Book of Nehemiah: Rebuilding Our Faith

The Bible Teacher's Commentary

Paul J. Bucknell

Strength & Direction for Life
Nehemiah 9:1-38

Intersecting Paths of Grace
Nehemiah 9:1-8

God Works Through Individuals

Guidance Neh 9:1-38 | Intersections Neh 9:1-8 | Cry Out 9:9-15 |
God Guides Neh 9:19-25 | Warnings Neh 9:26-31 | Preparations 9:32-38 | Video

Nehemiah Theme | Nehemiah Outline and Index| Nehemiah Historical Background

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Description : Intersecting Paths of Grace, the first of three scenes describing these paths of grace, is an exposition of Nehemiah 9:5-8 affirming how God works with us as individuals and wants each of us to succeed by His strength and for His glory.

(1) God creates intersecting paths of grace in our lives (Nehemiah 9:1-25)

Nehemiah 9:1-25 records three different scenes where God intervened in history and revealed His amazing grace. We dare not dismiss these events.

God could have let the world go on and never step in until Judgment Day, but He stepped in and brought love and grace to our lives. Let’s look at these three situations that the leaders of God’s people at that moment brought before God. Notice the historicity of this event. It is not a mere story or legend but on the 24th day of the month.

Each scene speaks significantly how God revives and encourages us to trust Him with our lives. This article foces on how God works through individuals like me (Nehemiah 9:1-8).

A) Who me? (Nehemiah 9:1-8). God works through individuals like me.

B) How did He do it? (Nehemiah 9:9-15). God supplies my needs even when impossible.

C) Where are we going? (Neh 9:19-25). God guides and helps me to accomplish His work.

A) Who me? (Nehemiah 9:1-8).

God works through individuals like me

9:1 Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the sons of Israel assembled with fasting, in sackcloth, and with dirt upon them. 2 And the descendants of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners, and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. 3While they stood in their place, they read from the book of the law of the LORD their God for a fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshiped the LORD their God.

4 Now on the Levites’ platform stood Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani, and they cried with a loud voice to the LORD their God. 5 Then the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, “Arise, bless the LORD your God forever and ever! O may Thy glorious name be blessed And exalted above all blessing and praise!

6“Thou alone art the LORD. Thou hast made the heavens, The heaven of heavens with all their host, The earth and all that is on it, The seas and all that is in them. Thou dost give life to all of them And the heavenly host bows down before Thee. 7“Thou art the LORD God, Who chose Abram And brought him out from Ur of the Chaldees, And gave him the name Abraham. 8“And Thou didst find his heart faithful before Thee, And didst make a covenant with him To give him the land of the Canaanite, Of the Hittite and the Amorite, Of the Perizzite, the Jebusite, and the Girgashite-- To give it to his descendants. And Thou hast fulfilled Thy promise, For Thou art righteous.

God of heaven chooses to reveal himself to a man on earth (Nehemiah 9:6-7)

The world back in 2000 BC was on its way to destruction. The flood came and went, but the world had again deteriorated to a low point and unapologetically lived in rebellion, immorality and idolatry.

God was so gracious to choose to reveal Himself to a man birthed in this idolatrous world. His family even dared to bring some of these idolatrous idols with them over to the land God directed Abram.

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We do not find God fully revealed Himself, but over time God gradually reveals more and more of Himself and His plan to this man named Abram. God called Abram and he responded. He might have called others too but they chose to stay where they were.

God envisioned Abram by renaming him to Abraham (Nehemiah 9:7)

God was starting something new. He did this by revealing Himself to Abram, calling Him to go to a new place for a new beginning and then renamed Him. Much can be said about this new name meaning, father of many nations.

The Lord knew the upcoming struggle to even have one son, but God’s plan went far beyond just physical descendants. Abraham would spend much of his life struggling with his faith, but he did prove himself faithful.

“Thou didst find his heart faithful before thee” (Nehemiah 9:8)

Abram was not the most sensitive husband. He fell numerous times into the pressures of the world and so laid with his maid rather than trusting God. However, we do find in Genesis 15 that God finally saw what He was looking for, faith.

5 And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” 6Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. 7And He said to him, “I am the LORD who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it” (Genesis 15:5-7).

• Why is God speaking to Abram like this?
• Why is God getting involved with him or us?

The answer is clear. This is one of those interventions in the affairs of men on earth where God desires to impart His life-giving grace.

Abram finally believed God, and from that point on, God secured a foothold to bring abounding grace and life to people from cultures all around the world. God in the same way is looking for opportunities to expand His grace through our faith too.

Application

Can I suggest that today God has called you as one of His sons and daughters. God has interrupted the flow of history by bringing His divine glorious love and grace into your life, as He did many years ago to Abraham. He wants to work in an outstanding way through your life. You might feel as if you are just another number, just another attendee or tither. You are not. He is looking for you to respond in faith to what He wants for your life.

What ‘faithful’ might mean in your life is not the same for all of us. It usually is in the area that we struggle with. It might mean to break from some affiliation to that which God considers impure. It might mean to give Him your whole life. Like Abraham, you will finally see that God’s way is best, make those key decisions and move on. In each case, these decisions, like Abraham’s, will be faith based. You will believe God is speaking with you and will honor you with your obedience.

Satan will come about and make you feel like it is not important. He will accuse you as not being a person God can use. Abraham was not perfect, nor are we, but we are determined to face these accusations with the truth of God: God has worked and wants to work amazing things through our lives as we step by step walk in faith.

Illustration

God has many a time challenged me, but it has demanded me to step out in faith. I am a very timid guy, but I believed God to lead me. This week I talked to a good high school and chess team player that I had not talked to for 30 years. I found him and talked with him! He is the president of a good-sized company and the conversation turned to me. He asked, “How are you supported?” “Oh, I don’t have a regular income. I pray” He responds, “Oh, I would like to hear how that works (with some cynicism).”

I simply told my friend, “God led me in faith to leave a secure paying job to do what I had never done and trust Him for my livelihood.” In faith with a wife and seven children (at that time), I took that step into the future. Many a time I can remember quivering about the possible consequences of starting a business without any resources, but when God spoke to me, He steadied my heart and now faith has become routine. I told Fred, “God has been taking care of me for ten years like this.” He said, “Oh.” He couldn’t fight the facts.

God is wanting to work through each of His children. God seeks to work through faithful people like you. God has intervened in the history of man and does it all the time. He is doing it in your life as His child.

=> Continue Reading on the second scene: (B) How did He do it? (Nehemiah 9:9-15)

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