Readings:
Nehemiah 8-10

The people gather to hear Ezra read the book of the law of Moses to them. They were to renew their commitment to the covenant and how could they promise to abide by a law if they didn’t know what it contained? So Ezra read and then had to interpret it to them because it was written in Hebrew and the people now mostly speak Aramaic, the language of Babylon.

They reintroduced the festival of booths, also known as Sukkot, where the Jews lived in little booths outside their homes to symbolize their journey out of Egypt. This feast is still celebrated in Israel and in the Jewish diaspora to this day.

The people confess their sins and admit all the ways they’ve broken the covenant with God. Then Ezra prays that they’ll be forgiven and reenrolled in the covenant. His prayer walks through the history of Israel and many of the greater national sins they committed.

The write down and ratify the commandments theyre accepting and committing themselves to live by.

Tomorrow’s Readings:
Nehemiah 11-13
Revelation 1:1-8