The willingness to be, and to have, just what God wants for us would set our hearts at rest.
Following the Feast of Tabernacles, there was still more to learn from the Law. So “on the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, in sackcloth, and with dust on their heads” (Neh 9:1). What was that for? Sackcloth was a coarsely woven fabric, usually made of black goat’s hair. It connoted deep mourning. The dust was a reminder that we’re made from dust and our bodies will soon return to dust. These practices are often seen in Scripture, not only by believing Jews like Jacob (Gen 37:33-35), Hezekiah (Isa 37:1), and Daniel (Dan 9:3-5), but by pagans as well ( Jon 3:5-8). What Ezra took two full chapters to discuss, Nehemiah dispenses with in one or two verses. “Then those of Israelite lineage separated themselves from all foreigners; and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers” (Neh 9:2). Clearly they wanted to realign the nation with God’s revealed will. In fact, “they…read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for one-fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshiped the Lord their God” (v 3). Then led by the priests and Levites, praise ascended to the Lord. They sang of their awesome Creator (vv 5-6), their faithful Covenant-keeper (vv 7-8), their victorious Champion (vv 9-12), and their holy Commander (vv 13-17). He was also their forgiving Caregiver (vv 18-21), their intrepid Conqueror (vv 22-25), and their longsuffering Compassionate One (vv 26- 35). In concluding their prayer, they declared, “The land that You gave to our fathers, to eat its fruit and its bounty, here we are, servants in it!” (v 36). Thus they ratified the two-fold covenant: His people in the place He gave them. Question: Are we where God wants us to be?