Confession is Good for the Soul!
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Angry God Fist
Angry God Fist
God gets a bad wrap. I’ve heard it said that God in the New Testament is good and gracious and kind and the God of the Old Testament is just plain angry! Is this true?
It is interesting to know that there was an ancient heresy that promoted this line of thinking...
Marcionism (2nd Century) Marcionites rejected the Old Testament and taught Christianity as something completely distinct from Judaism. They had no love for the God of the Old Testament and, like their leader, Marcion, they rejected all the Gospels but the Gospel of Luke (even this Gospel was redacted to omit any connection to Judaism). Marcionites believed the God of the Old Testament was a God of Wrath and judgment who could not be reconciled with the God of mercy described in the New Testament.
https://coldcasechristianity.com/writings/historic-heresies-related-to-the-nature-of-god-the-father-free-bible-insert/
Well, obviously this is a heresy. But what about the thought that God seems angry in the Old Testament and good, kind and gracious in the New? Well, I think the prayer we are about to study in will give you a clear and definitive answer to this common question.
Remember, God, through His people rebuild the wall. In Chapters 8-13, we get to see God rebuild His people.
And His people are ready! Why? Because this group of Jews seem to truly understand who they are and who their God is. And this is more profound of a thought than you might think.
These two things are very much related. They knew their God. They knew He was a great, good and gracious God! And because they knew their God, they could see clearly who they were as well and just how needy they truly were.
And what really stands out to me in this chapter is the people of God
Main Idea: The More You Know Your God, The More You’ll Know Your Need!
Main Idea: The More You Know Your God, The More You’ll Know Your Need!
The Jewish feast if tabernacles had ended and the feasting turned into fasting as they continued to be confronted by the message of the Word of God.
1. Know Your God is Great (vs. 1-6) -
1. Know Your God is Great (vs. 1-6) -
Lead in…Is there anyone or anything greater than our God? NO! Nothing. Yet this has been mankind's struggle since the beginning, thinking we are greater than the greatest being ever.
1 Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the people of Israel were assembled with fasting and in sackcloth, and with earth on their heads. 2 And the Israelites separated themselves from all foreigners and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. 3 And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of the day; for another quarter of it they made confession and worshiped the Lord their God. 4 On the stairs of the Levites stood Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani; and they cried with a loud voice to the Lord their God. 5 Then the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, “Stand up and bless the Lord your God from everlasting to everlasting. Blessed be your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.
Nehemiah n
1 Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the people of Israel were assembled with fasting and in sackcloth, and with earth on their heads. 2 And the Israelites separated themselves from all foreigners and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. 3 And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of the day; for another quarter of it they made confession and worshiped the Lord their God. 4 On the stairs of the Levites stood Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani; and they cried with a loud voice to the Lord their God. 5 Then the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, “Stand up and bless the Lord your God from everlasting to everlasting. Blessed be your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise. 6 “You are the Lord, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you.
Nehemiah
Explain -
The Greatness of God Causes Confession of Sin (vs. 1-2)
The Greatness of God Causes Confession of Sin (vs. 1-2)
1 Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the people of Israel were assembled with fasting and in sackcloth, and with earth on their heads. 2 And the Israelites separated themselves from all foreigners and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.
The vast majority of this chapter is a great and glorious prayer to God. The Jews, at this point in their history had learned their lesson and they are humble and contrite of heart. They are worshiping God and physically demonstrating their humility by fasting from their feasting. They are dressed in sackcloth (which is the traditional dress for those in mourning for sin). And they have put earth or dirt on their head. All of this was done, I’m certain, in light of The Day of Atonement that was celebrated on the tenth day of this, the seventh month (; ).
And what we see in verse two is a separation from the world - this was the Jewish problem throughout their history with God.
And second, a humble confession of the national sins of their fathers. They were broken by their sin and they, as we will see through the remainder of this chapter, do a thorough job of repenting (change of direction due to a change of heart).
God’s greatness - of which they could not deny, causes them to come to terms with their own sinfulness...
But that is not all His greatness does in this passage. It also causes great worship...
The Greatness of God Causes Worship of God (vs. 3-6)
The Greatness of God Causes Worship of God (vs. 3-6)
Nehemiah 9:
3 And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of the day; for another quarter of it they made confession and worshiped the Lord their God. 4 On the stairs of the Levites stood Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani; and they cried with a loud voice to the Lord their God. 5 Then the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, “Stand up and bless the Lord your God from everlasting to everlasting. Blessed be your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise. 6 “You are the Lord, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you.
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3 And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of the day; for another quarter of it they made confession and worshiped the Lord their God. 4 On the stairs of the Levites stood Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani; and they cried with a loud voice to the Lord their God.
Notice what show up again? How do they know about the greatness of God? Of all the things that God has done for His people? They see it from the Book of the Law of the LORD! And as we learned last week from chapter 8 and what we see now in chapter 9, they are spending a significant amount of time in the Word.
They read from the Holy Scriptures for 3 hours! And that reading not only lead to confession, but also worship of God for another 3 hours! A half a day given to God!
The Levites led the way in worship! They prayed...
5 Then the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, “Stand up and bless the Lord your God from everlasting to everlasting. Blessed be your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise. 6 “You are the Lord, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you.
Nehemiah 9
They prayed praising God recognizing his eternality, His position, the fact that He is the Creator of all things, that He is responsible to hold all things together and that even the Angels of heaven worship Him!
Isaiah
1 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” 4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar.
Friends, I think we easily forget who our God is. He is HOLY! He is All POWERFUL! HE IS ALL KNOWING! HE IS THE CREATOR OF ALL THINGS INCLUDING YOU!! He is God very God and is the Sovereign ruler of EVERYTHING! Our God is GREAT!
The spiritual eyes of the Jews were now open and they were convinced of the greatness of their God. And this humble mindset caused them to confess their sin and worship God afresh!
How do you view God? How you view God will affect your confession of sin and it will affect your worship. If you think your sin is no big deal and God is obligated to forgive you, you will be flippant and arrogant regarding your sin. But the greater God is in the way you view Him, the more your will see your deficiency in comparison.
I want you to take some serious time this week and focus on the greatness of God in the bible.
I want you to also take some serious time this week and focus on the greatness of God in your life!
Meditate on His Greatness as your start your personal worship time. Do you know what will happen? You will become smaller in comparison to His greatness. Your self-importance will shrink and you will be put in your proper place and you place God in His!
Develop the heart of John the Baptist...
30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”
Review - The More You Know Your God, The More You’ll Know Your Need!
Know Your God is Great!
2. Know Your God is Good (vs. 7-30)
2. Know Your God is Good (vs. 7-30)
Lead in…Sing “God is so Good...”
How did He show his GOODNESS to the Jews? Why did God set His affections on this people?
6 “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. 7 It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, 8 but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
6 “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. 7 It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples,
Deut 7
So, there wasn’t anything special about this people group. God simply, for His glory, decided to place His hand of goodness on them! And as we continue to learn from this beautiful prayer the Levites were leading the people in, we see God’s goodness in three specific ways...
6 “You are the Lord, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you. 7 You are the Lord, the God who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and gave him the name Abraham. 8 You found his heart faithful before you, and made with him the covenant to give to his offspring the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite, and the Girgashite. And you have kept your promise, for you are righteous. 9 “And you saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt and heard their cry at the Red Sea, 10 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. 11 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. 12 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. 13 You came down on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven and gave them right rules and true laws, good statutes and commandments, 14 and you made known to them your holy Sabbath and commanded them commandments and statutes and a law by Moses your servant. 15 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. 16 “But they and our fathers acted presumptuously and stiffened their neck and did not obey your commandments. 17 They refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them. 18 Even when they had made for themselves a golden calf and said, ‘This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt,’ and had committed great blasphemies, 19 you in your great mercies did not forsake them in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud to lead them in the way did not depart from them by day, nor the pillar of fire by night to light for them the way by which they should go. 20 You gave your good Spirit to instruct them and did not withhold your manna from their mouth and gave them water for their thirst. 21 Forty years you sustained them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell. 22 “And you gave them kingdoms and peoples and allotted to them every corner. So they took possession of the land of Sihon king of Heshbon and the land of Og king of Bashan. 23 You multiplied their children as the stars of heaven, and you brought them into the land that you had told their fathers to enter and possess. 24 So the descendants went in and possessed the land, and you subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gave them into their hand, with their kings and the peoples of the land, that they might do with them as they would. 25 And they captured fortified cities and a rich land, and took possession of houses full of all good things, cisterns already hewn, vineyards, olive orchards and fruit trees in abundance. So they ate and were filled and became fat and delighted themselves in your great goodness. 26 “Nevertheless, they were disobedient and rebelled against you and cast your law behind their back and killed your prophets, who had warned them in order to turn them back to you, and they committed great blasphemies. 27 Therefore you gave them into the hand of their enemies, who made them suffer. And in the time of their suffering they cried out to you and you heard them from heaven, and according to your great mercies you gave them saviors who saved them from the hand of their enemies. 28 But after they had rest they did evil again before you, and you abandoned them to the hand of their enemies, so that they had dominion over them. Yet when they turned and cried to you, you heard from heaven, and many times you delivered them according to your mercies. 29 And you warned them in order to turn them back to your law. Yet they acted presumptuously and did not obey your commandments, but sinned against your rules, which if a person does them, he shall live by them, and they turned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck and would not obey. 30 Many years you bore with them and warned them by your Spirit through your prophets. Yet they would not give ear. Therefore you gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.
God’s Goodness Formed a Nation (7-18)
God’s Goodness Formed a Nation (7-18)
7 You are the Lord, the God who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and gave him the name Abraham. 8 You found his heart faithful before you, and made with him the covenant to give to his offspring the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite, and the Girgashite. And you have kept your promise, for you are righteous. 9 “And you saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt and heard their cry at the Red Sea, 10 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. 11 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. 12 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. 13 You came down on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven and gave them right rules and true laws, good statutes and commandments, 14 and you made known to them your holy Sabbath and commanded them commandments and statutes and a law by Moses your servant. 15 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. 16 “But they and our fathers acted presumptuously and stiffened their neck and did not obey your commandments. 17 They refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them. 18 Even when they had made for themselves a golden calf and said, ‘This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt,’ and had committed great blasphemies,
This nation started a long time ago and with one specific individual. Abram or better know as Abraham...
7 You are the Lord, the God who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and gave him the name Abraham. 8 You found his heart faithful before you, and made with him the covenant to give to his offspring the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite, and the Girgashite. And you have kept your promise, for you are righteous. 9 “And you saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt and heard their cry at the Red Sea, 10 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. 11 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. 12 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. 13 You came down on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven and gave them right rules and true laws, good statutes and commandments, 14 and you made known to them your holy Sabbath and commanded them commandments and statutes and a law by Moses your servant. 15 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. 16 “But they and our fathers acted presumptuously and stiffened their neck and did not obey your commandments. 17 They refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them. 18 Even when they had made for themselves a golden calf and said, ‘This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt,’ and had committed great blasphemies, 19 you in your great mercies did not forsake them in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud to lead them in the way did not depart from them by day, nor the pillar of fire by night to light for them the way by which they should go. 20 You gave your good Spirit to instruct them and did not withhold your manna from their mouth and gave them water for their thirst. 21 Forty years you sustained them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell. 22 “And you gave them kingdoms and peoples and allotted to them every corner. So they took possession of the land of Sihon king of Heshbon and the land of Og king of Bashan. 23 You multiplied their children as the stars of heaven, and you brought them into the land that you had told their fathers to enter and possess. 24 So the descendants went in and possessed the land, and you subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gave them into their hand, with their kings and the peoples of the land, that they might do with them as they would. 25 And they captured fortified cities and a rich land, and took possession of houses full of all good things, cisterns already hewn, vineyards, olive orchards and fruit trees in abundance. So they ate and were filled and became fat and delighted themselves in your great goodness. 26 “Nevertheless, they were disobedient and rebelled against you and cast your law behind their back and killed your prophets, who had warned them in order to turn them back to you, and they committed great blasphemies. 27 Therefore you gave them into the hand of their enemies, who made them suffer. And in the time of their suffering they cried out to you and you heard them from heaven, and according to your great mercies you gave them saviors who saved them from the hand of their enemies. 28 But after they had rest they did evil again before you, and you abandoned them to the hand of their enemies, so that they had dominion over them. Yet when they turned and cried to you, you heard from heaven, and many times you delivered them according to your mercies. 29 And you warned them in order to turn them back to your law. Yet they acted presumptuously and did not obey your commandments, but sinned against your rules, which if a person does them, he shall live by them, and they turned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck and would not obey. 30 Many years you bore with them and warned them by your Spirit through your prophets. Yet they would not give ear. Therefore you gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.
Nehemiah
God was good to Abraham (vs. 7-8) Listen to what they pray...
7 You are the Lord, the God who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and gave him the name Abraham. 8 You found his heart faithful before you, and made with him the covenant to give to his offspring the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite, and the Girgashite. And you have kept your promise, for you are righteous.
Nehemiah
What a request God laid before Abraham! To leave his home and go to an undisclosed location. And, this man of faith went! But it was God that was good to him along the way because He kept his promises to him. The Levites have the benefit of knowing the end of Abraham’s story and they could see clearly that God is the hero of Abraham’s story, not Abraham! And how was God the hero? Because God, at every twist and turn of his story was so good to Abraham - God was good because He kept his promise.
God wasn’t only good to Abraham...
From Moses to Joshua
God was good to Moses (vs. 9-15)
9 “And you saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt and heard their cry at the Red Sea, 10 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. 11 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. 12 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. 13 You came down on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven and gave them right rules and true laws, good statutes and commandments, 14 and you made known to them your holy Sabbath and commanded them commandments and statutes and a law by Moses your servant. 15 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
Example after example in this prayer of how God faithfully, kindly, consistently did good things for His people...
How did His people respond?
From Joshua to the Judges
Israel was stubborn against God (vs. 16-17a)
16 “But they and our fathers acted presumptuously and stiffened their neck and did not obey your commandments. 17 They refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them.
Can you imagine? After all that God did for His people, their response was to “stiffen their neck” - This, by the way, is a pose for battle!
5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,
6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
6 For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar.
34 Toward the scorners he is scornful, but to the humble he gives favor.
23 One’s pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.
Isn’t it interesting that the arrogant Jews thought they could compete with the God of the Universe who called all things into existence by the word of His mouth?
He could have, at any point in their history say, enough. But He chose differently. He was so patient with this stiff necked people.
Still God is so Good (17b -18)
17 They refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them. 18 Even when they had made for themselves a golden calf and said, ‘This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt,’ and had committed great blasphemies,
As we can see in this prayer, the Jews pulled some pretty awful and egregious things in front of their God. They were a stench to Him on many occasions - and yet He continued to be good to them.
This nation formed by God through Abraham and Moses consistently and faithful demonstrated good to them. And by His goodness, He continued to lead them...
God’s Goodness Lead the Nation ()
God’s Goodness Lead the Nation ()
19 you in your great mercies did not forsake them in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud to lead them in the way did not depart from them by day, nor the pillar of fire by night to light for them the way by which they should go. 20 You gave your good Spirit to instruct them and did not withhold your manna from their mouth and gave them water for their thirst. 21 Forty years you sustained them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell. 22 “And you gave them kingdoms and peoples and allotted to them every corner. So they took possession of the land of Sihon king of Heshbon and the land of Og king of Bashan.
This portion of the Levites prayer recounts the 38 years of wandering in the wilderness recorded in . Because the Levites knew the Word of God, they knew what God had done fore their fathers in spite of the way they treated Him.
Nehemiah
But, I want you to understand something about our great God who does good for His people.
8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
But there comes a time when God, because of His great love and goodness says enough!
God’s Goodness Disciplined the Nation ()
God’s Goodness Disciplined the Nation ()
God continued to show His goodness...
23 You multiplied their children as the stars of heaven, and you brought them into the land that you had told their fathers to enter and possess. 24 So the descendants went in and possessed the land, and you subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gave them into their hand, with their kings and the peoples of the land, that they might do with them as they would. 25 And they captured fortified cities and a rich land, and took possession of houses full of all good things, cisterns already hewn, vineyards, olive orchards and fruit trees in abundance. So they ate and were filled and became fat and delighted themselves in your great goodness.
The Blessed Jews became the Messed Jews!
26 “Nevertheless, they were disobedient and rebelled against you and cast your law behind their back and killed your prophets, who had warned them in order to turn them back to you, and they committed great blasphemies.
26-
Because God loved the Jews, He disciplined them…(this is a picture of the book of Judges). Take a look...
27 Therefore you gave them into the hand of their enemies, who made them suffer. And in the time of their suffering they cried out to you and you heard them from heaven, and according to your great mercies you gave them saviors who saved them from the hand of their enemies.
Neh 9:27-
It got their attention for a minute, but...
28 But after they had rest they did evil again before you, and you abandoned them to the hand of their enemies, so that they had dominion over them. Yet when they turned and cried to you, you heard from heaven, and many times you delivered them according to your mercies. 29 And you warned them in order to turn them back to your law. Yet they acted presumptuously and did not obey your commandments, but sinned against your rules, which if a person does them, he shall live by them, and they turned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck and would not obey. 30 Many years you bore with them and warned them by your Spirit through your prophets. Yet they would not give ear. Therefore you gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.
23 You multiplied their children as the stars of heaven, and you brought them into the land that you had told their fathers to enter and possess. 24 So the descendants went in and possessed the land, and you subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gave them into their hand, with their kings and the peoples of the land, that they might do with them as they would. 25 And they captured fortified cities and a rich land, and took possession of houses full of all good things, cisterns already hewn, vineyards, olive orchards and fruit trees in abundance. So they ate and were filled and became fat and delighted themselves in your great goodness. 26 “Nevertheless, they were disobedient and rebelled against you and cast your law behind their back and killed your prophets, who had warned them in order to turn them back to you, and they committed great blasphemies. 27 Therefore you gave them into the hand of their enemies, who made them suffer. And in the time of their suffering they cried out to you and you heard them from heaven, and according to your great mercies you gave them saviors who saved them from the hand of their enemies. 28 But after they had rest they did evil again before you, and you abandoned them to the hand of their enemies, so that they had dominion over them. Yet when they turned and cried to you, you heard from heaven, and many times you delivered them according to your mercies. 29 And you warned them in order to turn them back to your law. Yet they acted presumptuously and did not obey your commandments, but sinned against your rules, which if a person does them, he shall live by them, and they turned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck and would not obey. 30 Many years you bore with them and warned them by your Spirit through your prophets. Yet they would not give ear. Therefore you gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.
Nehemiah
Certainly the Levites were familiar with the pattern of the Jewish people in the book of Judges. If you have read this book you will see a pattern of the Jews walking away from God, God sending another nation in to discipline them, the Jews then crying out to God for help and then God sending a Judge to deliver them. On and on this pattern went. And what it proved is, left to themselves, they would not be strong in the Lord. What they needed wasn’t just any deliverer, but the ultimate deliverer, Jesus Christ.
These Jews would continue to stiffen their neck and God would fulfill what He had long promised through the prophets - their greatest shame! He would have them expelled from the Promised land and endure a 70 year captivity. This is the last part of verse 30. “Therefore you gave them into the hand of the people of the lands. The Assyrians and the Babylonians would capture the northern kingdom, Israel and the southern kingdom, Judah.
Why did God form this nation, lead this nation and even discipline this nation? Because He is good! Huh? Yes! He used the nation of Israel to prove to the world around them that He is the One true and good God!
The other nations knew how God delivered His people over and over again. And they greatly feared Him. Read Joshua for a clear understanding of this.
This prayer the Levites are praying is a recitation of the History of the Jewish nation from the time of it’s conception through Abraham to the release of their captivity!
And this generation of Levites and Jews finally understood what God had been doing through the generations and they worshiped and praised God for it.
Illustrate -
Thought - God’s Goodness isn’t Always Easy!
By the way, there is one ultimate way that God demonstrated his goodness to the Jewish nation - He formed the nation through Abraham, but He would save His Nation, His people through Jesus.
21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
He will save His people from their sins. Is there any act that demonstrates God’s goodness more poignantly than offering them the means by which they can be saved - brought into a right relationship with God Himself?
God is the Good God and just as he was purposely working good to the nation of Israel, so he is in the life of the church and you as an individual.
Do you believe this?
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
The greatest good that God can do for you is to conform you to the image of Christ. And often times it is trials as well as God disciplining had that does this most effectively.
Do you know, no matter how hard life is for you child of God, that God is being good to you?
Review - The More You Know Your God, The More You’ll Know Your Need!
Know Your God is Great!
Know Your God is Good!
3. Know Your God is Gracious (vs. 31-38)
3. Know Your God is Gracious (vs. 31-38)
Lead in…The children of Israel failed often to remember that their God was gracious. But in this long and substantial prayer of the Levites, they now understood that although they had endured much suffering, it was because of their pride and rebellion - and it was ONLY BY GOD’S GRACE that they were still a nation, that He continued to lead them and provide for them.
31 Nevertheless, in your great mercies you did not make an end of them or forsake them, for you are a gracious and merciful God. 32 “Now, therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love, let not all the hardship seem little to you that has come upon us, upon our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and all your people, since the time of the kings of Assyria until this day. 33 Yet you have been righteous in all that has come upon us, for you have dealt faithfully and we have acted wickedly. 34 Our kings, our princes, our priests, and our fathers have not kept your law or paid attention to your commandments and your warnings that you gave them. 35 Even in their own kingdom, and amid your great goodness that you gave them, and in the large and rich land that you set before them, they did not serve you or turn from their wicked works. 36 Behold, we are slaves this day; in the land that you gave to our fathers to enjoy its fruit and its good gifts, behold, we are slaves. 37 And its rich yield goes to the kings whom you have set over us because of our sins. They rule over our bodies and over our livestock as they please, and we are in great distress. 38 “Because of all this we make a firm covenant in writing; on the sealed document are the names of our princes, our Levites, and our priests.
Let’s look at the last verses of this chapter to see what they pray...
31 Nevertheless, in your great mercies you did not make an end of them or forsake them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.
31 Nevertheless, in your great mercies you did not make an end of them or forsake them, for you are a gracious and merciful God. 32 “Now, therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love, let not all the hardship seem little to you that has come upon us, upon our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and all your people, since the time of the kings of Assyria until this day. 33 Yet you have been righteous in all that has come upon us, for you have dealt faithfully and we have acted wickedly. 34 Our kings, our princes, our priests, and our fathers have not kept your law or paid attention to your commandments and your warnings that you gave them. 35 Even in their own kingdom, and amid your great goodness that you gave them, and in the large and rich land that you set before them, they did not serve you or turn from their wicked works.
31 Nevertheless, in your great mercies you did not make an end of them or forsake them, for you are a gracious and merciful God. 32 “Now, therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love, let not all the hardship seem little to you that has come upon us, upon our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and all your people, since the time of the kings of Assyria until this day. 33 Yet you have been righteous in all that has come upon us, for you have dealt faithfully and we have acted wickedly. 34 Our kings, our princes, our priests, and our fathers have not kept your law or paid attention to your commandments and your warnings that you gave them.
Nehemiah 9:
Do you see in the first line of this final portion of their prayer - They are praising God that He didn’t put them to an end. They understood that He, as their creator had every right to do with them as he pleased. And He was pleased to allow them to continue as His people. This is an act of grace and mercy (vs. 31)
Nehemiah 9:31-
Nehemiah
In verse 32-35 they pray for more grace and mercy because they knew they deserved more punishment.
32 “Now, therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love, let not all the hardship seem little to you that has come upon us, upon our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and all your people, since the time of the kings of Assyria until this day. 33 Yet you have been righteous in all that has come upon us, for you have dealt faithfully and we have acted wickedly. 34 Our kings, our princes, our priests, and our fathers have not kept your law or paid attention to your commandments and your warnings that you gave them. 35 Even in their own kingdom, and amid your great goodness that you gave them, and in the large and rich land that you set before them, they did not serve you or turn from their wicked works.
Neh 9:
A Proper Perspective
36 Behold, we are slaves this day; in the land that you gave to our fathers to enjoy its fruit and its good gifts, behold, we are slaves. 37 And its rich yield goes to the kings whom you have set over us because of our sins. They rule over our bodies and over our livestock as they please, and we are in great distress.
They understand that although they are back in the Promised Land, they are still under the authority of Gentile rulers. And this is a great burden for them. A burden that will continue even to the time Christ arrives.
Neh 9
Nevertheless, they are thrilled to be home and the fully understand that it was their sin and their sin alone that got them into the mess in the first place. And so, they made...
A Poignant Promise
38 “Because of all this we make a firm covenant in writing; on the sealed document are the names of our princes, our Levites, and our priests.
Nehemiah 9:
They are determined to be a holy people fully pleasing to the Lord.
Explain -
- Davids prayer of confession and repentance.
1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. 5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. 6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. 9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
And it was only by God’s grace that God forgave David!
God is a gracious God. When we understand the exacting nature of His truth and that it only takes one sin to qualify us to eternal hell...
10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.
When we understand that our works simply cannot and do not cut it with God...
6 We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
When we truly understand the “Bad News” of the Gospel, we begin to appreciate God’s glorious grace.
This is why it is harder for people raised in the church to truly appreciate their sinfulness. Because, while they know what the bible says about them, they still have an idea that they are pretty good because they followed all the rules and they’re not as bad as that other person over there.
That’s a dangerous place to live because that person doesn’t fully appreciate the grace of God and they need to sincerely test themselves to see if they are in the faith.
Do you appreciate God’s grace? You will not if you do not appreciate that God is HOLY first and foremost.
Review - The More You Know Your God, The More You’ll Know Your Need!
Know Your God is Great!
Know Your God is Good!
Know Your God is Gracious!
Conclusion
Conclusion
So, do you agree with my opening statement that God gets a bad wrap?
God isn’t this cosmic angry curmudgeon who delights in making people suffer and miserable! Nope! The reality is He is super patient and kind to a people who are stiffnecked and determined to live their own way.
The generation of Jews in finally understood this about themselves. And the reason they could understand themselves so well (that they were wicked and rebellious) is because they compared themselves to the God revealed in the Holy Scriptures.
If you compare yourself to your neighbor, you’ll probably come out pretty good.
If you compare yourself to God - there is NO comparison. He is greater than you are! He is way more Good than you are! He is far more gracious than you are!
And thus, you (hopefully) see your greatest need is God Himself.
Be like the Jews of chapter 9 and cry out to God a prayer of confession and repentance - If you do, you will experience the gracious goodness of our GREAT God, Jesus Christ!
Review Main Idea
Give final application
Land the Plane.
Connection Group Reflection Questions
What do these verses teach me about our character?
What do these verses teach me about God and his character?
Because these words are from God, they are TRUTH! What truth is he asking me to believe?
What do I need to do to obey him?
With whom can I share these truths?