The People Promise to Follow God

A few days later, all the people came together again. This time they looked very serious. They wore rough, scratchy clothes and put dust on their heads to show they were sorry for their sins.

They stood and listened to God's Word being read for THREE HOURS! Then they spent THREE MORE HOURS telling God they were sorry and worshiping Him. That's SIX hours—half the day!

The leaders said a very long prayer. They remembered ALL the good things God had done:

'God, You made everything—the sky, the earth, the oceans, everything! You chose Abraham and made promises to him. You rescued our great-great-great-grandparents from Egypt! You split the Red Sea! You gave them food and water in the desert! You gave them Your good laws!'

But then they remembered the sad parts:

'But our ancestors didn't obey You. They complained and disobeyed and worshiped fake gods. Over and over they sinned.'

Then came the BEST part:

'But You NEVER gave up on them! You are forgiving and kind and loving. You are slow to get angry. You kept showing mercy and giving more chances!'

The prayer ended with honesty: 'Now we're in trouble because of our sins. But we want to do better!'

Then all the people made a serious promise—a covenant. The leaders signed their names on a special paper. All the people promised:

'We will follow God's Law! We will keep the Sabbath day special! We will support God's temple! We will give back to God what belongs to Him!'

This wasn't just saying 'Sorry.' This was promising to CHANGE and DO BETTER.

God had helped them rebuild the wall. God had helped them understand His Word. Now they were promising to rebuild their HEARTS and follow Him!

That's what God wants most—not just a pretty city with strong walls, but people who love Him and obey Him with all their hearts!