Nehemiah 8:13-18; Nehemiah 9:1-4
"So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void . . ." says the LORD (Isaiah 55:11). And that promise is fulfilled here. According to God’s commandment, the people, following the example of their leaders, keep the feast of Tabernacles with even more splendour than in the more impressive time of Solomon. For us Christians, the present state of breakdown should also make us recognise more than ever our character as strangers (living in tents) and should fix our minds on the joys of the coming kingdom.
At the beginning of ch. 9, the scene changes. The children of Israel gather once more on a fixed day. On this occasion the purpose of their gathering is the confession of their sins. Are there also in our lives as believers special times when we need to take account of our wrong actions and humble ourselves? Some think that there are grounds for putting our affairs in order every Saturday night; others, at the end of each day. Neither is right. Judging ourselves is a continual action. We need to carry it out on every occasion that the Holy Spirit makes us aware of sin.