I'll be the first to admit: out of all the chapters in Nehemiah we've studied thus far, this one has been the most impactful, the most thought-provoking, and the most profoundly convicting.
When I was young, my Grandma would come over every couple of months and help me clean my room, go through my clothes, and so forth [Now that I'm an adult, she only has to come once a year and then every few weeks to catch me up on laundry. Ha ha. #truth].
One time, we had it all nice and tidy. Which was good because I was ready to go outside and play. She then said, "Well, we just need to check under the bed, and then we'll be done." I quickly explained that the black trash bag under my bed was a science project and she should just leave it alone.
Like any good Grandma, she let me go and play and then cleaned under my bed while I was outside doing cartwheels. When I came back in, she laughed and said, "What kind of science project is this?" I don't remember what was in the bag – probably a mixture of stuffed animals, knick-knacks, and unnecessary things – but the story always stuck with me because you just can't pull a fast one on Grandma.
[And, I now blame her for my slight OCD-like tendencies, my semi-annual "urge to purge" events, and my inability to leave dirty dishes in the sink.]
God works similarly. He knows that even when the room looks prim and proper, there can be "sin projects" lurking under the bed or behind the closet doors. But, He's there to help us clean them out because He knows what is best for us.
Before you read this chapter of Nehemiah, make sure you have the time to work through it slowly and to press in to hear Him. So often, we can intellectually read the Word, but it's not the Word we read that changes us; it's the Word we know.
As it says in Hosea 6:3
“Let us acknowledge the Lord;
let us press on to acknowledge him.
As surely as the sun rises,
he will appear;
he will come to us like the winter rains,
like the spring rains that water the earth."
My prayer for you is that your heart is prepared, your mind is clear, and your spirit is willing to hear and do whatever God reveals. May all those black trash bags in our hearts be purged!
Almighty God, would you partner with me as I read this Word? Help me to understand it, to meditate on it, and to allow You to speak to me. What areas of my life are lacking surrender? I am unable to heal myself from sin, but I know You paid that price already. Teach me to walk in it and show me the next step.
Selah. Be silent. Listen. Give God the opportunity to speak to you personally.
1 Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, in sackcloth, and with dust on their heads. 2 Then those of Israelite lineage separated themselves from all foreigners; and they 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 one–fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshiped the Lord their God.
The Israelites had just concluded a joyous Feast of Tabernacles and were back into a humble and repentant state. It was a humility which was expressed inwardly (which we'll see in a moment), but also outwardly:
They went without food. As believers, we must remember that "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). In Matthew 6:16, Jesus also says, "When you fast..." (not if you fast).
They wore sackcloth (burlap). Especially in Western culture, we spend time and a significant sum of money on our clothing and looks. "Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these." (Luke 12:27)
They put dust on their heads. "…dust you are and to dust you will return." (Genesis 3:19). The Lord God Almighty created each of us from nothingness. May we remember the words of A.W. Tozer in the Pursuit of God: "Oh, so you have been overlooked? They have placed someone else before you? They have whispered that you are pretty small stuff after all? And now you feel hurt because the world is saying about you the very things you have been saying about yourself? Only yesterday you were telling God that you were nothing, a mere worm of the dust. Where is your consistency? Come on, humble yourself, and cease to care what men think."
The Israelites were doing what Tozer prods us to do: separate from the world, remove that which ties us to this world, and meditate on who we are because of Christ. They read the Word for three hours, and then for three more hours, they confessed and worshiped. Every so often, it's beautiful just to spend a day away from the noisiness of the world.
As I studied for this chapter, I referred to Alan Redpath's book on Nehemiah (Victorious Christian Service). He offers us some "self-examination questions," and they are worth genuinely considering and spending prayerful time on in conversation with God. I found several questions that pricked my heart and knew God wanted to partner with me to address. These questions aren’t meant to condemn you. They are meant to help you become aware of black trash bags under your heart’s bed that need purging.
Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am a better man than I really am? Is there the slightest suspicion of hypocrisy in my life? Am I honest in all my words and acts? Do I exaggerate? Am I reliable? Can I be trusted? Do I confidentially pass on what was told to me in confidence? Do I grumble and complain in the church? Am I jealous, impure, irritable, touchy, distrustful? Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying? Am I proud? Do I thank God I am not as other people? Is there anyone I fear, or dislike, or criticize or resent? If so, what am I doing about it?
Does the Bible live in me? Do I give it time to speak to me? Do I go to bed in time and do I get up in time? Am I enjoying my prayer life today? Did I enjoy it this morning? When I am involved in a problem in life, do I use my tongue or my knees about it? Am I disobeying God in anything, or insisting upon doing something about which my conscience is very uneasy? When did I last speak to someone else with the object of trying to win him for Christ? Am I a slave to books, dress, friends, work, or convention? How do I spend my spare time?
4 Then Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani stood on the stairs of the Levites and cried out with a loud voice to the Lord their God. 5 And the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said:
You've seen some of these names before from chapter eight. The lists of names above actually refer to Levitical (priestly) families who lived during this time. It was their duty to help the people understand the law. They are now going to lead the Israelites in prayer. A couple things to note before you read this prayer:
This is believed to be the longest prayer in Bible. It seems long, but it took me almost seven minutes exactly to read it out loud. An excellent example of quality v. quantity!
Make a note of the history provided. These people knew they were God's chosen, and they recognized the "stiff necks" of their forefathers and the consequences of that. They also recognized God's mercy and goodness (see verse 17 – it is good to commit to memory).
"Stand up and bless the Lord your God
Forever and ever!
"Blessed be Your glorious name,
Which is exalted above all blessing and praise!
6 You alone are the Lord;
You have made heaven,
The heaven of heavens, with all their host,
The earth and everything on it,
The seas and all that is in them,
And You preserve them all.
The host of heaven worships You.
7 "You are the Lord 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 a covenant with him
To give the land of the Canaanites,
The Hittites, the Amorites,
The Perizzites, the Jebusites,
And the Girgashites—
To give it to his descendants.
You have performed Your words,
For You are righteous.
9 "You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt,
And heard their cry by the Red Sea.
10 You showed signs and wonders against Pharaoh,
Against all his servants,
And against all the people of his land.
For You knew that they acted proudly against them.
So You made a name for Yourself, as it is this day.
11 And You divided the sea before them,
So that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land;
And their persecutors You threw into the deep,
As a stone into the mighty waters.
12 Moreover You led them by day with a cloudy pillar,
And by night with a pillar of fire,
To give them light on the road
Which they should travel.
13 "You came down also on Mount Sinai,
And spoke with them from heaven,
And gave them just ordinances and true laws,
Good statutes and commandments.
14 You made known to them Your holy Sabbath,
And commanded them precepts, statutes and laws,
By the hand of Moses Your servant.
15 You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger,
And brought them water out of the rock for their thirst,
And told them to go in to possess the land
Which You had sworn to give them.
16 "But they and our fathers acted proudly,
Hardened their necks,
And did not heed Your commandments.
17 They refused to obey,
And they were not mindful of Your wonders
That You did among them.
But they hardened their necks,
And in their rebellion
They appointed a leader
To return to their bondage.
But You are God,
Ready to pardon,
Gracious and merciful,
Slow to anger,
Abundant in kindness,
And did not forsake them.
18 "Even when they made a molded calf for themselves,
And said, 'This is your god
That brought you up out of Egypt,'
And worked great provocations,
19 Yet in Your manifold mercies
You did not forsake them in the wilderness.
The pillar of the cloud did not depart from them by day,
To lead them on the road;
Nor the pillar of fire by night,
To show them light,
And the way they should go.
20 You also 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;
They lacked nothing;
Their clothes did not wear out
And their feet did not swell.
22 "Moreover You gave them kingdoms and nations,
And divided them into districts.
So they took possession of the land of Sihon,
The land of the king of Heshbon,
And the land of Og king of Bashan.
23 You also multiplied their children as the stars of heaven,
And brought them into the land
Which You had told their fathers
To go in and possess.
24 So the people went in
And possessed the land;
You subdued before them the inhabitants of the land,
The Canaanites,
And gave them into their hands,
With their kings
And the people of the land,
That they might do with them as they wished.
25 And they took strong cities and a rich land,
And possessed houses full of all goods,
Cisterns already dug, vineyards, olive groves,
And fruit trees in abundance.
So they ate and were filled and grew fat,
And delighted themselves in Your great goodness.
26 "Nevertheless they were disobedient
And rebelled against You,
Cast Your law behind their backs
And killed Your prophets, who testified against them
To turn them to Yourself;
And they worked great provocations.
27 Therefore You delivered them into the hand of their enemies,
Who oppressed them;
And in the time of their trouble,
When they cried to You,
You heard from heaven;
And according to Your abundant mercies
You gave them deliverers who saved them
From the hand of their enemies.
28 "But after they had rest,
They again did evil before You.
Therefore You left them in the hand of their enemies,
So that they had dominion over them;
Yet when they returned and cried out to You,
You heard from heaven;
And many times You delivered them according to Your mercies,
29 And testified against them,
That You might bring them back to Your law.
Yet they acted proudly,
And did not heed Your commandments,
But sinned against Your judgments,
'Which if a man does, he shall live by them.'
And they shrugged their shoulders,
Stiffened their necks,
And would not hear.
30 Yet for many years You had patience with them,
And testified against them by Your Spirit in Your prophets.
Yet they would not listen;
Therefore You gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.
31 Nevertheless in Your great mercy
You did not utterly consume them nor forsake them;
For You are God, gracious and merciful.
32 "Now therefore, our God,
The great, the mighty, and awesome God,
Who keeps covenant and mercy:
Do not let all the trouble seem small before You
That has come upon us,
Our kings and our princes,
Our priests and our prophets,
Our fathers and on all Your people,
From the days of the kings of Assyria until this day.
33 However You are just in all that has befallen us;
For You have dealt faithfully,
But we have done wickedly.
34 Neither our kings nor our princes,
Our priests nor our fathers,
Have kept Your law,
Nor heeded Your commandments and Your testimonies,
With which You testified against them.
35 For they have not served You in their kingdom,
Or in the many good things that You gave them,
Or in the large and rich land which You set before them;
Nor did they turn from their wicked works.
36 "Here we are, servants today!
And the land that You gave to our fathers,
To eat its fruit and its bounty,
Here we are, servants in it!
37 And it yields much increase to the kings
You have set over us,
Because of our sins;
Also they have dominion over our bodies and 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;
Our leaders, our Levites, and our priests seal it."
Lord, hear my prayer. Remove my sin at all cost because You paid it all. Amen.
Selah. Be silent. Listen. Give God the opportunity to speak to you personally.