Nehemiah 9

Nehemiah 9:1-38

The People Mourn Over Their Sins, Confess Them, And Are Led By The Levites In A Prayer Of Contrition And Remembrance Of God’s Grace Continually Revealed Towards Them In The Past, In Hope That In The Future He Will Again Restore His People (Nehemiah 9:1-38). On the second day following ‘the eighth day’ of the Feast (the twenty second day of the moon period), the people again gathered in what would appear to have been a spontaneous and informal gathering, although having said that it does climax with the sealing of the renewal of the covenant by all; by Nehemiah and the chiefs of the priests, by the chiefs of the Levites and by the chiefs of the people. But the emphasis is on the fact that the move was instigated by the people and carried through by the Levites. It was a ‘popular’ movement. The priests were seemingly not initially involved until the end when they responded to the peoples’ wishes.It probably occurred in the outer court of the Temple (the ‘stairs of the Levites’ may well have been the steps leading up to the court of the priests), for ‘they stood in their place’, which probably signifies the court which the men of Israel were allowed to enter. By entering there they would necessarily ‘separate themselves from all foreigners (non-pure Yahwists)’ for such were not allowed to enter there. And there for about three hours they read a carefully selected portion of the Law of YHWH their God, following it with three hours of confession and worship offered to YHWH their God Himself, a period of worship led by the Levites who were responsible for the people’s spiritual well-being.

It would appear to have been totally spontaneous.In the history of spiritual revivals such spontaneous movements of the people in response to the word of God are well documented. The Spirit of God takes over and the people spontaneously gather for worship and confession.

And that is what appears to have happened here. This was no ordinary time. It was a time resulting in a special movement of God. God was at work within His people. Far from the reading of the Law during the Feast having been merely formal, it had moved the hearts of the people deeply. And this was the consequence.It should be noted that this method of confession and worship by reiterating the history of Israel, followed by a petition for deliverance (the latter implied here in Nehemiah), is also found in Psalms 106 (compare also in general Deuteronomy 26:5-11; Joshua 24:2-15 (where it leads up to a covenant); Psalms 105; Psalms 135; Psalms 136), and can be compared with Stephen’s speech in Acts 7 and the words of the writer to the Hebrews in Hebrews 11.

For in all cases they saw what they were talking about as being the culmination of their whole history. They were looking to God on the basis of what He had always been to them, a compassionate, but continual, chastiser.

Nehemiah 9:4-38

The Cry of The Levites To God On Behalf Of The People (Nehemiah 9:4-38). What follows was presumably the culmination of the three hours of confession and worship, and was a summing up in prayer by the chiefs of the Levites in terms of Israel’s history, as their thoughts led up to a renewal of the covenant with God (compare especially Joshua 24:2-15; Psalms 106). It commences with the idea of YHWH as Creator and Lord of all (Nehemiah 9:6); moves on to the thought that He chose Abraham, and renamed him, and made a covenant with him to give him the land (Nehemiah 9:7-8); then details the wonderful provision that YHWH had continually made for His undeserving people, and the way that He had continually delivered them again and again in spite of their continual sins and rebellions, and concludes by pointing out their present situation as subservient to the kings of Persia. In consequence of this they now declare their intention to make a sure covenant with Him, a covenant which follows in chapter 11. They do not ask for any reward for doing this. They leave it to God to decide what He will do.

Nehemiah 9:6

YHWH As Unique Creator (Nehemiah 9:6). The initial emphasis was now on YHWH as sole Creator and Lord over all things, Who thus had control of all affairs whether in Heaven or on earth. Behind their words was their distress that they were still subject to the Persians (Nehemiah 9:39). But they recognised that to Him, as the Universal Lord, the Persians and their gods were as nothing. Their future lay only in the hands of YHWH.Nehemiah 9:6“You are YHWH, even you alone, you have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all things that are on it, the seas and all that is in them, and you preserve them all, and the host of heaven worships you.’He was first addressed as the unique and only Creator of Heaven and earth. Indeed as the One Who has made the Heaven of Heavens, with all that it contains. All that is in those Heavens has been created by YHWH (thus making ‘the gods’ at best created things), and the angelic host owe their existence to His creative power.

All the host of Heaven, without exception, whether angelic beings or heavenly bodies, worship Him. He is God over all. For ‘with all their host’ compare Genesis 2:1.‘Furthermore He has made ‘the earth and all things that are on it’. As John would later put it, ‘All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made’ (John 1:3). Thus they were reminding themselves that even the Persians themselves owed their empire to YHWH. And this description includes ‘the seas and all that is in them’.

Note how there is a distinction between the earth and the seas. To the Israelites the seas were a strange element, almost distinct from the earth in which they lived. And yet they recognised that all is under Him. and He preserves them all. For this idea of both creating and sustaining compare Colossians 1:16-17; Hebrews 1:2-3. The basis of the descriptions here is Genesis 1 where heaven, earth and seas are clearly distinguished while being parts of the whole.

Nehemiah 9:7-8

YHWH’s Choice Of, And Covenant With, Abram/Abraham (Nehemiah 9:7-8). Not only had YHWH created all things, however, but He had also out of all the nations chosen their forefather Abram, adopted him as His own (changing his name to Abraham), and had given to him and to his seed the promise of the land of Canaan. And they acknowledged that He had performed what He had promised. He had given them possession of the land. As they will go on to say, it was not His fault that it had gone badly wrong.Nehemiah 9:7-8“You are YHWH the God, who chose Abram, and brought him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gave him the name of Abraham, and found his heart faithful before you, and made a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Jebusite, and the Girgashite, to give it to his seed, and have performed your words, for you are righteous.”The emphasis was now on the fact that it was YHWH Who, as the Creator and Ruler of all the world, and as the covenant-fulfilling Righteous One, had called and chosen Abram. He had brought him out of Ur of the Chaldees (in other words out of Babylonia, just as He had brought them out of Babylonia), had sovereignly given him his new name Abraham as an indication that he was now God’s chosen one, (just as they bore the name of Israel His chosen one), and had found him faithful before Him (something that they now recognised should be true of them). Note the emphasis on God’s election, and on Abram’s God-given name (Genesis 17:5; not emphasised elsewhere outside Genesis), and on Abraham’s responsive faith and obedience (his heart was faithful before Him, which may well reflect Genesis 15:6).As a consequence God had made a covenant with him to give to him and his seed the land of Canaan, something which He had performed because He was ‘righteous’ (conformed rightly to His covenant promises).

And their tradition saw the land promised as having successfully been given to his seed (1 Kings 4:21), in spite of their previous rebellions. There is a clear implication in this that the returnees were expectant that God would similarly consider His sovereign choice and covenant with regard to His chosen people, would show covenant love towards those who bore a new name given by God (Israel), and would perform His word before them, but this is not actually stated.The description given here also assumes a knowledge of the tradition behind Genesis 11:31 in respect of Ur of the Chaldees, and the traditions which spoke of Canaan as ‘the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Jebusite, and the Girgashite’ (compare Deuteronomy 7:1, rather than Genesis 15:19-21). The ‘list of nations’ depicted here is not a direct citation. It is not found in this order in the books of Moses, and here omits the Hivites. But it was clearly based on a memory of a known tradition.

Nehemiah 9:9-38

The Levites’ Plea On The Basis Of God’s Past Mercies (Nehemiah 9:9-38). The Levites now reminded God that He had been faithful to His covenant throughout their history, declared their recognition of His constant goodness, and of His continuing munificence towards them, confessed their own failures and the failures of their fathers, which had occurred again and again, and reminded Him how He had continued faithful, clearly expressing the hope that He would continue to do so.The confession was made in great detail. It was not just a reiteration of their history. Every agonised verse was spoken from the heart. They felt the great burden of guilt that was on them as a result of their nations behaviour and attitude towards God. The words may well have been spoken with weeping. We are not to see them as just a liturgical formula.

They were a deep felt confession of sin every step of the way, and a continual acknowledgement of how good God had been towards them as His people.Themes lying behind their words include the fact:· That men had continually ‘dealt proudly’, both the Egyptians (Nehemiah 9:10) and their own fathers (Nehemiah 9:16; Nehemiah 9:29), in being flagrantly disobedient to God;· That God had given His people ‘possession of the land’ (Nehemiah 9:15; Nehemiah 9:22-24).· That God had constantly supplied them with an abundance of good things both before and after entering the land (Nehemiah 9:15; Nehemiah 9:20-21; Nehemiah 9:25; Nehemiah 9:35-37).· That God had constantly watched over them and protected them (Nehemiah 9:12; Nehemiah 9:19).· That God had constantly sent His Spirit in His prophets with them to guide and inspire them (Nehemiah 9:20; Nehemiah 9:26; Nehemiah 9:30).· That God had constantly instructed them in His Law (Nehemiah 9:13-14; Nehemiah 9:20; Nehemiah 9:26; Nehemiah 9:29).· That the people had nevertheless constantly rebelled against Him (Nehemiah 9:16; Nehemiah 9:18; Nehemiah 9:26; Nehemiah 9:28; Nehemiah 9:30; Nehemiah 9:34) so that He had to endure great provocations (Nehemiah 9:18; Nehemiah 9:26).· That God had constantly in turn delivered them (Nehemiah 9:10-11; Nehemiah 9:27-28; Nehemiah 9:31).· Each central main section ends with the thought that God had not forsaken them (Nehemiah 9:17; Nehemiah 9:31).In the light of this they cried to God to now observe their present situation, indicating that while they acknowledged how as a people they had rebelled constantly against Him, refusing to keep His Law and observe His commandments, yet they His people were but servants in a land that should have been theirs, ruled over by others who partook of its fruits. They did not possess the land as He had promised Abram.The passage is divided up into three main sections, which can then be divided into subsections.

The dividing points between these three sections are indicated by expressions of worship to God, which include the thought that he had not forsaken them.· The first section depicts God’s gracious activity on behalf of His people, and the fact that nevertheless they had rebelled against Him, and ends with the words, ‘you are a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abundant in covenant love, and forsook them not’ (Nehemiah 9:17 b).· The second section reiterates God’s gracious activity on behalf of His people, and again repeats how they had continually rebelled against Him, and ends with the words, ‘nevertheless in your manifold mercies you did not make a full end of them, nor forsake them, for you are a gracious and merciful God’ (Nehemiah 9:31).· The final section commences with the words ‘now therefore our God, the great, the mighty and the terrible God, who keeps covenant and covenant love’, confesses the more recent failure and rebellion of their fathers, and reminds Him that because of it they stand before Him as those who are servants of an alien monarch, who takes the best of what the land produces. While living in the land, they do not possess the land. It and they are ruled over by another. And it ends with the assurance that they are nevertheless about to make a covenant with Him (Nehemiah 9:38).We must now look at these sections in more detail:1). Seeing His people in affliction in Egypt God had delivered them with great power from the hand of the foreign oppressor Pharaoh, had granted them His covenant at Sinai, had continually made wonderful provision for them, and had commanded them to ‘go in and possess the land’ (Nehemiah 9:9-15). Nevertheless in their arrogance they had rebelled against Him, and had determined rather to go back into bondage (Nehemiah 9:16-17).(We can compare with this how the returnees were also in affliction (Nehemiah 1:3), and were under the hand of a foreign oppressor (Nehemiah 9:36-37), but they yet awaited full deliverance, for while God had brought them safely to the land, in their case they did not possess it.

Yet it was now their intention to make a covenant hoping that God would respond (Nehemiah 9:38). They did not want to remain in bondage).2a).

In spite of the fact that their fathers had rebelled against Him in the wilderness in the matter, for example, of the golden calf, God did not withdraw His covenant mercy from them, but sustained them throughout their time in the wilderness, and subdued kings before them so that they could possess the land. The result was that ‘the children of Israel went in and possessed the land’ and prospered greatly. God’s promises and purposes were coming to fruition in spite of His people’s failures (Nehemiah 9:16-25).2b). But even when they were settled in the land they had rebelled again and again, had neglected His Law and had slain His prophets. Nevertheless God was faithful and raised up deliverers for them, and sought to bring them back to His Law. Yet they still rebelled against His life-giving judgments, and rejected the work of His Spirit through the prophets, not being willing to listen, and were therefore given into the hands of the peoples of the lands.

God, however, did not make a full end of them, because He is a gracious and merciful God (Nehemiah 9:26-31).3). That the great, mighty and terrible (awesome) God Who had constantly kept covenant and mercy would not overlook the afflictions of His people since the time of the Assyrians (their first experience of ‘world’ empire).

Not that they blamed Him for it, for they acknowledged that they had received what was just because of their disobedience. But they prayed that He would observe their present position, in the land which He had promised to Abraham, in that it provided its fruit to others than God’s people, so that they were subservient to them. Nevertheless they wanted Him to observe that they were now about to renew the covenant (Nehemiah 9:32-38).Notice that the first section ends with the arrogance of their fathers which had caused them not to listen to God’s commandments, with the consequence that they had not been mindful of His wonders, but had rather been arrogant (notice the repetition of ‘hardened their neck’), and in their arrogance had appointed their own ‘captain’ in order to return to their bondage. The second section ends with their refusal to hear the voice of His Spirit, with the result that they were given into the hands of the peoples of the lands. And both these are contrasted with the returnees themselves, who, while suffering for the disobedience of their fathers, and being servants in a land which did not belong to them, were nevertheless about to renew the covenant with Him.

Nehemiah 9:12-15

God’s Resultant Full Provision For His People (Nehemiah 9:12-15). Having delivered them so wonderfully and powerfully God had made full provision for His people in the wilderness:· He had made His presence with them known in the form of the pillars of cloud and fire, pillars which led them forward by day and night. For even the darkness was made light before them, so that they could travel by both day and night (Nehemiah 9:12; compare Exodus 13:20-21).· He had guided them in their way of living by providing His commandments, statutes and laws (Nehemiah 9:13-14).· He had supplied them with God-provided food and drink to satisfy their hunger and thirst (Nehemiah 9:15 a).· And He had given them the encouragement of knowing that a promised land lay before them (Nehemiah 9:15 b).Note the personal nature of His activity. ‘You led them – You came down and spoke with them – You made known to them – You gave them bread from heaven – and brought forth water – You commanded them to possess the land.’ They should have been more than grateful, and more than fully satisfied. And the same pattern will be repeated in Nehemiah 9:19-24 a, protection (Nehemiah 9:19), instruction (Nehemiah 9:20), sustenance (Nehemiah 9:21) and possession of the land (Nehemiah 9:22-24 a), and this after they had rebelled against Him (Nehemiah 9:18). Their rebellion did not cause Him to cease from providing fully for them. (This makes even more poignant the fact that at the end they will make clear that at that present time there was such a lack. They were in the land but they did not possess it (Nehemiah 9:36-37). They were living in relative poverty.

There is in this a blatant hint to God).Nehemiah 9:12“Moreover in a pillar of cloud you led them by day, and in a pillar of fire by night, to give them light in the way in which they should go.”The pillars of cloud and fire are constantly referred to in the tradition. They represented YHWH in His glorious hiddenness, as surrounded by cloud, and in His more open glory as revealed in fire, veiled by the night.

The pillar of cloud had hidden them from the Egyptian army, delaying the Egyptians until Israel had crossed the river bed (Exodus 14:19-20). It also manifested the veiled glory of YHWH (Exodus 16:10). Fire was regularly the means through which God manifested Himself (Exodus 19:18; Exodus 24:17). Cloud and fire were the indications of God’s presence, indicating that ‘You led them’ (Exodus 14:24; Exodus 16:10). And they would be a regular occurrence in the future journeying (Numbers 14:14; Deuteronomy 1:33), a guarantee that YHWH was continually with them. Furthermore the descent of the pillar of cloud regularly indicated His presence in the Tabernacle (Exodus 33:9-10; Numbers 12:5; Numbers 14:14; Deuteronomy 31:15).

God was personally shepherding His people.Nehemiah 9:13“You came down also on mount Sinai, and spoke with them from heaven, and gave them right ordinances and true laws, good statutes and commandments,”Note the repetition of the words from Exodus 19:20, although personalised, ‘and YHWH came down on Mount Sinai’, but there God spoke from the top of the mount. ‘From heaven’ might therefore be seen as simply indicating that God spoke from on high (the top of the mount), but it is apparent from Nehemiah 9:15, where the bread was also ‘from heaven’, that Nehemiah is taking us one step further and reminding us that the source of all that we receive is ‘heavenly’. Thus in Nehemiah 9:15 the manna is ‘bread from Heaven’ (cited by Jesus in John 6:31).

In both cases the source was other-worldly.They acknowledged to YHWH that in speaking to them from heaven He had given them ‘right ordinances and true laws, good statutes and commandments’. Note the adjectives. They were right and true and good. They were not seen as a burden, which was what the Scribes would later make them, but as morally uplifting and coming from the truly righteous and good One. ‘Ordinances, laws, statutes and commandments’ were regular ways of describing God instruction (His Torah). See Leviticus 18:4-5; Leviticus 18:26; Leviticus 26:15; Leviticus 26:46; Deuteronomy 4:45; Deuteronomy 5:31; Deuteronomy 6:1; Deuteronomy 6:20; Deuteronomy 7:11; Deuteronomy 8:11; Deuteronomy 11:1; Deuteronomy 26:17; Deuteronomy 30:16. But in no previous case are all these four words used together.

The constant emphasis on the reception of God’s Instruction by the people (Nehemiah 9:13-14; Nehemiah 9:20; Nehemiah 9:29) was a reminder that as the people they had recently received this Instruction. But the inference was that they were to respond to it differently from their fathers.Nehemiah 9:14“And made known to them your holy sabbath, and commanded them commandments, and statutes, and a law, by Moses your servant,”They reminded God that He had also made known to them His holy Sabbath (for ‘holy Sabbath’ see Exodus 16:23).

This description contains a hint that the Sabbath was made known as a separate requirement before the giving of the Law, which was in fact true (compare Exodus 16 with 20)The emphasis on the Sabbath reflects the Exilic period. It was then that the Sabbath had become the unique outward expression of what it meant to be a Jew, as they lived among non-Jews. It was through the observance of the Sabbath that men around them knew that they were distinctive, and it was a symbol of both YHWH as sole Creator (Exodus 20:8-10) and YHWH as Redeemer and Deliverer of His people (Deuteronomy 5:14-15). It was initially instituted for all Israel at the first giving of the manna (Exodus 16:23-26), in other words when God ‘gave them bread from heaven to eat’, something immediately mentioned in Nehemiah 9:15.Note the repetition concerning the giving of the Law, it was something prominent in their minds at this time (Nehemiah 8:1-18), and this prayer was part of their response to it.Nehemiah 9:15“And you gave them bread from heaven for their hunger, and brought forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst,’They reminded Him of how He had led them, protected them, and guided them in how to ‘live’, and now He fed and watered them. There was no need that He had overlooked. They had received bread from heaven in order to satisfy their hunger, and water from the rock to satisfy their thirst.

There is a constant emphasis throughout the passage on the material good things that God gave to His people (Nehemiah 9:15; Nehemiah 9:19; Nehemiah 9:21; Nehemiah 9:25). In the period of want that they were enduring after the return (Nehemiah 1:3) it was no doubt an intentional reminder to God of what they were no longer receiving.

They humbly and without their openly telling Him, wanted Him to notice the gap in His present provision for them. We too have partaken of this bread and water, for Jesus likened Himself to the bread from heaven (John 6:33), and the water of life (John 4/10-14) and Paul likened Him to the thirst-quenching rock (1 Corinthians 10:4). For we have entered into His Sabbath rest (Hebrews 4).Nehemiah 9:15‘And commanded them that they should go in to possess the land which you had sworn to give them.”And finally He had assured them of possession of the land which He had sworn to give them, something which was later accomplished (Nehemiah 9:23-24 a). And this was of prime importance, for land on which to dwell, and which could be farmed, and which they could call their own, was the dream of every man. He wanted to live ‘every man under his own vine and under his own fig tree’ (1 Kings 4:25). Again there is the unspoken hint (although only openly expressed later - Nehemiah 9:36-37) that at this present time, while it was true that they now dwelt in the land, they had not received full possession of the land that He had sworn to give to their fathers.

Nehemiah 9:16-17

But His People’s Response To His Goodness Had Been To Openly Disobey His Commandments And To Turn To Other Gods. However Even So He Did Not Forsake Them Because Of What He Is (Nehemiah 9:16-17). Here the first acknowledgement of how sinful their fathers had been is now given. It refers to their arrogant intention to appoint a captain and return to their bondage in Egypt. This occurred when they believed the reports of the unbelieving spies and were fearful of what would be the consequences of entering the God-given land (Numbers 14:4), and thus refused to possess the land. A second, which opens the next passage, will refer to the time when they fashioned and worshipped the molten calf in the wilderness because they thought that Moses was not coming back to them from the mountain. By doing so they rejected the concept that their Deliverer had revealed about Himself (‘you shall not make any graven image’). Both were examples of patent disobedience and unbelief.

By them they demonstrated their arrogance, and the hardness of their dispositions. This pattern of God’s goodness and care followed by man’s disobedience will continually be repeated (Nehemiah 9:26; Nehemiah 9:28; Nehemiah 9:30; Nehemiah 9:32; Nehemiah 9:34-35).Nehemiah 9:16“But they, even our fathers dealt proudly and hardened their neck, and did not listen to your commandments,”They acknowledged that those who had behaved in this way were ‘our fathers’.

They were admitting their share in the guilt of their fathers. And they admitted that their fathers had been arrogant and stiff-necked, an idea which is emphasised by repeated. They had thought that they knew better than God, and had behaved accordingly. They had been arrogant towards Him, had refused to bow to His requirements, and had not listened to His commandments. By this they were admitting that they had deserved all that they had received, and far worse.Nehemiah 9:17“And refused to obey, nor were mindful of your wonders which you did among them, but hardened their neck, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage.”This first example of their disobedience and hardened state refers to what happened after the twelve scouts, who had been sent into Canaan in order to survey the position, had reported back (Numbers 13-14). They had ignored all the wonders that God had performed on their behalf, and had panicked.

And they had ‘hardened their neck (become stiffnecked and unyielding, a concept obtained from Exodus 32:9; Exodus 33:3; Exodus 34:9) and had determined to appoint a Captain and return to Egypt, to their previous bondage (Numbers 14:4). As a consequence they were disobeying His command to go in and possess the land.

Thus they had not deserved the land.Nehemiah 9:17“But you are a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in covenant love, and you did not forsake them.”.But even such behaviour had not resulted in God giving up on them. Why? Because He is a God Who is ready to pardon. He is a God Who is gracious and merciful. He is a God Who is slow to anger and abundant in covenant love. The consequence was that He did not forsake them.For these descriptions compare Exodus 34:6-7; Jonah 4:2; Psalms 103:8; Psalms 145:8, which suggest that the central part of the quotation was probably a stereotyped description regularly used, with variations, in the cult, and originally based on Exodus 34:6-7.This description of God merits some attention.

It brings out that:· He is ready to pardon, compare Daniel 9:9, ‘to the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness’; Psalms 130:4, ‘there is forgiveness with Him that He might be feared’. He pardons in order to bring those pardoned back into a relationship with Himself.

He puts their sin behind His back (Isaiah 38:17). ‘As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us’ (Psalms 103:12).· He is gracious and merciful. The idea behind these words is that God is compassionate, and merciful, constantly showing His undeserved love towards men and women in their weakness, in the face of their undeserving.· He is slow to anger. The point here is that He is longsuffering, and does not easily give up. He gives men time to repent and turn back to Him. He is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).· He is abundant in covenant love. Behind this thought is that He is totally faithful to all with whom He has entered into covenant, having chosen them for Himself.

Through His covenant he reaches out to us in abundant love. No one who genuinely responds to His covenant will find that love lacking.· He did not forsake them.

They were at no stage ‘God-forsaken’. This was an important fact which is being emphasised in the passage. Compare how the same words appear in a similar way in Nehemiah 9:31.

Nehemiah 9:18-31

God’s Continual Activity On Behalf Of His People (Nehemiah 9:18-31). In this second main section they now outlined to God how regularly the people had rebelled against Him, and yet how nevertheless He had constantly abundantly provided for them. The first sub-section (Nehemiah 9:18-25) repeats the pattern of Neh 9:9-15 in describing God’s continued protection through the pillars of cloud and fire (Nehemiah 9:19, compare Nehemiah 9:12); His continued instruction of them (Nehemiah 9:20 a, compare Nehemiah 9:13-14); His provision of food and water and all needed sustenance (Nehemiah 9:20-21, compare Nehemiah 9:15 a), and His finally giving them possession of the land and more (Nehemiah 9:22-25; compare Nehemiah 9:15 b). It will be noted that it summaries the period in the wilderness and the successful campaign of Joshua.The second sub-section (Nehemiah 9:26-31) takes up their story in terms similar to the Book of Judges. They were constantly disobedient and rebelled, and God constantly delivered them up into the hands of their enemies, but when they cried to Him, He raised up saviours who delivered them out of their hands (Nehemiah 9:26-27, compare Judges 2:12-16). However, once they ‘had rest’ (a typical Judges description - Judges 3:30 and often) they again did evil, and were again delivered into the hands of their enemies, and again cried to YHWH, and were again delivered according to His mercies (Nehemiah 9:28), at which point He continually faced them up to His Instruction (torah). But they constantly rebelled against it, even though it was the way of life, and ‘hardened their necks’ as they had continually done (see Nehemiah 9:16-17).

And this had gone on for ‘many years’ (we would say centuries). He had borne with them, and had spoken to them by His Spirit though the prophets, but they had constantly refused to hear, and that is why He had given them into the hands of the peoples of the lands (the great nations, as is apparent from Nehemiah 9:32). Here we have the history of the books of Kings. Nevertheless in His mercy God did not make a full end of them (Nehemiah 9:31), as the fact that they were there back in the land bore witness.There is a clear inference from all this that their hope was that once again, after the period of disobedience of their fathers, God, having brought home to them His Instruction (chapter 8), would at some stage deliver them if they were true to His covenant.

Nehemiah 9:26-31

Repeated Cycles of Rebellion, Deliverance Into The Hands Of Enemies, Fervent Intercession, Divine Intervention (Nehemiah 9:26-31). They now described to God how they had behaved as a nation, the constantly repeated cycles of rebellion, deliverance into the hands of enemies, fervent pleas to God, followed by divine intervention. See Nehemiah 9:26-28 (‘many times’); Nehemiah 9:29-31. As we have already seen this very much follows the pattern of the book of Judges (Judges 2:11-19).Note the threefold description of their deliverances into the hands of their enemies, ‘you delivered them into the hand of their adversaries’ (Nehemiah 9:27); ‘you left them in the hands of their enemies so that they had dominion over them’ (Nehemiah 9:28); ‘you gave them into the hands of the peoples of the lands’ (Nehemiah 9:30). And note the increase in intensity of the descriptions, ‘delivered into the hands of their enemies’; ‘left in their hands so that they had dominion over them’ (albeit in their own country); ‘given into the hands of the peoples of the lands’, because they were exiled.And note the threefold interventions of God. ‘You gave them saviours who saved them out of the hand of their adversaries’ (Nehemiah 9:27); ‘many times you delivered them according to your mercies’ (Nehemiah 9:28); ‘in your manifold mercies you did not make a full end of them’ (Nehemiah 9:31). In the last case there is no description of deliverance. Their deliverance was still pending.

And it still was at the time of this prayer, being only partially completed by their return. They had returned to the land but they had not fully been delivered. And it was their intention that God should note this. Their hope was that by entering into the covenant, and observing it, they would achieve this full deliverance, although that hope is not spelled out.

Nehemiah 9:28

The Intermediate Cycles (Nehemiah 9:28). Nehemiah 9:28“But after they had rest, they did evil again before you; therefore you left them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had the dominion over them. Yet when they returned, and cried to you, you heard from heaven; and many times you delivered them according to your mercies,”They acknowledged before God how this had happened again and again. Note that these cycles occurred ‘many times’. Because of God’s previous deliverance the people had ‘had rest’ (see Judges 3:11; Judges 3:30; and often). But then they again did evil before God, and as a consequence He gave them over to the dominion of their enemies. Then they returned and cried to God.

Then He heard from heaven and many times delivered them because He is a merciful God. The repetition of the cycles is intended to bring out how regularly this all happened. They were acknowledging before God that Israel’s was a history of repeated rebellion.

Nehemiah 9:29-31

The Final Cycles (Nehemiah 9:29-31). Nehemiah 9:29“And testified against them, that you might bring them again to your Law. Yet they dealt proudly, and did not listen to your commandments, but sinned against your ordinances, (which if a man do, he will live in them), and withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear.”They called on God to remember how He had testified against them so that He could bring them again to His Law. Once again we have the post-exilic stress on ‘the Law’ as barely stated. Yet their response had been to not listen to His Law. They had been arrogant. They had not listened to His commandments, they had sinned against His life-giving ordinances, and they had withdrawn from shouldering its requirements (like an ox withdraws its shoulder from the yoke - Hosea 4:16), becoming stiff-necked and refusing to hear, in the same way as in Nehemiah 9:16-17.

Thus, they acknowledge before God, that things at the end were as at the beginning. They admitted that they were just as sinful today.

Indeed within living memory they had slain one of His prophets, Zechariah the son of Berechiah (Matthew 23:35).The citation ‘which if a man do he will live in them’, appears in English to be a direct citation of Lev 18:5, but in the Hebrew it differs slightly. Leviticus 18:5 has ‘which if a man do them, and he shall live in them’. But the idea is parallel. Note the combined reference to ‘your Law – your commandments – your ordinances’, which can be compared and contrasted with the’ ordinances – laws – statutes – and commandments’ of Nehemiah 9:13. Compare Leviticus 26:15; Numbers 36:13; Deuteronomy 6:1; Deuteronomy 7:11 etc; 2 Kings 17:34; 2 Kings 17:37. These descriptions indicate the varied nature of God’s Instruction (Law).Nehemiah 9:30“Yet for many years you bore with them, and testified against them by your Spirit through your prophets.

Yet would they not give ear, therefore you gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.”And yet, they reminded Him, in spite of their rebellions He had borne with them for many years, sending His Spirit-endued prophets to testify against them, seeking to bring them to repentance. But they had not been willing to listen, and as a consequence He had ‘given them into the hands of the peoples of the lands’.

They had been exiled from their own country and scattered among the peoples of many lands. This was heartfelt confession. They felt in their own hearts guilt for what had happened. They saw themselves as having sinned along with their fathers.Nehemiah 9:31“Nevertheless in your manifold mercies you did not make a full end of them, nor forsake them; for you are a gracious and merciful God.”And so with grateful hearts they acknowledged to God how great his manifold mercies have been. Even after the long period of continual failures and rebellions He had not made a full end of them. He had not forsaken them. They had been carried off into foreign countries, but they had survived, and survived as His people. And it was all due to the fact that He was a gracious and merciful God.

And with this enconium this section comes to an end.

Nehemiah 9:32-38

They Remind God Of The Position That They Are In, Governed By A Foreign Power, Acknowledging That It Was Through Their Own Fault Because Of Their Own Sins And The Sins Of Their Fathers, And Assure Him That They Are About To Renew Covenant With Him (Nehemiah 9:32-38). The covenant that they were about to enter into was not being entered into lightly. The need for it had been brought home by the reading of the Law in chapter 8. Their sense of unworthiness in entering into it has just been brought out in their confession and intercession. And yet the reminder of His continual mercies has convinced them that He will graciously accept what they are about to do. And they remind Him that they do it very conscious of the fact that they are still not fully delivered, they were still controlled by and paying tribute to foreign lords, and all due to their own fault. No doubt in their hearts they hoped that He would take note of the fact and at some stage complete their deliverance, making them once more a free, independent people, but they humbly leave that in His hands.Nehemiah 9:32“Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who keeps covenant and lovingkindness,”They opened their final plea by describing the greatness and majesty of their God.

He was the great God, great beyond all. He was the mighty God, of overwhelming power.

He was the God Who was terrible in His holiness and uniqueness. And yet He was also the God Who is always faithful to His covenant. He was the God of chesed, ‘covenant love’, acting in lovingkindness through His covenantFor God as ‘the great – the mighty, the terrible’ compare Deuteronomy 10:17, and see Nehemiah 1:5.Nehemiah 9:32‘Let not all the travail seem little before you, that has come upon us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all your people, since the time of the kings of Assyria to this day.”Up to this point all has been confession and acknowledgement of God’s goodness. They have entered deeply into the sins of their fathers, and they have acknowledged the past goodness of God. But now they make a request to God. They ask Him not to overlook what they have suffered, even though it has been deserved.

This is the closest they get to asking YHWH to act on their behalf. They are sure that if He considers their problems He will act.They ask Him not to overlook the greatness of their afflictions.

Let it not seem little before Him. From the time when the first shadow of the Assyrian empire had loomed over their land, to the present time, they had suffered under the hands of mighty foreign overlords who had ruled over great empires. And in consequence all had suffered, including their kings. For this suffering had come upon all. None had been excepted. It had come on their kings and princes (their ruling authorities), it had come on their priests and prophets (their religious authorities), and it had come on all God’s people. All had suffered together. None had been exempted.Nehemiah 9:33“However, you are just in all that is come upon us, for you have dealt truly, but we have done wickedly;”Yet they assured Him that they were not blaming Him for what had happened.

They acknowledged that they had been receiving the just reward for their sins. God was ‘in the right’. In bringing this on them He had acted justly, for they had behaved wickedly. They had reaped what they had sown. Thus their request was made humbly, acknowledging their own guilt. They were relying on His compassion and mercy, and on His covenant love and faithfulness, so often revealed in the past.Nehemiah 9:34“Neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers, kept your Law, nor listened to your commandments and your testimonies with which you did testify against them.”They admitted to Him that from the highest to the lowest they had not kept His Law in their hearts, they had not listened to His commandments, they had not responded when He had borne witness against them.

They had continued on impervious to their sin. The omission of ‘prophets’ in contrast with Nehemiah 9:32 may be in acknowledgement of the fact that the true prophets were God’s mouthpieces who did heed the word of God.Nehemiah 9:35“For they have not served you in their kingdom, and in your great goodness that you gave them, and in the large and fat land which you gave before them, nor did they turn from their wicked works.”They agreed that when they had had their independence they had not served Him in their kingdom that He had given them.

They had not responded to the great goodness that He had shown toward them in giving them so much. They had not had the proper gratitude for the prosperous land that He had bestowed on them. They had refused to turn from their wicked works. Thus they recognised that they had brought on themselves their subsequent subservience to great foreign kings. Their whole history testified against them.Nehemiah 9:36“Behold, we are servants this day, and as for the land that you gave to our fathers to eat its fruit, and its good, behold, we are servants in it.”And they called on God to recognise that because of their failures they were servants in what should have been their own land. They who should have been servants of YHWH, were servants of mere men.

And as a result their produce largely went into the storehouses of the Persian kings, whilst they worked as servants. God had intended that they be independent and enjoy the fruits of the land (Nehemiah 9:25).

Instead they were servants and had to pay their produce to others. They were not enjoying the full benefits of the covenant.Nehemiah 9:37“And it yields much increase to the kings whom you have set over us because of our sins, also they have power over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress.”It was not that their God-given land was unfruitful. It was just that the fruitfulness was enjoyed by others, who had been set over them because of their sins. And those kings who had been set over them not only enjoyed the fruits of their land, but they also had personal authority over them as much as they desired. They could use them as they would (as Solomon had once used the Canaanites). And they had authority over even their cattle.

All were subject to the pleasure of the king of Persia. And in consequence they were in great distress for the tribute was heavy, and their treatment by their neighbours hard (compare Nehemiah 1:3).

Their lot was not an easy one.This was on the one hand an acknowledgement before God that they were deservedly suffering for their sins. But on the other it may be seen as a plea to YHWH to consider their invidious position. They probably considered that what they were about to do was, as it were, a first step on the way back to God acting on their behalf.It should be noted that these were not words of rebellion, nor would they have been seen as such by the kings of Persia. They too believed that they were successful because the gods were on their side. They would not have cavilled at the idea that Judah were suffering for their sins, and that that was why Persia were triumphant. They thought it themselves.Nehemiah 9:38“And yet for all this we make (cut) a sure agreement, and write it, and our princes, our Levites, and our priests, set their seal to it.”And in consequence of their situation they now affirmed that they would enter into a sure and certain agreement with God, and write it down and set their seals on it.

It was a wholehearted recommitment to God. Furthermore all would be involved, they themselves, and their princes, their Levites, and their priests.

The whole new nation were making a commitment to God. The priests are mentioned last because they have as yet not been brought into the action which has been by people and Levites. But as Israel’s representatives before God they would necessarily be involved.The use of the word ‘sure agreement’ rather than covenant probably recognises that this was their own agreement with God, rather than His official covenant. But the fact that it was ‘cut’ (a regular covenant term) makes clear that it was from their point of view a covenant. It will be noted that there is no suggestion that God was directly involved in its making.The Names Of Those Who Sealed The Sure Agreement. The agreement having been put down in writing it was sealed by the leading men of the priests, the Levites and the people who are named below. Many signed in their family name. Others in their own name. (Although some may have taken their family name as their own on becoming head of the family). It was a most solemn document. Something of what it contained is described in Nehemiah 9:29 onwards, but the main principle behind it was that they swore to walk in God’s Law and obey all the commandments of YHWH. The reading of the Law was coming to its fruition.The gathering of chief men for the sealing ceremony must have been an impressive occasion as each chief man stepped forward and put his seal on the scroll.