Nehemiah 8:13-18: Remembrance and Renewal

Nehemiah 8:13-18: Remembrance and Renewal

Please turn with me to Nehemiah 8. If you’re using one of the Story Bibles we provide, that’s on page 324. We’ve been going through the book of Nehemiah passage by passage, and this morning we find ourselves in Nehemiah 8:13-18. Now last time, we saw how Nehemiah and the rest of the Israelites had finished building the wall. And to celebrate the occasion, the whole city got together and for six hours simply listened the Bible being read and explained. They were hungry for as much of God’s Word as they could possibly get. That was verse 1-12. Now as we come to verses 13-18, we see that a similar spirit of enthusiasm characterized the Israelites on the second day as well. Nehemiah 8:13-18:

13 On the second day the heads of fathers’ houses of all the people, with the priests and the Levites, came together to Ezra the scribe in order to study the words of the Law. 14 And they found it written in the Law that the Lord had commanded by Moses that the people of Israel should dwell in booths during the feast of the seventh month, 15 and that they should proclaim it and publish it in all their towns and in Jerusalem, “Go out to the hills and bring branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees to make booths, as it is written.” 16 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. 17 And all the assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in the booths, for from the days of Jeshua the son of Nun to that day the people of Israel had not done so. And there was very great rejoicing. 18 And day by day, from the first day to the last day, he read from the Book of the Law of God. They kept the feast seven days, and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly, according to the rule. 

If you’ve ever been responsible for taking care of a newborn baby, you understand what it’s like to be tired. Babies are amazing in many ways and having a baby is one of the most wonderful blessings that can come to a family, but…taking care of that baby can be downright exhausting, especially the first few months. You can usually see the exhaustion just by looking at the parents of a new baby. Just from their face, you can tell they’re pretty much running on fumes. And honestly, I think that’s similar to the way a lot of Christians often feel spiritually as well. Our lives are so busy as we hurry here to do this and hurry there to do that that it’s not uncommon for us to feel depleted, weary, worn down. And it may even be church-related things that contribute to us feeling that way. We come to church and talk about devoting our lives to a mission and working hard to spread the gospel and doing different things God calls us to do. But as we seek to engage in that mission and spread that message and do those things, we often get to the point where, quite honestly, we feel like we’re running on empty. We want to serve God, but we’re just weary. 

If that’s you this morning, I have some good news: there’s a way for you to be faithful in serving God while at the same time avoiding the weariness that so often characterizes devoted Christians. There’s a way for you to serve God out of the overflow of a joyful heart rather than in spite of a weary heart. That’s what God wants for you. That’s his will and design for the Christian life. And here in Nehemiah 8, we see how we’re able to experience that inward joy and renewal. It’s by remembering who God is and what he’s done for us and then worshipping him in light of those things. And that’s the main idea of this passage. Remembrance brings renewal. Remembrance brings renewal. And there are three insights related to Israel’s remembrance that I’d like to explore. Number one, the necessity of their remembrance. Number two, the specificity of their remembrance. And number three, the result of their remembrance.

The Necessity of Their Remembrance 

So first, let’s look at the necessity of their remembrance. Look again at verses 13-14: 13 On the second day the heads of fathers’ houses of all the people, with the priests and the Levites, came together to Ezra the scribe in order to study the words of the Law. 14 And they found it written in the Law that the Lord had commanded by Moses that the people of Israel should dwell in booths during the feast of the seventh month. So as the Israelites are studying the Bible, they discover a command to do something they’ve been neglecting—namely, observe a feast commonly called the Feast of Booths. And the reason it was called the Feast of Booths was because the feast involved constructing actual booths or temporary shelters on the rooftops of their houses. Back then, rooftops were flat and very suitable for various activities. So the Israelites were supposed to go out and gather branches and then use those branches to build a temporary shelter on their roof. And the reason God commanded them to do that was so they could remember something very important from their history. Back in the days when their ancestors were wandering around in the desert, they lived in temporary shelters. And throughout that whole 40-year period of them living that way and wandering around in the desert, God had miraculously sustained them. He had provided water for them from a rock and food for them from the sky. He had traveled with them and guided them in the form of a cloud during the day and a pillar of fire during the night. He had protected them from their enemies, the Amalekites. So God had been faithful to his people day in and day out throughout those forty years. But God knew his people would be tempted to forget what he had done for them. So he commanded them in Leviticus 23 to observe this annual feast, the Feast of Booths, as a way of remembering his faithfulness. So the idea was that by reenacting their desert wanderings and constructing these booths every year, the Israelites would remember the faithfulness God had shown to their ancestors. 

And like the Israelites, we also need to regularly remind ourselves of what God’s done for us so that we can worship him in light of those things. I’ve already mentioned how we’re all prone at times to feel spiritually weary. Well, I believe the answer whenever we feel that way is to spend extended time remembering God’s love and goodness and grace and let that lead you to worship and let that be what drives you to action. Maybe you’ve been so busy lately and filled your schedule so full of activities that you lack the joy in Christ you once had. You feel depleted, your prayers are dry, and in a lot of the things you do you feel like you’re just going through the motions. What you need is to remember—really remember—the remarkable ways God’s loved you and been gracious to you and then delight yourself in God in light of those things. 

Or maybe you’re facing a particular trial in your life. I know in my family, there always seems to be something that’s not what we want it to be, some kind of trial that’s making life difficult. Right now, it’s our one-year-old daughter named Grace. Grace is significantly behind in many of the physical skills she’s supposed to be developing and is also quite stubborn in her eating. In fact, it’s so difficult to get her to eat that she’s the size of an average 8-month-old even though she’s 14 months old. And we have all these people visiting our house every week—a physical therapist, an occupational therapist, a nutritionist—but even with their visits, Grace’s progress is very gradual. So this isn’t a monumental trial—it’s not like her life is in danger or anything—but it’s definitely something we’re concerned about. But throughout this ordeal with Grace, we’re reminding ourselves of what we know to be true about God. That’s how we’re getting through things. We’re reminding ourselves of how God’s loved us. We’re reminding ourselves how God’s demonstrated his care for us. We’re reminding ourselves of how he’s been so faithful to us in many different ways. And as we remind ourselves of those things, we’re worshipping God. That’s how you can persevere through trials—by remembering what God’s done and worshipping him in light of those things.

And back in our text, notice that the Feast of Booths was something the Israelites were supposed to observe every year. It was commanded regularly. And there were also numerous other feasts and festivals and special days they were supposed to observe regularly as well. So we see that our remembrance needs to be regular—because we remember but then we slowly begin to forget. As the pastor of a church I used to attend liked to say, we leak. So we have to keep on remembering on a very regular basis. 

The Specificity of Their Remembrance 

So that’s the necessary of Israel’s remembrance. Then a second thing we see in Nehemiah 8 is the specificity of their remembrance. The specificity of their remembrance. Here’s what I mean by that: the Israelites’ remembrance of God was tied to specific works of God. They didn’t just remember general statements about God or clichés they had developed over the years. When they celebrated this Feast of Booths, they were looking back to specific ways God had acted toward them and specific things he had done to take care of them during their wilderness wanderings. Because that’s where we see the character of God most vividly—through the things he’s done. God’s character is primarily revealed through his works. 

It’s really not all that different from how we know one another as human beings. We gain much of our knowledge about who people are by observing what they do. At a funeral, for example, those who were the closest to the deceased will typically share stories about him or her. They want others to know about their loved one and have an idea of what he or she was like. And the best way to convey that knowledge is by telling stories. So they won’t just say that so-and-so was funny. They’ll say, “Let me tell you this crazy story about my dad. One time, there was a particular situation my dad was in and to many people it might seem like a pretty normal situation, but my dad said this and did that, and everybody thought it was most hilarious thing.” That’s the kind of thing you typically hear at funerals because the best way to get an idea about who a person is is to observe the kinds of things they do. And in the same way, the primary way to know who God is and different aspects of his character is by observing the things he’s done as we see them in the Bible. The person of God is most clearly seen in the works of God. 

Let me show you what I mean and give you a brief overview of who God is by tracing out some specific ways we see him working in the pages of the Bible. This is how we can be like Israel and remember God through his works. And I do have to credit an author named Mark Dever for arranging things in this way. First of all, in the very beginning of the Bible, we see that the God of the Bible is a creating God. The Bible says that God created everything that exists by simply speaking a few words. He literally spoke this entire universe into existence. So he’s the Great Initiator and has revealed his creative genius and his beauty through the things he’s made. So in a very real sense, everything you see around you is a “work of God” that speaks volumes about who he is. When you go out into nature and you see the mountains and the oceans and the sunsets, all those things proclaim how beautiful he is. When you look at the nighttime sky and consider the incomprehensible vastness of outer space and the untold billions of galaxies in this universe, that vastness and those galaxies display the greatness of God. And when you study the human body and the complexities of a single cell and how everything works together in such amazing harmony, all of that reveals the unsurpassed wisdom of God. So the God of the Bible is first a creating God. We know volumes about who he is by observing what he’s done and the things he’s made. 

Secondly, the God of the Bible is a holy God. From the initial rebellion of the first humans in the Garden of Eden and all the way down throughout the Old Testament and throughout Israel’s history, we see that God possesses an unwavering devotion to righteousness and an uncompromising commitment to punish sin. And in reality, it’s the former that leads to the latter. It’s because God possesses righteousness and values righteousness so intensely that he punishes sin so severely. So when Adam and Eve rebel, he expels them from the garden. And when Israel rebels, he causes them to be defeated in battle after battle and eventually conquered entirely and carried off into exile. God has no tolerance for sin. He’s holy. 

Third, the God of the Bible is a faithful God. Throughout the Old Testament, he makes dozens of promises about sending a national hero, known as the Messiah, to rescue his people from their affliction. And even though they think that rescue will chiefly involve armies and political changes and victory over the nations who are oppressing them, God understands there’s a much greater affliction they need to be rescued from—namely, their sin. So after making dozens of specific promises about this Messiah and waiting hundreds of years, God finally sends the Messiah at the perfect time. His name, of course, is Jesus. And Jesus actually came not just to rescue Israel from their sins but to rescue this whole world from sin—just like God had promised. So the very fact that Jesus came shows that God always keeps the promises he’s made. The God of the Bible is a faithful God.

Fourth, the God of the Bible is a loving God. Even though he was under no obligation to do so, God sent his own Son Jesus to die for our sins on the cross. Romans 5:6-8 states, “6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Think about that. Jesus died for sinners. He took the punishment we deserved. Then after he died, Jesus resurrected from the dead and is right now calling person after person to himself. All over the world, and even here in Pittsburgh and in our church, he’s graciously opening people’s eyes so they can see the truth of the Bible’s message and turn to Jesus for rescue. People can’t do that on their own, but God’s graciously enabling them to do that and be saved from their sins. All of that shows us the depth of God’s love. 

Then finally, the God of the Bible is a sovereign God. The book of Revelation tells us that one day, God will sovereignly bring his perfect plans to fruition. Right now, as we can all tell from looking around us and reading the news, this world is a very broken place. Tragedies happen every day. But one day, Revelation says, God’s going to right every wrong and wipe away every tear from every eye. Not only that, but he’s also going to defeat his enemy, the devil, and in a full and final way and sovereignly restore everything to the way he originally designed it to be. He’s going to sovereignly create what Revelation calls a new heavens and a new earth that’s entirely free of sin and suffering and filled with his glorious presence. It’s what we commonly call heaven. And all of his people, those who put their trust in Jesus, will get to see him face to face and enjoy his glory and be altogether satisfied in him for all eternity. All of that is guaranteed by God’s sovereignty. 

So as you can see, the Bible is really one big story. And every part of the biblical storyline reveals precious truths about God. We see who God is by observing what he does and how he works. So let me challenge you to thoroughly familiarize yourself with the biblical storyline. Don’t be guided by your own hunches about God, your own wishes about God, or what you think your heart is telling you about God. Look to the Bible and remember God by observing the things he’s done. Whenever you read a passage of the Bible, ask yourself “What does this passage reveal to me about God?” Let your vision of God be enlarged every time you pick up his Word. 

And let me speak directly to the husbands and fathers in here. You have a particular responsibility to be especially proficient in what the Bible says about God because it’s your responsibility to lead your family in those things. Back in our main text of Nehemiah 8, in verse 13, notice who had gathered to study the Bible and learn about God. It was “the heads of fathers’ houses of all the people.” So on the previous day, at the beginning of chapter 8, it was all the people including the children who gathered together. But then on the day after that, recorded in these verses, it was the heads of fathers’ houses. And these men then led their families to observe the Feast of Booths and thereby remember God’s faithfulness to their ancestors. What a great reminder that fathers have a unique responsibility to lead their families in the ways of God, teach them the truths of God, and remind them of the works of God. So are you rising to the challenge? Are you making sure your family is walking in the remembrance we’ve been talking about? 

The Result of Their Remembrance

Then finally, having looked that the necessity of Israel’s remembrance and then at the specificity of their remembrance, let’s now look at the result of their remembrance. Our passage records them getting together to study the Bible, discovering what they’re supposed to do, and doing it. Then, here was the result in verse 17: 17 And all the assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in the booths, for from the days of Jeshua the son of Nun to that day the people of Israel had not done so. And there was very great rejoicing. Did you catch that? Israel’s remembrance resulted in “very great rejoicing.” Not just “rejoicing,” and not just “great rejoicing,” but “very great rejoicing.” I’m not sure how that could be any more emphatic. 

And likewise, as we remember all the things we’ve discussed this morning about God, it should bring us and I believe will bring us “very great rejoicing.” You see, every facet of God’s character is something for us to delight in. Like a well-cut diamond, God is beautiful from every angle. And when we remember him by thinking about the glorious things he’s done, it brings us unquenchable and unassailable joy. That means it’s a joy we can have regardless of what circumstances in life we find ourselves facing. 

So maybe this morning, you’re going through a painful or difficult season in your life. Let me invite you to remind yourself of who God is by remembering what he’s done. Let me offer you the inward renewal that comes from remembrance. Or maybe you’re one of the Christians we talked about earlier and you’ve been so busy doing things for God that you’ve unknowingly neglected your own soul to a degree and now find yourself weary, depleted, and pretty much running on fumes. If that’s you, take a moment and imagine what it would be like to serve God out of the overflow of a joyful heart rather than in spite of a weary heart. Imagine a life where you’re energized and driven to do the things you do by the joy you have in Christ. You can have that joy. God wants you to have that joy. But you have to make remembrance a regular practice. I don’t recommend climbing up on your roof and making a temporary shelter the way the Israelites were commanded to do, but I do recommend opening your Bible daily and there beholding the glories of God. You need that. Kind of like when you’re working outside on a hot day. What the number one thing you should remember to do for your safety when you’re working outside in the heat? You have to drink water, right? You have to keep your body hydrated. Just a few weeks ago, at Brentwood’s Fourth of July parade with the 95 degree heat, I heard numerous reports of people in the crowds needing medical attention probably because they didn’t stay hydrated. So don’t let that be you spiritually. It would be really sad to see any of the faithful workers in our church burning out because they were trying to do ministry in their own strength and they weren’t being refreshed in God’s presence regularly. Instead, my prayer is that every single one of us would have a blossoming joy in Christ that serves as fuel for our gospel mission. Let’s pray.