Nehemiah 9:26-27

The First Cycles (Nehemiah 9:26).

Note the pattern of the initial cycles. Rebellion (Nehemiah 9:26). Deliverance to enemies (Nehemiah 9:27 a). The plea for help (Nehemiah 9:27 b). The provision of saviours (Nehemiah 9:27 c). The mention of the slaying of the prophets indicates that this is going beyond the Judges period, into the period of the kings, but it follows the pattern of Judges 2:11. We have in this regard the clear examples of the prophets slain in the days of Elijah (1Ki 18:4; 1 Kings 18:13; 1 Kings 19:10); and of Zechariah the son of Jehoiada, who was slain in the court of the king's house at the command of King Joash (2 Chronicles 24:20. These would be followed later by Uriah the son of Shemaiah in the days of Jehoiakim (Jeremiah 26:20); and Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, who was slain between the Temple and the altar (Matthew 23:35), with the latter (Zechariah 1:1) perishing after the return from Exile. All had not been well, even among the returnees.

Nehemiah 9:26

“Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against you, and cast your Law behind their back, and slew your prophets who testified against them to turn them again to you, and they wrought great provocations.”

They acknowledged before God how their fathers had rebelled against Him continually. It will be noted that only in the case of these early cycles, and then subsequently in the final cycle, are the details of their rebellion brought out, a rebellion against His Law (Instruction), something very important at a time when the returnees had just been listening to the reading and exposition of the Law. In the intermediate cycles it is simply ‘after they had rest they did evil before you'. But here ‘the Law' has come into especial prominence, and is treated by men as God treats sin (Isaiah 38:17), it is cast behind their backs. They thus rejected the Law and the prophets. The Levites are describing the past in terms of their post-exilic view of the pre-eminence of the Law which had been emphasised by Ezra, but reminding us that the Law had been ever with them.

Here their rebellion is spelt out in detail. They were disobedient -- they rebelled against God -- they cast His Law behind their backs -- they slew His prophets who testified against them -- they wrought great provocations. This is always the pathway into the depths of sin. First disobedience, then rebellion, then rejection of His word, then persecution of His messengers, and finally gross sin.

The mention of the slaying of the prophets demonstrates that this period covers both Judges and Kings (see Judges 2:11 and 2 Kings 17 for the pattern), for it was in the time of the monarchy that we learn of the slaying of prophets (1 Kings 18:4; 2 Chronicles 24:20).

Nehemiah 9:27

“Therefore you delivered them into the hand of their adversaries, who distressed them, and in the time of their trouble, when they cried to you, you heard from heaven, and according to your manifold mercies you gave them saviours who saved them out of the hand of their adversaries.”

Then they drew God's attention to the fact that He had in His mercy constantly delivered His people. As a consequence of their decline they were delivered into the hands of their enemies and suffered great distress (as the returnees had recently been doing - Nehemiah 1:3). But then in their time of trouble they cried to God, and He ‘heard from heaven' (reminiscent of Solomon's prayer - 1Ki 8:30; 1 Kings 8:32; 1 Kings 8:34, and so on). And as a result of His widespread mercies He gave them saviours who saved them out of the hands of their enemies (compare Judges 2:16; Judges 2:18).