Ezra & The Booths

Synopsis     Nehemiah 8:13-9:5     8/4/2020 

Nehemiah recorded how the people celebrated the Feast of Booths. In all, the feast lasted seven days. Each day, the leaders read from the book of the Law of Moses. And, Nehemiah noted how this particular feast was greater than any of the celebrations done before it.  

Later in the same month, after the feast was complete, the people came back together. This time the words of the law were read again. But on this occasion, the people acknowledged their sin in having united with foreigners. And they committed to leaving all relationships that did not conform to the Law of Moses.  

Ezra & Feast of Booths 

God established the Feast of Booths as one of the three principle Israelite feasts. Each year in the fall, Israelites practice the feast by living in temporary outdoor structures. Although Messiah layered the feast with previously hidden meaning, God originally intended it to serve as a reminder for the Israelites.  

Before they entered the Promised Land, the Israelites dwelt in tents.  During the exodus from Egypt, they were sojourners without permanent homes. As such, they were utterly dependent on God for everything from food to military protection. And He never failed them.  

Sojourners In The Land 

I am a sojourner in this land. Of course, there’s always the temptation to think that what I have now is all there is. Especially when things are going well.  

But the reality is different. Like Abraham, God called me. And He really has promised a new land. Accordingly, the temporary things I find here are useful to teach my reluctant heart to trust God completely.  

So, we are.

Searching for the pilgrim’s heart.   

By faith he sojourned in the promised land as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs of the same promise;” Heb 11:9