We have seen the people of God making serious attempts at RECONNECTING with God.
• They responded to the hearing of God’s Word with repentance and sorrow.
• They understood His Word and obeyed what God has instructed through the Law of Moses.
We have to remember that the majority of these returnees were born in captivity.
• They were the new generation that has returned from exile for the first time.
• Except for some older ones – Ezra mentioned in Ezra 3:12 that the older priests and Levites and family heads wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, having seen the glory of the former one. But for the younger ones who saw this for the first time, they shouted for joy.
• Being back in Jerusalem and having the Book of the Law of Moses read to them was a great time of renewal for them.
• They were determined to RECONNECT with God.
Chapter 9 tells us they did not depart after the Feast of the Tabernacles.
Neh 9:1-3 1On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and having dust on their heads. 2Those of Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the wickedness of their fathers. 3They stood where they were and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a quarter of the day, and spent another quarter in confession and in worshiping the LORD their God.
THEIR RESPONSE TO THE WORD OF GOD
The people continued to linger in God’s presence confessing their sins, which started in Chapter 8 in response to the reading of His Word.
• They were fully conscious of their sins and the sins of their forefathers. There was a profound awareness and sorrow for it.
• There was genuine, spiritual renewal. And all this was prompted by the reading and understanding of God’s Word.
Again we see the reading of the Word of God here, for a quarter of the day, followed by another quarter of the day in confession and worship, led by the Levites.
• True renewal can only take place with a consciousness of sin in reference to the Word of God. Unless we know that we have missed a mark, we have no mark to return to.
• Sin is a lack of conformity to the Law of God. It can only be defined with reference to God’s truth. This is what makes it sin.
• It is not defined by man. It is not just being evil, mean, offensive or criminal. It doesn’t change with times. There is no shifting of goalposts with regard to sin.
And so with the reading of God’s Word, yet again, we see the people responding with confession of sins and repentance.
• The Spirit of God pierced their consciences and awakened their consciousness of sin.
• This is the mark of all true revivals in history - an awareness of how far we have drifted from God and His righteousness, and a desire to return to Him and His ways.
• No life-change can take place without this recognition of sin and our turning from it. This realisation can only happen with reference to God’s Word.
• It is a response to God’s Law. Genuine repentance can only take place when we see our actions as an offense against God.
A side note. It is interesting to read that “they confessed their sins and the wickedness of their fathers.” (8:2) which is common in their prayers.
• We saw that also in Ezra’s prayer in Ezra 9 and Nehemiah’s prayer in Neh 1.
• They recognised their own sins as well as, corporately, the sin of their nation. They, as one nation, both the past and present generations, has sinned against God.
• Today, most would probably blame the previous generation for the woes they suffered today, or to excuse themselves and point their fingers somewhere else.
• Paul says when one part of the body suffers, every part suffers with it (cf. 1 Cor 12:26). We failed God collectively as the people of God.
Neh 9:4-5 4Standing on the stairs were the Levites-Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani and Kenani-who called with loud voices to the LORD their God. 5And the Levites-Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah-said: "Stand up and praise the LORD your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting."
• Two groups of 8 Levites, 5 of them in both, leading the people in confession and then in worship. That worship includes this prayer to God.
• It was the longest recorded prayer in the OT. It was also a prayer of confession – confessing the greatness of the ACTS of God for their nation.
• The Levites led the people, through this prayer, to respond to the ACTS of God throughout their history.
THEIR RESPONSE TO THE WORKS OF GOD
Neh 9:38 "In view of all this, we are making a binding agreement, putting it in writing, and our leaders, our Levites and our priests are affixing their seals to it."
• ESV says “Because of all this we make a firm covenant in writing…”
• They made a commitment to pen down their vow before God.
• Apparently this was the objective of the assembly – to make a covenant in writing to express their renewed commitment to God.
• Signed by the leaders, the Levites and the priests, representing the people.
Listen to the prayer – Neh 9:5-8.
• If they had been listening to the reading the Torah (Pentateuch), then this would be the natural response to a God who is Creator of the heavens and earth (in Genesis) - praise.
• Followed by God’s call of Abraham their patriarch, and the blessings they inherited by God’s sovereign choice.
Notice how the Levites prayed. God is the subject of every action:
(1) YOU chose Abraham and named him Abraham (9:7)
(2) YOU found his heart faithful to you and YOU made a covenant with him (9:8a)
(3) YOU have kept your promise (9:8b) because you are righteous
Even Abraham’s faithfulness wasn’t phrased as Abraham was faithful but YOU have found his heart faithful.
• The emphasis is entirely on God. He is the subject of every turn of event.
• And God has been great. Let go on – Neh 9:9-12.
Again God is the subject of each action:
(1) YOU saw the suffering of our forefathers in Egypt (9:9a)
(2) YOU heard their cry at the Red Sea (9:9b)
(3) YOU sent miraculous signs and wonders against Pharaoh (9:10)
(4) YOU made a name for yourself (9:10), YOU divided the sea before them (9:11), YOU hurled their pursuers into the depths (9:11b)
(5) YOU led them with a pillar of could and a pillar of fire (9:12)
In recounting the ACTS of God, we see the CHARACTER of God reflected.
9:6 His sovereignty – “You alone are the Lord, You are the Lord God”
9:8 His righteousness – “You are righteous.”
9:9-12 His compassion, His power, His goodness, and His mercy.
His ACTS showed WHO He is.
We have the recounting of event at Mount Sinai - Neh 13-15
• YOU came down, YOU spoke, YOU gave them the regulations and laws that are JUST AND RIGHT, and decrees and commands that are GOOD.
• YOU gave them bread and water. YOU instructed them to take the land.
After all the GOOD that God has done, there came this big “BUT THEY” in 9:16-18.
Look at the contrast.
• On one side you have man’s rebellion – arrogant, stiff-necked, did not obey, refused to listen, failed to remember the miracles and wanted to go back to slavery.
• But after the BUT THEY and the list of man’s rebellion we saw the TWIST in end of verse 17: “BUT YOU”. 9:17 “But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love.”
• A quote from words of Moses in Exo 34:5-7 which the people could have heard from the reading. A phrase that David uses a few times in his psalms.
The same theme continues in 9:19-25, which recounts how God sustained the people during their 40 years in the wilderness. [Read 9:19-25]
Again after all the great goodness God has done, there came a BUT THEY in 9:26.
• They turned from God again. We read the list of sad commentary, repeating itself.
• Again a TWIST in 9:27 “BUT WHEN they were oppressed they cried out to you. From heaven you heard them and in your great compassion (MERCY) you gave them deliverers, who rescued them from the hand of their enemies.”
How wonderful. BUT…
Neh 9:28 "BUT as soon as they were at rest, they again did what was evil in your sight. Then you abandoned them to the hand of their enemies so that they ruled over them. AND WHEN (twist again) they cried out to you again, you heard from heaven, and in your compassion you delivered them time after time.
Neh 9:29-31 29"You warned them to return to your law, BUT THEY became arrogant and disobeyed your commands. They sinned against your ordinances, by which a man will live if he obeys them. Stubbornly they turned their backs on you, became stiff-necked and refused to listen. 30For many years you were patient with them. By your Spirit you admonished them through your prophets. Yet they paid no attention, so you handed them over to the neighbouring peoples. 31BUT IN YOUR GREAT MERCY you did not put an end to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.
The prayer built to a climax at the end, with an appeal to God for the present distress: Neh 9:32-37. It’s a plea for God’s intervention.
• 9:38 “In view of all this, we are making a binding agreement, putting it in writing, and our leaders, our Levites and our priests are affixing their seals to it.”
• This renewal was necessary and good. Hearing the WORD OF GOD and remembering the ACTS OF GOD, brought the people to this point in their history.
• It would be their new start, by the grace and mercy of God. God prepares them for the coming of the Messiah Jesus.
Let’s keep our faith alive. Listen to the WORD of God and remember the WORKS of God. We are the people of God, under God. We seek to do the will of God.
