After this the people wanted the Law to be read. Maybe there
was some recognition that all their troubles were rooted in their disobedience
to the Law, and that their salvation lay in following the Lord. Even in our
fallen condition there is still a latent sense of God in all of us, the problem
is that without Christ sin always comes to the fore.
So Ezra read the Law out to them, supported by various
people. The Zechariah may or may not be the prophet, it was a common name.
There are a number of interesting things about the reading
of the Law. One is that Ezra organised things so that the people were properly
instructed and the meaning was made clear. The Word of God is given so that all
can understand. Then there is the reaction of the people, they had started to
weep. Presumably this was because they realised their sinfulness. Finally their
is Ezra' s response. He tells them to stop weeping and to rejoice. Why was
this? It is because it was a day holy to the Lord. God was the focus, not them.
This should also be a warning to us when we adopt a po-faced attitude to religion.
So they rejoiced, and even celebrated the Law in ways that
had never been fulfilled before.
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