Nehemiah 8:13-18 – Obedience
Although the people had listened to the Word of God and seemed willing to obey its teaching, that was not sufficient for the leaders of the people. Verse 13 shows the heads of families, priests, and Levites gathering together in the house of Ezra to seek to have greater knowledge and insight into the truth of the Word. They did not meet to study the Scripture as an intellectual exercise, but it was the production of a humble and genuine desire to know God’s will and to do it.
There is then demonstrated an attitude that should characterise every child of God. When they understood what had been commanded, they immediately set out to do it. As far as their own experience was concerned, there was no tradition that the feast of Tabernacles should be kept – it had not been observed since the days of Joshua – but they did not rely on tradition but on the Word of the Lord.
The Feast of Tabernacles was a particularly appropriate thing for them to celebrate, for it reminded them of how God had provided for His people during the wilderness wanderings, and they themselves had seen much of God’s provision and protection during the building process.
It is important to note that when the people followed the instructions of the Book of the Law to the letter, it brought them great joy v. 17. They were not just going through the motions or seeking to cut corners to make the celebration of the feast less onerous – they went out to the hills to gather the branches, they built the booths according to what had been written, they lived in the booths for the entire length of the festival, and they gladly listened to the reading of the Word daily.
So many people think that the path to happiness and joy is to be able to do their own thing, but here the Scripture reminds us that real gladness and freedom come through the path of obedience.
Questions
- How did the people respond when they learned what God commands?
Prayer Points
- Pray for the preaching and hearing of God’s Word tomorrow.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.