The return of the Jewish people from exile required a re-dedication to their identity as the Chosen People. Having lived without the traditional practice of temple worship for two generations they needed to find a new way of expressing their devotion to God. It would be adhering to the Law of Moses. Ezra read plainly from the book of the law of God, interpreting it so that all could understand what was read…. “Today is holy to the LORD your God.” The Jews became a people of the book, people who knew who they were and what God expected them to do because of the law. Jesus famously said he did not come to do away with the law but to bring it to perfection.
