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First Things First
Nehemiah 9:1-38
Life is full of ups and downs, isn’t it?
There are times when we are on top of the world and other times we’re completely bummed out.
In fact, in our spiritual lives, we often experience indescribable joy when we think about God’s amazing grace, and we also grieve and mourn over our own tendency to fall short time and time again.
As we learned last week, God’s people were told to stop mourning and start rejoicing.
It’s now later in that same month, the shacks made of branches and twigs have been taken down.
God’s Word is given central attention once again, but the mood has changed from one of joy into sorrow.
Nehemiah 8 focused on God’s Word as it was read, interpreted and applied; in chapter 9, the people respond in prayer with genuine sadness about their sins.
Listening to God through His word and responding to Him in prayer should be part of every believer’s spiritual growth.
Here’s another way to compare the two chapters.
In chapter 8, Ezra and Nehemiah comfort the afflicted.
In chapter 9, the comfortable are afflicted.
Joy and grief are two sides of the same coin.
After a thrilling encounter with God, which causes them to break into celebration, the believers now come face to face with their own sin.
Nehemiah 9 records a long prayer; actually it’s the longest prayer in the Bible.
D.L. Moody once asked someone to pray during a church service.
The man began his prayer and was still droning on after ten minutes had gone by.
Finally, Mr. Moody stood up and said, “While our dear brother is finishing his prayer, let’s turn to number 342 and sing it together!”
This prayer in Nehemiah is not that long, but it’s a great model for us to study so that we can learn to put first things first.
So, let’s start by praying and then we’ll read and study this passage.
Pray!
Let’s first look at:
The Greatness of God
The Israelites gathered together on the twenty-fourth day of the month.
They were fasting, wearing sackcloth, and had put dust on their heads.
These were common signs of mourning that were often done when Old Testament believers were in deep sadness because of a loss or when they were ready to repent and recommit their lives to God.
Verse 2 tells us that they had separated themselves from those who would have a bad influence on them.
As they heard the Bible read, they no doubt came across:
Israel’s history tells the tragic story of what happens when believers don’t make a break from the “world.”
Some of us are too cozy with the things of the world as well.
God wants us to live distinctive lives that draw people to the Savior – to live in the world but not like the world.
Then they stood up and confessed the sins and shortcomings of their fathers (because it’s always easier to confess someone else’s sins, right?).
But they didn’t stop there.
They went on to confess their own sins as well.
In verse 3, we find that they spent three hours reading the Bible and then three hours in confession and worship.
The order here is important.
When we read the Word we will see how far we come short.
Once we see our own sinfulness, we will begin to understand more about God’s greatness.
As we do, we’ll break out into worship.
Verses 4 and 5 explain how they conducted this service.
The Levites divided themselves into two groups.
Some were standing on the stairs on one side of the assembly and the other group stood across from them.
The first group “cried with a loud voice.”
The second group focused on God’s character.
Cries of guilt are followed by shouts of praise for God’s greatness, goodness, and graciousness.
In verse 5, the people are invited to,
“Stand up and bless the Lord your God from everlasting to everlasting.”
Before they come to a time of necessary confession, they must first praise the one who alone can hear, pardon and change them.
He never changes and will never go back on His word because He is eternal.
Their prayer continues in the last part of verse 5:
Blessed be your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.
In this chapter, the believers reflect on God’s nature and character as well as His mighty works in history.
Adoration is really the heart of true prayer.
If you’re struggling with your faith this morning, it may well be because your view of God is too small or too narrow.
Or, it may be that your theology is fine, but you don’t think God has much to do with your life today.
David Wells, a theologian, refers to this view as the “weightlessness of God.”
He writes that our sense of inadequacy or ineffectiveness can be traced to our limited understanding and experience of God: “God rests too inconsequentially upon the church.
His truth is too distant, his grace too ordinary, his judgment too benign, his gospel too easy, and His Christ too common.”
Verse 6 starts off with a clear statement of God’s greatness that is grounded in the opening verses of Genesis:
There is no one like God.
The evidence for His greatness is seen in His works of creation as
Psalm 19:1 clearly states:
It’s always best to begin with the greatness of God.
If we focus too much on what He gives or what we want Him to do, we may find our hearts becoming selfish.
Sincere worship honors God in spite of circumstances or feelings or desires.
Do you see God as great this morning?
Or, is your God too small?
We see the greatness of God and next:
The Goodness of God
The bulk of this chapter focuses on the goodness of God in verses 7-30.
God is very clearly the focal point, as the word “you” is used over 50 times.
In verses 7-15, He is the subject of every sentence and the word “give” is used in one form or another at least 16 different times.
This part of the prayer repeats the history of Israel, revealing God’s goodness to His people and their repeated failure to appreciate His gifts and obey His will.
George Santayana, the Spanish philosopher has said, “He who forgets the past is condemned to repeat it.”
Romans 15:4 helps us see the value in studying the Old Testament:
God’s goodness is seen in at least four ways in Nehemiah 9.
Forming
In verses 7-18, the prayer begins with how God formed the nation of Israel.
He chose Abram and brought him out of Ur and made a covenant with him.
Then, when God’s people were suffering in Egypt, God made a name for Himself by dividing the sea and releasing His people from bondage.
In verse 13, they recall God’s goodness in the giving of the Law and in verses 14 and 15, they praise God for how the newly formed nation was given possession of the land that was promised to them.
After this praise time where the focus is on God for His goodness, the words of guilt come out in:
And in verse 17, God’s response:
They are guilty, but God is good…all the time!
Leading
After forming the nation, God was committed to lead His people on a daily basis even when they disobeyed Him.
We see that in verse 19:
Verse 20 says that God gave His Spirit to the people to provide for their spiritual requirements and food and water to meet their physical needs.
Verse 21 tells us that for forty years, as the children of Israel wandered in the desert, their feet did not swell and their clothes did not wear out.
Providing
God’s goodness is seen through His forming of the nation and by how he led them on a daily basis.
He also provided them with everything they needed.
He helped them defeat their enemies and gave them kingdoms and nations.
He multiplied their numbers by blessing them with children.
Verse 25 is a good summary of how God showed His goodness by providing for their needs:
Did you catch that?
God gave them much more than they deserved.
The land was fertile.
Their houses were already furnished.
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