GOD HAS REMAINED FAITHFUL

Passage: Nehemiah 9:6-21

Key verse: 7b

NIV

6 You alone are the Lord.(A) You made the heavens,(B) even the highest heavens, and all their starry host,(C) the earth(D) and all that is on it, the seas(E) and all that is in them.(F) You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven(G) worship you.

7 “You are the Lord God, who chose Abram(H) and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans(I) and named him Abraham.(J) 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.(K) You have kept your promise(L) because you are righteous.(M)

9 “You saw the suffering of our ancestors in Egypt;(N) you heard their cry at the Red Sea.[a](O) 10 You sent signs(P) and wonders(Q) 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(R) for yourself,(S) which remains to this day. 11 You divided the sea before them,(T) so that they passed through it on dry ground, but you hurled their pursuers into the depths,(U) like a stone into mighty waters.(V) 12 By day(W) you led(X) them with a pillar of cloud,(Y) 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;(Z) you spoke(AA) to them from heaven.(AB) You gave them regulations and laws that are just(AC) and right, and decrees and commands that are good.(AD) 14 You made known to them your holy Sabbath(AE) and gave them commands, decrees and laws through your servant Moses. 15 In their hunger you gave them bread from heaven(AF) and in their thirst you brought them water from the rock;(AG) you told them to go in and take possession of the land you had sworn with uplifted hand(AH) to give them.(AI)

16 “But they, our ancestors, became arrogant and stiff-necked,(AJ) and they did not obey your commands.(AK) 17 They refused to listen and failed to remember(AL) the miracles(AM) you performed among them. They became stiff-necked(AN) and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery.(AO) But you are a forgiving God,(AP) gracious and compassionate,(AQ) slow to anger(AR) and abounding in love.(AS) Therefore you did not desert them,(AT) 18 even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf(AU) and said, ‘This is your god, who brought you up out of Egypt,’ or when they committed awful blasphemies.(AV)

19 “Because of your great compassion you did not abandon(AW) them in the wilderness. By day the pillar of cloud(AX) did not fail 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(AY) to instruct(AZ) them. You did not withhold your manna(BA) from their mouths, and you gave them water(BB) for their thirst. 21 For forty years(BC) you sustained them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing,(BD) their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen.(BE)

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Footnotes
  1. Nehemiah 9:9 Or the Sea of Reeds
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

6 [a] (A)“You are the Lord, you alone. (B)You have made heaven, (C)the heaven of heavens, (D)with all their host, (E)the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; (F)and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you. 7 You are the Lord, the God (G)who chose Abram and brought him out of (H)Ur of the Chaldeans (I)and gave him the name Abraham. 8 (J)You found his heart faithful before you, (K)and made with him the covenant to give to his offspring (L)the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite, and the Girgashite. (M)And you have kept your promise, for you are righteous.

9 (N)“And you saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt and heard (O)their cry at the Red Sea, 10 (P)and performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh and all his servants and all the people of his land, for you knew that (Q)they acted arrogantly against our fathers. And (R)you made a name for yourself, as it is to this day. 11 (S)And you divided the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on dry land, and you cast their pursuers into the depths, (T)as a stone into mighty waters. 12 By (U)a pillar of cloud you led them in the day, and by a pillar of fire in the night to light for them the way in which they should go. 13 (V)You came down on Mount Sinai (W)and spoke with them from heaven and gave them (X)right rules and true laws, good statutes and commandments, 14 (Y)and you made known to them your holy Sabbath and commanded them commandments and statutes and a law by Moses your servant. 15 (Z)You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger and (AA)brought water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and you (AB)told them to go in to possess the land that you had sworn to give them.

16 “But they and our fathers (AC)acted presumptuously and stiffened their neck and did not obey your commandments. 17 They refused to obey (AD)and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt.[b] But you are a God ready to forgive, (AE)gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them. 18 Even (AF)when they had made for themselves a golden[c] calf and said, ‘This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt,’ (AG)and had committed great blasphemies, 19 you (AH)in your great mercies did not forsake them in the wilderness. (AI)The pillar of cloud to lead them in the way did not depart from them by day, (AJ)nor the pillar of fire by night to light for them the way by which they should go. 20 (AK)You gave your good Spirit to instruct them (AL)and did not withhold your manna from their mouth and gave them water for their thirst. 21 (AM)Forty years you sustained them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell.

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Footnotes
  1. Nehemiah 9:6 Septuagint adds And Ezra said
  2. Nehemiah 9:17 Some Hebrew manuscripts; many Hebrew manuscripts and in their rebellion appointed a leader to return to their slavery
  3. Nehemiah 9:18 Hebrew metal
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

The Levites led the worship and prayed to God, who had guided and provided for their ancestors throughout history. God, who created the world and gave life to all the living, chose Abraham to carry out his salvation plan (7). Together, they established a covenant relationship to bless Abraham's descendants (8).

Since then, God had faithfully led them to grow as his chosen people. He saved them from their agonies of slavery in Egypt. God rescued them when Pharaoh chased them. God guided them day and night (12). He gave them the Law so that they would grow to know right and wrong. He provided them with food and kept them from being hungry and thirsty. He led them to the promised land, which they were to take possession (15).

However, the arrogance and unfaithfulness of the Israelites led them to disobey God and despise the spiritual leader (17a). Yet, instead of abandoning them in the wilderness as they deserved, God remained gracious to them, bearing with them for forty years and providing for all their needs (21). The Israelites must have been comforted to remember God’s provision throughout their history despite themselves.

Prayer: Father, thank you for your guidance and love for this undeserving sinner. I find peace as I remember your unchanging love.

One Word: God is faithful.