Eskimo's Icy Wisdoms

Nehemiah Chapter 9

Hello again, today we move deeper into the rebuilding of the people of Israel. It wasn’t enough for them to feel bad about having sinned; it was time to do something about it.

[quote=Nehemiah 9:1]

1On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and having dust on their heads.[/quote]

Now, I couldn’t find it biblically where God told the people to wear sackcloth, however from my understanding and some research into the culture of the time, it’s more of an outward sign of internal change. So here you have a lot of people dressed up in scratchy, itchy, very uncomfortable clothing, and not only that!

[quote=Nehemiah 9:2]

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.[/quote]

They stood with just the Jews.  At this point in time they were probably intermarried with non Jewish people and this is a huge thing to step away from your family to show that you are repentant.

Then, they read from the Book of the Law and then prayed. Half the day was spent doing this, which means very little work got done. However; getting yourself right with God was far more important than tilling the field or pulling the weeds; without God at the head of their own lives, their family and their nation… How would things ever change?

I’ll let you read the prayer in your own Bible. Go ahead, it starts on verse 5 and continues until the next chapter. It reads like a rap sheet of sin.

Notice how they say what their parents did, acknowledging that the problem started before them, but not making excuses for it.

It is  especially interesting how they mention that every time they sinned, they became oppressed and were put into bondage until they cried out for the Lord. They know that’s what happened, and still repeated history.

Yet… At the end of the chapter… They allude to something more.

I’m afraid that’s all the time I have for this week, your comments and insights are welcome.

God bless you this week,

Until next time,

Eskimo