Pray It Forward
Notes
Transcript
Nehemiah 1:2-11
2 Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.
3 They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”
4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.
5 Then I said: “Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments,
6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you.
7 We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.
8 “Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations,
9 but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’
10 “They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand.
11 Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.” I was cupbearer to the king.
Theologically speaking, it is important to realize that the bulk of the passage records Nehemiah’s second response to the devastating news from Jerusalem. Following a period of grief (1:4, cf. Ezra 9:3–5), his initial response, Nehemiah demonstrates his faith by turning to the fount of his resources in prayer. While the form of the prayer itself is unparalleled in scripture—it lacks, for instance, the complaint so characteristic of the community laments with which it is sometimes compared (Williamson, Ezra, Nehemiah, p. 167)—it falls easily into a simple structure:
A. Invocation (5–6a)
B. Confession: Israel’s sin (6b–7)
X. Appeal to covenantal promise of return (8–9)
B´. Confession: God’s redemption (10)
A´. Invocation with supplication (11a)
Throntveit, Mark A. 1992. Ezra-Nehemiah. Interpretation, a Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching. Louisville, KY: John Knox Press.
2 Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.
There was a prior foundation, a spiritual heritage that was in place but not remembered well by the people.
For 70 years the people had been under bondage to Babylon. One generation passed and the current generation already indoctrinated into the Babylonian culture and life style.
I’d dare say that many had forgotten how their people had arrived at such a point in history. That it was through the abandonment of the Scriptures and the rebellion against God that they ended up in captivity.
Sin will always lead one into enslavement, and if you think that it will only affect you, guess again. Your sins affect the ones around you and even more so your children and their children.
Not that God is holding a grudge, but due to the simple fact that the choices of a parent are passed down to their children. Good, bad, or indifferent they pass them on. And it is the responsibility of each of us to stop the river of sin from one generation to the other.
3 They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”
There are two things I want to pause at.
1 the ones who survived
2 the ones who are back in Jerusalem.
There are two ways one survives captivity, they either conform to the captors or they endure and overcome their captivity.
The ones that returned to Jerusalem I would dare say are the latter of the two.
Next let’s look at the condition of the city.
The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”
This is more than just the physical condition of the city, it is also at that moment the spiritual condition of the people of Jerusalem.
Many times I hear complaints about the condition of our abandoned buildings around Statesville.
This too is a tangible example of the condition of the heart of Statesville.
That we can have 6 bars within a two and half block radius but when it comes to souls on fire for Jesus, it is hard pressed to find.
We have a whole community seeking to fill a void, addiction is rampant, over doses daily, and broken homes everywhere we turn.
We have a community that is desperate for the truth of Jesus, and His healing.
4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.
When is the last time we sat down and wept in prayer over others?
Nehemiah’s Prayer
5 Then I said: “Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments,
Nehemiah starts with praising and revering the name of God.
As I’ve said many times, if you lose hope and are in the darkest of places start to praise God and you will find joy, peace, and hope.
6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you.
7 We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses
Nehemiah confesses the sin of his people. In the tradition of past mediators (Moses, Exod. 34:9; Isaiah, Isa. 6:5; Ezra, Ezra 9; cf. Daniel, Dan. 9:3–19),
Nehemiah confesses his own involvement in the sin of the people, thus identifying with their condition and situation.
The exile proved to be an effective if harsh lesson for the people of God. Jeremiah’s understanding of the captivity as a manifestation of God’s chastisement was met with beatings and imprisonment (Jeremiah 18–20), but now the exiles were fully convinced of the truth of his warnings. Consequently, Nehemiah refuses to pass the blame on to others or to complain about the disastrous situation in Jerusalem but simply acknowledges their guilt.
Throntveit, Mark A. 1992. Ezra-Nehemiah. Interpretation, a Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching. Louisville, KY: John Knox Press.
Many times we want to blame others for the consequences of how things transpire.
Even all the way back at the fall of man, Adam blamed Eve, she Blamed the snake, and the snake must of just smiled because he didn’t blame a soul.
How many times have we been caught up in a mess, and as soon as we admit it, come clean, and repent, we fill a sense of relief.
Not that it changed our sin, or even the repercussions of it, but it did change and break the shackles of the sin.
8 “Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations,
9 but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’
Nehemiah does not bring this up as an attempt to make God obligated to move. God is not obligated to do anything.
But it is a cry for mercy as he admits the sins and expresses the lessons learned. That lesson being to remain in the Lord and obey Him.
10 “They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand.
Verses 9 and 10 are a testimony to the sovereignty of God and His power, His control of history. This is a declaration that Israel is in God’s hands, not the desires and agendas of human will.
11 Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.” I was cupbearer to the king.
Nehemiah finishes his prayer with a return to revering God.
He knows what he needs to do and is aware of the risks and the consequences of doing it.
He must go before the king and make his requests known, which could cost him everything including his life.
He also knows that in order to follow God he must give up his social position as being daily present in the life of the King.
There was both risk and sacrifice to follow the Lord.
We are stepping into faith this year and in doing so this is always a risk, there is always some form of sacrifice.
But the outcome of following the Lord and striving to remain faithful to Him and remain in His will, always leads to eternal reward.
Take home question,
Is there anything in your life that has enslaved you that you need to go before the Lord about?
I want to encourage you to take a risk and ask the Lord to reveal anything that displeases Him and to remove it.
Don’t let yesterday’s sins enslave and block tomorrow’s blessings and freedom.
