Return from Exile: Nehemiah 9.4-38 (7)

Pray Psalm 95.1, 2, 6.
Oh come, let us sing to the LORD!
Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;
Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms…
Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.

Sing Psalm 95.1, 2, 6.
(Tidings: O Zion Haste, Thy Mission High Fulfilling)
Come, let us sing with joy to God, our Savior!
Let us with joy to Him, our Rock, bow down!
Come now before Him, grateful for His favor;
let joyful psalms break forth from all around.
Refrain v. 6
Come let us worship, kneel to our LORD;
worship our Maker: Father, Holy Spirit, Word.

Review Nehemiah 9.4-38; meditate on verses 4-6.

Preparation
1. What did the Levites call the people to do?

2. Why should they do this?

Meditation
I once asked a group of men who were gathered for Bible study why we should praise the Lord. There was a long silence. Then one of the men said, “Well, I praise the Lord for all He’s done for me.” I asked, “What if He never did anything for you? Would He be worthy of your praise?”

Like the people of Nehemiah’s day, we are grateful for what God has done for us. But God is worthy of all praise, all the time, even hard times, times when we feel far from Him, times when we’re hard pressed to figure what He’s doing, and all other times besides. The people who rebuilt the wall of Jerusalem were called to stand up and bless the Lord, because He had just helped them finish an amazing work in just fifty-two days.

But praise was not the defining characteristic of these people. Self held that role. By leading the people in praise Ezra and the Levites exercised an important spiritual muscle in their souls. We praise God because He is God—Creator, Sovereign, Lord, Savior, King. God is pleased to enter and dwell in our praises, so that by praising Him we know His Presence with us more truly and continuously (Ps. 22.3). Praise increases love for God and inclines our heart to revival and renewal. Praise makes us more willing to obey the Lord in all that He requires of us.

A day is coming when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess with praise that Jesus Christ is Lord. It’s a good idea for us to engage this discipline now, so that we will be ready to stand up and bless Him then.

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
“God is worthy of all praise, all the time…”
The psalmist prayed, somewhat like the man in the Bible study, but with a better understanding of God’s blessings: “Deal bountifully with Your servant, that I may live and keep Your word” (Ps. 119.17). He got the point—all bounty is provided so that we can live and keep God’s word. Period.

Solomon wrote: “To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice” (Prov. 21.3).
And of course, Solomon got the point because he was the wisest person ever, but sadly, that fact alone did not guarantee even he would do what he knew to be right and pleasing to God.

The prophet Elijah asked a question of the vacillating people of his day: “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” If Elijah asked the captive church and its followers the same question today, would our response be the same as his peers? “But the people answered him not a word” (1 Kin. 18.21). Crickets. Apathy and indecisiveness screamed out of the silence.

As Jesus said of the Laodiceans: “So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth” (Rev. 3.16). But even for them, there was hope. “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent” (Rev. 3.19).

The prophet Micah taught how to get from captivity into revival:
“Arise and depart, for this is not your rest;
because it is defiled, it shall destroy, yes, with utter destruction.
If a man would walk in a false spirit and speak a lie, saying,
‘I will prophesy to you of wine and drink,’
even he would be the prattler of this people” (Mic. 2.10, 11).
Captive to themselves, captive to false teachers, captive to the enemy’s lies.
But…there is hope for us as well. If there was hope for Elijah’s people, Micah’s people, Ezra’s and Nehemiah’s people, and the people of Laodicea, there is hope for the captive church of today!

How? Micah knew:
“The one who breaks open will come up before them;
they will break out, pass through the gate, and go out by it;
their King will pass before them, with the LORD at their head” (Mic. 2.13).

“You have ascended on high,
You have led captivity captive…” (Ps. 68.18; Eph. 4.8).

God is worthy of all praise, all the time, regardless of circumstances…but oh my, we do mightily praise Him for the power of His Holy Spirit, to break out of captivity, pass through the gate, and go out into His Kingdom rest, to live and keep His Word.

For reflection
1. What can you do to improve your praise to God? Why should you want to praise Him more?

2. How can believers encourage one another to praise God more openly and consistently?

3. Whom will you encourage in praising the Lord today?

The summary of their prayers we have here upon record. Much more, no doubt, was said. Whatever ability we have to do any thing in the way of duty, we are to serve and glorify God according to the utmost of it. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on Nehemiah 9.4-38

Pray Psalm 95.3-11.
Let this psalm guide you into a season of praise for the Lord. Let it lead you to shout, kneel, rejoice, and renew you covenant relationship with Him.

Sing Psalm 95.3-11.
(Tidings: O Zion Haste, Thy Mission High Fulfilling)
Great are You, LORD, a King above all nations.
All of earth’s depths lie hidden in Your hand.
Yours are the mountains, Yours the sea, You made it;
You by Your hands created the dry land.
Refrain v. 6
Come let us worship, kneel to our LORD;
worship our Maker: Father, Holy Spirit, Word.

You are our God, we are Your sheep, Your people:
Speak, LORD, and we will hearken to Your Word.
Let not our hearts grow hard through sin, and feeble,
as when our fathers sinned against You, LORD.
Refrain

Long years You loathed that wicked generation,
who in their hearts, rebelled against Your path.
Them You forsook, and kept from Your salvation;
them You subjected to Your fearsome wrath.
Refrain

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, available free by clicking here.