National repentance and recommitment

Nehemiah 9-10

Introduction

Ezra now replaces Nehemiah as the prominent character in the story. The people listened attentively and eagerly as Ezra read to them the Book of the Law. Obedience in observing the festivals brought great joy. Three and a half weeks later they set aside a national day of worship, repentance and recommitment. This was a very significant response to God’s grace and visitation.

Nehemiah ch.9 begins with fasting and sackcloth, confession of sins, then further reading from the Law, and more worship and confession. The prayer recorded in 9:5b-38 is a valuable prayer to read to help us as we look for words with which to worship God. The psalms, and words of hymns, can also help us in this way. We can also make our own the words used in confession.

Three principles of revival

Firstly lets be clear that when we use the term “revival” here, we are not referring to evangelism which is winning the lost, but we are referring to a gracious outpouring of the Spirit on believers, reviving life that is already there with fresh zeal and commitment, causing smouldering embers to flame again with blazing fire. It is possible to have success in evangelism without revival, but genuine revival leads to widespread and most successful evangelism.

The first principal of revival is an awareness of God. Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. 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 (Nehemiah 9:5,6). This prayer shows an awareness that God was behind every event in the history of the Jews – the choice of Abraham, the exodus from Egypt, victory at the Red Sea, the guiding light of the pillar of fire and cloud, the giving of the Law at Sinai, provision of manna and water, patience despite their rebellion, keeping them forty years in the wilderness, conquering kingdoms and nations, possession of the land of Canaan with wells and vineyards, olives and fruits.

They acknowledged that God was great, mighty and awesome, forgiving, slow to anger and abounding in love, gracious and merciful, always just and faithful – when most sorely provoked. It is a good thing to look back over our lives – our beginnings, experiences, privileges not enjoyed by others – and see the hand of God in everything, and be able to testify to these qualities of God – and to wonder where you would be today if it had been left to you and your plans. Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way (Deuteronomy 8:2) is the constant theme of the book of Deuteronomy.

“Count you blessings, name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.”

“Say, while lost in holy wonder,

Why, o Lord, such love to me?”

The second principle of revival seen in this prayer is heartfelt repentance for repeated failures. In contrast to God’s constant faithfulness, the people had been persistently unfaithful. The people humbled themselves before the Lord and acknowledged this. So often rejoicing in the Lord and humiliation of self go together in the Christian experience. Confession of sin and repentance are not left behind after conversion. The Christian life is one life-long repentance. We constantly confess and forsake sin each day. A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise (Psalm 51:17), but the proud he knows from afar (Psalm 138:6).

It is a fact of experience that if you avoid a daily humbling of self before God, you become hard-hearted, cold and indifferent to the things of God. There is a place for confession of sin in public prayer. Hymns must express an awareness of sin and sorrow for it. As we read the Word and learn more of God’s will and see the character of Christ, the failure and corruption of our hearts comes to the surface. We need to keep short accounts with God. Keep a tender conscience.

The people were truly humbled before God as they recalled in this prayer how their forefathers had been arrogant, stiff-necked and disobedient, refusing to listen, failing to remember, being rebellious and wayward, idolaters and blasphemers, who killed the prophets, who were glad of God’s material blessings yet never served God or turned from their evil ways. If the years reveal God’s goodness, they also show up waywardness, folly, pettiness and self-will. There is an urgent need to stop arguing with God and have the humility and wisdom to acknowledge that His ways are right. God cannot forgive until we confess.

When there is a mountain of unconfessed sin, it drives a wedge between us and God. He becomes so distant and spiritual realities become so unreal. Some things we should ask ourselves: Is there any hypocrisy about me? Do I try to create the impression that I am better than I really am? Am I honest in my words and acts? Do I exaggerate? Am I reliable? Trustworthy? A grumbler? Jealous? Impure? Touchy? Self-pitying and self-justifying? Proud? Whom do I dislike or resent? Do I give time for the Bible to speak to me? Do I enjoy my prayer life? Am I disobeying God in something? Am I engaged in something which my conscience is uneasy about? Do I speak to others about the Lord? Am I a slave to books, dress, friends, work? How do I spend my spare time? We need to pray for real brokenness to God’s will and brokenness in fellowship with others, and therefore real yieldedness so that God can bless us.

Thirdly we see a national recommitment to the Lord, another thing which marks revival. Repentance and sorrow for sin led to the people making a binding agreement with God to keep His Law. This was put in writing.

Written covenants were a feature of our forefathers, for example John Wesley’s covenant prayer: “I am no longer my own, but yours. Put me to what you will, rank me with whom you will; put me to doing, put me to suffering. Let me be employed by you or laid aside by you, enabled for you or brought low by you. Let me be full, let me be empty. Let me have all things, let me have nothing. I freely and heartily yield all things to your pleasure and disposal. And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, you are mine, and I am yours. So be it. And the covenant which I have made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.”

Thomas Boston recorded his covenant with the Lord in writing: “I do now, with all my heart and soul, solemnly resign and give up myself, and all my bodily and spiritual concerns, unto Christ; taking Him with heart and soul upon those very terms, and no other, upon which He is offered in the gospel; resolving, and hereby engaging, in His strength, to cleave to Him and His truths, so long as I live, whatever be the hazard. Like as I have, and hereby do, solemnly give up and resign K. B. [his wife Katharine Brown] to the same Lord Christ, that I have given myself to be His for ever. And this before the Lord, the searcher of hearts, I do with all willingness subscribe, the 25th day of March 1700 years. T. B."

The covenant made a real difference to the Jews. It touched every part of their lives – home, social and church life. They promised there would be no intermarriage with heathens (10:30), they would preserve the Sabbath by not trading with non-Israelites on the Sabbath (10:31), protect the poor by letting the land lie fallow every seventh year for the poor to glean from (10:31b), present all first-born sons and animals (10:36), and to properly maintain the house of God and its services (10:32,34,35). We will not neglect the house of our God (Nehemiah 10:39).

These were tokens of their hearts’ desire to keep all the Law and put God first in everything. Real sacrifice was involved. They were economically depressed and all of these undertakings would affect them financially. They would really know what self-denial meant, yet they were determined to obey God at all costs, no half measures, and to trust Him to supply all their needs. This overall commitment was an expression of real repentance and full consecration to the Lord. After all, surrender of life is only the beginning of a life of surrender. Consecration is the beginning and not the end of spiritual growth.

Conclusion

All Christians today should follow this model – Christians marrying Christians, setting up Christian homes, seeing time, life, health, wealth, abilities and influences as gifts from God on which He has first claim, generous to human need, responsible in giving to maintain the work and service of God’s cause and God’s house. The people were also willing to relocate homes in Jerusalem (11:1,2) in order to be useful to God. We have much to learn from the recommitment the people made that day to the Lord, both as individuals and as a church.