100620PM@TBC Nehemiah 9

Title:  Prayer of Confession                          

Tulsa Bible Church  100620PM

Text: Nehemiah 9

by Phil Martin for God’s glory

I. Introduction

A. Segway

Theme of Nehemiah:

We need to trust, serve, and obey

the sovereign God

who keeps His covenant

and restores His people.

Big Picture

Ezra Outline

I. Rebuilding the Temple (1-6)

II. Reforming the People  (7-10)

Nehemiah Outline

I. Reconstruction of Wall (1-7)

II. Renewal of the People  (7-13)

The Immediate Context

1. Reading of the Law (8)

2. Prayer of Confession (9)

3. Signers of  the Covenant (10:1-29)

4. Stipulations of the Covenant (10:30-39)

Big Idea

What is your response to God’s good gifts to you?

I. The Preparation  (1-5)

A. Feast of Tabernacles

Note: That is was after a success (completing the wall) and after a week of feasting that a sacred / solemn assembly was called.

The wall was finished.  6.15  (Elul 25th)

Reading of the Law 8.4-8

Feast of Tabernacles normally 15-22 of Tishri

B. Sacred / Solemn Assembly  8.18

Pastor Johnston mentioned the dangers of the spiritual highs.  This was a good antidote.

Note the four central elements of this meeting.

1. Humility  (sack cloth, ashes, fasting—symbols of morning and penance)  v.1

2. Separation  Israel was repeatedly told to separate themselves from the Canaanites so that they would not be corrupted by them.

Ezra told them not to marry foreigners.  This was about their spiritual state not their nationality.

Ezra 10.10-11  ...separate yourselves from the peoples of the land...

3. Scripture Reading (3 hours)  v.3

Psalms 119:130 NKJ

The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.

4. Worship and Confession  (3 hours)

Notice the connection between worship and confession. 

Both are a response to the Word ministry.

They are companions.

APPLICATION:

Are you ready for God to do a work in your life?

II. The Prayer   (6-31)

Interestingly, the ninth chapter of Ezra, of Nehemiah, and of Daniel are each devoted to confessions of national sin and prayers for God’s grace.  —Edwin Yamauchi

Note: This is one of the longest recorded prayers in the Bible.

Eight lead in crying out to God.

Eight lead the people on this prayer.

Read 5b and make a comment about not standing for the sermon. (Warn it will be a long reading and they may remain seated.)

A. God’s Glory as Creator     G

1. “You alone are YHWY”

2. Created all

3. Preserve all

4. Worshiped by the hosts of heaven

Could be a reference to stars or angels, most likely angels.  A God worshiped in the heavens is worthy of worship from earth.

B. God’s Promise to Abraham     E

1. You chose (picked)  v. 7

2. You made a covenant  v. 8  

3. You performed Your words   v. 8

C. God’s Gifts to Israel

Note: That the “history” is not in strict chronological order.

Note: Israel’s consistent response to God’s good gifts.

9-15 Strophe 1  — 16-25  Strophe 2  — 26-31   Strophe 3  — 32-37   Strophe 4

(any separate section or extended movement in a poem, distinguished from a stanza in that it does not follow a regularly repeated pattern.

1. Gave them Commandments  (13)  Ex. 19-20 ...

The commandments are a blessing.

They demonstrate our sinfulness to us.    S

Romans 3:20 ...for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

They

Deut. 6.24 And the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day.

The Sabbath rest was a blessing not a hardship.

2. Gave them Bread from Heaven  (15)   Ex. 16

Remember the purpose of the manna...

Deut. 8.2-3

² And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. ³ So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. 

Christ was God’s provision for our salvation.

John 6   O

⁴⁷Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. ⁴⁸ I am the bread of life. ⁴⁹ Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. ⁵⁰ This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. ⁵¹ I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world." 

v. 16-17  seem to refer to Numbers 14 after the report of the twelve spies.

1 So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. 2 And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, "If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness! 3 Why has the Lord brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?" 4 So they said to one another, "Let us select a leader and return to Egypt." 

v. 18  Golden calf of Ex. 32

3. Gave them His Spirit  (20)

Possibly Numbers 11.17

16 So the Lord said to Moses: "Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them; bring them to the tabernacle of meeting, that they may stand there with you. 17 Then I will come down and talk with you there. I will take of the Spirit that is upon you and will put the same upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you may not bear it yourself alone. 

4. Gave them Kingdoms (22)

5. Gave them Saviors (30)  P

Judges (esp ch. 2)

6. Gave them into the Hand of peoples (29-31)

2 Kings 17  Assyria—Israel

Judah — 2 Chronicles 36

¹⁵ And the Lord God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and sending them, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place. ¹⁶ But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, till there was no remedy. ¹⁷ Therefore He brought against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, on the aged or the weak; He gave them all into his hand. 

Application:

Psalm 95

 ⁸ "Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, 

As in the day of trial in the wilderness, 

⁹ When your fathers tested Me;

They tried Me, though they saw My work.

III. The Plea  (32-37)

A. Their position  (32a, 33-35)

³³ However

You are just in all that has befallen us;

For You have dealt faithfully,

But we have done wickedly.

B. Their plea  (32b, 36-37)

³⁷ ...And we are in great distress

C. Their promise  (38)

Commitment to the covenant.

This prayer of confession and repentance resulted in ACTION!

Next time we come to Nehemiah, we will see the people’s recommitment to God.

It tonight a time that you need to repent and recommit to faithfully follow the Lord.

Conclusion

#453  The Hymns for Worship and Celebration.

Words: Frances R. Havergal, 1858.

This was Frances Havergal’s first hymn. She wrote it after seeing Sternberg’s painting Ecce Homo in Düsseldorf, Germany. A caption on the painting read, “This have I done for thee; what has thou done for Me?” www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/i/g/igavemyl.htm

"I Gave My Life for Thee"

I gave My life for thee, My precious blood I shed,

That thou might ransomed be, and raised up from the dead

I gave, I gave My life for thee, what hast thou given for Me?

I gave, I gave My life for thee, what hast thou given for Me?

My Father’s house of light, My glory circled throne

I left for earthly night, for wanderings sad and lone;

I left, I left it all for thee, hast thou left aught for Me?

I left, I left it all for thee, hast thou left aught for Me?

I suffered much for thee, more than thy tongue can tell,

Of bitterest agony, to rescue thee from hell.

I’ve borne, I’ve borne it all for thee, what hast thou borne for Me?

I’ve borne, I’ve borne it all for thee, what hast thou borne for Me?

And I have brought to thee, down from My home above,

Salvation full and free, My pardon and My love;

I bring, I bring rich gifts to thee, what hast thou brought to Me?

I bring, I bring rich gifts to thee, what hast thou brought to Me?

Mark W. Throntveit in the Ezra-Nehemiah vol. of the Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for teaching and Preaching.

Derek Kidner in Ezra and Nehemiah of the Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries

Charles R. Swindole in Hand Me Another Brick: A Study of Nehemiah Bible Study Guide

F. Charles Fensham in The Books of Ezra and Nehemiah inThe New International Commentary on the Old Testament

Edwin Yamauchi in The Expositor's Bible Commentary with the New International Version

NET Bible: Translation Notes

Keil and Delitzsch in Commentary on the Old Testament

The IVP Bible Background Commentary Old Testament

Gene A. Getz in The Bible Knowledge Commentary

Warren Wiersbe in Be Determined

David Guzik in the Enduring Word Commentaries

The Teacher's Commentary Study Guide 44, Nehemiah, "Rebuilding"

L M Grant in Comments On the Book of Nehemiah

Arno Clement Gaeblein in "The Book of Nehemiah" in The Annotated Bible

Thomas Constable in Notes on Nehemiah 2009 Edition