God built into Israel’s calendar about thirty days of feasts per year. Add the weekly Sabbaths, and the total celebration time comes to around eighty days of feasting and rest annually. God is serious about celebration! When God mandated celebration among His people in the Old Testament, He used three Hebrew words: hâlal, châgag and shâbath. At the dedication of Jerusalem’s rebuilt wall in Nehemiah 12 (ESV), these three essentials of celebration are included. Celebration Keeps God Central Nehemiah’s celebration plans included instruments and singers filling the air with triumphant praise. The people sang and offered sacrifices to God with…