Nehemiah 9:8,
“GRACE THROUGH THE WORD”
“You have kept your promise because you are righteous.”
This is such a beautiful story of confession, forgiveness and healing through God’, Word and His unfailing Grace!
This morning I opened the Word to the story of the “Book of the Law” being read to the people after years of not having the Word of the Lord available to them as a result of apostasy and sin.
This is such a beautiful story of confession, forgiveness, and healing through God’s Word and His unfailing Grace!
Here is the backdrop: the wall around Jerusalem had fallen into ruins and Nehemiah had dedicated all his efforts to rebuilding it. Just 6 days after the wall was rebuilt –which was the culmination of a long and arduous, process to re-build the wall–the prophet Ezra had the privilege of reading the Word from the “Book of the Law” to the people as they (men women and children) gathered to listen.
The “Book of the Law” was the only record of God’s Word in the Old Testament times.
Nehemiah 8:3
“He (Ezra) read aloud from daybreak until noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of men, women and others who could understand. And all people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.
As Ezra read the Word the people wept and confessed their sins:
Nehemiah 8:9
“For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.”
Now don’t miss their RESPONSE to what they HEARD:
Nehemiah 9:3
“They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the sins of their ancestors.”
What happened that lead the people to a place of sin and rebellion? God’s people had been taken captured and made salves because of their apostasy. Finally, after many years, they were set free and brought back to Jersusalem. But the wall around the city had fallen and decayed.
This rebuilding of the wall and returning to God’s Word, was a beautiful representation of restoration for God’s people, and hearing God’s Word once again, lead to the Israelites to choose to confess their sins, leading to healing for the Israelites.
Many sins had occurred and much personal sacrifice was needed for this to occur. The long and short of it–the people had to choose to confess their sins.
And this is what is so amazing to me. Not only did the people humble themselves before the Lord by confessing their sins, but they also chose to FORSAKE their sins!! How was this done? Through the GRACE of God!
In reading the Book of the Law (the Word of God) they were able to see God’s faithfulness and GRACE to their ancestors even in the midst of great sin and rebellion:
Nehemiah 9:26-28
“But they were disobedient and rebelled against you; they turned their backs on your Law. They killed your prophets, who had warned them in order to return them back to you; they committed awful blasphemies. So you delivered them into the hands of their enemies, who oppressed them.
But when they were oppressed they cried out to you. ❤️❤️❤️?
From heaven YOU HEARD THEM, and in your great compassion you gave them deliverers, who rescued them from the hand of their enemies.
…and when they cried out to you again, you heard from heaven, and in your compassion you delivered them time after time.???
The Jesus Bible Comm: (See Nehemiah 10:38-39)
“The hope of a Christian is founded in GRACE. In their fallen state, human beings are simply unable to obey God and are unable to save themselves…at the heart of what it means to be fallen human beings, people are PROUD and want to do things for themselves. (Is this not SO true?!!)
Even Christians, after God saves them, struggle with trying to earn their way to God. Yet people who have surrendered their life to Christ grow with God the same way they were saved by God:
BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH IN CHRIST!!! ❤️❤️❤️
(See Acts 15:24-29)
The bottom line is this: Our good intentions to obey will ALWAYS FALL SHORT!!
We just will never be THAT GOOD–no matter how hard we WANT TO BE or TRY TO BE!
It’s beautiful to me that the Israelites, upon hearing the Word of God, humbled themselves, confessed their sins and made personal life changes by choosing to OBEY the Word of the Lord! Amen!! And in doing so, the Lord forgave them and blessed them!
The rebuilding of the wall around Jerusalem was a representation of the strong moral wall the Israelites had chosen to rebuild and erect not only around their city, but around their hearts. ❤️❤️❤️
Ask Yourself Today:
What walls need to be repaired or rebuilt in MY life? ?
What sins need to be confessed??
When will I turn MY heart back to God? ?
Life is short and time is uncertain. We cannot afford to let another day go by before humbly falling on our faces before God in REPENTANT submission pleading for His mercy and grace!
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
If you have drifted away from God–if your “moral wall” has been torn down and needs repairing, begin today!
Cry out to Jesus and he will HEAL YOU! ❤️❤️❤️
He has done so for me…and I will never stop singing praises to my Lord Jesus for his faithfulness, love and GRACE❤️
Jesus is MIGHTY TO SAVE!! Amen and HALLELUJAH!
Victoriously Free In Christ!
Ashley Gronholm