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.

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.

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.

In our last study of Nehemiah, the people gathered together with Ezra for a reading of the Bible. That interaction with the word awakened something within the people. First, they felt sorrow at the gap between the righteous law of God and the lawless way they'd been living. Second, they felt joy that God had not permanently eliminated them for their consistent rebellion but was still working among them. Third, they read about and celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles.

After the feast was over with, on the twenty-fourth day of the month, they gathered again for another reading of the word. Though the text doesn't explicitly mention him, Ezra was likely the reader (he wouldn't have missed such an important day). Since this was now the appropriate time to mourn over their sins, the people arrived too sad to eat, wearing the garments of mourning (sackcloth, 1).

After reading the book of the Law of the Lord their God for three hours, they confessed and worshipped God for another three hours (3). And as they gathered on the stairs, a group of leaders led them in a representative prayer to God (4-5).

The prayer is insightful because it shows us what the Bible did to them—it reminded them of their story. Through reading the word, they remembered their ancestors, which helped them learn about themselves. Second, they learned about God's dealings with them, which helped them learn about God. And third, they saw their current (poor) condition clearly, which helped them learn about their need. The word woke them up, helping them see themselves, their God, and their need correctly.

If we are going to experience God's renewal in our lives, we must go to God's word for all three—who we are, who God is, and what we need.

1. About Themselves

They Were God's Special People

The first thing I want to draw out of the passage is what the people saw about themselves. This prayer reveals how much the Bible messed with that generation.

As they read Genesis, then Exodus, and so on, they realized they were God's special people. They recalled how God created everything, telling him how he had made heaven, its host, the earth, the sea, and everything in them (6). But God did not only create the cosmos—he also made his people, first by choosing Abram, changing his name to Abraham, and making a firm covenant with his descendants (7-8).

So, as they interacted with the word, they remembered their special calling. And, as you interact with Scripture, you should come to the conclusion you have a special calling in God's sight. God refers to his church as his elect people. As Peter says:

1 Peter 2:9 — 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

God Had Delivered Them

But as they read on in the word, they also realized God had delivered them. God had seen the afflictions of their fathers in Egypt and had come down to do signs and wonders against Pharaoh, defeating him finally and totally at the Red Sea (10).

So, as they interacted with the word, they remembered their great deliverance. And, as you interact with Scripture, you will more clearly remember the deliverance Jesus Christ won for you on his cross. As Paul said:

Galatians 2:20 — 20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

God Had Provided For Them

But as they read on in the word, they also realized God had provided for them. First, he provided his Law to them by speaking with them, giving them right rules and true laws (13). Then he gave them the Holy Sabbath as a way to regularly rest in God and keep him at the center of the nation (14). And he also sustained them in the wilderness by providing them bread from heaven and water from the rock (16, 21).

So, as they interacted with the word, they remembered God's provision. And, as you interact with Scripture, you will also grow to believe God is your provider. He knows the sparrows of the field and the number of hairs on your head. And the God who majestically clothes the grass of the field will also clothe you. As Paul said to the church that had financially supported him:

Philippians 4:19 — 19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

God Gave Victory To Them

But as they read on in the word, they also realized God gave victory to them. He told them to possess the land—and that's exactly what they did (16, 24-25). God gave them kingdoms and peoples, enabling them to take possession (22). And after they defeated foreign kings like Sihon and Og, they multiplied in the land (23). For a while, it looked as if this nation could not lose!

So, as they interacted with the word, they remembered God's victory and power. And, as you interact with Scripture, you will also help you understand his power toward you. You will begin to discover the ways God can powerfully work within you to accomplish his purposes in your life (Colossians 1:29).

But They Still Consistently Rebelled

Amid the stories of God's calling and deliverance and provision and victory, the people remembered something else—they consistently rebelled against God. Even though they were God's special people—even though they were abundantly blessed by God—they often turned their backs on him.

They saw their rebellious history in the way they behaved after the exodus. God had taken them out of Egypt with a strong hand, working plagues and miracles and signs as a way to set them free, but they still stiffened their neck and did not obey God's commandments (16). They even appointed a leader to take them back to their slavery in Egypt (17). And, in a sheer act of folly, they worshipped a golden calf, claiming it was the god that delivered them from Egypt (18).

They also saw their rebellious history in the way they behaved after the conquests. Once they left the wilderness, they went into the Promised Land and won victory after victory. But there, in the land, they were still disobedient and rebellious against God. They cast the law behind their back and even killed his prophets who had warned them (26). This cycle of victory, then rest, then rebellion was repeated many times (28).

The people of Nehemiah's day were nervous. After God brought them out of Egypt, they rebelled. After God brought them into the Promised Land, they rebelled. And now the people were in double-jeopardy—they had recently been brought out of captivity and back into the land. Would they also act wickedly? (33). If they rebelled after the exodus and the conquests, would they also rebel after the exile?

Their Current Situation

But these people weren't only sad at past tendencies, but their current condition. They prayed, "We are slaves this day; in the land that you gave to our fathers to enjoy" (36). These special people had rebelled so much that their current situation was one of despair. After reading the word, they felt they deserved this distress, calling God "righteous" all throughout the passage.

And aren't there times we grow discouraged by the reality of our situation? We know God chose us, set us free, spoke to and provided for us, and that we can run in his victory. But we don't always live in that beautiful place—instead, we often live in defeat and a vicious cycle of sin. And that cycle often gets us into a sad situation—defeat and slavery.

So this is what they learned about themselves—they were God's special people, but they consistently still rebelled, and their current situation was dire as a result.

Perhaps we feel familiar. We realize who we are because of God's calling, but rebellion is still our pattern, and it has gotten us into some deep pains and consequences. Let's see if the rest of the passage has anything to help us.

2. About God

The people also learned about God in this episode. The passage is a prayer, and all throughout its contents is a recounting of stuff God did. God created the world. God called Abraham and made a covenant with his descendants. God delivered them from their captivity in Egypt. God spoke the law on Mount Sinai. God provided manna and water and miracles. God gave them powerful victories over their enemies. God. He is the prime mover, the main character, the hero and focus of their story.

Righteous

But there are three main things they learned of God as they read the word. First, they remembered that God is righteous (8, 33). Near the beginning of the prayer, when recounting Abraham's calling, they said, "You have kept your promise, for you are righteous" (8). And near the end of the prayer, when recounting the judgment they experienced, they said, "You have been righteous in all that has come upon us, for you have dealt faithfully and we have acted wickedly" (33).

Through their time studying Scripture, they came face to face with God's holiness, justice, and perfection. They felt God was righteous in both the way he kept his promises and of blessing and judgment.

This aspect of God is one the modern mind often craves to delete. Many have thought God would be better if he were all-accepting without any standard of justice. We like the a god who makes promises to bless, but not one who makes promises to hold us accountable. We like God as our servants, but struggle to become his servants.

But—at this moment—these people recognized God's righteousness. Every time he disciplined them, it was right. Every time he made a promise, he kept it. Every time he acted, his motive and works were pure. There is no defilement in God. He is righteous. He is right.

Merciful

But they also realized God was merciful. They said he was gracious and merciful (17). They knew past generations had been delivered according to God's mercies (28). And they concluded: In your great mercies you did not make an end of them or forsake them, for you are a gracious and merciful God (31).

What the people were confessing here is the willingness of God to withhold some of his judgment. He never completely cut off his people. Even when their sins were at their worst, God would eventually hold back the full weight of his discipline. He was not willing to divorce them. He was merciful.

The prophet Hosea depicted this merciful aspect of God's nature well. He was married to a wayward woman who preferred prostitution over marriage to Hosea. And Hosea was a good husband—kind and loving, he cared for his bride whenever he had a chance, even pursuing her when she left him for many other men. And God said Hosea's marriage was like his marriage to the people of Israel. Though they were faithless and kept turning to other lovers, God persistently extended his mercy and would not leave them. He instead pursued them. God was merciful.

Gracious

Finally, they realized God was gracious. My father used to tell me God's mercy is when he doesn't give us the judgment we do deserve, and that his grace is when he gives us goodness we don't deserve. And these people knew this righteous God was also gracious and forgiving. They said, "You are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love (17). And they concluded the prayer by saying, "Now, therefore, our God, is the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love" (32).

And as they thought about God, they realized his grace. He was giving them so much, including another chance to flourish as his people. How about you? Do you see God as gracious, the one who gives what we don't deserve? And do you see God as merciful, often withholding judgment and discipline we do deserve? And do you see God as righteous, right in the way he keeps promises and brings discipline when needed?

This is what learning Bible stories is all about—growing to know God. Through the stories, they realized much about themselves, but it wouldn't have mattered unless they realized much about God. They saw him and his righteousness, mercy, and grace.

How about you? When you read the Scripture, do you see more than yourself in the stories? Do you see more than yourself in the inspirational sentiments? Do you see more than yourself in the doctrines? I hope so. You must see God. You must see his goodness, his mercy, and his amazing grace. You must go to the well of God's word not merely to see your reflection in its waters but to draw upon and become refreshed by God.

3. About Their Need

A Contract?

The last thing I want you to see in the text is something they could not see. They saw themselves. Then they saw God. Finally, they learned about their need. They knew they were living like slaves in their own land (36). Nehemiah and Ezra had awakened them to the depravity of their situation—in the land but coexisting with ruins and paying taxes to foreign kings. Slaves.

So they concluded that what they needed was a renewal of the covenant. They said, "Because of all this we make a firm covenant in writing" (38). Next week we will study the main facets of their covenant. In brief, they said they would do the right thing with their money, bodies, and time. They would not intermarry with unbelievers. They would tithe. And they would keep the Sabbath. It was a good vow then, just as it is a good one today. And it was the best they could do at that time.

A New Covenant

Unfortunately, though they made this contract with God, they would fail to keep it. I hate spoiling the book for you, but in Nehemiah 13, we will leave the book with Nehemiah confronting them for going back on all the promises they made to God.

It can be rather discouraging to consider the failure of the people. They learned about themselves. They learned about God. And they did the best they could by renewing their covenant with God.

But what they truly needed was a New Covenant. Nehemiah's story is the last historical book of the Old Testament. So the book of Nehemiah describes the final state of God's people before Christ comes. And when Jesus came, he didn't find a revived, passionate, God-fearing people. Instead, Jesus found apathy, legalism, and spiritual lethargy. Clearly, the vows of Nehemiah 9 and 10 didn't last the 483 years until Christ came (Daniel 9:24-27).

But God knew of this problem in his people. He knew of our tendency to commit and fail. So he promised a new way of doing things. He said:

Ezekiel 36:26–27 — 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

And:

Jeremiah 31:33–34 — 33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

And at the last supper, on the night he was arrested, when he took the cup, Jesus said:

Mark 14:24 — 24 “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.

This New Covenant, promised long ago and delivered by Jesus, is what these people really needed. They needed a new nature, a new heart, and the Spirit within them. They had no real hope of change or transformation without an inward change of the heart.

But this inner newness is precisely what Christ offers. He says:

2 Corinthians 5:17 — 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

So when we find ourselves in Scripture—or in real life—as a called, chosen people for whom God has fought, yet enslaved to sin, we must remember this New Covenant. When we find ourselves in the same old spin cycle of sin, discipline, repentance, and renewal, leading to more sin, we must get back to the New Covenant, where we abide in Christ and he continues to change us from the inside out. We have this hope in him—and we must never let it go!