Return from Exile: Nehemiah 9.4-38 (1)

Pray Psalm 148.1, 2.
Praise the LORD!
Praise the LORD from the heavens;
Praise Him in the heights!
Praise Him, all His angels;
Praise Him, all His hosts!

Sing Psalm 148.1, 2.
(Hendon: Take My Life and Let It Be)
Praise the LORD, from heaven praise! To the heights His goodness raise!
Angels, all you heav’nly hosts, let of Him be all your boasts,
let of Him be all your boasts!

Read and meditate on Nehemiah 9.4-12.

Preparation
1. Who led the people in prayer?

2. For what did they praise God?

Meditation
Being right the Lord begins by getting our sins out of the way through confession and repentance. Having done this in verses 1-3, the next logical phase of worship is praise.

We’re slowing down this week to look in detail at the worship God’s revived people offered Him in Nehemiah 9. My hope is that our own worship—personal and public—might be enriched by what we see from these people whose hearts, if only for the moment, were clean and right before the Lord.

Confession leads to praise. And praise is specific. How many times have you been in a prayer meeting where the leader says, “Let’s spend some time praising the Lord”, and all the prayers sound like, “Lord, we really just praise You”?

Not so here. The people rose to their feet to bless the Lord with eternal praises (v. 5) We can imagine them, praying along with the Levites, uttering words of praise and thanks and repeating the various praises offered before them. They began by exalting His Name—the LORD—above all things (v. 5). Next, they honored Him as the Creator of all things and the One Who keeps them all in place (v. 6). From there, they praised God for His gracious works in history—their history—beginning with the call of Abram (Abraham) and the covenant God entered with him (vv. 7, 8). They outlined the specifics of the covenant and then praised God more for being faithful in keeping His Word (v. 8).

Following that, they praised Him for His constant care for them, for coming to them in their time of affliction in Egypt, rescuing them from captivity with a mighty deliverance (9-11), and then for abiding with them and faithfully leading them through the wilderness (v. 12). And their praises were not yet finished.

Praise to God should rise naturally out of our sense of being forgiven and renewed, and praise should fill our assemblies with heart-felt, prolonged, and joyful testimony to the greatness of God and His works.

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162.
People in the Old Testament and people in the New praised God in similar ways—and we should do the same. For as we do, we will realize that as confession leads to praise, true praise leads to heightened faith. Hebrews 11 shows us how this works.

Hebrews 11 is an overlay of Nehemiah 9.
“By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible” (Heb. 11.3; Neh. 9.6).

“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance…By faith he dwelt in the land…and waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Heb. 11.8-10; Neh. 9.7, 8).

“By faith Moses…forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover…By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned” (Heb. 11.23-29; Neh. 9.9-11).

The things for which Nehemiah and his cohort praised God are the same things that are counted as faith to those who believe. “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11.6). Without this faith it is impossible to praise Him properly. How can we praise Him for things we don’t believe? And if we believe them, how can we not praise Him? It is impossible.

However, with proper faith our praise is accepted and found to be pleasing and beautiful in His sight.

“Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous!
For praise from the upright is beautiful” (Ps. 33.1).
“Praise the LORD!
For it is good to sing praises to our God;
For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful” (Ps. 147.1).

The greatness of God and His wonderful and amazing works are what our salvation is all about.
“But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son…to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons” (Gal. 4.4). “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5.8).

Facts, too hard to believe, beyond comprehension, demanding faith to accept.
But faithful acceptance, of this seemingly impossible love, leads to joyous and continued praise.
“Stand up and bless the LORD your God forever and ever!
Blessed be Your glorious Name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise!
You alone are the LORD…” (Neh. 9.5).

In praise of God’s extraordinary works—Thank You, gracious Father.
“Increase our faith” (Lk. 17.5).

For reflection
1. In your times of prayer, how do you praise the Lord? What do your praises include?

2. Why is praise the proper response to confession, repentance, and forgiveness?

3. What can you do to improve your times of praising the Lord?

Let us recollect our advantages from childhood, and ask what were our first returns? Let us frequently do so, that we may be kept humble, thankful, and watchful. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on Nehemiah 9.4-38

Pray Psalm 148.7-14.
Let these verses lead you in an extended season of specific praise to God. Today, as you see any of the things or people mentioned in these verses, give praise to God.

Sing Psalm 148.7-14.
(Hendon: Take My Life and Let It Be)
Let all creatures, everything, God’s great praises loudly sing!
His Name only brims with worth, far above both heav’n and earth,
far above both heav’n and earth!

Mountains, hills, and all you trees, livestock, birds, and every beast,
cedars, every creeping thing, His majestic glory sing!
His majestic glory sing!

Kings of earth and peoples all, young men, maidens, on Him call!
Old men, children, princes, kings, bring to God your offerings.
Bring to God your offerings.

For His people He has raised His salvation: God be praised!
All whom Jesus Christ brings near praise their Savior, ever dear,
praise their Savior, ever dear!

T. M. and Susie Moore

Two books can help us understand our own captivity and lead us to seek revival and renewal in the Lord. The Church Captive asks us to consider the ways the Church today has become captive to the world. And Revived! can help us find the way to renewal. Learn more and order your free copies by clicking here and here.

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (Williston: Waxed Tablet Publications, 2006), available free by clicking here.