Nehemiah 9
Chuck Smith on Nehemiah 9
Verse by verse, taught on Sunday nights: the C2000 series, 1979 to 1985, and the C3000 series, 1985 to 1999. Permission granted by The Word For Today.
Sunday Nights, 1979 to 1985 (C2000)
Chapter introduction
Now in chapter 9:
Verse 1
In the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackcloths, and earth upon them (9:1).
So, again, it's quite a picturesque sight. The people have all gathered together. They've been fasting. They're wearing sackcloth. Rough garments, no doubt very irritating. And they've got dirt on them. The custom of, just a sign of mourning again. You just, you know, rubbed dirt on your face and you look miserable.
Verses 2–3
And the seed of Israel separated themselves from the strangers, and they stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers. And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of the LORD their God one fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshipped the LORD their God (9:2-3).
So, again, can you picture them there for a fourth part of the day? The reading of the Scriptures, and now for a fourth part of the day just worshipping God, praising God and worshipping God.
It's interesting how that we get fidgety sitting in comfortable pews after a half hour, an hour or so. You know, we're so fidgety, and yet here are these people standing for a fourth part of the day hearing the Word of God read, and then for another fourth part of the day just standing there worshipping God. They'd never get by with it today.
Verses 4–6
Then stood up upon the stairs the Levites and they cried with a loud voice unto the LORD their God. And they said, Stand up and bless the LORD your God for ever and ever: and blessed be thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise. Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; and thou hast made the heaven, and the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee (9:4-6).
So this glorious acknowledgment of God, the greatness of God, the glory of God, the power of God. "You've made the heaven of heavens. You are above everything. You've made the universe and You've preserved the universe."
Now it is interesting that Paul tells us in the book of Colossians concerning Jesus Christ that all things were made by Him, and by Him all things are held together. This whole universe is held together by the power of Jesus Christ. According to Coulomb's law of electricity, positive forces repel each other; opposite forces attract. Try and put two positive poles of a magnet together and you'll see how the positive poles repel. But the whole concept of a magnet and the attraction is that of the opposite poles attracting, with positive poles repelling.
There is actually a tremendous repelling force in positive poles or positive charges, the protons. If you had one tablespoonful of protons on the North Pole, solid, another solid tablespoonful on the South Pole, at that distance of some 8,000 miles, the repelling force would be so great that it would take 3,000 tons to hold those protons on the poles. Even at that distance the repelling force of positive protons, positive particles.
So we know that an atom has in its nucleus positive charges held together. But how are they held together? The scientists talk about the nuclear glue.
Now we have discovered that we can upset the nuclei of an atom by bombarding it with slow moving neutrons. And when we can upset the nuclei of an atom, that we can then cause these positive poles to respond according to their nature. And we have an atomic explosion. That's what it's all about. Upsetting the nuclei of an atom by these little bombardment of slow moving neutrons that get in and upset these positive forces, and they respond according to their own nature of repelling. And when they do, you see the tremendous force that is unleashed when you start a fission reaction of these positive poles responding to their own nature. And you get this tremendous explosion of the atomic bomb. All it is is releasing the positive charges to respond according to their nature of repelling.
Now, if that much power is unleashed by nature when they are responding to their nature, then it also stands that it takes at least that much power to hold them together contrary to their nature. If the whole material world would respond according to the natural laws of the repelling of positive forces, immediately this whole thing would just dissolve and would just be one gigantic poof! And positive particles would be just going all over repelling each other and the whole universe would just blow to pieces. But there's a power that's holding it all together.
Imagine the tremendous power it must take to hold this material universe. Even the power it would take to hold this pulpit together. The amount of fissionable material in the bomb at Hiroshima was about the size of a dime. And yet when those positive particles were allowed to respond according to their nature, look at the tremendous damage that was accomplished. But what force is holding them together.
Here they talk about it. "Oh God, You created the heaven of heavens. You're so great. Your power is above all things. And You actually are preserving the whole thing." Paul tells us He's holding it together. By Him all things consist, or are held together. How glorious the power of God!
Now Francis Schaeffer said that the time has come when we as Christians just shouldn't say, "God." "Oh, God did this for me or God did that for me," because there are many concepts of God today in the minds of people. And when you say God, a person thinks of the God in their own concept. That which they have in the thought of God and it may be far different from the thought that you have of God. Some fellow may sit and meditate upon his navel and say, "Oh, that's God, you know." Or you sit and you hold a rose and you smell of it and you say, "Oh, that's God." So when you say God, a person may think of this rose. And so he said that we must start defining and saying, "The God who created the heavens and the earth."
Now they are defining the God because there were many gods that were worshipped around them. Baal was worshipped and Molech was worshipped and Mammon, and so many various gods were worshipped by the people around them that as they began their worship of God they make really a definition and a distinction of the God that they are worshipping. "Bless Jehovah your God for ever and ever: blessed be Thy glorious name which is exalted above all blessing and praise. For even Thou, O Yahweh or Jehovah, alone has made the heaven, and the heaven of heavens, the whole universe, with all of the host, and the earth, and all of the things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein."
Now they've been reading the law of Moses and they've been reading Genesis. "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). Been reading the first few chapters of Genesis. And so they acknowledged that God was the One who has created even as is declared in Genesis, this whole universe and all that is in it.
Now it is interesting in the New Testament, the fourth chapter of the book of Acts, when the apostles were responding to the prohibition that was laid upon them by the religious leaders not to speak any more in the name of Jesus, Peter and John gathered with the disciples and they told them the experience they had before the Sanhedrin. And they prayed, and when they started to pray, they said, "O Lord, Thou art God, Thou hast created the heavens, and the earth, and everything that is in them" (Acts 4:24). Probably remembering the prayer offered here in Nehemiah where much the same thing is said. "Thou art the God who has created the heaven, and all the host, the earth and all the things that are in the sea, and all the things therein, and You preserve them all and the host of heaven worshippeth Thee." So the host of heaven would be a reference to the angels who worshipped God. So when he said He created all the host of heaven, it would be He has created all of the angels. And they do worship Him.
Verses 7–8
Thou art Yahweh, the God, who did choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, you gave him the name of Abraham; and you found his heart faithful before thee, and you made a covenant to give him the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, and the Girgashites, [and so forth], and you have performed your words; for you are righteous (9:7-8):
Acknowledging that God made the promise to Abraham, God fulfilled the promise to Abraham. "Here we are, we're in the land. For God, You are righteous."
Verses 9–10
And you did see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, you heard their cry by the Red sea; you showed your signs and wonders upon the Pharaoh (9:9-10),
And so they're just rehearsing their history. They have been reading this history. They have been listening to it. They have been reading the law of the Lord from morning till noon. And so these are the things that they were reading in the first five books.
Verse 11
You did divide the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; and their persecutors you threw into the deeps, as a stone into the mighty waters (9:11).
That sort of puts down the little theory that it was the Sea of Reeds and it was only eighteen inches deep. Figures don't lie, but liars sure can figure.
Verses 12–13
Moreover thou leddest them in the day by a cloudy pillar; and in the night by a pillar of fire, to give them light in the way wherein they should go. And you came down also upon mount Sinai, and you spoke with them from heaven, and gave them right judgments, true laws, good statutes and commandments (9:12-13):
Notice, He gave to them right judgments, true laws, good statutes and commandments.
Verses 14–16
And you made known unto them your holy sabbath, and you commanded them the precepts, and the statutes, and the laws, by the hand of Moses: you gave them bread from heaven [the manna in the wilderness] for their hunger, and you brought them water out of the rock for their thirst, and you promised that they should go in to possess the land which you had sworn to give to them. But they and our fathers dealt proudly (9:14-16),
Now here is the acknowledgment. God, You were faithful. God, You kept Your word. But our fathers, they failed. Always the failure is on our part. So many times we're wanting to blame God. God is righteous, God is faithful. God will keep His word. We're the ones that have failed. Never God. The failure is always on our part. "But our fathers dealt proudly."
Verses 16–17
they hardened their necks, they didn't hearken to your commandments. They refused to obey, neither were they mindful of the wonders that you did among them; but they hardened their necks, and in their rebellion they asked for a captain to return them to their bondage: but you are a God who is ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and you forsook them not (9:16-17).
Isn't that beautiful? They say, "Oh, I don't believe in the God of the Old Testament. He's a God of wrath and judgment, vengeance. I love the God of the New Testament, you know, believe in the God of the New." As though there were two gods revealed in the scriptures. Never. One God. And He's revealed in the Old Testament right here as "gracious, ready to pardon, merciful, slow to anger, great kindness, and He forsook them not." That sounds like it would come from the pen of Paul as he's talking about the grace of God in the New Testament. Oh, how gracious is God. How merciful is God. How understanding. How pardoning.
Verse 18
When they made the molten calf, and they said, This is the God that brought us out of Egypt (9:18),
Now, again, they point out, God is faithful even when they were not. God was still faithful. They went ahead and made this golden calf.
Verses 19–20
Yet in your manifold mercies you did not forsake them in the wilderness: the pillar of the cloud did not depart from them day to day, that it might lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to show them the light, and the way wherein they should go. But you gave also thy good Spirit to instruct them (9:19-20),
Oh how good is God to us even though we often fail. Even though we often are hardening our hearts. Yet, the faithfulness of God and the mercy of God and the grace of God and the patience of God with which He deals with our lives. He won't forsake them. He won't forsake His people. Though they had turned their backs and forsaken Him, still He is faithful. He will not forsake them. How glorious is our God! And then giving His good Spirit to instruct them.
Verses 20–26
and you didn't withhold the manna from their mouth, or the water for their thirst. And for forty years you sustained them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes did not get old, and their feet did not swell. Moreover you gave them kingdoms and nations, and divided them into corners: that possessed the land of Sihon, and Og. And the children also multiplied as the stars of heaven, and you brought them into the land, concerning which you have promised to their fathers, that they should go in and possess it. So the children went in and possessed the land, and you subdued the inhabitants of the land before them. And they took the strong cities, and the fat of the land, and they possessed the houses that were full of goods, wells that were already digged, vineyards, and oliveyards that were already planted, fruit trees in abundance: so they did eat, and were filled, and became fat, and delighted themselves in thy great goodness. Nevertheless they were disobedient (9:20-26),
Notice how they're acknowledging always the righteousness of God and the failure of the people. And so important that we do this. "God, You were righteous. You were fair. We were the ones who failed. We were the ones who turned our backs."
"Nevertheless they were disobedient,"
Verses 26–28
and rebelled against thee, they cast thy law behind their backs, they killed the prophets that testified against them to turn them back to you, and they wrought great provocations. Therefore you delivered them into the hand of their enemies, who vexed them: and in the time of their trouble, when they cried unto you, you heard them from heaven; and according to your manifold mercies you gave them saviours, who saved them out of the hand of their enemies. But after they had rest, they did evil again before thee: therefore you left them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had the dominion over them: yet when they returned, and cried unto you, you heard them from heaven; and many times did you deliver them according to your mercies (9:26-28);
What an accurate picture of the history of the nation Israel.
Verses 29–31
And you testified against them, that you might bring them again unto the law: yet they dealt proudly, and did not hearken to your commandments, but they sinned against your judgments, (which if a man do, he shall live in them;) and withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear. And yet many years did you forbear them, and testified against them by thy Spirit in your prophets: yet would they not give ear: therefore you gave them into the hand of the people of the lands. Nevertheless for thy great mercies' sake you did not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for you are a gracious and merciful God (9:29-31).
Oh, that is so powerful! I love that!
Verses 32–33
Now therefore, our God, the great, and mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before thee, that hath come upon us, on our kings, on our princes, our priests, our prophets, and fathers, and upon all the people, since the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day. Howbeit you are just in all that you brought upon us; for you have done right, we have done wickedly (9:32-33):
What an important acknowledgment to make. God, You are just in all Your ways. There are people today who are constantly challenging the justice of God. "Well, how can God, a God of love, allow this? Or how can a God of love do that? Or how can a God of love send a man to hell?" And all of the challenges of the justice of God. But let me tell you this. God is absolutely fair and God is absolutely just. "Oh, but what about that poor African who has never heard of Jesus Christ? And he dies without ever knowing, what's going to happen to him?" God's going to be absolutely just and absolutely fair. You better not worry about him; you better worry about yourself. You have heard. You're the one you better be concerned about because you know. God will be fair with him if he doesn't know. God will also be fair with you because you do know. He's righteous. Oh God, Thou art a righteous God. You're just in all that You've done. For You have done right. We are the ones that have done wickedly.
Verses 34–38
Neither have our kings, or our princes, or our priests, nor our fathers, kept your law, nor hearkened unto your commandments and your testimonies, wherewith you did testify against them. For they have not served thee in their kingdom, and in thy great goodness that you gave to them, and in the large and fat land which you gave before them, neither turned they from their wicked works. Behold, we are servants this day, and for the land that you gave unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we are servants in it: and it yieldeth much increase unto the kings whom thou hast set over us because of our sins: also they have dominion over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress. And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, Levites, and priests, seal to it (9:34-38).
Okay, here's the whole picture. "God, You were fair. You were honest. You were right. But we were having a horrible time. We are servants in this land. The kings are ruling over us, and though the land is producing, they're exacting taxes that are ruining us. Now God, we want to renew our covenant with You. We want to get right with You." Important step. "We want to make a covenant. We want to sign to the covenant. Lord, we want to put our X. We want to walk in the covenant. Want to renew the covenant of God." Marvelous, marvelous idea and purpose! So these are the guys who signed the covenant.
Sunday Nights, 1985 to 1999 (C3000)
Verse 1
Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackclothes, and earth upon them (9:1).
Sackclothes was a form of penance. It was itchy, miserable and it was to afflict yourself, even as fasting is a self-type of affliction. It is the denial of the flesh; it’s going against the flesh, the fasting, and the sackclothes. The earth upon them; they put dirt on them just as a sign of penitence, as a sign of mourning.
Verses 2–3
And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers. And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of the LORD their God one fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshipped the LORD their God (9:2-3).
Now they divided the day into four parts. From six in the morning until noon, from noon until six in the evening, six in the evening until midnight and midnight until six in the morning. So the fourth part would have been from six in the morning until noon; they read the scriptures. Then from noon until six o’clock in the afternoon there was that response, the worshiping of God by the people. You try to get people to do that today and you probably have a difficult time, even in upholstered pews and in an air-conditioned building. Here these people were standing out there for six hours, listening to the word being read and then spending the next six hours in worshiping the Lord.
Verses 4–5
Then stood up upon the stairs, of the Levites, Jeshua, and Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani, and cried with a loud voice unto the LORD their God. Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, Shereahiah, said, Stand up and bless the LORD your God for ever and ever: and blessed be thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise (9:4-5).
So they encouraged the people to begin to praise the Lord, to worship the Lord, “to bless the Lord for ever and ever and then declaring the blessedness of God’s glorious name,” the name YAWEH or I AM, the coming one.
Verse 6
Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee (9:6).
As they begin to praise the Lord and worship the Lord, they’re acknowledging, first of all, the vastness of God and his creation. He is the God who has created the universe and that heaven of heavens goes on out and takes in the universe. He is the creator. You made the heaven of heavens. “With all their host,” (9:6) that is all of the spirit beings, the angelic beings that are in them.
“You made the sea and all of the creatures that inhabit the sea and you preserve them all,” (9:6) God is not only the creator but he is the preserver of that creation. The natural laws of entropy and the speak of them breaking down. We know in thermodynamics, this law of entropy that irrecoverable energy that takes place with friction and with time. The aeromocasses, this little burning fire of nature, where things are gradually being reduced. Our mountains, these lofty granite mountains, are being gradually eroded. There’s a breakdown as the rain and the winds and the so forth beat down upon it, there is that gradual deterioration.
God is the one that preserves his creation but I think this can go even a little bit deeper as we mentioned a few weeks ago in Colossians where Paul comes again with this kind of description of the creation God the Creator, Jesus Christ the Creator, by whom and for whom all things were created and by him all things are held together. We talked about the atom and how that the nucleus of an atom is a cluster of positive charges, the protons, and how that the nature of the positive charges is that of repelling. The repelling force of the positive charges. And we have seen the power of the atom when it has been upset, when we bombard the nucleus of an atom with slow moving neutrons and it upset the balance within the heart of the atom. We release that tremendous energy and we have what we call the atomic explosion by the releasing of the energy that is pint up within an atom, all of these positive charges that are clustered together. In upsetting the balance we allow them to follow their natural bent and to repel each other and when they repel each other, we have this tremendous release of force and energy. Now the power that holds these positive charges together has to be greater than the power that is released when it’s upset. So the tremendous power by which the material world is held together is the power of Jesus Christ holding together, the preserver of creation.
“And the host of heaven worships you,” (9:6). In the book of Revelations, we get an insight in chapter five, of the angels worshipping the Lord, the host of heaven worshipping him.
Verses 7–8
Thou art the LORD the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham; [father of many] And foundest his heart faithful before thee, and madest a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, and the Girgashites, to give it, I say, to his seed, and hast performed thy words; for thou art righteous: (9:7-8).
Now as we find them beginning to praise the Lord and to acknowledge God, first God as the creator of the universe and of the various life forms within the universe. Secondly, we find that they will be talking of the faithfulness of God. He created now a nation, beginning with Abraham and made promises to Abraham to give unto his seed this land of Canaan. God has fulfilled that promise. They acknowledge that for you are a righteous God.
Verses 9–10
And didst see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heardest their cry by the Red sea; And shewedst signs and wonders upon Pharaoh, and on all his servants, and on all the people of his land: for thou knewest that they dealt proudly against them. So didst thou get thee a name, as it is this day (9:9-10).
So God, you drew out a nation. You began the nation with Abraham and then the birth of the nation as God brought them out of Egypt to give to them this land.
Verses 11–12
And thou didst divide the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; and their persecutors thou threwest into the deeps, as a stone into the mighty waters, Moreover thou leddest them in the day by a cloudy pillar; and in the night by a pillar of fire, to give them light in the way wherein they should go (9:11-12).
Through the wilderness, the temperatures get up to a hundred and ten, a hundred and twenty degrees during the day, so God put a cloud over them in the wilderness, wandering. So that they might travel at night, he put a pillar of fire to give them a light at night when they needed to travel through the wilderness. Of course traveling at night is always preferable to daytime traveling in the wilderness there in the deserts.
Verse 13
Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments: (9:13).
“The law of the Lord is perfect,” David said, “converting the soul”. A lot of times people, especially Christians, are prone to say, “I thank God we’re not under law, we’re under grace,” and there is that tendency to sort of put down the law of God. The law of God is good, it is righteous, it is holy. The law of God is the right way to live in your relationship with God and your relationship with fellow man. This world would be a much better place if everybody lived by the law of God. It could be a beautiful place if everybody lived by the law of God.
There is nothing wrong with the law of God; we should seek to keep the law of God. My faith in Jesus Christ does not release me from the necessity of seeking to keep the law of God. The law of God cannot make me perfect, that’s were people make a mistake in seeking to be righteous by the law of God, or to seek to have a righteous standing by keeping the law of God. The law of God cannot make you righteous, keeping the law of God will not make you righteous. We are made righteous through our faith in Jesus Christ, apart from the works of the law. But my coming into this relationship with God, through Jesus Christ, and the subsequent in filling of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit within my life gives me the power to do what I could not do in my flesh; that is obey the will of God. It’s not that God has set aside his law or abrogated the law or has now a whole new standard for us as Christians, the standard of God still is the law. The power now to keep the law is given to us by the Holy Spirit. The law still does not make me righteous or more righteous. My righteousness is complete because of my faith in Jesus Christ.
The law of God was given to show you the good and the right and the acceptable way. The law of God was given to bring you into success, happiness and prosperity, to bring you longevity, to bring you a good rich life.
David said, “blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly nor stands in the way of sinners nor sits in the seat of the scornful but whose delight is in the law of the Lord and in his laws and he meditates day and night. For he will be like a tree that’s planted by the rivers of water that brings forth fruit in his season. His leaf also shall not wither and whatever he does, will prosper.”
That’s what the law of God is all about. The power to keep it is given to me by the Holy Spirit.
Verses 13–14
Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgements, and true laws, good statutes and commandments: And madest known unto them thy holy Sabbath, (9:13-14).
Now I think that we would all be better off if we kept the Sabbath as God intended the Sabbath to be kept. I think there should be one day a week when you could just kick back and stay in bed. That’s the way God intended the Sabbath to be kept, a day of complete relaxation and rest. A day when our minds are focused on the things of God. It wasn’t necessarily a day of gathering to worship God; it was a day where we just rested. We wouldn’t do any work, we would limit even how far we walked, we wouldn’t go out to gather sticks to build a fire, we wouldn’t cook anything, we’d just take a day off; a complete day off. That is where we just relaxed and laid around and sort of communed with our families, spent time with the kids and just a day for family togetherness. I can go for that. The older I get, the more I can go for it.
Now as Jesus said, “the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath”. It is for man, it’s for mans’ benefit. Our body needs that opportunity for regeneration. Our body needs that change of pace, the relaxing and kicking back and we’d probably be healthier and live longer if we did it.
Verse 14
and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant: (9:14).
Then taking care of the spiritual aspects, you also took care of the physical.
Verses 15–16
And gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and promisedst them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them. But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to they commandments, (9:15-16).
Notice God was good, God was faithful, he gave them the good commandments and fed them and yet they rebelled against God. He is not all seeking to lay any blame or fault upon God for their problems. It comes upon us, we are the ones, our fathers are the ones who failed. God you were faithful, you were righteous, you kept your word but we failed.
Verse 17
And [our fathers] refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not (9:17).
They went so far in rebelling against God that the time that they came to Kadesh-barnea and the spies came back with the report that the land had giants and the walls were up to heaven and the people said, “let’s choose a captain who will lead us back to Egypt”. We can’t go in and take the land, God you had promised the land, and we’re not able to take it. Let’s get someone to lead us back to Egypt. There was a rebellion against Moses, against God, as they were really just looking for someone to take over the leadership, to take them back into the bondage of Egypt. So our fathers failed but yet “God, you’re gracious, you’re ready to pardon, you’re merciful, you’re slow to anger,” (9:17). All of this was demonstrated by the fact that God didn’t forsake them.
Verses 18–19
Yea, when they had made them a molten calf, and said, This is thy God that brought thee up out of Egypt, and had wrought great provocations; Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: (9:18-19).
God was faithful, they were unfaithful. There is this acknowledgement of God all the way along you were faithful, you were merciful, you were gracious, you didn’t forsake them.
Verses 19–20
the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go. Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, (9:19-20).
The Holy Spirit to instruct that’s part of the ministry of the Holy Spirit. You remember when Jesus in John fourteen said, “but the Holy Spirit whom the father will send in my name, he will teach you all things”. The Holy Spirit to instruct and you gave your good spirit to instruct them.
Verse 20
and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst. (9:20).
God you were good. God you were faithful. God you are great, you are awesome. You created the universe, you created a nation and you were good and faithful but the nation was not. They rebelled; they turned their backs against your law, against you.
Verse 21
Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not (9:21).
This is such a miraculous feat that the Bible critics tried to discount it and say that it really didn’t happen. That over a million people, they say it’s impossible that that many people could actually make this kind of a trek and be in that wilderness for forty years. The wilderness will not sustain that many people. Well, I don’t doubt that. But God could sustain them and God did sustain them. It was God who gave them the manna every morning; it was God that gave them water out of the rock. There is this recognition that “God, it was your miraculous power that did it.
Verses 22–23
Moreover thou gavest them kingdoms and nations, and didst divide them into corners: so they possessed the land of Sihon, and the land of the king of Heshbon, and the land of Og king of Bashan. Their children also multipliedst thou as the stars of heaven, and broughtest them into the land, concerning which thou hadst promised to their fathers, that they should go in to possess it (9:22-23).
So God you blessed them, you multiplied them; you brought them into the land.
Verses 24–25
So the children went in and possessed the land, and thou subduedst before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gavest them into their hands, with their kings, and people of the land, that they might do with them as they would. And they took strong cities, and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all goods, (9:24-25).
They moved into houses that were already furnished.
Verse 25
wells digged, vineyards, and oliveyards, and fruit trees in abundance: so they did eat, ad were filled, and became fat, and delighted themselves in thy great goodness (9:25).
You provided, it was all there, they became fat.
Verse 26
Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets which testified against them to turn them to thee, and they wrought great provocations (9:26).
The theme repeated. God was good, God was faithful, God kept his word; the people failed, failed miserably. Yet God was merciful, gracious and forgiving.
Verse 27
Therefore thou deliveredst them into the hand of their enemies, who vexed them: and in the time of their trouble, when they cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and according to thy manifold mercies thou gavest them saviours, who saved them out of the hand of their enemies (9:27).
God they turned their backs, they had trouble but when they called, you answered you were faithful still.
Verses 28–29
But after they had rest, they did evil again before thee: therefore leftest thou them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had dominion over them: yet when they returned, and cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven: and many times didst thou deliver them according to thy mercies; And testifiedst against them, that thou mightest bring them again unto thy law: yet they dealt proudly, and hearkened not unto thy commandments, but sinned against thy judgements, (which if a man do, he shall live in them;) and withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear (9:28-29).
Over and over and over again God, you spared them, you helped them, you delivered them because of your mercies. That same God is the God that you and I serve and he is still a merciful God and he is still a gracious God and he is still a pardoning God and a forgiving God. He knows we need it. How many times we have failed? Now the thing is, in our failure, the enemy often comes to us and says, “hey, that’s enough. God is tired of you. He’s given up on you; he’s not interested in you anymore. You shouldn’t even call on him again. You had every chance, every opportunity and you just messed up so bad. God doesn’t care about you anymore”. That’s a lie of the enemy. God knows your frame, he knows you but thus he is merciful, he is gracious, he is slow to anger and he will pardon when we come and ask for his forgiveness and he will strengthen.
Verses 30–31
Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and testifiedst against them by thy spirit in thy prophets: yet would they not give ear: therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the people of the lands. Nevertheless for thy great mercies’ sake thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for thou art a gracious and merciful God (9:30-31).
Are we reading the Old Testament? I have problem with these people who say they like the New Testament; the God of law but I don’t like this God of wrath bit. The Old Testament God I sort of reject but I sort of lean towards the New Testament God. Hey, we are reading the Old Testament and the testimony concerning God who though the people failed over and over and over again; he was merciful, he was gracious, he was kind, he did not forsake them.
Verses 32–33
Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible [awesome] God, who keepest covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before thee, that hath come upon us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all thy people, since the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day. Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us; for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly: (9:32-33).
Oh God help us to come to that realization. We’re always ready to blame God when anything goes wrong, when our lives get messed up. We’re always ready to turn and blame God as though God is not fair with us; God has not been dealing fairly. Here is the truth and they’re acknowledging that truth. God you were just; we are wrong. When we come to that acknowledgement and that confession, then God can do something with us. If I’m always trying to tell God “well I’m just and I’m not getting a fair shake. Lord you haven’t done this and you haven’t done that,” that’s wrong. And he’s not about to do anything. But when I acknowledge “God, I have failed, I have sinned. It’s my fault, not yours. You are just, you are righteous in all that you do. I’m the one Lord who has failed.” You’ve done right; we have done wickedly.
Verse 34
Neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers, kept thy law, nor hearkened unto thy commandments and thy testimonies, wherewith thou didst testify against them (9:34).
They just didn’t listen. We haven’t listened.
Verse 35
For they have not served thee in their kingdom, and in they great goodness that thou gavest them, and in the large and fat land which thou gavest before them, neither turned they from their wicked works (9:35).
Our history is that of rebellion, even when we established the king.
Verse 36
Behold, we are servants this day, and for the land that thou gavest unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we are servants in it: (9:36).
God, we are now in subjection to the king of Persia. We are servants, we are paying tribute and taxes though we are living in this land; we are still his servants.
Verse 37
And it yieldeth much increase unto the kings whom thou hast set over us because of our sins: (9:37).
The abundance of fruit now goes to these kings of Persia that are over us because of our sins.
Verses 37–38
also they have dominion over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress. And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, Levites, and priests, seal unto it (9:37-38).
God, because of all of this, we want to make a covenant. We are going to serve you, we’re gonna be your…oh great, great, great day.
The results of the reading of the law and the giving of the understanding, it is the work of the word of God in the hearts of the people that wrought these changes. That’s why we just go through the word of God. Jesus said, “now you are clean through the word that I have spoken unto you”. David said, “Where with all shall a young man cleanse his ways by taking head to the word of God”. That power of the word of God to bring us the conviction of our sins, to help us to get life in a true perspective.
God is faithful, God is good, God has blessed; we have failed, we have turned our backs, we have been guilty. If I’m having any problems, it’s because I haven’t followed totally after the Lord. So God, I want to make a convenient with you. You’ve been good, even in my failures. You’ve been good to me even though I have not done right. Lord, I want to make a convenient; I want to do right. I want to live before you a life that is pleasing unto you. God I want you to take over and guide my life. I want you to be the authority, in control over me and that submission and surrendering of myself to the hand of God. May that be our covenant with God tonight.
Father we thank You for this opportunity of looking again into Your perfect law. Coming to an understanding of Your faithfulness and of Your goodness and of the way You have worked in the past. We thank You, Lord that You are a merciful God. That You are gracious and that You have not rewarded us according to our iniquities but as the heavens are high above the earth so high is Your mercy over those that fear You. Teach us Lord to walk in the fear of the Lord; hating evil and doing that which pleases You. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.