Nehemiah Chapters 9-10 Commentary

Nehemiah Chapters 9-10

Chapter 9 9:1 “The Word of God had a tremendous impact on the Restoration community. It pointed the people to their sin (8:9), led them to worship (8:12,14), and gave them great joy (8:17). Now the Word led to their confession of sin” (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 690). The Feast of Tabernacles concluded on the 22 nd day of the month, after one day’s interval, on the 23rd, the people assembled on the 24 th.

“Nehemiah’s quick reaction against a tearful response to the law at its earlier reading (8:9-12) shows that he was profoundly eager to associate God’s will with delight (as the psalmists did, Psalm 19:7ff; 40:8; 119:14,16).

But now it was equally important to set this delight firmly in contrast to the gall of sin, and to face the facts of the past and the challenge of the future….The responsive mood must be harnessed to the will. And, with the realism of that culture, the body and its attire must express the same selfhumbling and sorrow as would the words and tone of voice” (Kidner p.

110).

9:2-3 Here is what happens when people are truly impressed with God’s word and the gravity of their sins. For about three hours the people stood (8:7) while the Law was read. Then for another three hours they confessed their sins. “Sackcloth” was a goat-hair garment that covered the bare loins during times of mourning and penance. They also demonstrated their repentance by separating themselves from foreigners and getting back to what God had commanded in the Law (Deut. 7:1ff).

“The people must have had a genuine hunger to know God’s will and His promises because they read for several hours. Their example presents two challenges: Allow God to speak through His Word….Read widely in God’s Word, not just brief portions” (Breneman p. 232).

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9:4-5 The “platform” mentioned may have been steps from one court of the temple to another. These Levites led the people in their praise to God and the confession of their sins.

9:6 Why should the Israelites praise God? What were His rights of Lordship in demanding their allegiance? He is the Creator of heaven and earth, and all things contained therein. “The Levites’ prayer is one of the longest in the Bible. It begins with a confession of God’s greatness—His glorious name, His creative works, His covenant with Abraham, and His gift of the Promised Land to Israel. The prayer shows the influence of the Scripture reading of the recent weeks” (Smith p. 744).

There is no other God but God. God is the Creator of everything (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16), therefore, nothing evolved by chance. It is simply ridiculous to worship the stars or other heavenly bodies, for God is their Creator. In addition, the “heavenly host” (the angels), even bow before God. 9:7 As in many historical overviews found in the Scriptures, notice that Biblical writers always endorsed the events recorded by previous writers.

Spiritual men and women believe everything that is found in Scripture.

This is exactly what is recorded in Genesis 11:28,31; 15:7. “Ur is usually identified with the famous Sumerian city in southern Mesopotamia, occupied in the first millennium B.C. by the Chaldeans” (Gaebelein p.

732).

9:8 Compare with Genesis 15:6; 22; James 2:21-23; Romans 4:16-22.

Premillennialists argue that God has never really fulfilled this promise to Abraham, and that God still has a purpose for the physical nation of Israel. Yet these Levites clearly declared that God had already fulfilled this promise with Abraham, “and Thou hast fulfilled Thy promise”.

9:9-11 Once again, inspired writers reflecting on the Exodus make it clear that God actually did part the Red Sea, and that such a body of water was “deep” (“and their pursuers Thou didst hurl into the depths”) (Exodus 14:23-30). “One of the lasting impressions the exodus made on Israel was a sense of justice…Some forty Hebrew words are used to speak of miracles; they are used approximately five hundred times in the Old Testament. Half of these five hundred occurrences refer to the miracles of the exodus” (Breneman p. 237). “Note too the unmistakable echo of the song at the Red Sea in the phrase as a stone into mighty water (11; Exodus 15:5,10)” (Kidner p. 112).

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9:12-13 Wow! Notice how these men viewed God’s Law given at Sinai.

“God gave the gift of the Commandments. They are not simply negative commands but rather are instructions about how to live the godly life…

The Jews did not see the laws as a burden or something negative but as a gift from God to guide His people in forming a just and good society” (Breneman p. 238). This was Paul’s attitude toward the Law (Romans 7:12).

9:14 Seventh Day Adventists, and others, claim that God made known the Sabbath Day at Creation and that the Sabbath Day has been a requirement for mankind ever since, but this verse says otherwise. The Sabbath Day, as a requirement for the nation of Israel, was made known as a law when God gave the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai. Be impressed how the Sabbath Day is mentioned in a context of grace. At the cross of Christ, the Sabbath Day, as the day of worship, was removed (Colossians 2:14-17).

“All of God’s laws were lovingly designed for the well-being of His creatures, not as a burden to be borne in shame, self-pity, or deprivation.

It is sin and Satan that warps our character to make us think of them in any other way” (Winters p. 124).

9:15 God performed miracles in reference to both food and water to take care of the 600,000 plus people who came out of bondage (Exodus 12:37). “The teaching is that God provides for His people’s daily needs.

The conquest of the land was to be God’s work, but the people had to believe and take initiative. Initiative based on faith was required but was lacking on that occasion. Real faith motivates one to do God’s will” (Breneman p. 238).

9:16-17 The word “stubborn” literally means, “stiff-necked”, which is a figure borrowed from the driving of stubborn oxen who resist guidance (Exo. 32:9; Deut. 10:16; 2 Kings 17:14; 2 Chron. 36:13; Jeremiah 7:26). The Israelites proved unfaithful to the gracious God Who redeemed them.

Within weeks they forgot the wondrous deeds He had done on their behalf. They even went so far as to appoint a human leader to lead them back to Egypt. Sadly, even today there are voices among God’s people who want to lead God’s people into the bondage of Denominationalism.

9:18-19 God however was gracious and did not destroy them.

“Throughout this miraculous pilgrimage ‘they lacked nothing’ (21)—and appreciated nothing (17)” (Kidner p. 112). Note, God didn’t unconditionally forgive them, rather they died in the wilderness and the next generation was given the opportunity to enter the Promised Land.

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God was very compassionate in the sense that He didn’t destroy the entire nation. “Even when the people acted rebelliously, God graciously guided them with pillars of cloud and fire” (Breneman p. 239).

9:20 God provided for all their needs, both spiritual and physical. God’s “good spirit” instructed them through inspired men like Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15-19). Their physical needs were totally supplied during their forty years of wilderness wandering (Deuteronomy 8:1ff).

9:21 Note that God said, “they were not in want”—but many of them had a different perspective (1 Corinthians 10:1ff).

9:22 God used Israel to judge the moral corruption of the Canaanite society.

9:23-25 Look at how blessed they were when they obeyed God. That second generation captured fortified cities, well-furnished homes, fertile fields, orchards, vineyards and cisterns. They reveled in the good things which God had placed at their disposal. Compare with Joshua 21:43,45.

“In the land flowing with milk and honey (Exodus 8:8) they enjoyed blessings undreamed of at the fleshpots of Egypt—well-built houses, plenty of water, fruits in abundance, freedom from oppression—and they delighted in the goodness of the Lord” (Winters p. 127). Do we realize how blessed we are? Unfaithfulness is so inexcusable, for in order to forsake God, we must ignore all the blessings we are presently enjoying.

9:26 To rebel against God’s law, is to rebel against God Himself, we cannot separate God from His Word (John 12:48; 14:15; 1 John 2:4). Sadly, they resented and persecuted the faithful men who preached God’s word (Matthew 23:37). 9:27 This verse summarizes what happened in the book of Judges (Judges 2:16-18; 3:9).

9:28 The history of the judges is a cyclical story of deliverance, apostasy, and then deliverance. “Reproducing the rhythm of that era with its steady repetition of sin, decline, appeal and rescue, a cycle which no warning from experience of from preaching (even though they were warned) could do anything to break” (Kidner p. 112). Man can become so stubborn by his own choice and even the preaching of God’s word will not penetrate conscience. Let us make sure that we never allow any hardness or callousness to enter our hearts! (Hebrews 3:12).

9:29 God admonished His people through the prophets. Note the expression, “by which if a man observes them he shall live”. “God’s word (His laws, His guidance) is the life of His people. One who rejects God’s

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moral instructions is really rejecting life with God” (Breneman p. 241). Our lifeline with God is our obedience to the Scriptures (Matthew 7:21).

9:30-31 God’s grace was demonstrated, not in sweeping everything under the rug, for God did punish them often. Rather, God’s compassion is demonstrated in allowing the nation to survive! The prayer recognizes that God would have been just in putting an end to these rebellious people. “God also delivered her into the hands of aliens; but it was with one grand design in mind: to awaken her to her covenant responsibilities.

But the discipline had little effect; and had it not been for the grace and mercy of God, she would have long ago been utterly consumed" (Winters pp. 128-129).

9:32 “At one time Israel accused God of dealing unfairly with them (Ezekiel 18:25), but now they acknowledged that responsibility for the broken covenant rested squarely on their shoulders” (Winters p. 129).

“From the days of the kings of Assyria” includes the whole time of captivity, even the captivity of the Northern Kingdom in 722 B.C. From the time of Assyrian oppression until this renewal of the covenant over two hundred and seventy-six trouble-filled years had elapsed (721-445 B.C.).

The people cry out for compassion—and they honestly face the fact that they deserved everything that they had suffered.

9:33-35 True repentance won’t make excuses and true repentance doesn’t blame God for the hardships created by one’s own unfaithfulness. The wrongdoing was not God’s but was that of the kings, leaders, priests, and fathers who did not keep the Law. “They hastened to add that their condition in no way impugned the justice of God” (Smith p.

745).

9:36-37 They were still suffering the physical consequences of the sins of the past. Yes they were back in the land, but they still had to pay heavy taxes to the Persian government. Persian taxes required large portions of their produce and cattle. It was one thing to be a slave in a foreign land, but to be a slave in their own land was quite another. The people knew that God is their only chance for deliverance, just as He had been for the children of Israel when they were in Egypt. Nehemiah and the people knew that God’s abundant grace did not give them the license to sin.

9:38 If God’s people were ever again to enjoy the blessings of their God, there was but one course of action left open for them. So from this time forward they made a solemn covenant, confirmed by their oaths, to abide by the teachings of the word of God.

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Chapter 10 10:1-27 These verses contain the names of the men, including Nehemiah who signed this oath to follow the will of God. The civil leaders, religious leaders, and all the people agreed to put their seals to a written agreement that they would obey the stipulations of the Mosaic Law. 10:28-29 Here it is made completely clear that everyone, down to the youngest children who could understand (8:2), shared in this oath (reinforced by a curse, i.e., calling down disaster if they should go back on their word. Is this our attitude as a congregation towards the will of God? Are we dedicated to following the Scriptures or are we looking for loopholes? Submission to the authority of God’s Word is the unmistakable command here. They placed themselves under a curse, because if they didn’t obey God—they would be cursed!

10:30 Part of this oath included the commitment to avoid intermarriage with foreigners (Deut. 7:1-4; 20:10-18). “These prohibitions against intermarriage were for religious reasons. Converts like Rahab and Ruth were accepted into the community” (Breneman p. 247).

10:31 The laws regarding the Sabbath and the Sabbatical Year were other examples of laws that they would keep. Living so close to non-Jews who brought merchandise to sell on the Sabbath presented a new situation. Sometimes people claim that there is too much emphasis on doctrine, but look at what Nehemiah, a very spiritual man viewed as important. When you follow the Bible, you can’t just keep things general, i.e., we need to love God more. Rather, you have to get down to specifics, that is, how is this love manifested, and what commands if any are presently being neglected?

10:32-39 In addition, the covenant also involved positive obligations. First, they would contribute annually one third of a shekel to supply the regular sacrifices for the temple. Second, families by lot would assume for a period of time the responsibility for supplying wood for the altar. Third, they agreed to give the Lord His due, that is, the first fruits of ground and tree and the firstborn of sons and livestock.

1. “The significance of what is being pledged here must not be missed.

For years the Persian kings had taken responsibility for the maintenance of the temple service. Now the Jews were assuming

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that responsibility. This would be a heavy burden for a relatively small and poor community. The religious zeal triggered by the revival led by Ezra and Nehemiah now was being translated into concrete deeds. A faith that costs nothing is worth nothing” (Smith p. 747).

2. This spiritual awakening or revival of faith—started with taking the word of God seriously!

3. Notice, these people did not downplay the details of God’s worship, neither did they ridicule various “acts of worship”. True spirituality means taking every command and every detail which God has communicated very seriously (Isaiah 66:2).

10:39 “Thus we will not neglect the house of our God”: God would come first regardless of the personal sacrifices which such might demand (Matthew 6:33). What a change of heart when we compare this to the people’s attitude seen in the books of Haggai and Malachi.

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