Nehemah 8: 1-18 Analysis

In Nehemiah 8:1-18, there are not many questions that one can have; it is very straight forward. One question that one may have is why Ezra would demand that the people stop weeping out of repentance, and instead they should celebrate and feast as a community. At first glance it seems strange that Ezra would stop the Judeans from repenting. The most likely explanation for this seemingly strange demand is that it was the festival of trumpets, which is a celebration of God’s mercy towards the disobedient Israelites and the inauguration of a new world; so the celebration comes from a heart of worship and of celebration of God’s continued mercy and for God making all things new¬– brining unity to the rebuilt nation of Judea. There are many …show more content…
Breneman’s first option is flimsy; the text does not support this view at all, Ezra commands the people to stop weeping, the people do not choose to stop weeping by their own accord. The text does not even allude to the people not needing to repent anymore. Breneman’s second option is the most compelling option, even though it also points towards the Judeans making the decision to stop weeping, ignoring the fact that the text clearly states Ezra commands them to stop weeping. His second option does explain why they were weeping to begin with; they have just began their nation again after the exile so seeing that it was their fault would be a cause for weeping. However, this view misses a large reason why they are weeping, which is that they are repenting. Joy coming from God’s mercy fits in with all the festivals of the seventh month, which all are about God’s mercy towards his people. This explains why they had joy and why Ezra would command them to celebrate– it all comes back to God’s mercy towards his people, even if they are not obeying his commands. Williamson builds upon this idea that it was a celebration of God’s mercy, stating that the law may have challenged them but its first purpose is a celebration