Festival of Tabernacles begins, and it lasts for seven days. The first day is a sacred assembly; do no regular work. For seven days present food offerings to the Lord, and on the eighth day hold a sacred assembly and present a food offering to the Lord. It is the closing special assembly; do no regular work.

(“‘These are the Lord’s appointed festivals, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies for bringing food offerings to the Lord—the burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings required for each day. These offerings are in addition to those for the Lord’s Sabbaths and in addition to your gifts and whatever you have vowed and all the freewill offerings you give to the Lord.)

“‘So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival to the Lord for seven days; the first day is a day of sabbath rest, and the eighth day also is a day of sabbath rest. On the first day you are to take branches from luxuriant trees—from palms, willows and other leafy trees—and rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. Celebrate this as a festival to the Lord for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month. Live in temporary shelters for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in such shelters so your descendants will know that I had the Israelites live in temporary shelters when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’” Leviticus 23:33-43

Returning to their worship roots meant returning to the ways that the Israelite’s ancestors worshiped…and that was in accordance with God’s requirements. And that’s exactly what happened after “Ezra the teacher” continued to read the “words of the law” to “the heads of all the families, along with the priests and the Levites” on the “second day of the month.”

Through their study, 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 and that they should proclaim this word and spread it throughout their towns and in Jerusalem.” It was written that they were to “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”…a requirement for the festival that commemorated God’s protection for the Israelites as they wandered in the desert for forty years following deliverance from the Egyptian captivity.

Showing a willingness to obey the scriptures, we read where “the whole company that had returned from exile” 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.” How significant was this event and the way it was carried out? Our passage tells us that the festival had not been celebrated like this, with the Israelites building temporary shelters and living in them, since “the days of Joshua”…which refers back to when the people of Israel first entered into the Promised Land.

As the chapter closes, we read where the Israelites “celebrated the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day, in accordance with the regulation, there was an assembly.” It’s also important to note that during the festival, the people of Israel experienced great joy. We can do likewise when we worship properly and within the expectations of God.

The Israelites found their way back to strong worship when they returned to the basics. Maybe you have found your spiritual life waning and in need of revival. You can start your way back to renewal today by shifting your focus back on the Lord in your life. The following words from the contemporary Christian trio, Phillips, Craig and Dean, echo this ideal:

I’m coming back to the heart of worship
And it’s all about You
It’s all about You, Jesus

I’m sorry, Lord for the thing I’ve made it
And it’s all about You
It’s all about You, Jesus

Maybe you need to come back to the heart of worship. Get back to the basics and make your life all about Jesus, worshiping Him fully in spirit and in truth, and you can find yourself there today.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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