Nehemiah 9:32-37 ( ESV )
32“Now, therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love, let not all the hardship seem little to you that has come upon us, upon our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and all your people, since the time of the kings of Assyria until this day.
33Yet you have been righteous in all that has come upon us, for you have dealt faithfully and we have acted wickedly.
34Our kings, our princes, our priests, and our fathers have not kept your law or paid attention to your commandments and your warnings that you gave them.
35Even in their own kingdom, enjoying your great goodness that you gave them, and in the large and rich land that you set before them, they did not serve you or turn from their wicked works.
36Behold, we are slaves this day; in the land that you gave to our fathers to enjoy its fruit and its good gifts, behold, we are slaves.
37And its rich yield goes to the kings whom you have set over us because of our sins. They rule over our bodies and over our livestock as they please, and we are in great distress.
Have you ever tried to describe our God to someone? I mean what kind of words can you use to explain who He is? We are truly left without any words that can do our God any justice. Nehemiah in this passage seems to be trying to tell us how incredible this thought is.
1. He is Our God-A personal God not just for the masses but for us as individuals. I love Psalms 23:1 when it says, “The Lord is MY shepherd.”
2. He is the Great one.
3. He is the Mighty one-I love the old Sunday school song that kids used to sing. “My God is so big, so strong and so MIGHTY there’s nothing my God cannot do.
4. The Awesome God-One of my favorite Rich Mullins songs is by this title of our God. He does reign from Heaven above, with wisdom, power and love our God is an AWESOME GOD.
5. Keeps covenant-This is beyond profound after what we have read earlier in chapter 9. We may not keep our promises to Him but He will always be faithful to His promises.
6. Steadfast Love-His love unlike mine is never changing. It will always remain true. (Why do we go whoring after other loves of this world? When He is so steadfast and true towards us?”) Amazing love, how can it be, that thou my God, should die for me.
A people who have truly repented will see that they have deserved the hardship and trials that have taken place because of their sinful disobedience. There are times when trials come into one’s life without sin as the cause. Here in this passage though the writer knows that the reason for these trials is because we have acted wickedly. God is not to be blamed for wickedness that has been shown towards us.
No matter who we are, or what position we hold in life, when we chose to not keep God’s Law, or pay attention to His commands, we should expect a good old fashioned SPANKING. If we do not receive one we should be fearful as the book of Hebrews teaches us that we are not His children if we do not receive punishment. We should have a joyful heart in serving Him and turning from our wicked ways. Yet, how long will we choose to remain slaves to our sins. We must purpose in our heart to follow hard after Him.
Nehemiah 9:38-10:27 ( ESV )
38 £ “Because of all this we make a firm covenant in writing; on the sealed document are the names of£ our princes, our Levites, and our priests.”
We have just heard the retelling of the history of Israel. We have heard of the grace of the Lord. We have heard of how this kindness was thrown away. Amazingly, we have also heard how that the Lord was still willing to forgive his children. It’s at this moment that the children of Israel make a public commitment to their Lord. The leaders of Israel had truly repented and wanted to make it publicly known that they were serious about their walks. In chapter 10:1-27 we see a list of the unashamed.
In verses 1-27 we see a list of obscure names except for just a few. Names that have been largely forgotten through the ages. Suffice it to say though, that for many there they probably did not know all of the people on the list. It doesn’t matter; the Lord knew their names and the intent of their hearts. He knows my name and yours when we take our stands for Him.
Nehemiah 10:28-29 ( ESV )
28The rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants, and all who have separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Law of God, their wives, their sons, their daughters, all who have knowledge and understanding,
29join with their brothers, their nobles, and enter into a curse and an oath to walk in God’s Law that was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the Lord our Lord and his rules and his statutes.
The covenant was signed also by priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers, temple servants and all who have separated themselves. They were proud to shout out to their world we will follow the Laws of our God. For all that is within us we want to be holy unto the Lord.
Am I willing to follow this course of action? Lord I am willing to do whatever you reveal for me to do? I do this because I want to please my heavenly Father. I want Him to be proud of me and to say, “Well done.” How I loved hearing my earthly Father tell me those words. What joy was brought to my heart when I knew that I had made him proud. Just to hear him say, “Look there, that’s my boy.” These brothers and sisters wanted to go public with their love for the Lord.
Nehemiah 10:30-39 ( ESV )
31And if the peoples of the land bring in goods or any grain on the Sabbath day to sell, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or on a holy day. And we will forego the crops of the seventh year and the exaction of every debt.
We are told in verse 29 that they wanted to observe and do all the commandments of their Lord. This means that they wanted to obey the full counsel of God. In verses 30-39 they give some of the specific ones that I believe that they had not been keeping over the years. They wanted all to know from this moment on they would be marked by keeping these neglected laws.
Ø - We will not allow our children to be involved in ungodly unions. Let me get personal here. Are you as a parent willing to commit yourselves to this issue? Are you willing to get involved in their dating relationships? Are you willing to put down your foot if necessary to just say NO? I know that this is not an easy thing to do. I see so many who get involved with their children in sports, school and other activities. These are good things for a parent to involve themselves in. Why is it though that when it comes to whom our children date we abandon them to follow their own desires? This is not right. We as parents are accountable to our God in leading them in their lives. I believe this is one of the most important. At the root of this is the desire to be spiritually responsible for our families.
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-We will honor the Sabbath and keep it set apart for God.
Ø -They would now make sure that they gave money to take care of the house of their God. The Priests and Levities would make sure that they would take care of the wood needed for sacrifices. They would observe the Laws concerning the Firstborn and the First fruits. That the tithes of the land would be used properly. They purposed in their hearts that they would not neglect the HOUSE OF GOD.
Do we make these things a priority in our lives? Maybe like so many others we believe that someone else will take up the slack. No, as believers we are the ones who should be willing to go the extra mile for His glory. When true revival comes, God’s people will not only repent but have a concern for the house of God. They will want to serve and give of their lives for His cause. How are you doing in this process of rebuilding your life for God?
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