Chapter Nine PRELIMINARY QUESTIONS 1. What do you suppose brought the people to the humility and confession described in this chapter? 2. Who is the more prominent in this chapter, Ezra or Nehemiah? How do you explain this? 3. What were the major points in the Levites-' prayer? 4. Why do you... [ Continue Reading ]
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 upo... [ Continue Reading ]
2. God is praised for His power in creation. TEXT, NEHEMIAH 9:5 b - NEHEMIAH 9:6 5b O may Thy glorious name be blessed And exalted above all blessing and praise! 6 Thou alone art the LORD. Thou has made the heavens, The heaven of heavens with all their host, The earth and all that is on it, T... [ Continue Reading ]
3. God is exalted for His goodness to Abraham. TEXT, NEHEMIAH 9:7-8 7 Thou art the LORD God, Who chose Abram And brought him out from Ur of the Chaldees, And gave him the name Abraham. 8 And Thou didst find his heart faithful before Thee, And didst make a covenant with him To give him the l... [ Continue Reading ]
4. God's hand is seen in the Exodus. TEXT, NEHEMIAH 9:9-15 9 Thou didst see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, And didst hear their cry by the Red Sea. 10 Then Thou didst perform signs and wonders against Pharaoh, Against all his servants and all the people of his land; For Thou didst kn... [ Continue Reading ]
5. God blesses Israel even during her rebellion in the Wilderness. TEXT, NEHEMIAH 9:16-21 16 But they, our fathers, acted arrogantly; They became stubborn and would not listen to Thy commandments. 17 And they refused to listen, And did not remember Thy wondrous deeds which Thou hadst performe... [ Continue Reading ]
6. God's compassion takes them to Canaan. TEXT, NEHEMIAH 9:22-25 22 Thou didst also give them kingdoms and peoples, And Thou didst allot them to them as a boundary. And they took possession of the land of Sihon the king of Heshboh, And the land of Og the king of Bashan. 23 And Thou didst make... [ Continue Reading ]
7. Disobedience, punishment, and repentance characterize the period of judges and kings. TEXT, NEHEMIAH 9:26-31 26 But they became disobedient and rebelled against Thee, And cast Thy law behind their backs And killed Thy prophets who had admonished them. So that they might return to Thee, And t... [ Continue Reading ]
8. Prayer for present mercy. TEXT, NEHEMIAH 9:32-38 32 Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who dost keep covenant and lovingkindness, Do not let all the hardship seem insignificant before Thee, Which has come upon us, our kings, our princes, our priests, our prop... [ Continue Reading ]