As the wall was completed, the leadership of the returning Jews formally renewed their covenant with God preparatory to a dedication ceremony for the wall. After that, Nehemiah returned to Persia for a time. When he returned, he found that the Jews had already backslidden. They were working on Shabbat, not giving the Levites their portion of the tithes and continued intermarriage with the pagan inhabitants of the land. To top it off, the priests had moved an Ammonite into the Temple.
The Shema in Deuteronomy 6 commands us to love God. It also tells us how He loves us.
When Abraham sent his servant to get a bride for his son, Isaac, the servant paused at the well in Haran and sought the Lord's favor in his mission. In this prayer, he asked that God show chesed to his master and guide him to the right young woman. Chesed, often translated as 'loving kindness,' is a frequently mentioned characteristic of God. As those who are created in His image, we also should cultivate that character trait; both for our benefit and for the health of the community.
The Bible, both Old and New Testaments, commands that we fear God. The Hebrew word. yirah, is ambiguous. It may be translated as either 'fear' or 'awe' depending on the context. Many come to know God out of a fear of punishment; the natural fear of damnation. But, if one's relationship with God never progresses beyond terror and into awe, he will miss the rich relationship that God desires to have with us.
In his final event before being sent to Rome, Paul appears before Agrippa. He tells of his conversion to the Way and demonstrates from the Scriptures that Y'shua is the Messiah.
Ezekiel saw a vision of God's throne and described the four living creatures surrounding it. Those four echo throughout the rest of Scripture.
Although the wall was complete, Jerusalem had yet to be rebuilt and populated. At Yom Terruah, the people gathered from the surrounding villages and Ezra read the Book of the Law aloud. The people, understanding the fall feasts, celebrated Succot at the appointed time and then gathered together to confess their sins in much the same spirit as Daniel 9. They then prepared to renew the covenant with God.
In the wilderness, Moses appoints 72 elders over Israel. That number echoes through the Gospels and Revelation.
In Genesis 22 Abraham is called upon by God to sacrifice his son Isaac on Mount Moriah. This, of course prefigures the Crucifixion in nearly every detail. In addition it says something profound about the relationship between children and their father. Contrary to every other society at the time, fathers do not own their children. (Inspired by Rabbi Sacks, "The Binding of Isaac" on Aish.com)
Over and over the Bible tells Israel (and us) to rejoice in their relationship with God. This is because a lack of joy leads to fear, self focus and loss of faith. This progression is especially clear in the failure of the spies in Numbers 13. It is equally clear in today's response by the church to the panic induced by the spread of the Wuhan Flu.