In the previous chapter, on the first day of that same month the people had celebrated because they understood the Word of God, which strengthened them to obey that Word. Now as the month drew to a close, the time had come for a further action in response to understanding God’s Word: confessing their sins.

As the congregational prayer continues, the people turn from declaring who God is and what he has done (vv 5-15), to acknowledging that their ancestors had stubbornly disobeyed God. Two contrasting behaviors are highlighted: the people’s disobedience, and God’s mercy and loving patience.

Having confessed their sin (9:1-37), the people now make a formal commitment to obey the commands from God. This public commitment is much like what is done in baptism, when a person makes a public commitment to faithfully follow Christ. Or, in a different setting

Now that the walls of Jerusalem had been rebuilt, there was also the need to re-populate the city, so that it was more than an empty walled fortress with the Temple in its midst. The leaders led the way by setting the example of relocating. Of the rest of the people, it seems that some volunteered

Time and time again throughout Jesus’ teachings, he chooses to speak a bit cryptically—he even tells his disciples as much in Matthew 13 – but here, he states his mission plain and clear:

“I came so that everyone would have life, and have it in its fullest.” (v. 10b)

The time in between Jesus’ death and resurrection seems so small, all these years later. In some of the gospels, no more than one or two sentences are devoted to it. But how excruciating it would have been to those who were closest to him; how hopeless they must have felt.

In Paul’s second letter to Timothy, he writes:

God saved us and chose us to be his holy people. We did nothing to deserve this, but God planned it because he is so kind. Even before time began, God planned for Christ Jesus to show kindness to us.