We see here the Word of God made known by Ezra to the people in Jerusalem in Nehemiah 8. We also see how the God starved spiritually estranged people of Jerusalem/Israel respond to God’s Word and effectively God's presence after such as long spiritual drought. They imbibe of the Spirit. Heavily.
First off it must be said that this chapter is part of an interruption of the narrative of rebuilding the wall. The people want to do a reading of the Law (not unlike what we read in Deuteronomy and Moses second iteration of the Law)but preparations to hear the Torah need to be made, even though Ezra, the scribe/priest, whose job it was to read and interpret that law, had been on the scene for more than a decade. So what is happening is that they are doing the reading at the earliest possible moment.
All the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the Lord had commanded Israel. So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly. He read from it for half a day on a wooden platform or until "midday". That means these people stood around approximately 5 or 6 hours attentively listening to the reading of the scroll (since books were not around then). He was surrounded by what appears to thirteen other men, some of which are clearly priests or men that were Levites.
They “blessed the Lord” which is an interesting term. It means to “express a praise of thankfulness” to God. This blessing is followed by a repetitive “Amen! Amen!” As with anything else in Scripture, when it is repeated, we should take note. These people are clearly having intense feelings of affirmation even after standing on their feet for half a day. There is a spiritual awakening taking place here in the hearts of these people and it is becoming more intense. This is also reflected in the genuine humbleness of their actions because they “bowed down” and “worshipped”. The Hebrew word worshipped as used in this context means to prostrate oneself on the ground (Yamauchi 724). Some English versions even state they worshipped “face down” (I've caught myself doing this on occasion). In other words these people (for lack of a better word) “felt” what was going on and were very intense. Keep in mind that this crowd must have been huge because they need to speak from a platform and “all the people gathered” as stated in verse 1. This whole episode obviously had a profound impact on those in attendance because they were remorseful and wept also (v.9). You know what this is like. It comes over you like a steam train. You have no recourse other than to drop to your knees of the weight of it drops you anyway. It doesn't matter where you are either. Church, public, you name it. When God comes in force it is "heavy", or as Jeremiaj said an ache or fire in your bones. It is not an emotion but you can sense it.
They reassembled the following day to hear more of God’s word read and essentially pick up where they left off. They also celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles which as we have learned is the Israelites living in booths just as their ancestors had done. The timing of the reading of the Levitical feast appears to perfectly coincide with this reading so it is celebrated. The pattern as outlined in Chapter 8 is striking (Getz, Walvoord, Zuck 690):
• Verse 1-8: Intellectual response to the Word
• Verse 9-12: Emotional response to the Word
• Verse 13-18: Volitional response to the Word
They are of course the same changes that come over a Christian at the time of their conversion and the time period thereafter. The Feast of Tabernacles celebration was unmatched since “the days of Joshua” (it was really big). There is no mistaking these folks were elated and incredibly joyous. Joy. Real joy, the sure sign of a person truly overcome with the Holy Spirit.
Getz, Gene , John Walvoord, and Roy Zuck. "The Rebuilding of The Walls." Bible Knowledge Commentary Old Testament: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Bible Knowledge). Acambaro: Victor, 1985. 690. Print.
Piper, John . "What does it mean to bless God?, Desiring God Christian Resource Library." Desiring God :: God-centered resources from the ministry of John Piper. N.p., 1 Nov. 1978. Web. 12 June 2010. http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/AskPastorJohn/ByTopic/35/1787_What_does_it_mean_to_bless_God/
Yamauchi, Edwin , and Frank Gaebelein. "Ezra-Nehemiah." The Expositor's Bible Commentary (Volume 4) 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1988. 724-727. Print.
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