Return from Exile: Nehemiah 9.4-38 (3)

Pray Psalm 78.8-16.
And may [we] not be like their fathers,
A stubborn and rebellious generation,
A generation that did not set its heart aright,
And whose spirit was not faithful to God.
The children of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows,
Turned back in the day of battle.
They did not keep the covenant of God;
They refused to walk in His law,
And forgot His works
And His wonders that He had shown them.
Marvelous things He did in the sight of their fathers,
In the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
He divided the sea and caused them to pass through;
And He made the waters stand up like a heap.
In the daytime also He led them with the cloud,
And all the night with a light of fire.
He split the rocks in the wilderness,
And gave them drink in abundance like the depths.
He also brought streams out of the rock,
And caused waters to run down like rivers.

Sing Psalm 78.8-16.
(Foundation: How Firm a Foundation)
Our fathers were stubborn; they would not obey;
when faced with their foes they in fear turned away.
God’s work of redemption they wholly despised,
forgetting the pow’r He had shown to their eyes.

Read Nehemiah 9.1-21; meditate on verses 16-21.

Preparation
1. How did God respond to the hardness of His people’s hearts?

2. What especially did He give to instruct the people in His Law?

Meditation
The nature of God’s infinite mercy and grace is summarized in verse 21: “Forty years You sustained them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing; their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell.” They rebelled against God, preferring to worship a calf made of gold with “great provocations” (v. 18). They hardened their necks, did not heed His commandment, and refused to obey Him (v. 16). They failed to recall His many good works and chose leaders who did not lead them in God’s ways (v. 17).

But God showed them mercy and grace, for He is God, “ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abundant in kindness” and He did not forsake His people (v. 17).

Rejoice! There is hope for us.

We are no different than the people the Levites recalled in this passage. We do well to recall the many ways God has shown us mercy and grace in our times of need, and to praise Him accordingly.

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
“You are good, and do good; teach me Your statutes.”
“LORD, I hope for Your salvation, and I do Your commandments” (Ps. 119.68, 166).

“…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Phil. 2.12, 13).

“Therefore be imitators of God as dear children” (Eph. 5.1).
“Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ” (1 Cor. 11.1).

The ground rules are set. Now we get to work (Eph. 2.10), through the power of the Holy Spirit, to imitate God’s mercy and grace toward others. And to praise Him mightily, for without His mercy and grace we would have no life or salvation to work out. So, our hearts overflow with profuse thanks and praise to Him for the mercy and grace He has shown to us.

God is:
Ready to pardon.
Gracious and merciful.
Slow to anger.
Abundant in kindness.
He does not forsake His own, even when His own are truly forsakeable (Neh. 9. 17-19).

God continued to lead His rebellious people.
He provided light and guidance for them on their journey.
He gave His Spirit to instruct them.
He did not withhold food and water.
He sustained them materially and physically (Neh. 9.19-21).

God forgives all our iniquities.
He heals all our diseases.
He redeems our life from destruction.
He crowns us with lovingkindness and tender mercies (Ps. 103.3, 4).

This God-like love is kind and longsuffering.
It is not egotistical or self-seeking. It lacks in narcissism.
It is not rude or easily provoked.
This love sticks with others through thick and thin.
God’s kind of love never fails (1 Cor. 13.4-8).

God’s love loves enough to stand by what is right—the love spelled out in His Law (Ex. 20.1-17).
“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind…You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22.37, 39).

And God said to Moses: “Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever!” (Deut. 5.29).

That’s what God wants us to do.
And that is exactly how we praise Him and His wisdom—by doing what He requires.
Praise for God’s mercy and grace should redound in our obedience, mercy, and grace.

For reflection
1. How has the mercy of the Lord especially reached to you?

2. How do you experience His grace in your daily life?

3. How can you bring more praise for God’s mercy and grace into your life?

Those that sin still, must expect to be in trouble still. And the reason why we live with so little comfort, and to so little purpose, is, because we do not live by faith. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on Psalm 78.9-39

Pray Psalm 78.32-55.
Thank God for the mercy and grace He has shown you when you have been stubborn or rebellious. Thank Him for His unfailing care and compassion for which you seldom give thanks. Rejoice that He provides you with mercy and grace for all your times of need.

Sing Psalm 78.32-55.
(Foundation: How Firm a Foundation)
When troubled, they turned to the LORD’s loving face;
He met them and showed them His marvelous grace.
They spoke of their love for Him, yet in their heart
of His holy cov’nant they wanted no part.

Full often His anger against them arose,
as they ev’ry path of rebelliousness chose.
They tested Him, grieved Him, forgot all His deeds;
His anger engulfed them with frightening speed.

And yet like a flock He His people would tend
with care and compassion, as close as a friend.
He led them and brought them into the sweet land
where they in His grace and protection could stand.

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.

Support for Scriptorium comes from our faithful and generous God, who moves our readers to share financially in our work. If this article was helpful, please give Him thanks and praise.

And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 103 Reynolds Lane, West Grove, PA 19390.

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, available free by clicking here.