Ezra (not Nehemiah) gets up and reads the book of the law, which was probably the law given to Moses...Exodus through Deuteronomy. Nehemiah may have been the one taking charge...the ruler, the leader, as it were, but it was Ezra who was God's conduit to the people at this point.
As the book of the law is read, again there is open weeping as what was unknown or is ignored is brought to light. Pretty much everytime the covenant is renewed or God's word is discovered. It's pretty emotional. It's a recognition that what you were doing all along was breaking the heart of someone who loved you...whether or not you realized what you were doing was wrong. And it didn't matter if you realized or not.
What was buried was uncovered.
But Ezra says "Don't cry, dry your eye!" This was a time for celebration! The people had to be repeatedly told not to despair. They moved into booths, commemorating their temporary housing as they exodused from Egypt. It was the Feast of Tabernacles. Nehemiah describes this celebration as unlike any in Israel's history since it was celebrated by Joshua, who appears to be the last leader to actually pay attention to what was commanded.
I think this was probably a great time to do this. The people had worked hard to get things back in order, rebuilding the temple, the wall, their lives. It was time to re-emphasize the fact that God was firmly in charge of their provisions. Even in Israel's darkest years, God still looked over them, still watched out for them. And here, with the nation in disarray and confusion, and lacking that sense of history that probably permeated the people before the exile, they could cling to the hope God would give them.
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