Vs.14-17 Succot is the feast of booths which Moses commanded the Children of Israel to keep (Lev 23:39-43).  The returning Jews were taught of this feast by Ezra.  This would be the first time in over 900 years that Jews had kept this feast. 

Kings who shunned idolatry in favor of worshipping Yahweh, such as Asa or Josiah, can be described as good.  And yet there must have been gaps in their adherence to the Law such as keeping the feast of Succot. 

Today, some Jews erect simple booths on their properties for Succot.  However, if anyone spends time in a booth, it is usually the children who might occupy it for a night as a novelty.

8:5 The register that was found was what we know as Ezra 2

8:3 Notice here and also ::5,9,12,17 the emphasis. All the people were involved. It was not a matter of those who could be bothered turned out to listen. Everyone was there. Challenging isn’t it?

8:4 The way in which others stood on the pulpit with Nehemiah wasn’t just that they wanted to be seen but rather that their presence indicated that the initiative of Nehemiah had the full support of the rulers in Jerusalem. It would have been quite easy for them to simply say quietly that they agreed but their presence confirmed that Nehemiah was not alone in the ideas. Likewise we can show our solidarity behind an idea by being there when necessary. It is not really good enough to say the words but then not be seen.

8:1‘all the people’ and ‘as one man’ emphasise the unity of the inhabitants of Jerusalem at this time. It is rather like the way in which the believers are described in the early chapters of Acts – Acts 4:24 , 5:12

8:6 Isn’t it interesting that Nehemiah ‘blessed the Lord’ when he had opened the book of the law. Do we thank God and ascribe praise to Him for providing us with his word? Or do we simply view it as another religious text? Isaiah describes the attitude of those who please God Isa 66:5

Neh 7:73;8:2,14,18 - seventh or seven perhaps suggests spiritual perfection and possibly the millenial day of rest; the first day of the seventh month was the first day of the Jewish civil year.

Neh 8:1 - "...all the people gathered themselves together as one man..." this perhaps suggests the idea of spiritual unity or oneness of mind (John 17:21-23); "water gate" perhaps reminds us of baptism washing away sin and being buried with Christ the door to eternal life (Mark 16:16;John 3:5;10:9).

Neh 8:2,8 - this perhaps reminds us of how Christ fulfilled the law making it clear with his sacrifice and to be more so when the law goes forth from Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem (Matt 5:17-18;Isa 2:2-3); V.2- the law (like Christ) was preserved and only those teachable and able to understand heard the life saving words.

 Neh 8:4-5 - perhaps this reminds us of another priest set high on a wooden pulpit between those on his right and left.

Neh 8:9,11,12 - Nehemiah, the cup bearer governor, and Ezra the priest together perhaps echo Christ's role as cup bearer, priest and king - there will be mourning, remorse and rejoicing on the sacred day when Christ reveals himself to his brethren (Zech 12:10;Zech 13:6;Zech 14:8,9,11).

Neh 8:10 - the poor get fed also (2Cor 8:2;Matt 5:3;1Cor 11:23-25).

Neh 8:15-16 - preaching, gathering, wood, water, gate (Luke 10:1-9;John 15:1-2).

Neh 8:14,17 - the feast of tabernacles will be celebrated when Christ returns (Zech 14:16) and represent the deliverance from Egypt (perhaps suggests a greater deliverance and freeing of bondage to sin and death); V.17 very great gladness perhaps foreshadows the joy when Christ returns.

Neh 8:18 - the eighth day reminds me how after the millenial seventh day of rest Christ turns the kingdom/assembly over to his Father having done away with sin and death (1Cor 15:24-28).

3:2 I will gather all nations Zechariah 14:2
3:3 cast lots ... people Nahum 3:10
3:10 plowshares ...swords Isaiah 2:4 Micah 4:3 contrast
3:13 put ye in the sickle ... ripe Revelation 14:15
3:16 The Lord shall roar ... Jerusalem Amos 1:2
3:17 no stranger pass through ... Ezekiel 44:9
3:18 fountain shall come forth Zechariah 13:1
3:19 Egypt desolation Ezekiel 29:9
3:19 Edom ... violence against ... Judah Obadiah 10

3:17 no stranger pass through ... Ezekiel 44:9 we see that the wonderful time which Ezekiel speaks of when the temple will be built at Jerusalem and the city and temple will be clean and not polluted is to follow the destruction associated with he removal of the Northern army who is spoken of in Joel 2:20.

3:10      In encouraging the people to make weapons of war from their farm implements Joel contrasts with Isa 2:4 and Mic 4:3 who were contemporary prophets. There is no contradiction Those prophets were speaking of a future time. Joel is warning that time is not yet here. It is not present in the days of those prophets because of the sinfulness of the people.

Where is the valley of Jehoshaphat mentioned in v12? There's no such place on any map! v14 also calls it the valley of decision, and that's on no map either. So where is it, and why is it named after Jehoshaphat?

Jehoshaphat was a king of Judah who led Israel out to battle against an enormous army. This army was made up of Judah's brothers, descendants of Esau and Lot, who wanted to wipe Judah off the map and take her territory to themselves. Sound familiar? The account is in 2Chron 20. This battle was almost unique in the history of Israel, because the people took no active part in it. God confused the armies and they slew each other. Jehoshaphat led the people in putting their trust in God, as is also the case in Joel 3:16 "the LORD will be a shelter for His people". So we can see a further link to Jehoshaphat, since the Joel battle will be won in the same way. Also in both passages the invading armies are described as multitudes.

As to where it is, we can find this out simply by looking at where this previous battle was fought. In 2Chron 20:2 we see that the armies were assembled at En Gedi. Jehoshaphat went out to battle with them in the Wilderness of Tekoa (v20), and when they came to a place overlooking the wilderness, there they saw all the dead bodies lying on the ground (v24). Note this only took a day, because of the reference "they rose early in the morning" in v20, so we must still be near to Jerusalem. If we type in En Gedi, Tekoa and Jerusalem into Google maps, or look on a map of Israel, we can see that these places are still there now, and follow the line of a road between Jerusalem and En Gedi at the Dead Sea. This must have been the path Jehoshaphat took. According to the website the route takes 4.5 hours walking from Jerusalem to Tekoa. A little further on and there is a view down into the plains of the dead sea, where they saw "multitudes" of slain soldiers. Somewhere in that view towards En-Gedi is the valley of Jehoshaphat where God will judge the nations.

If we take verse 6 on its own, we would withdraw from anyone who is disorderly, or doesn't hold to traditions. If we take it in context, however, we find that Paul is speaking specifically of those who don't work for their daily bread. (vs 8, 10-12).

V.7-8 Not only was the disorderly conduct contrary to the directions which had been delivered to the Thessalonians, both orally and in letters, it was also in conflict with the example that had been left for them. 

V.6 When Paul talked about brethren who walked disorderly  he is talking about those who wilfully refused to work to support themselves.  These idle brethren (disorderly means idle from the Gr. ataktos) were not following the tradition (the precepts taught by the apostles concerning self-sufficiency). 

Paul cites his own sense of industry, as a living example, because he continued to work to support himself (v.7; Acts 18:1-3).  Paul still worked although he could have legitimately claimed support from others because he was an apostle doing the work of Yahweh (vs. 8,9). 

On top of their unwillingness to work, these idle brethren had become busybodies (v.11).  Busybodies have nothing better to do than to go around gossiping and causing trouble (1Tim 5:13).  This behavior is contrary to the Christ-like edification that brethren ought to have for each other (Rom 14:19). 

Paul's corrective solution for these idle busybodies is that they should be shunned in order that they might realize that their behavior is inappropriate for a follower of Christ (vs. 6,14).  But the warning to that idle brother should be made in the right spirit of brotherly love and not in heavy-handed self-righteousness (v.15).  That way, he is more likely to reflect on his error and correct it.  

Some, today, might be tempted to use the verses from this chapter, in a brusque manner, to withdraw from anybody they deem to be walking disorderly (breaking whatever rules).  However, the scripture does not support that kind of excommunication, either in its meaning or in its intent.  

3:5 Patient waiting is required because it is so easy to become despondent when our expectations are not fulfilled immediately. We must realise that the lord will return in his own good time. We must not faint in our waiting.

3:6 We can conclude that ‘disorderly’ walk is seen when a brother or sister does not work to sustain themselves when they can as Paul explains in the next couple of verses that by contrast to disorderly walk he ‘wrought with labour night and day that (he) might not be chargeable to any’.

3:8    The labouring with his own hands of which Paul speaks is something he said to them in 1Thess 2:9

3:8    The labouring with his own hands of which Paul speaks is something he said to them in 1Thess 2:9

3:7-8 It is evident that Paul, by appealing to the fact that he worked whilst he was in Thessalonica and was not ‘disorderly’ that disorderly walk is seen in one who chooses not to work and provide for his own. Of course this is different from the person who would work if they could but are unable due to circumstances to work.

3:13 Well doing is not a natural activity for we who are sons of Adam. So we might be moved from time to time – maybe when it is convenient to us – to practice ‘well doing’. However the gospel requires that this attitude be present all the time, not just when it is convenient to us. After all an act of kindness is not a sacrifice unless it has cost us something – 2Sam 24:24