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.

 

The ten plagues were not only on Pharaoh and his house but they were on all the land of Egypt.  This symbolized that all the unbelievers will be judged on Judgment Day and there will be no exceptions.  The people of Egypt had treated the Israelites as inferior and had a haughty attitude toward them since they were only slaves which was the lowest social class of any country.  God had performed the ten plagues on Egypt which was against ten of their deities and prevailed so the people of the land knew that the God of Israel was much more powerful than their false gods and realized his name was above all of them just as the returnees from Babylon know that God’s name is above all the pagan deities they encountered.  Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: (Philippians 2:9)

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