Nehemiah Chapter 9
Please read: Nehemiah 9 –
Only a couple days had passed since the celebration of the Feast of Booths had ended, but the people were not finished worshipping. They wanted more of God, more of His goodness in their life and more of His rule in their hearts. For all of this to happen there had to be a recognition of their sins. For the first time in a long time the people realized that it was their own sins that had caused them to miss the mark of God’s holiness. During this time there was recognition that there had been a pattern of sin amongst them and even amongst their ancestors. There was only one thing to do upon recognition of their sinful state, and that was confession. We see genuine humility of the people demonstrated in their time of confession of sin. They wore sackcloth, put dirt on their heads, fasted and prayed asking God for forgiveness.
“Repentance grows as faith grows. Do not make any mistake about it; repentance is not a thing of days and weeks, a temporary penance to be got over as fast as possible! No, it is the grace of a lifetime, like faith itself. Repentance is the inseparable companion of faith.” [Spurgeon]
Let's Reflect
1. What did the people hear read from the platform that was the catalyst that began a work of contrition in their hearts?
2. True confession of sin means that the eyes are suddenly opened to who God truly is and opened to His character. What are some of the characteristics of God that the people recognized during this time?
3. Because the first five books were being read to them, they acknowledged what God had done for their ancestors. What great event is described in verses 9-10 that the LORD God did for their people?
4. In those verses we see the phrase “God made a name for Himself.” What do you think this phrase means and does it apply to us today?
5. Verses 16-30 describes the “stiff neck” of the people. This meant that the people committed great sin against God by worshipping other gods despite all the wonderful things He had done for them. There was a recognition that God’s punishment happened, their captivity, because of their sinful ways. Notice what great and mature statement they made about God in the very next verse. What was it?
6. In verses 32-28 there was a cry from the people for God to once more extend mercy and to help them because they were not the free people that God had intended for them to be in the promised land. They were slaves to another people while living in their own land. {They were still under the rule and taxation of a foreign king.} They were living in the land of milk and honey that God had given to them, but where were its riches going?
7. Verse 38 tells us that they created a covenant unto God which we will learn more about in the next chapter. What do you think was the purpose of their covenant?
