Nehemiah 8:18 "Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according unto the manner."
Nehemiah 9:1-3 "Now in the twenty and fourth day of
this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with
sackclothes, and earth upon them. (2) And the seed of Israel
separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins,
and the iniquities of their fathers. (3)And they stood up in their place, and
read in the book of the law of the LORD their God one fourth
part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and
worshipped the LORD their God."
I picture the booths that were made as being like the "lean to's"
we used to make as boys. It was fun to get under them and even camp under
them at night. We would have a campfire, roast hot dogs and then marshmallows
over the fire. We would tell stories and just have a great time.
The people in Nehemiah's day were not there to have a camp out. They stayed
under those booths for seven days, reflecting on their lives and their
relationship with God. They were remembering where they had come from. No
doubt, they thought of Abraham and his travels as God showed him the land that
his heirs would inherit.
I'm sure they thought of the days of Moses and Joshua and all the conflicts
that their forefathers endured in order to have such a wonderful land. But
notice, they observed a "solemn assembly." They separated themselves
from any outside influence and used this time unto the Lord. They fasted and
prayed. They repented of their sins. They sought God's mercy and grace upon
their lives.
It is good for us on a regular basis to separate ourselves from the outside
influence of the world. During that time, it is good for us to remember where
we were and what we were before the Lord intervened in our lives. It is good
for us to turn back to God and seek His favor upon us and our families.
We need to get back to the basics and simply worship the Lord for His goodness
and mercy endures forever.