The Book of nehemiah

Chapter 9

Nehemiah 9: [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. [2] And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers. [3] 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.

In the first 6 chapters of Nehemiah we have the reconstruction of the wall around Jerusalem.

After the accomplishing a tremendous achievement, Nehemiah wants to protect the work.

He appoints leaders and guards to watch the city

Beginning with Chapter 7, Nehemiah began a time for reinstruction of the people.

1) Repentance of the People

The people gather as one man in the street before the water gate and heard the Word of God.

The people respond in obedience and service.

They carefully observed the Feast of Tabernacles in a way that had not been done in 100 years.

The people were filled with gladness of heart and fullness of joy.

Hebrews 4:[12] For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. [13] Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

The Word of God also brought the people to a realization about their sins.

A. Exhibited by Sincere Humility (Vs 1)

The people began to fast as if the weight of sin made food feel unimportant.

The people wore sackcloth and threw dirt on themselves as if the trouble of sin made comfort seem unimportant.

This reflected their humble heart.

Ps 55:17 a broken and a contrite heart, O GOD, thou wilt not despise

B. Evidenced by Separation (Vs 2a)

Their humble hearts were noticed publicly. They did not care what others thought of them, just GOD.

Mt 3:[8] Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:

1 Pet 2:[9] But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

They were willing to come away from the world. Separation will bring a change that can be seen.

C. Expressed by Standing Publicly (Vs 2b-3)

They stood and admitted they had sinned. To sin is to “miss the mark”.

1John 1: [8] If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
[9] If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

They confessed their sins.

They admitted that they were not only sinful but they came from sinful ancestors.

· After reconstruction of the walls, and reinstruction of the Word, there was repentance

· Repentance grows as faith grows

· Repentance is not just a one time thing but a continual attitude of the heart.

· This repentance took place right after the celebration.

Once again, there was MORE reading from the Word of GOD.

One fourth of the day they read and one fourth of the day they confessed and worshipped.

Nehemiah 9: [4] 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.

2) Review of Position Vs 4

Eight of the Levites, leaders of the people, stand before the congregation and cried with a loud voice.

These men encourage all the people to stand for a word of prayer.

This prayer is the longest prayer recorded in the Scripture.

This prayer offered:

Nehemiah 9: [5] Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, 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. [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.

A. Praise for the Creator Vs 5, 6

Nehemiah 9: [7] 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;

B. Praise for HIS Choice Vs 7

You and I were chosen of GOD.

Jn 15:16 ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you

Acts 9:15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:

GOD changed Abram name to Abraham. He was the friend of GOD

GOD changed the name of Simon to Peter, Saul to Paul and Rev 2:17 HE will change our name too.

Nehemiah 9: [8] 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:

C. Praise for HIS Covenant Vs 8

Gal 3: [8] And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.

Gal 3:[7] Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. [8] And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. [9] So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

Heb 8:[6] But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.

Heb 10:[16] This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;

Heb 13:[20] Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,

Nehemiah 9: [9] And didst see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heardest their cry by the Red sea; [10] And shewedst signs and wonders upon Pharoah, 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. [11] 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. [12] 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. [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:
[14] And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant: [15] 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. [16] But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments, [17] And 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. [18] 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; [19] Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: 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. [20] Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst.
[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.

D. Praise for HIS Compassion Vs 9-21

Lam 3: [22] It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
[23] They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. [24] The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. [25] The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.

Nehemiah 9: [22] 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. [23] 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.
[24] 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 the people of the land, that they might do with them as they would. [25] And they took strong cities, and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all goods, wells digged, vineyards, and oliveyards, and fruit trees in abundance: so they did eat, and were filled, and became fat, and delighted themselves in thy great goodness.

E. Praise for HIS Conquest Vs 22- 25

1 Cor 15: [55] O death, where [is] thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory ? [56] The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. [57] But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Nehemiah 9: [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. [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. [28] 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 the 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;
[29] 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 judgments, (which if a man do, he shall live in them;) and withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear. [30] 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. [31] Nevertheless for thy great mercies' sake thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for thou art a gracious and merciful God.

F. Praise for HIS Chastisement Vs 26- 31

The people know that GOD chastises those whom He loves.

Heb 12:6

[6] For whom the LORD loveth he chasteneth

Nehemiah 9: [32] Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible 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. [33] Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us; for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly: [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. [35] For they have not served thee in their kingdom, and in thy 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.

G. Plea of Concession Vs 32-35

The people just simple concede that GOD is righteous and they are wicked.

Nehemiah 9: [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: [37] 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. [38] And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, Levites, and priests, seal unto it.

3) Record of Promise

A. Pledge of Commitment (36-38)

The people all give their word that they will obey the Word of GOD.

They will write down their commitment to the LORD and seal it up.

They are resolved to obey GOD’s Word.

The terms of their promise is in the next chapter.