Part Four--Seven Days That Weren’t Enough

Research Note: 2 Chronicles 30:23 records that the festival was extended another seven days...an unprecedented act of joy and unity. The NWT Study Bible note on this verse and Insight under “Festival” explain the significance of this extension. Hezekiah’s generosity (v. 24) is also worth noting...see Insight under “Hezekiah” for details.

“When unity is real, you don’t count the days...you add more.”

The Passover was so joyful that they extended it another seven days. Laughter filled the courtyards. Old enemies shared bread. Children from the north played chase with children from the south, their shouts mingling in the warm air.

Eliab overheard a man from Judah say, “I never thought I’d see the day we’d feast with those from the north again.” His friend replied, “Jehovah gave us one heart. That’s the only reason.”

But there were moments of strain. A dispute broke out over seating near the altar. A Judahite elder and a man from Asher glared at each other until a Levite stepped in. “Brothers,” he said, “the altar doesn’t belong to Judah or Asher...it belongs to Jehovah.”

The tension melted into laughter, and the two men shared a plate of roasted lamb, tearing the meat with their hands and dipping it into a bowl of bitter herbs.

That night, the city glowed with lamplight. Music drifted from the temple courts...psalms sung in unison, the deep hum of men’s voices blending with the clear tones of women and children. Eliab sat with Tirzah and the children on the temple steps, watching the Levites tune their harps.

Asa leaned against his father. “Abba, will we come here every year?” Eliab hesitated. “If Jehovah wills it, yes.” He looked around at the faces — Judahite, Ephraimite, Zebulunite...and thought, if only we could keep this spirit when we go home.

The extra days passed in a blur of worship, meals, and conversations that crossed tribal lines. A Judahite potter traded a clay jug for a northern fisherman’s net. A woman from Zebulun taught a group of Jerusalem children a song from her village.

But under the joy, Eliab sensed a quiet question in many eyes: What happens when we leave?

As the festival drew to a close, Eliab knew the answer to that question would shape the rest of his life.