The leaders taught the people the lessons of their history. They went back to the Scriptures. “They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading” (Nehemiah 8:8). Along with the prophet Malachi, they confronted the people about their continuing sins. For example, the law commanded Israelites not to marry or to makes covenants with their pagan neighbors. Some influential Jews had disregarded that command. In their case, restoration meant breaking up their mixed families (Ezra 9-10).Some were breaking the law by charging their fellow-Jews interest. In their case, restoration was expensive; they lost part of their income (Nehemiah 5). Repentance and restoration are hard, but they are necessary for a right relationship with God. They require determination to put God’s will above human will.
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