And possessed the land;
bYou subdued before them the inhabitants of the land,
The Canaanites,
And gave them into their hands,
With their kings
And the people of the land,
That they might do with them as they wished.
And possessed bhouses full of all goods,
Cisterns already dug, vineyards, olive groves,
And fruit trees in abundance.
So they ate and were filled and cgrew fat,
And delighted themselves in Your great dgoodness.
And rebelled against You,
bCast Your law behind their backs
And killed Your cprophets, who testified against them
To turn them to Yourself;
And they worked great provocations.
Who oppressed them;
And in the time of their trouble,
When they cried to You,
You bheard from heaven;
And according to Your abundant mercies
cYou gave them deliverers who saved them
From the hand of their enemies.
aThey again did evil before You.
Therefore You left them in the hand of their enemies,
So that they had dominion over them;
Yet when they returned and cried out to You,
You heard from heaven;
And bmany times You delivered them according to Your mercies,
That You might bring them back to Your law.
Yet they acted1 proudly,
And did not heed Your commandments,
But sinned against Your judgments,
a‘Which if a man does, he shall live by them.’
And they shrugged their shoulders,
1Stiffened their necks,
And would not hear.
And1 testified aagainst them by Your Spirit bin Your prophets.
Yet they would not listen;
cTherefore You gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.
aYou did not utterly consume them nor forsake them;
For You are God, gracious and merciful.
The great, the amighty, and awesome God,
Who keeps covenant and mercy:
Do not let all the1 trouble seem small before You
That has come upon us,
Our kings and our princes,
Our priests and our prophets,
Our fathers and on all Your people,
bFrom the days of the kings of Assyria until this day.
For You have dealt faithfully,
But bwe have done wickedly.
Our priests nor our fathers,
Have kept Your law,
Nor heeded Your commandments and Your testimonies,
With which You testified against them.
Or in the many good things that You gave them,
Or in the large and rich land which You set before them;
Nor did they turn from their wicked works.
And the land that You gave to our fathers,
To eat its fruit and its bounty,
Here we are, servants in it!
You have set over us,
Because of our sins;
Also they have bdominion over our bodies and our cattle
At their pleasure;
And we are in great distress.
| << Nehemiah 9:25 | Nehemiah 9:27 >> |
Nehemiah 9:1-38
A solemn fast. (1-3) Prayer and confession of sin. (4-38)
Verses 1-3 The word will direct and quicken prayer, for by it the Spirit helps our infirmities in prayer. The careful study of God's word will more and more discover to us our own sinfulness, and the plenteousness of his salvation; thus it calls us to mourn for sin, and to rejoice in him. Every discovery of the truth of God, should render us more unwearied in attendance on his sacred word, and on his worship.
Verses 4-38 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. When confessing our sins, it is good to notice the mercies of God, that we may be the more humbled and ashamed. The dealings of the Lord showed his goodness and long-suffering, and the hardness of their hearts. The testimony of the prophets was the testimony of the Spirit in the prophets, and it was the Spirit of Christ in them. They spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost, and what they said is to be received accordingly. The result was, wonder at the Lord's mercies, and the feeling that sin had brought them to their present state, from which nothing but unmerited love could rescue them. And is not their conduct a specimen of human nature? Let us study the history of our land, and our own history. Let us recollect our advantages from childhood, and ask what were our first returns? Let us frequently do so, that we may be kept humble, thankful, and watchful. Let all remember that pride and obstinacy are sins which ruin the soul. But it is often as hard to persuade the broken-hearted to hope, as formerly it was to bring them to fear. Is this thy case? Behold this sweet promise, A God ready to pardon! Instead of keeping away from God under a sense of unworthiness, let us come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. He is a God ready to pardon.
| << Nehemiah 9:25 | Nehemiah 9:27 >> |
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