Feast of Booths Restored
13 Then on the second day the heads of fathers’ households of all the people, the priests and the Levites were gathered to Ezra the scribe that they might gain insight into the words of the law. 14 They found written in the law how the Lord had commanded through Moses that the sons of Israel should live in booths during the feast of the seventh month. 15 [g]So they proclaimed and circulated a proclamation in all their cities and in Jerusalem, saying, “Go out to the hills, and bring olive branches and [h]wild olive branches, myrtle branches, palm branches and branches of 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 The entire assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in [i]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. 18 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.
This passage always amazes me, for two reasons. First, this festival/feast had not been celebrated since the days of Joshua. That is, since shortly after they entered the Promised Land, which had been hundreds of years. Second, this feast was still practiced hundreds of years later which we see during the time of Jesus’ ministry. Which I suppose tells us there’s nothing like oppression and captivity to remind you of what is really important.
This feast was a remembrance of what their ancestors had endured in the wilderness as they wandered around for 40 years. They lived in tents, they had no new clothes, they ate manna every day, and only a couple times had meat that whole time. It was not a super enjoyable time I’m sure, but every day they saw God’s provision. Most know how God provided the manna for them to eat every morning, but the lesser-known miracle is that their sandals and clothes did not wear out that entire time.
Of course, you can say, “Well, they just don’t make things like they used to!” But even back then, a forty year sandal was an amazing thing, not to mention garments not wearing out. So while the festival was definitely a sobering time to remember the difficult times their ancestors endured, it was doubly a time to remember God’s provision.
Indeed, it’s something we need to remember also, and we shouldn’t wait for an annual holiday to remind us. Though certainly, we may need a special day (or two) to give our minds a reset, to bring to mind what is really important in life, and to be thankful for everything God has given us. Make every day a day where you give thanks to the One who gave you breath and life, and so much more when He paid the price for our sin, and restored us to the Father. We have so much to be thankful for, it only takes a moment to think about it, and thank our Father in Heaven.