Day 271: Revival in Old Things (Nehemiah 8:17)

Through the Bible: Nehemiah 8-10

“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.” —Nehemiah 8:17

In today’s Bible Recap, Tara-Leigh talked about how the Israelites had not observed the Feast of Booths for over a thousand years– not since the days of Jeshua (Joshua). I was puzzled by this, since just a few days ago we read that the returning exiles celebrated the Feast with Zerubbabel, right after the altar was completed (see Ezra 3:4). Granted, that was stilll 93 years ago. But its a far cry from the thousand years Tara-Leigh referenced. Moreover, we read in 1 Kings 8 that Solomon observed a Feast after the temple was dedicated. While it isn’t named, the timing in the seventh month (verse 2) and the seven-day length (verse 65) suggestthat this was the Feast of Booths.

So what does it mean that the people “had not done so” since the days of Joshua? The key is in that little phrase. The feast wasn’t new—but the way they celebrated it was. Never since Joshua’s day had the feast been kept with such completeness, such unity, and such joy.

Sometimes revival doesn’t look like inventing something brand new. Often, it looks like rediscovering something very old and entering into it with fresh devotion. We don’t need novelty; we need renewal.

• The Bible isn’t new, but you can read it with new eyes.
• Prayer isn’t new, but you can pray with new desperation.
• Worship isn’t new, but you can worship with new joy.
• The Lord’s Supper isn’t new, but you can take it with new gratitude.

The people of Nehemiah’s day didn’t “reinvent” the Feast of Booths. They simply took God at His word, obeyed with their whole hearts, and rejoiced greatly in what He had commanded.

Revival often begins, not when we find something new, but when God breathes new life into the old paths. And church revitalization doesn’t necessarily mean we throw out the playbook and reinvent the wheel. A church can be revitalized when they keep doing the same old things, but with a brand new spirit.

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