There is a reason why these are together this time.
Friends,
Seany
Nehemiah 9 (New International Version)
New International Version
(NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by
International Bible Society
NIV at IBS
International Bible Society
NIV at Zondervan
Zondervan
Nehemiah 9
The Israelites Confess Their Sins
1 On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together,
fasting and wearing sackcloth and having dust on their heads. 2 Those of
Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood in
their places and confessed their sins and the wickedness of their fathers.
3 They stood where they were and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD
their God for a quarter of the day, and spent another quarter in confession
and in worshiping the LORD their God. 4 Standing on the stairs were the
Levites-Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani and Kenani-who
called with loud voices to the LORD their God. 5 And the Levites-Jeshua,
Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah-said:
"Stand
up and praise the LORD your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting. [a]
"
"Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing
and praise. 6 You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest
heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas
and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes
of heaven worship you.
7 "You are the LORD God, who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the
Chaldeans and named him Abraham. 8 You found his heart faithful to you, and you
made a covenant with him to give to his descendants the land of the Canaanites,
Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites and Girgashites. You have kept
your promise because you are righteous.
9 "You saw the suffering of our forefathers in Egypt; you heard their cry at
the Red Sea. [b]
10 You sent miraculous signs and wonders against Pharaoh, against all his
officials and all the people of his land, for you knew how arrogantly the
Egyptians
treated them. You made a name for yourself, which remains to this day. 11 You
divided the sea before them, so that they passed through it on dry ground,
but you hurled their pursuers into the depths, like a stone into mighty waters.
12 By day you led them with a pillar of cloud, and by night with a pillar
of fire to give them light on the way they were to take.
13 "You came down on Mount Sinai; you spoke to them from heaven. You gave them
regulations and laws that are just and right, and decrees and commands that
are good. 14 You made known to them your holy Sabbath and gave them commands,
decrees and laws through your servant Moses. 15 In their hunger you gave
them bread from heaven and in their thirst you brought them water from the
rock; you told them to go in and take possession of the land you had sworn with
uplifted hand to give them.
16 "But they, our forefathers, became arrogant and stiff-necked, and did not
obey your commands. 17 They refused to listen and failed to remember the
miracles
you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion
appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving
God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore
you did not desert them, 18 even when they cast for themselves an image
of a calf and said, 'This is your god, who brought you up out of Egypt,' or
when they committed awful blasphemies.
19 "Because of your great compassion you did not abandon them in the desert. By
day the pillar of cloud did not cease to guide them on their path, nor the
pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take. 20 You gave your
good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their
mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst. 21 For forty years you
sustained them in the desert; they lacked nothing, their clothes did not wear
out nor did their feet become swollen.
22 "You gave them kingdoms and nations, allotting to them even the remotest
frontiers. They took over the country of Sihon [c]
king of Heshbon and the country of Og king of Bashan. 23 You made their sons
as numerous as the stars in the sky, and you brought them into the land that
you told their fathers to enter and possess. 24 Their sons went in and took
possession of the land. You subdued before them the Canaanites, who lived in
the land; you handed the Canaanites over to them, along with their kings and
the peoples of the land, to deal with them as they pleased. 25 They captured
fortified cities and fertile land; they took possession of houses filled with
all kinds of good things, wells already dug, vineyards, olive groves and
fruit trees in abundance. They ate to the full and were well-nourished; they
reveled in your great goodness.
26 "But they were disobedient and rebelled against you; they put your law
behind their backs. They killed your prophets, who had admonished them in order
to turn them back to you; they committed awful blasphemies. 27 So you handed
them over to 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.
28 "But as soon as they were at rest, they again did what was evil in your
sight. Then you abandoned them to the hand of their enemies so that they ruled
over them. And when they cried out to you again, you heard from heaven, and in
your compassion you delivered them time after time.
29 "You warned them to return to your law, but they became arrogant and
disobeyed your commands. They sinned against your ordinances, by which a man
will
live if he obeys them. Stubbornly they turned their backs on you, became
stiff-necked and refused to listen. 30 For many years you were patient with
them.
By your Spirit you admonished them through your prophets. Yet they paid no
attention, so you handed them over to the neighboring peoples. 31 But in your
great mercy you did not put an end to them or abandon them, for you are a
gracious and merciful God.
32 "Now therefore, O our God, the great, mighty and awesome God, who keeps his
covenant of love, do not let all this hardship seem trifling in your eyes-the
hardship that has come upon us, upon our kings and leaders, upon our priests
and prophets, upon our fathers and all your people, from the days of the kings
of Assyria until today. 33 In all that has happened to us, you have been just;
you have acted faithfully, while we did wrong. 34 Our kings, our leaders,
our priests and our fathers did not follow your law; they did not pay attention
to your commands or the warnings you gave them. 35 Even while they were
in their kingdom, enjoying your great goodness to them in the spacious and
fertile land you gave them, they did not serve you or turn from their evil ways.
36 "But see, we are slaves today, slaves in the land you gave our forefathers
so they could eat its fruit and the other good things it produces. 37 Because
of our sins, its abundant harvest goes to the kings you have placed over us.
They rule over our bodies and our cattle as they please. We are in great
distress.
The Agreement of the People
38 "In view of all this, we are making a binding agreement, putting it in
writing, and our leaders, our Levites and our priests are affixing their seals
to it."
Using this chapter, Let us testify to God and praise God for the things he has
done. Let us confess publicly the things this nation has done. Let us remember
how good our God is.
What else do you see happening? IN the same way, let us make commitments to God
in our heart to serve him and to not allow compromise to enter into our hearts.
Nehemiah 10
1 Those who sealed it were:
Nehemiah the governor, the son of Hacaliah.
Zedekiah, 2 Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah,
3 Pashhur, Amariah, Malkijah,
4 Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch,
5 Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,
6 Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch,
7 Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,
8 Maaziah, Bilgai and Shemaiah.
These were the priests.
9 The Levites:
Jeshua son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel,
10 and their associates: Shebaniah,
Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,
11 Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah,
12 Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,
13 Hodiah, Bani and Beninu.
14 The leaders of the people:
Parosh, Pahath-Moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani,
15 Bunni, Azgad, Bebai,
16 Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin,
17 Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur,
18 Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai,
19 Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai,
20 Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir,
21 Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua,
22 Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah,
23 Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub,
24 Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek,
25 Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,
26 Ahiah, Hanan, Anan,
27 Malluch, Harim and Baanah.
28 "The rest of the people-priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers, temple
servants and all who separated themselves from the neighboring peoples for the
sake of the Law of God, together with their wives and all their sons and
daughters who are able to understand- 29 all these now join their brothers the
nobles, and bind themselves with a curse and an oath to follow the Law of God
given through Moses the servant of God and to obey carefully all the commands,
regulations and decrees of the LORD our Lord.
What did the rest of the people do?
30 "We promise not to give our daughters in marriage to the peoples around us
or take their daughters for our sons.
31 "When the neighboring peoples bring merchandise or grain to sell on the
Sabbath, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or on any holy day. Every
seventh
year we will forgo working the land and will cancel all debts.
32 "We assume the responsibility for carrying out the commands to give a third
of a shekel [a]
each year for the service of the house of our God: 33 for the bread set out on
the table; for the regular grain offerings and burnt offerings; for the
offerings on the Sabbaths, New Moon festivals and appointed feasts; for the
holy offerings; for sin offerings to make atonement for Israel; and for all
the duties of the house of our God.
34 "We-the priests, the Levites and the people-have cast lots to determine when
each of our families is to bring to the house of our God at set times each
year a contribution of wood to burn on the altar of the LORD our God, as it is
written in the Law.
35 "We also assume responsibility for bringing to the house of the LORD each
year the firstfruits of our crops and of every fruit tree.
36 "As it is also written in the Law, we will bring the firstborn of our sons
and of our cattle, of our herds and of our flocks to the house of our God,
to the priests ministering there.
37 "Moreover, we will bring to the storerooms of the house of our God, to the
priests, the first of our ground meal, of our grain offerings, of the fruit
of all our trees and of our new wine and oil. And we will bring a tithe of our
crops to the Levites, for it is the Levites who collect the tithes in all
the towns where we work. 38 A priest descended from Aaron is to accompany the
Levites when they receive the tithes, and the Levites are to bring a tenth
of the tithes up to the house of our God, to the storerooms of the treasury. 39
The people of Israel, including the Levites, are to bring their contributions
of grain, new wine and oil to the storerooms where the articles for the
sanctuary are kept and where the ministering priests, the gatekeepers and the
singers
stay.
"We will not neglect the house of our God."
What do l you see happening? (restoring of order.)
What would need to take place in today's world and in America for us to return
back to God? How can our Bible study lead by example?
Prayer focus.
Pray for America to be on her knees and face before God.
Pray for elections.
Pray for ecconomy.
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