In our study of Nehemiah chapter nine, we look at how the proper study of the word of God is powerful and effective. In chapter 8, we saw Ezra lead a massive bible study and, here, we will see the fruit of the labor.
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On the twenty-fourth day of this month the people of Israâel, wearing sackcloth and with dirt on them, assembled for a fast. Those descended from Israâel separated themselves from all foreigners; then they stood up and confessed their own sins and the iniquities of their ancestors.
We see that the study of the Word of God provoked repentance in the people. In Ezra 9 & 10, we saw that the Israelites had intermarried with the nations but, now, we see that they have separated themselves from the foreigners.
Standing where they were, they read in the scroll of the Torah of Adonai their God for one-quarter of the day. For another quarter they confessed and prostrated themselves before Adonai their God.
We see that they spent half of the day studying the Word and confessing that they did not measure up to what it said. We are reminded that this is the only purpose of the Law. We all must realize that we cannot measure up to God's standard before we can come to salvation through Jesus Christ.
On the platform of the Lâviâim stood Yeshua, Bani, Kadmiâel, Shâvanyah, Buni, Sherevyah, Bani and Kânani; they cried out loudly to Adonai their God. Then the Lâviâim Yeshua, Kadmiâel, Bani, Hashavnâyah, Sherevyah, Hodiyah, Shâvanyah and Pâtachyah said,
We see that this great confession started with the leaders and servants of the Lord. They loudly and openly called on the Lord and urged the people to worship Him. We see that they are listed and are reminded of the fact that God takes note of our service to Him and we will be rewarded for our labor. They begin to worship by acknowledging God as the Creator of all things. This is important as it is the basis for His authority to govern the affairs of men.
âStand up, and bless Adonai your God from everlasting to everlasting; let them say: ââBlessed be your glorious name, exalted above all blessing and praise! ââYou are Adonai, you alone. You made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their array, the earth and all the things that are in it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve them all. The army of heaven worships you.
Confession is both a statement of beliefs as well as a formal admission of guilt. For guilt, there must be someone that was offended as well as the offender. In this case, the one that is offended is God and we see that their confession begins with the acknowledgement (statement of belief) that God is the Creator of all things. As the Creator of all things, He knows what is good and bad for the things that He has made. Therefore, all actions are judged based on what God knows is good for His creation.
ââYou are Adonai, the God who chose Avram, brought him out of Ur-Kasdim and gave him the name of Avraham. Finding that he was faithful to you, you made a covenant with him to give the land of the Kenaâani, the Hitti, Emori and Pârizi, the Yâvusi and the Girgashi, to give it to his descendants; and you have done what you promised, because you are just.
The people acknowledge/remember that God always does what is good for His creation. They say that the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. They have seen God's righteousness displayed by the fact that He kept His promises to Abraham. This, in turn, reassures them that He will do what is best for them in the future.
ââYou saw the distress of our ancestors in Egypt and heard their cry by the Sea of Suf. You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh, against all his servants and the people of the land; for you knew how arrogantly they treated them; and you won yourself a name which is yours to this day.
The people's confession continues with an acknowledgement that God is watching over His people and He acts on their behalf. Once again, by remembering God's past actions, they get reassurance for the events of their day. The same is true for us as we grow in our faith (trust) in God by remembering what He has done for us on a daily basis. We can also share that reassurance with others by sharing our personal stories (testimonies) of what God has done in our lives.
You divided the sea ahead of them, so that they could pass through the sea on dry land; then you hurled their pursuers into the depths, like a stone into turbulent waters. ââIn a column of cloud you led them by day, and by night in a column of fire, so that they would have light ahead of them on the way that they were to go.
The people continue to remember that God did not just deliver their ancestors from Egypt but traveled with them. He did not just give them instructions and leave them to fend for themselves. In the same way, they (and we) can be sure that He is with us every step of our lives. The people of Nehemiah's day had the Levitical priesthood to guide the people much like the pillars that had led in the wilderness. As Christians, we have been given the very Spirit of God to travel with us and to guide us.
ââYou descended on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven. You gave them right rulings and true teachings, good laws and mitzvot. You revealed to them your holy Shabbat and gave them mitzvot, laws and the Torah through Moshe your servant.
The people also remember that God's instructions were given for their own good. The Sabbath is singled out as an example of God showing the people what is good for their physical body. There are those who forget the fact that the Sabbath was created to give mankind a time to rest for our own health. Many have made it out to be a time where we do our "duty" of worship to God. Although we worship God on the Sabbath, we are also called to worship Him every day.
ââFor their hunger you gave them bread from heaven; for their thirst you brought forth for them water from the rock.
The great confession continues with the acknowledgement that God is not only the Creator but also the Sustainer of His creation. They remember that, while their people were in the wilderness, God provided for their basic needs of food and water. Once again, past action is a very good indication of what they (we) can expect in the future.
You ordered them to enter and possess the land you had sworn with your hand to give them. ââBut they and our ancestors were arrogant; they stiffened their necks and ignored your mitzvot; they refused to listen and paid no attention to the wonders you had done among them. No, they stiffened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a leader to return them to their slavery. But because you are a God of forgiveness, merciful, full of compassion, slow to grow angry and full of grace, you did not abandon them.
The great confession continues by remembering the compassion that God showed to His people even as they would not listen to Him. They did not trust in His provision and rebelled but He did not abandon them. This passage is a picture of Christians that accept Jesus Christ for salvation but do not live a sanctified life. Like the Israelites, they do not listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit and so wander around in this world under their own power. We all go through these periods where we try to do things on our own but God does not abandon us. He desires for us to listen and know that He wants what is best for them.
Even when they cast themselves a metal calf, saying of it, âThis is your god that brought you up from Egypt,â and committing other gross provocations;
Even as they outright rebelled against God, He was faithful. We may not build a golden calf and call it our god but what about our material possessions? When we forget that God is our provider and trust in our bank account/retirement accounts, it is the same as having a golden calf.
still, you, in your great compassion, did not abandon them in the desert. The column of cloud did not leave them by day; it kept leading them along the way. By night the column of fire kept showing them light and the path to take.
The people confess that God was with their ancestors even as they were in rebellion. Not only did He not abandon them, but He continued to care for them and guide them through the wilderness. The same is true for us as we don't always listen and follow the prompting of the Holy spirit. God still provides the direction even when we aren't listening.
You also gave your good Spirit to teach them, did not withhold man from their mouths and provided them water to quench their thirst.
The people confess that God is the provider of all things as they remember that He did not leave them ignorant about His ways. They (and we) are given the mind of God through the power of the Holy Spirit. It is a reminder that our sin and disobedience is not due to a lack of knowledge. The old excuse: "I didn't know" is no excuse when it comes to trusting the Lord.
Yes, forty years you sustained them in the desert; they lacked nothing â their clothes did not wear out; their feet did not swell up.
God provided for their physical and spiritual needs throughout their time in the wilderness.They were able to see that their clothes did not wear out and the travel did not break them down physically. That is what the very power of God (Holy Spirit) can do for His people. When we face trials on the earth, it can remind us of the very presence of God. He is always with us through the Spirit but sometimes we can forget it until a tough situation arises.
ââYou gave them kingdoms and peoples; you even gave them extra land, so that they took possession of the land of Sichon, also the land of the king of Heshbon and the land of âOg king of Bashan. You made their children as numerous as the countless stars in the sky. ââThen you brought them into the land about which you had said to their fathers that they should go in and take possession of it.
The great confession continues by remembering that God provided a land for His people. We are also reminded that each generation is given the opportunity to trust in Him. Those that had refused to enter the land He provided perished in the wilderness but their children were then given the opportunity. The parents' lack of faith had consequences for their children as they grew up in the desert but, at the proper time, they had the chance to break out of that legacy. This part of their confession reminds us that we do not have to wallow in the past if we trust in God.
So the children went in and possessed the land, as you subdued ahead of them the Kenaâani living in the land, and handed them over to them, along with their kings and the peoples of the land, for them to do with as they wished.
The great confession continues by remembering that God provided the victory for their people in the land of Canaan. They were reminded that it was God who conquered the enemy even putting the kings in their hands. This reminds us that Jesus won the victory for our today as well as for eternity. We can walk in this world victorious knowing that the devil and his minions have already been defeated or we can walk around beaten down and defeated. The choice is ours to do with as we please.
They took fortified cities and fertile land, possessed houses full of all kinds of good things, dug-out cisterns, vineyards, olive groves, fruit trees in plenty; so they ate their fill and grew robust, luxuriating in your great goodness.
When the people took over the land, they received the benefits from the labor of the Canaanites and celebrated their material blessing. The Hebrew word for reveled is adan and speaks of self pleasure.
ââYet they disobeyed and rebelled against you, throwing your Torah behind their backs. They killed your prophets for warning them that they should return to you and committed other gross provocations.
The people confess that their relatives had embraced the physical blessings but turned their backs on the spiritual things of God. When God sent men to warn them of the dangers of this behavior, they had killed them and even went so far as to say they were not sent by God. This is a reminder to us that God wants to provide for our physical needs but it is more important that we seek a close relationship with Him. We can enjoy the material provisions of God but we must not let them blind us to the more important eternal things. The danger of material wealth is that it can lead to a feeling of self-sufficiency and pride which is of the devil.
So you handed them over to the power of their adversaries, who oppressed them. Yet in the time of their trouble, when they cried out to you, you heard from heaven, and in keeping with your great compassion, you gave them saviors to save them from the power of their adversaries.
Israel's great confession continues by remembering that He has shown compassion in the past. Compassion is an active form of love where a person's miserable estate is relieved by the actions of another. They (and we) are reminded that all that was required of them was to cry out to God. He could be trusted to act on their behalf.
But as soon as they had gotten some relief, they went back to do evil before you. So you left them in the power of their enemies, who came down hard on them. Yet when they returned and cried out to you, you heard from heaven many times and saved them, according to your compassion.
The people remember the fact that they had a pattern of disobedience but God had a pattern of faithfulness. Throughout the history of Israel, they would drift away from God and He would correct them and bring them back. The same is true for us in our Christian walk as, at times, we can feel as though Jesus has left us but He has not. When we seek Him He is faithful to draw near to us.
You warned them, in order to bring them back to your Torah; yet they were arrogant. They paid no attention to your mitzvot, but sinned against your rulings, which, if a person does them, he will have life through them. However, they stubbornly turned their shoulders, stiffened their necks and refused to hear. Many years you extended them mercy and warned them by your Spirit through your prophets; yet they would not listen. Therefore you handed them over to the peoples of the lands. Even so, in your great compassion, you didnât completely destroy them; nor did you abandon them, for you are a compassionate and merciful God.
Even as the pattern of rebellion continued, God did not abandon His people. God continued to send messengers to them to warn them but they would not listen. That is the way it is today as it seems that most of the world refuses to accept Jesus Christ or follow Him. Even so, God demonstrates His patience in the fact that He does not put an end to this miserable world. Many times, we may ask why God does not put an end to the evil that is going on and the simple answer is because of His patient love for mankind.
ââNow therefore, our God, great, mighty, fearsome God, who keeps both covenant and grace: let not all this suffering seem little to you that has come on us, our kings, our leaders, our cohanim, our prophets, our ancestors, and on all your people, from the times of the kings of Ashur until this very day.
All of the confession of the past is a reminder of the fact that God is unchanging. Because we have seen how God has worked in the past, we can be confident of His action in the future.
There is no question that you are just in all that has come upon us; for you have treated us fairly. It is we who have acted wickedly. Our kings, our leaders, our cohanim and ancestors did not keep your Torah, pay attention to your mitzvot or heed the warnings you gave them. Even when they ruled their own kingdom, even when you prospered them greatly, in the great, rich land you gave them, they did not serve you; nor did they turn from their wicked deeds.
The people confess the fact that God is and was right in sending correction to His children. The Hebrew word for wicked is rasha and it speaks of someone who has left the path and become lost. They remember that God had shown them the path to follow but they had willingly left the path and become lost. They confess that they were well provided for and yet left the path anyway. This reminds us that God has provided for our needs and we simply have to be in the proper place to receive the blessings. When we find ourselves in need, we often pray for God to provide. That is good but we must recognize the fact that he has already provided and we must simply let Him guide us back onto the path to find it.
ââSo here we are today, slaves. Yes, in the land you gave our ancestors, so that they could eat what it produces and enjoy its good â here we are in it, slaves! Its rich yield now goes to the kings you have set over us because of our sins; they have power over our bodies, they can do what they please to our livestock, and we are in great distress! ââIn view of all this, we are making a binding covenant, putting it in writing and having it sealed by our leaders, our Lâviâim and our cohanim.ââ
The conclusion of their great confession is the fact that their current situation is a direct result of their leaving the path that was laid out before them. This recognition of the need for a change of direction is what is commonly called repentance. We also see that repentance leads to a commitment. They are wanting to get back on the right path and are vowing to stay on it and let God lead the way. As Christians, that is what we mean when we say that we want to make Jesus the "Lord of our lives".
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