Nehemiah 9:1-5

TEXT AND VERSE-BY-VERSE COMMENT

B. The Levites lead in a psalm of confession.
1. Introduction: The occasion on which the prayer was offered is described.

TEXT, Nehemiah 9:1-5 a

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.

3

While 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 cried with a loud voice to the LORD their God.

5a

Then the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, Arise, bless the LORD your God forever and ever!

COMMENT

A quick look through this chapter will reveal the startling fact that neither Ezra nor Nehemiah is mentioned in it. This is another evidence that the real stars of this performance, the heroes on this occasion, were the people. They had initiated it in Nehemiah 8:1 by their request to hear the reading of God's Law. Throughout the events of the seventh month they have been the center of attention. Now, without mention of a great name who ordered their response they came together once more.

Nehemiah 9:1 reinforces this impression in another way. Their assembly was on a day which fits no requirement of the Law at all; that is, they met because they wanted to, not because of any command or obligation. They had already had nine or ten days of Scripture reading and worship, and they still would not go home. The twenty-fourth day does allow for one day's rest since the close of the previous chapter. Fasting, being clothed in sackcloth, and with dirt upon them would be progressively more intense signs of grief and repentance.

In Nehemiah 9:2 the separation from foreigners was a ritual symbol of their purification. It portrayed in action what their shunning marriage to foreigners was designed to accomplish. Their standing and confessing may be a summary of the rest of the chapter. In

Nehemiah 9:3 the day is divided into fourths and the reading continues for one fourth of the day, with confession filling another; that also is probably a summary of the next verses. We have here a slight problem is arithmetic: how long is a quarter of a day? If we think of the day as opposed to the night, it would be three hours; but if we think of a calendar day, it is six. Since only two quarters are accounted for, we assume that they were sleeping the other half. Also, in Nehemiah 8:3 the action had begun at daybreak and continued to noon, with a new set of activities apparently taking up the rest of the day. We would assume, then, that reading filled six hours, and confession and worship occupied substantially the rest of the daylight hours.

Nehemiah 9:4 returns to the scene in Nehemiah 8:2, with the platform above the people occupied by Levites; we assume that all the names in this list are Levites, as they are in the next verse. A prayer follows, but is not preserved for us; evidently it was a spontaneous one.

Nehemiah 9:5 a gives a second list, with some duplications. Perhaps those in Nehemiah 9:4 presided in the morning, and those in Nehemiah 9:5 in the afternoon or second session. The people were then called on to stand in preparation for the prayer that follows. The Levites who were presiding may have read it in unison, or one may have voiced it as the representative of the group.

WORD STUDIES

NAME (Nehemiah 9:5, Shem): basically it means a sign, monument, or memorial of a person, thing, or event. This word is translated memorial in Isaiah 55:13. But the emphasis is on the person or event of which it is only the sign. To do something in someone's name is to act by his authority (Exodus 5:23). To know someone by name suggests acquaintance with him personally (Exodus 33:12). To make oneself a name indicates fame and renown (2 Samuel 7:9); conversely, to have no name is to be a nobody (Job 30:8); a good name signified a good reputation or character (Proverbs 22:1); the destruction of one's name meant that his person and the memory of him would be no more (Deuteronomy 9:14).

God's name, then, is His person, His authority, the knowledge of Him, His fame or glory, His character, the memory of all that He has done.

WORSHIP (Nehemiah 9:3); BOW DOWN (Nehemiah 9:6): these are the same word. It contains three ideas; (1) sink down, bow down, fall prostrate, do honor or reverence to someone whether to an equal or to a superior; (2) hence, to worship or adore; (3) therefore, to do homage or yield allegiance to someone.

Worship is incomplete without commitment.