Pastor Walt explored the various meanings of the Hebrew word for "rest" in v.28 and in other parts of the Bible. When the Israelites rested, they got complacent and drifted away from God. They rested from God, rather than rested in God. In the longest prayer in the Bible, Ezra continued to recount the sins of their forefathers and the resulting occupation by their enemies. But God did not destroy them, because of His great love and mercy. The Lord always keeps His "covenant of love" with His people. It was fully expressed in Christ Jesus, as "Agape" love - unconditional love - which Rev. Henry Drummond described in his sermon, as "The Greatest Thing in The Word." In his prayer, Ezra appealed to God's great mercy once again to help them in their distress. The people made a written covenant renewal to prove their willingness to keep the Law of Moses going forward. Genuine Christians are under the new and better covenant established by Christ Jesus.