Having received permission and resources from the King, Nehemiah proceeded to Jerusalem with an armed guard. After secretly surveying the state of the city, he gathered the returned exiles and set them to building the wall. The opposition to the project from the nations around him was so fierce that he was compelled to sacrifice some efficiency in building to obtain military security.
Elijah had just defeated the prophets of Baal when God took him back to Sinai. There God performed the same signs that He had for all Israel but said that He was not in those signs. So where is He?
Having travelled secretly to Jerusalem for Succot in order to avoid arrest, Y'shua made a very dramatic appearance on the last day. The high point of the day was the water pouring ceremony at the altar. There He announced that those who believed in him would have rivers of 'living water' flow from their hearts. He so startled everyone that the guards didn't arrest Him. He went on the following day to announce that He was the light of world. Both water and light are consistent themes beginning in Genesis. They also figure prominently on the last day of the feast.
When God does a massive shaking, His first purpose is to draw those who know His word to repentance and away from sin. In this, Lev 26 clearly describes that process whereby God attempts to get His people's attention so they will turn and be healed. Daniel 9 provides us with a model prayer for the nation that God has chastened.
Stops on Paul's route back to Israel. In the manner of all religious hucksters, the silversmiths in Ephesus tried to elevate their economic interests to the status of a conflict between piety and blasphemy.
Humans are designed to dominate. Power imbalances among people are inevitable. As such they can either be consistent with liberty or they can turn toxic.
Upon Ezra's return to Jerusalem, he discovered that the people of Israel had intermarried with the pagan nations in the land. This was contrary to the Law of Moses and has always been a way to draw Israel away from God. Ezra gathered all the men of Israel and took an oath from them to put away the foreign wives. After some time had passed, Nehemiah received permission to rebuild the city walls.
For us to exist, God had to make a place. We, who are in His image, then make a place for Him.
At Succot we are reminded that we are sojourners in this world and are looking forward to the next. Jeremiah gives some advice to the Jews who were 'sojourning' in Babylon: "seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare." So also we are called to engage with the political and civic life of the place we are sent; even as we eagerly await the coming of Y'shua and the establishment of His kingdom.
The Bible is written using a number of different textual patterns. Once a pattern is established, it may be embellished over the years, but the structure remains consistent. The pattern of three defines the structure of the universe. The pattern of seven, God's division of time. The pattern of power, how God interacts with His creation. Recognizing these and other patterns opens up the Scriptures and gives us an idea of where we are in His plan.