Nehemiah 9:1-10
Ne 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.
This was the month Tishri.
The twenty fourth day of the month was two days after the Feast of
Tabernacles has ended. Now at the
end of the joyous feasting came a time of solemn assembly.
Sackcloth and earth upon the people were a sign of contrition and
humility.
Ne 9:2
And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all
strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their
fathers.
Then all those who were of the true lineage of Israel had
separated themselves from all those who were not of Israel which would have been
people from the surrounding nations.
They also separated themselves from the heathen wives they married while
they were in Babylon. They
confessed their sins especially the sins of marrying women which were not of the
stock of Israel. Then they also
confessed the sins of their fathers which was the reason they were sent into
captivity. This was done so there
would be verbal recognition of those sins by everyone, this way they would know
what sins caused them to go into captivity in the first place and could
hopefully be avoided.
Ne 9:3
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.
The place in view would have been the outward court of
the temple where the men came and prayed and confessed their sins.
Then the book of the law which was the Word of God was read for one
fourth of the day which would have been the first watch that went from 6 AM to 9
AM. 9 AM was the time of the
morning sacrifice. Then in another
three hour period they confessed their sins and then worshipped the LORD.
These things were done for half a day.
Then it might have been repeated until the time of the evening sacrifice
which was 6 PM.
Ne 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.
Then the Levites stood on a staircase where they would
normally sing at the time of the evening sacrifice.
These were the Levites listed in Nehemiah 8:7.
It states they cried out with a loud voice.
The word “cried” means “to call out or to gather as an assembly.”
While they did this they had cried unto the LORD confessing their sins
and the sins of the people.
Ne 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.
Then the Levites had told the people to stand up and to
bless the LORD their God forever.
They were also to bless His holy name and that name is exalted above all the
blessings and praise. In other
words, our praises couldn’t even begin to exalt the name of God for all that he
has done for Israel. He is to be
blessed now and even blessed into eternity.
Ne 9:6
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.
They proclaimed the LORD as LORD alone which was
important because being in Babylon, they were subjected to a pantheon of false
gods. Marduk was their patron or
chief deity. Then God is alluded to
as creating Heaven where the stars and the moon exist and he is credited with
creating the third Heaven where he and the Lord Jesus Christ live which is the
heaven of heavens. He created all
the hosts which were the angels and every single thing that has life on this
earth and in the seas were created by God.
He not only created them but he also preserves them which means he
preserves the tiniest insect. He is
acknowledged as the one who is worshipped by the host of heaven or the angels.
11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many
angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of
them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; 12
Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power,
and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the
earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying,
Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon
the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. (Revelation 5:11-13)
Ne 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;
Then the LORD is credited with choosing Abram and brought
him out of Ur of the Chaldees to a place he did not know.
And Terah took Abram his son, and
Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son
Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into
the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there. (Genesis 11:31)
Then God made an everlasting covenant with Abram and he changed his name
to Abraham.
Neither shall thy name any more be called
Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made
thee. (Genesis 17:5) The fact
that he would be the father of many nations was a fulfillment of the promise God
made to him in Genesis 12:1-3 as he was also the father of the faithful as
through his line would come the Messiah by which all the families of the earth
would be blessed.
1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee
out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a
land that I will shew thee: 2 And I will make of thee a great nation,
and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth
thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. (Genesis 12:1-3)
Ne 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:
Then after God had saved Abraham and gave him a faithful
heart, then God made a covenant with Abraham that he would give him the land of
Canaan where many of the heathen tribes had lived.
Arise, walk through the land in
the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.
(Genesis 13:17) He not only
made this promise to Abraham but promised also to give it to the physical seed
of Abraham and God had kept these promises.
And the LORD gave unto Israel all
the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and
dwelt therein. (Joshua 21:43)
The LORD is righteous and kept every promise He made to Abraham.
The reason that Judah and Israel found themselves in trouble was because
they broke the covenant they made with God at Sinai.
Ne 9:9
And didst see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and
heardest their cry by the Red sea;
Then they praised God that he saw the affliction of the
people of Israel under Egyptian bondage.
And the LORD said, I have surely
seen the affliction of my people which
are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters;
for I know their sorrows; (Exodus 3:7)
When they finally received their freedom from Egypt, they went into the
wilderness and came to the edge of the Red Sea but could not pass through and
they cried unto the LORD as Pharaoh’s army was pursuing them quickly.
And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the
children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched
after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto
the LORD. (Exodus 14:10) Then
Moses took his staff as the LORD commanded him and the Red Sea parted.
Ne 9:10
And shewedst signs and wonders upon Pharaoh, 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.