Nehemiah 9:32-38

8. Prayer for present mercy.

TEXT, Nehemiah 9:32-38

32

Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who dost keep covenant and lovingkindness,

Do not let all the hardship seem insignificant before Thee,

Which has come upon us, our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and on all Thy people,

From the days of the kings of Assyria to this day.

33

However, Thou art just in all that hast come upon us;

For Thou hast dealt faithfully, but we have acted wickedly.

34

For our kings, our leaders, our priests, and our fathers have not kept Thy law

Or paid attention to Thy commandments and Thy admonitions with which Thou has admonished them.

35

But they, in their own kingdom,

With Thy great goodness which Thou didst give them,
With the broad and rich land which Thou didst set before them,

Did not serve Thee or turn from their evil deeds.

36

Behold, we are slaves today,

And as to the land which Thou didst give to our fathers to eat of its fruit and its bounty,
Behold, we are slaves on it.

37

And its abundant produce is for the kings

Whom Thou hast set over us because of our sins;
They also rule over our bodies

And over our cattle as they please,
So we are in great distress.

38

Now because of all this

We are making an agreement in writing;
And on the sealed document are the names of our leaders, our Levites and our priests.

COMMENT

The Now of Nehemiah 9:32 brought them up to the present. Three attributes of God are given: majesty (great, mighty, awesome); faithfulness (who dost keep covenant); mercy (and loving kindness).[73] The reference to the kings of Assyria (there were at least six) reverently omits accusing God for this, though He had said (Isaiah 10:5) that He was using them as the rod of His anger against His people. Nehemiah 9:33-35 use this information in justifying God for His hand in these acts of punishment and correction.

[73] Adenay, op. cit., p. 304.

Nehemiah 9:36-37 describe their condition as of that day. Note the contrast between the they of Nehemiah 9:35 and the we of Nehemiah 9:36.

Nehemiah 9:36 pungently reminds us that they were not entirely free. The Persians were still their overlords, though they had been permitted to return to their homeland.

Nehemiah 9:37 speaks of the nature of that burden. A certain part of their crops went to the Persian rulers; a certain number of their offspring were taken into Persian taskwork and military service; and everyone in fact was physically subject to the rule of these foreigners. They felt the burden of God's judgment.

Nehemiah 9:38 gives the outcome of their prayer: they have determined to place their names on a document pledging their loyalty to God, as will be further described in the next chapter. A conclusion which spells out and calls for immediate action is always effective.

WORD STUDIES

NAME (Nehemiah 9:5, Shem): basically it means a sign, monument, or memorial of a person, thing, or event. This word is translated memorial in Isaiah 55:13. But the emphasis is on the person or event of which it is only the sign. To do something in someone's name is to act by his authority (Exodus 5:23). To know someone by name suggests acquaintance with him personally (Exodus 33:12). To make oneself a name indicates fame and renown (2 Samuel 7:9); conversely, to have no name is to be a nobody (Job 30:8); a good name signified a good reputation or character (Proverbs 22:1); the destruction of one's name meant that his person and the memory of him would be no more (Deuteronomy 9:14).

God's name, then, is His person, His authority, the knowledge of Him, His fame or glory, His character, the memory of all that He has done.

WORSHIP (Nehemiah 9:3); BOW DOWN (Nehemiah 9:6): these are the same word. It contains three ideas; (1) sink down, bow down, fall prostrate, do honor or reverence to someone whether to an equal or to a superior; (2) hence, to worship or adore; (3) therefore, to do homage or yield allegiance to someone.

Worship is incomplete without commitment.

SUMMARY

After a day's break the people assembled once more with the marks of humility and purity. The Law was again read, and the Levites led them in a prayer of confession.
The prayer began with praise to the incomparable God of creation who had chosen Abraham and had covenanted to give him and his descendants the land on which the people were standing. They reviewed God's hand in the Exodus events: miraculous deliverance from Egypt, giving of the Law on Mt. Sinai, directions to enter Canaan. When the Israelites were stubborn and disobedient, God forgave. When they made a golden calf to be their god, He was compassionate and continued to guide and provide for them. Eventually God enabled them to defeat Sihon and Og and take their territory on the east of the Jordan: then to go into the land of the Canaanites. They took over cities already built and farmlands already under cultivation. Then followed alternating periods of rebellion, oppression, repentance, and God's gracious deliverance, through the time Of judges, kings, and even captivity. Now they recognized the justness of what God had done; they saw the bonds which still tied them to Persia; and their leaders signed their names on behalf of all the people to a document to be described following.