The Power of Remembering
Nehemiah 9:1-14
March 27, 2022
What do you want out of life? (Short answers please!)
We are caused to wonder what answers we would have gotten if we asked the Jews
living in Jerusalem at the time of Nehemiah, what they wanted out of life.
I think they would want their city to be rebuilt and repopulated. They would want the
Temple to be the focus of life in the community and their families to be happy and
healthy. I think their answers would be a lot like our answers.
The story of Nehemiah and the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem is part of a larger
story of God rebuilding the remnant of Israel in the Promised Land. The bigger part of
this story is about restoring the relationship between God and Israel. Nehemiah seems
to understand that returning the Jews to a place of prominence and respect in
Jerusalem and their obedience to God go hand in hand. We are in the same situation
ourselves. God’s blessings and our obedience are related. With the temple and
the wall reconstructed and large numbers of exiles coming back to live in the area of
Jerusalem, things are off to a good start. Now they can focus on their own spiritual
condition and grow in their relationship with the Lord. The pattern they follow is the
same pattern we need to strengthen our relationship with the Lord. They heard God’s
word, they confessed and mourned over their sin, and they renewed their
commitment to obey God.
Remembering how God had brought them back to this land and provided for
them for years, brought hope of freedom from serving foreign rulers.
We should note that in ancient Near Eastern culture things were different than they are
for us in Western society. They had more of a group identity. Most of the time, we
are focused on our individual relationship with God. They shared a common ancestry
and considered that what happened to one was to some extent shared by the group. If
the group didn’t do well, the individual was not likely to do well. This corporate identity
is seen in the Jews confessing not only their own sins but the sins of their forefathers as
well.
We could do well to learn from this Near Eastern mindset and focus more on
our share responsibility for the sins of our nation and community. Let’s listen in
on this prayer and be reminded ourselves of God’s goodness toward us and our
responsibility to Him. (Read 1-3)
1 ¶ On October 31 the people assembled again, and this time they fasted and
dressed in burlap and sprinkled dust on their heads.
2 Those of Israelite descent separated themselves from all foreigners as they
confessed their own sins and the sins of their ancestors.
3 They remained standing in place for three hours while the Book of the Law of
the LORD their God was read aloud to them. Then for three more hours they
confessed their sins and worshiped the LORD their God.
4 ¶ The Levites — Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and
Kenani — stood on the stairway of the Levites and cried out to the LORD their
God with loud voices.
5 Then the leaders of the Levites — Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah,
Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah — called out to the people: “Stand up and praise
the LORD your God, for he lives from everlasting to everlasting!” Then they
prayed: “May your glorious name be praised! May it be exalted above all
blessing and praise!
6 “You alone are the LORD. You made the skies and the heavens and all the
stars. You made the earth and the seas and everything in them. You preserve
them all, and the angels of heaven worship you.
7 “You are the LORD God, who chose Abram and brought him from Ur of the
Chaldeans and renamed him Abraham.
8 When he had proved himself faithful, you made a covenant with him to give
him and his descendants the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites,
Perizzites, Jebusites, and Girgashites. And you have done what you promised,
for you are always true to your word.
9 “You saw the misery of our ancestors in Egypt, and you heard their cries
from beside the Red Sea.
10 You displayed miraculous signs and wonders against Pharaoh, his officials,
and all his people, for you knew how arrogantly they were treating our
ancestors. You have a glorious reputation that has never been forgotten.
11 You divided the sea for your people so they could walk through on dry land!
And then you hurled their enemies into the depths of the sea. They sank like
stones beneath the mighty waters.
12 You led our ancestors by a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire
at night so that they could find their way.
13 “You came down at Mount Sinai and spoke to them from heaven. You gave
them regulations and instructions that were just, and decrees and commands
that were good.
14 You instructed them concerning your holy Sabbath. And you commanded
them, through Moses your servant, to obey all your commands, decrees, and
instructions.
- How is it helpful for you to look back at your past and think about how God was
present in what you’ve gone through? It helps us to think back about our passed actions
and how God responded to us in our times of trouble or need. When we have walked
down the road for a time with the Lord, it is easier to know how to walk with Him now.
When we can remember how God dealt with us in earlier times, we can have clear
expectations for what He will do now. It strengthens us to remember answered prayers.
It encourages us to reflect on His Word and remember what He has said and how He
dealt with others before us. - What are some things you’ve learned the hard way in spite of clear warnings from
others? I have learned that how you treat other people matters. In my earlier years,
my focus was only on what I wanted. That was an empty and troubled way to live. It
hurt others and left me unfulfilled and without purpose. Even though I had heard that
how you treat others mattered, I didn’t take nearly as serious as I should have. Even
small children are told repeatedly to be nice to others, to treat others with respect, and
to consider the needs of others, I missed the message. The Bible teaches us to love our
neighbor as ourselves, but I have been slow in learning that core principle of Jesus’
teachings. - Why did the Israelites gather together at this time? How did the Israelites
demonstrate their spirit of repentance? (9:1)
1 On October 31 the people assembled again, and this time they fasted and
dressed in burlap and sprinkled dust on their heads.
They gathered to remember what God had done and praise Him for His goodness. This
was a time to think back and look forward. They need to remember how God started
this whole process with mankind, his relationship with Abraham, how God had delivered
the children of Israel, and provided for them in the journey to the Promised Land, and
how God had given people instructions on how to live. - What specific steps did the people take to restore their relationship with the Lord?
(9:2-3) 2 Those of Israelite descent separated themselves from all foreigners as
they confessed their own sins and the sins of their ancestors.
3 They remained standing in place for three hours while the Book of the Law of
the LORD their God was read aloud to them. Then for three more hours they
confessed their sins and worshiped the LORD their God.
They separated themselves from all foreigners. This was not about being antisocial, this
getting back to being Jews and living like followers of the True and Living God. The Jews
had gotten way off track. Their actions during this time are described in Ezra 9:1-2.
Ezra 9:1 ¶ When these things had been done, the Jewish leaders came to me
and said, “Many of the people of Israel, and even some of the priests and
Levites, have not kept themselves separate from the other peoples living in the
land. They have taken up the detestable practices of the Canaanites, Hittites,
Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites.
2 For the men of Israel have married women from these people and have
taken them as wives for their sons. So the holy race has become polluted by
these mixed marriages. Worse yet, the leaders and officials have led the way in
this outrage.”
They confessed their sins.
They heard the Word of the Lord for 3 hours.
They spent 3 more hours confessing and worshiping God.
They were doing what was needed in order to get back on the right track. - What role did the Levites play in this event? (9:4-5) (Read)
4 ¶ The Levites — Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and
Kenani — stood on the stairway of the Levites and cried out to the LORD their
God with loud voices.
5 Then the leaders of the Levites — Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah,
Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah — called out to the people: “Stand up and praise
the LORD your God, for he lives from everlasting to everlasting!” Then they
prayed: “May your glorious name be praised! May it be exalted above all
blessing and praise!
The Levites prayed and praised God and encouraged the people to remember all He
had done. This is a reminder not only of our need to spend time reflecting on the
character of God and on His blessings to us, but we should be guiding others to do the
same.
- What was God’s role in creation? Why did they need to remember this? (9:6)
6 “You alone are the LORD. You made the skies and the heavens and all the
stars. You made the earth and the seas and everything in them. You preserve
them all, and the angels of heaven worship you. God made it all!
They, like us, needed to remember that God is our Creator so that we can all better
understand His character and purpose for us. God loves us enough to provide for us and
for the rest of His creation. We, too, have a role inside His creation. We can take care
of His creation – human, animal, plants, and everything else.
We are stewards of what God has made. Creation reminds us of God’s power, ability,
and sovereignty. Creation testifies to the existence of God and the character of
God. - Why was it good to remember God’s interaction with Abram? How does it comfort you
to remember that God keeps His word? (9:7-8)
7 “You are the LORD God, who chose Abram and brought him from Ur of the
Chaldeans and renamed him Abraham.
8 When he had proved himself faithful, you made a covenant with him to give
him and his descendants the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites,
Perizzites, Jebusites, and Girgashites. And you have done what you promised,
for you are always true to your word.
God had selected Abram to be the father of God’s chosen people. It was important for
these Jewish descendents of Abram (Abraham) to remember how God had been
gracious to their people all the way back to Abraham. God’s grace extended to
Abraham had resulted in innumerable blessings in their lives and in the lives of their
ancestors.
The Jews’ relationship with God was founded in God’s relationship with Abraham. This
prayer called them to praise God for His everlasting love for them. - (Everyone) What were some of the ways God provided for and protected the people
of Israel? Which story is your favorite and why? (9:9-14)
9 “You saw the misery of our ancestors in Egypt, and you heard their cries
from beside the Red Sea.
10 You displayed miraculous signs and wonders against Pharaoh, his officials,
and all his people, for you knew how arrogantly they were treating our
ancestors. You have a glorious reputation that has never been forgotten.
11 You divided the sea for your people so they could walk through on dry land!
And then you hurled their enemies into the depths of the sea. They sank like
stones beneath the mighty waters.
12 You led our ancestors by a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire
at night so that they could find their way.
13 “You came down at Mount Sinai and spoke to them from heaven. You gave
them regulations and instructions that were just, and decrees and commands
that were good.
14 You instructed them concerning your holy Sabbath. And you commanded
them, through Moses your servant, to obey all your commands, decrees, and
instructions.
In this prayer they are reminded that God heard the cries of their ancestor at Red Sea.
Their hope was that God would hear their cries and help them in their present situation
as well.
In these verses they recalled the following events and God’s provision in times of need:
1) The Red Sea (v.9 & 11)
2) The plagues God sent to Pharaoh and the Egyptians. (v. 10)
3) God leading the Israelites to the Promised Land and guiding them by a pillar of cloud
in the day and a pillar of fire at night.
4) The story of God giving the 10 commandments
Of the stories of God’s deliverance and protection of His people, my favorite story is the
parting of the Red Sea. Here were the Israelites with the Sea in front of them and the
Egyptian army closing in behind them. They knew they couldn’t beat the Egyptians.
They were certain that they would drown in the sea. There was no obvious solution in
their minds. Yet, God had a solution no one would have even thought possible. He
parted the sea, and they walked across on dry ground. If that part of the story wasn’t
amazing enough, God was not finished. When the army of Egypt followed the Israelites
into the dry river bed, God closed the gap in the water and drown every last one of
them. God can get it done!
Or, now it may be the plagues. I have this week learned more about the plagues.