(Neh 9:9-15) God Blesses us today! How?

Ezra begins to praise God for his blessings upon Israel. Nehemiah 9:9-15 describes how God blessed Israel in the Exodus, Wilderness, and with the Promised Land. This prayer describes God’s character in terms that are familiar across the Old Testament. They coincide with the blessings that Christians receive in the NT. Many times we believe God’s blessing means no suffering. But when we examine how God blessed Israel and continues bless Christians – that is not the case.

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INTRODUCTION:

Ephesians 1:3–5 ESV

Ephesians 1:3–6 ESV

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

Ephesians 1:3–7 ESV

This passage is one of my favorite passages -

because when I question whether I have God’s blessing and favor - I reminded that through the Cross - I have every blessing available.

In 1883, Daniel Whittle authored the hymn we are today familiar with - “There shall be showers of blessings”

“There shall be showers of blessings”

There shall be showers of blessing: This is the promise of love; There shall be seasons refreshing, Sent from the Savior above. Showers of blessing,(Showers, showers of blessing) Showers of blessing we need; Mercy drops 'round us are falling, But for the showers we plead.

[Chorus] Showers of blessing,(Showers, showers of blessing) Showers of blessing we need; Mercy drops 'round us are falling, But for the showers we plead.

Now, that song sounds wonderful - Doesn’t it.

But - What does it mean that God blesses us?

What does it mean that God blesses us?

What does it mean that God will shower us with blessings?

For many,

God showering us with blessings means - we have no pain, no sadness, and no setback.

Life is good, and profitable, and filled with fun.

Now that is not entirely without truth - Because God does promise that kind of future blessing.

The Showers of Blessings speaks of God’s future blessing of Israel in the book of Ezekiel.

But we don’t live in the time of blessings that Ezekiel describes.

We live in a time between mercy drops of the cross and the showers of blessing to come.

So I want to challenge you - what does it meant God blesses you - in a fallen world waiting for Christ to return.

From our passage this morning-

And may I suggest,

By understanding how God blessed Israel in this passage , we can learn how

PROP: God blesses us today-

TRANS: And this text will shows us 5 ways that God blesses us.

We can learn from this passage the kind of God that we follow - and what kind of blessings we can expect from God.

One of the fastest ways we question the blessing and goodness of God - is when we hurt deeply.

Again the focus is the Character of God.

So let’s look at our passage.

Nehemiah 9:9–15 ESV

“And you saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt and heard their cry at the Red Sea, and performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh and all his servants and all the people of his land, for you knew that they acted arrogantly against our fathers. And you made a name for yourself, as it is to this day. And you divided the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on dry land, and you cast their pursuers into the depths, as a stone into mighty waters. By a pillar of cloud you led them in the day, and by a pillar of fire in the night to light for them the way in which they should go. You came down on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven and gave them right rules and true laws, good statutes and commandments, and you made known to them your holy Sabbath and commanded them commandments and statutes and a law by Moses your servant. You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger and brought water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and you told them to go in to possess the land that you had sworn to give them.

CAVEAT:

describes how God blessed Israel.

And we many not be Israel - but we get a glimpse at the same God who blesses us.

The God who blessed Israel in power and might is the God who blesses us providentially as we await his return.

So the more we learn the Character of God in blessing Israel;

the more we can understand what it means God blesses NT Christians.

First, we learn -

1) God blessed Israel by seeing their affliction. (v. 9a-11; ; ; )

Is their a struggle in your life - May I start by declaring God see’s your affliction!

He see’s your pain and suffering.

and in particular he see’

Psalm 18:2 ESV

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

(See also , , , , , )

According to our passage - what does it mean God delivered Israel.

And God demonstrated his character by delivering Israel -

Nehemiah 9:9–10 ESV

According to our passage - what does it mean God delivered Israel.

How did God bless Israel with deliverance?

(a) He Saw their Affliction

“And you saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt”

God

This affliction here describes the harsh hate and slavery of Israel in Egypt.

CAVEAT:

While many aspects of American slavery are much harsher than what we find in the Ancient world - this was probably an exception.

The descriptions of Israel in Egypt is a harsh, hard, and even hateful or proud of slavery.

Personal Exposition:

Sometimes, we can feel oppressed and trapped.

Almost like we are slaves in shackles.

But God saw their affliction!

And I guarantee he see’s yours.

God is a god who see’s all - He is a God who of all seeing.

This idea is related to God being all-knowing.

Hebrews 4:13 ESV

And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Which means - God always see’s those who are hurting and desperate - are afflicted.

God is the one who see’s those with afflictions.

But when it says God saw their afflictions - it means more than just that he knew it was happening.

When God see’s the helpless being hurt - he see’s that with compassion.

God doesn’t ever sit as bystander watching the afflicted.

Consider -

ILLUSTRATION:

Consider -

Everything we see in life we are making a judgement about.

That is why it is ironic when someone says - Don’t judge me.

And you say - I wasn’t >>>> you were driving like a mad man.

In other words, even we do not just see something >>>>> we always make a judgement.

But God being the infinite creator never just looks at something and judges,

his judgement carries a proclamation enforced by his own might and power.

God is repeatedly in Scripture described as a God who see’s affliction.

Psalm 34:19 ESV

Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.

Ps 34:19

Verse -

That should comfort us.

God bless’s the nations by seeing their afflictions.

And we are blessed because God see’s our afflictions.

Afterall, consider

Romans 8:35 ESV

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?

Scripture tells us that Christ is also an advocate for Christians who suffer with affliction. ()

God blesses us, through his Character and his working in the Gospel, by seeing and intervening in our afflictions.

But also,

2) God blessed Israel by hearing their cries. (v. 9b-11; ; )

Our text says,

“and heard their cry at the Red Sea”

A timeless truth about God is that he hears the cries of the helpless.

This is not a reference to God hearing their slavery,

but God hearing the cry for help when the Egyptian Army chased them literally into the Red Sea.

Sometimes our suffering is a suffering of a 1,000 cuts.

- Relationships are often that way.

- Bureaucracy whether government, insurance, or business is that way.

- Trials like cancer are that way.

And you are sitting there and saying - I don’t know if I can make it through this trial.

That is what Israel felt when they were afflicted with slavery.

But other times are requests are more urgent.

We suddenly find ourselves in a life and death struggle

or we realize our marriage is in ruins

and many other ways we feel the need for urgent help.

- and so we call out to God for help.

That is exactly what Israel did.

In a great visual - Israel running from the Egyptian Army and trapped between the Army and endless seashore.

What are they to do?

They can’t fight or swim out of this trap.

And describes Israel doing the only thing it could do - Cry out for help.

Exodus 14:10 ESV

When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord.

Nehemiah 9:9–10 ESV

Neh 9:9-

Their situation seems hopeless.

And it would be - except God heard their cries for Help.

The one who brought them out by 12 incredible plagues - hears their cry for help.

And so what does Nehemiah say -

Nehemiah 9:9–11 ESV

The 12 plagues of the Exodus and the parting of the Red Sea are one of the most awesome displays of God’s powers in Scripture.

But what we sometimes loose sight of is that they all were related to God seeing their affliction and hearing their cries for help.

The Red Sea ran for miles and trapped them.

God is a God who hears the cries of the helpless.

and likewise God hears the cries of NT Christians.

1 John 5:14 ESV

And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.

1 John 5:15 ESV

And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

When you are overwhelmed with terror, and you have but a second to cry to God for help.

Call out knowing that God hears your cries.

God blesses us, through his Character and his working in the Gospel, by hearing are cries for help.

God blessed Israel by hearing their Cries

And we as NT Christians are blessed in that God also hears our cries.

Thirdly,

3) God Blessed Israel by guiding them in the wilderness. (v. 12, 15; ; )

but after God worked mighty signs and wonders

God's Work for Israel

He Delivered Israel.

(a) Saw the Afflictions of Israel.

(b) Heard the Cry of Israel.

2. Guarded Israel.

3. Blessed them with the Law.

One of the fastest ways we question the blessing and goodness of God - is when we hurt deeply.

We can say many sad statements about Israel’s time in the wilderness.

They rebelled against God,

How important

made up their own false gods,

They rebelled against God, made up their own Gods, criticized their leader, and even asked to go back to Egypt.

criticized their leader,

refused to go into the promised land,

and even asked to go back to Egypt.

But despite their sin, God was always there guiding them as a pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night.

Nehemiah 9:12 ESV

By a pillar of cloud you led them in the day, and by a pillar of fire in the night to light for them the way in which they should go.

Nehemiah 9:15 ESV

You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger and brought water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and you told them to go in to possess the land that you had sworn to give them.

What does the pillar represent? Why is it important enough to include it in a recount of God’s blessings to Israel.

It represented God was with them, and in particular it served to guide them.

It represented God was with them,

This guidance included - guiding them to provisions.

ILLUSTRATION:

When you plan a trip through a desert wilderness - what do you plan for?

a. Water

b. Food

c. Shelter

d. Rest

e. A hiking trail, horse trail, or driving path.

In a day without GPS or printable maps,

in a land where water and food was unknown -

God lead them to everything they needed.

They didn’t need a map to the next water hole, because God literally every moment of every day lead them.

They didn’t need to plan out how many miles per day because the pillar stopped when they needed rest, and lead on when they needed to keep going.

God guidance also included knowing God’s will.

So often, we worry about knowing God’s will.

It is almost the overwhelming question when we are a college student

But it also is the question when we get laid off, or we retire, or we get a new job offer.

It is the question when we are planning our finances.

And it is the question for the church when we look at how to reach our community and teach the children to Love Christ.

Israel had no need to doubt the will of God - because God lead them by a pillar for 40 years in the wilderness.

Even when they disobeyed God and refused to go into the promised land - God’s guiding pillar never left them.

CAVEAT:

Now I am not suggesting our church should look for a pillar to guide us to our every day needs and to know his will.

But we do not worship a different God.

teaches us we have every blessing available to us.

And I am convinced that God continues to guide us today.

One of my life verses is ,

Psalm 37:23 ESV

The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way;

Psalm 37:23–24 ESV

The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand.

And that same God still guides his people in the way they should go.

Not by a pillar,

but through his providential hand, his Spirit, His Word, and His Church.

After-all, what does it mean when Paul tells us -

Romans 8:28 ESV

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

In other words, God is always guiding his - and we don’t have time to talk about the details,

but Scripture bears out that those who have been saved through Christ have his providential hand, His Spirit’s leading, His Word, and His Church to guide them.

and when we compare

We are not without a guide

and neither God’s provision or his will is some type of mysterious miracle.

But tangibly God guides us through his Wise and Good Rule in our lives.

God blessed Israel through his guiding hand,

and God continues to Bless the nations through his guiding hand.

God Blesses the nations through his guiding hand,

But our text doesn’t end there.

Equally important in the rank and file of God’s blessings is that -

4) God blessed Israel with his Holy Instruction. (v. 13-14; ; )

Which is of greater importance,

- knowing that God has the power to deliver us in times of trouble -

- holding the very Words that God has spoken to you; Words that literally have the power to save and transform your life.

I am not sure.

As great as the miracles of God are, his Word in some ways is so much bigger of blessing then parting the Red sea.

Nehemiah 9:13–15 ESV

You came down on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven and gave them right rules and true laws, good statutes and commandments, and you made known to them your holy Sabbath and commanded them commandments and statutes and a law by Moses your servant. You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger and brought water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and you told them to go in to possess the land that you had sworn to give them.

Neh 9:13-

In the Law Israel receives instruction on Good, wise, and right living. - Which is so important for a nation who like every other nation is ravished with the struggle of sin.

In the Law Israel received a way to rightly approach God and make their requests known to him.

And in the Law they have the promise of a manifold of blessings.

CAVEAT:

Now - there is much more that can be said about the Revelation Moses received. And I am going to save that for next week.

May I just make this point.

Israel was mightily blessed by receiving the very Words of God.

In fact, both Peter and Paul make that point. Consider , .

And as NT Christians, we have not only the Law, but the New Testament.

2 Timothy 3:16–17 ESV

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

1 Peter 3:16–17 ESV

having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.

Colossians 1:25–27 ESV

of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

CHALLENGE FOR SALVATION:

-17

Now may I say, if you are

Israel was blessed mightily by being given the Law,

and as NT Christians have the Law and the Gospel.

CONCLUSION:

So lets come back to how we started -

Ephesians 1:3–5 ESV

Ephesians 1:3–6 ESV

Eph 1:3-

So I ask you -

How does God bless people who stand between the mercy drops of the Cross and the future promise of a shower of blessings.

He blesses us by seeing our afflictions.

He blesses us by hearing our cries.

He blesses us by Guiding our lives.

and He blesses us by giving us his life transforming Words.

These are timeless truths that are maybe shaped differently as God works through history,

but always true of his Character.

CHALLENGE of SALVATION:

However, if you are sitting here today and are not a believer in Christ - then understand God is not going to bless you in these ways.

God is not going to be concerned with your afflictions while you reject the son who died for you.

God is not to hear your cries, until you cry out from your ultimate need. - Being saved from your sins.

God is not going to guide you while you neglect the Gospel that is meant to give you a home in heaven rather then a home in eternal judgement.

And God is not going to bless you with His Word until you have believed in his most important Word - that Christ died for your sins.

You want to have every blessing available from God - then it starts with believing in Christ.

CHALLENGE of Being Blessed:

For us believers, may we rightly understand what it means that God blesses us with every blessing.

In this life - it does not mean we never struggle and we never suffer.

- The great song - A shelter in the time of storm, has tremendous message.

but that message only his power and meaning because we found God in the midst of struggle.

- Israel only knew the righteousness of God and the power of God because -

he blessed them in time of affliction and cries for help.

- We are wired to realize death and suffering is not natural,

We so often look forward t

but may we realize God in his goodness allows us to suffer so we know he is Good, kind, loving. and powerful.

In fact, I would suggest that is the point of this prayer in .

We can only understand God because of our suffering and sin.

God’s working

May we rejoice this morning in the blessings of God.

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